Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman bbowman@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Janice Burton Joy Crowe editor@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITER Stephanie Crider stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Mary Beth Leiby Marybeth@upandcomingweekly.com OFFICE MANAGER Deborah Baughn deborah@upandcomingweekly.com –––––––––––––– GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alicia Miller art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Soni Martin, D.G. Mar tin, Pitt Dick ey, Margaret Dickson, Bob Cogswell, John Hood, Shanessa Fenner, Erinn Crider, Karen Poppele, Heather Griffi ths, Beth Solzsmon-Carpenter –––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: (910) 484-6200 FAX: (910) 484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a “Quality of Life” publication with local features, news and infor- mation on what’s happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per per- son. Subscriptions can be purchased for $30 for six months or $60 for 12 months, delivered weekly by first class mail. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. INSIDE It’s Show Time! PUBLISHER’S PEN by BILL BOWMAN Have you ever started out for that one very special evening or event only to be disappointed because some minor incident or ugly experience happened to ruin your otherwise pleasant and enjoyable evening? Well, these types of incidents seem to be happening at a much higher frequency lately as businesses and organizations lose sight of small, but important details that serve to defi ne and enhance an enjoyable event. Basically, these are basic tenets of hospitality and common sense. Many local businesses, organizations and venues could take a lesson or two from Disney World’s play book on how to create an enjoyable, fun and memorable experience. I love visiting Disney World for these reasons. It serves to restore my faith in humanity. Disney has mastered the art of customer service and hospitality and they never stop refi ning it or applying it to their business model. Hospitality is an industry of sensitivity, empathy and common sense. All essential factors in operating a successful business or creating that perfect experience. Yet, many businesses and venues fi nd these traits elusive or rank them low in priority. This ultimately causes their revenue and profi ts to suffer while leaving them scratching their heads and wondering what happened. It’s amazing to watch. These simple concepts of hospitality and common sense are many times the last resort in seeking a remedy for a weak or damaged business model. It should be show time starting from the fi rst moment a customer steps foot into the business or venue. I will use a recent FireAntz hockey game my wife and I attended at the Crown Coliseum to demonstrate this point. First, realize that the hockey game is the ultimate event and our destination; however, every experience encountered along the way will play an important role in the level of enjoyment we will experience. This, in turn, determines how much money will be spent or if we will return in the future. Here we go: The experience starts in: 1. The parking lot. Easy access? Friendly greeting? 2. Visit to the ticket offi ce. Fast, easy, friendly accommodating service? 3. Entering the building and passing through security. Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast Friday Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast Thursday Saturday November 18 November 19 November 20 Perception: Precautionary safety procedure or annoying hassle? 4. Finding your seats. Helpful or gratuitous? 5. The concessions and food vendors. Good food? Good value? Fast and convenient service? Accommodating? 6. The game itself. 7. The exit. Easy to leave? All of these seven factors will determine your level of enjoyment of the hockey game. Any one factor not executed perfectly could ruin the experience and result in a negative affecting future entertainment decisions. In the example above this event gets good marks in six out of seven categories. However, number six, food concessions, is a real event killer. In this case, high pricing, limited offerings and poor quality are overshadowed by the lack of service and basic considerations for the customer, i.e.: not having any condiments. It’s one thing to serve up cardboard pizza and chicken tenders that taste like poker chips, but no salt or pepper? Imagine french fries and popcorn without salt. Providing drinks without lids or straws is also inexcusable. Not only is it unsanitary but it makes the soft wax coated cups very awkward to carry and very diffi cult for a young child to maneuver. Overall, not a good experience and a strong confi rmation that the customer is of little consequence. Unlike other businesses who control all these factors, this example has many components that must be coordinated and orchestrated to fulfi ll the entertainment mission of the hockey game. Here, as in all businesses, the focus should be on the customer. Creating a wonderful, memorable, positive and enjoyable experience is all about hospitality and execution. It’s the one chance you have to make a good and lasting impression. It should be show time all the time. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, Up and Coming Weekly. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 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