NEWS
Five Steps to a Five Star Venue - How cleaning can help your venue clean up bigger revenues
Stadium managers might be forgiven for viewing the cleaning requirement as a necessary evil, providing the most basic service at the lowest possible cost. But one of the brightest leisure support specialists in the business - Leisure Support Services - says contracting a professional cleaning team with real experience can help transform a tired stadium into a five star venue and generate income far beyond the cost.
Expecting the cleaning service to make a difference to customer loyalty and increase customer spend may seem like pie in the sky but Peter Watts, who has managed the cleaning at world class venues and events such as the Sydney Olympics, US Open Tennis and Wimbledon Championships and the Brit Oval, has found a five step formula which can generate bigger revenues for any sporting venue.
Managing Director of Leisure Support Services (LSS), Peter says: "It is short-sighted to treat cleaning as a second-rate support service when the right team, properly managed, can bring major benefits to the way a venue is perceived and supported. This in turn brings revenue improvements at every level, from corporate hospitality functions to the average spend of fans."
Over the last 15 years, more than £2 billion has been invested in English stadia. This level of investment has brought dramatic changes in stadia architecture, structure, layout and functionality, as well as enhanced levels of comfort, convenience and a greatly improved sporting experience for fans. But such investment needs fast payback and, whilst cleaning doesn't immediately spring to mind as a route to achieving that, LSS says its five point plan for improved cleaning is a winning way to boost income. So what are the five steps and how can they be implemented?
Step One - Increase customer spend with better washroom management
It may sound like something only a cleaning expert would say but there is a real science to managing sporting venue toilet facilities. It's a simple start point but ensuring that every urinal and toilet stall is fully functional throughout any sporting event has a direct correlation with maximising secondary spend. The length of time visitors spend queuing has a dramatic effect on time spent at venue catering outlets, especially when there are often only short intervals during events. And it isn't just a question of increasing the size of the washrooms. Queues will occur simply because toilet stalls have run out of paper. Multiply this effect by every event across a whole season and it is easy to see the improvement in extra revenue a well-serviced washroom can bring!
And whilst we are discussing washrooms, it is worth considering the financial impact of washbasins and hand dryers. Faulty handbasins bring a double whammy: poor personal hygiene as fans run out of patience, with the potential for food poisoning subsequently blamed on the quality of catering. Hand dryer queues also cause problems yet, according to LSS, the latest technology dryers use less energy than standard models (thereby saving overheads) and can also reduce the average drying time from 35 to 10 seconds - an additional 25 seconds per use per user! While this figure doesn't seem much, multiply it by the event attendees and by the number of events a year and it amounts to a substantial time saving, time that could be spent at catering outlets!
Step Two - Put the five star feeling into the corporate hospitality experience
Corporate customers regularly experience five star service and surroundings in hotels and conference venues. The challenge for stadium managers is to create this level of excellence in the context of busy events where resources can be stretched to the limit. The secret is to never underestimate the importance of proper cleanliness. Whether it is washrooms, meeting rooms or dining areas, there is no excuse for anything less than five-star cleanliness. Poor standards will almost certainly add up to a less enjoyable experience, which kills repeat bookings.
Corporate customers don't want washrooms which are barely functional, smelling of bleach or disinfectant, with little or no recognition of the high price the visitor or host is paying. Whilst harsh cleaning agents, along with a mop and bucket, are the common image of a typical cleaning operation, today's technology offers effective alternatives. These might require greater skill and management but actually cost less and are more environmentally friendly. For example, the use of microfibre cloths and mops can eliminate the need for harsh chemicals while still cleaning to the highest standards.
Now add the impact of fresh flowers, good quality soaps and toiletries and, where needed, uniformed toilet attendants and corporate customers begin to see the value of their exclusive hospitality areas. So many cleaning companies simply don't understand what the corporate customer expects, yet most of these elements can be provided at very little cost with major payback in high-spending customer loyalty.
The same principles apply to ensuring carpets are clean, fresh and free from spillage marks and it's amazing how often dirty windows are allowed to obscure the action customers pay money for.
Step Three - Enhance your venue's flexibility
The best hotels maximise their banqueting and conference income by ensuring not a moment is lost in getting the venue back into usable condition after a conference or event. The same should apply to sporting venues. By building tight timeframes and short turnround times into the cleaning contract, the next meeting can be accommodated as soon as the previous event has ended, with no need for VIPs attending a function to wade through a car park full of rubbish because there was a major event earlier in the day.
This is about establishing service guarantees with the cleaning contractor to prioritise areas that are required either for an existing booking or for an inspection from a prospective new client. Even some of the best hotels make the mistake of showing new customers around conference or washroom facilities while they are still in disarray from a previous event. A prospective client should always be shown a facility that looks as good as it should do on the day. This is about attention to detail and contracting a team that cares about delivering the best results.
Step Four - Leave a green footprint
Whether it's a single fan, a family out for a fun day of sport or a big business entertaining its customers, everyone appreciates someone who cares. This is not just about caring for them whilst they are on the premises but also about caring for the environment and showing a responsible attitude to matters such as how waste is dealt with.
Sporting venues are massive generators of waste, all compacted into a very short timescale. And most often, the cleaning company is best placed to help the venue achieve better environmental credentials by actively promoting sensible and responsible waste recycling and disposal.
This step is based on strong commercial as well as environmental grounds. Tonnage costs of waste going to landfill increased by 14% this year alone in order to act as a deterrent to irresponsible waste disposal. Further changes in the EU Landfill Directive will bring greater incentives to recycle or recover energy through incineration. Through effective communication and utilising the correct waste infrastructure it is possible to achieve recycling figures of up to 60% of total waste generated. During the last England npower Test Match at the Brit Oval, LSS achieved recycling rates of over 50%. This compares to the rest of the country which is struggling to keep recycling rates over 20%. All this generates a positive public image and gives the venue a point of differentiation with a strong commercial and environmental advantage.
Step Five - Have friendly faces amongst the crowds
Do you engage cleaners or customer service staff? The fact is that cleaning staff in your stadium during an event are seen by your customers as your representatives, even when they are wearing a cleaning company branded uniform. It's essential they portray the highest standards, not just in terms of appearance but in attitude too. So you need to ensure the cleaning team recognise their customer service role, as well as the need to maintain a continuously clean environment and help customers whenever they can.
Those attending a sporting event, whether they are general admission or corporate customers, have almost certainly spent a significant sum on a ticket and this serves to raise expectations of how they should be dealt with. By getting venue support staff, such as the cleaning team, to treat attendees as guests and ensure their experience is enhanced by high standards of cleanliness, excellent toilet facilities and helpful interaction, the corporate customers again feel they are receiving value. The key here lies in effective training and continuous attention by the management of the cleaning contractor to ensure individuals respect their work, their customers and themselves.
Getting a good result
The final word comes from Peter Watts, Managing Director of Leisure Support Services: "Stadium cleaning is a specialist skill which, when managed properly, adds real value to the customer experience. Most importantly, the right approach to cleaning can help boost revenues. The key is to appoint a contractor that can deliver the level of service which will bring your club real success."
June 2007
