I have been reading the book, Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull, Co- Founder of Pixar Animation. In the book, Catmull talks about the elements necessary to foster both creativity and productivity. An important concept that comes out of this discussion is the existence of the “unmade future.” In the context of Pixar, this is the idea that a movie does not exist inside of someone just waiting to be unearthed. Rather, creation is a step-by-step and purposeful process and the movie (or any creative … [Read more...]
“Storm Watch” is No Joke When it Comes to Outdoor San Diego Sporting Events
Many of us live in San Diego for the warm, dry Mediterranean climate. I know it has been a soggy winter, but rain is a relative rarity. We welcome the occasional wet weather as a novelty. As benign seasonality. But when it rains… look out! Life stops. Southern California “storm watch” is a little bit of a joke to folks living in more seasonal locales. As we know though, the wet weather is a legitimate challenge because we do not have the infrastructure or the experience to effectively … [Read more...]
Do Event Promoters and Event Venue Operators See the World the Same Way?
Bear with me. I am making a wide turn. This is still the Venue Sportsman and I will come back around to speaking about events and sports event venues. But, follow me on a tangent for a minute. The University of California, San Diego is one of the finest public institutions of higher learning in America. I was fortunate to be staff there and to help operate their incredible sports facilities. The University of California is a research-based system and this is certainly true of our beautiful, … [Read more...]
Event Venue Managers Are Generally Good at Everything
The event and venue management business is an alluring line of work. There are always lots of questions when I tell people what I do for a living, which is fun at parties. We get to be around some really cool things, and once in a while, we might even get to see some of those cool things. (Very rarely do we get to watch an event—remember, we are working!) I consider myself very lucky to have been able to forge a career in this industry. I had some great mentors along the way who taught me the … [Read more...]
Who Needs the NFL Anyway?
The Chargers left San Diego, but I’m not sure their departure actually created a void in the local sports community like many thought it would. San Diego’s post- NFL life gives us some unique perspective on the future of sports. I believe the NFL’s best days are behind them (despite increased TV revenues in 2017). Without too much debate, team relocation, head injuries, politics, legal troubles, and frequent rule changes are damaging to the football product. While, major league sports are … [Read more...]
A Look Behind the Curtain: The Truth About Booking San Diego Event Venues
My first full-time gig working in a live events venue was as an Assistant Talent Buyer at the Coach House and Galaxy Theaters in Orange County. The role of a talent buyer is to curate the event schedule of a concert hall. The buyer makes decisions as to which acts to bring to his theater and then negotiates terms with the acts’ representation. More broadly, the talent buyer is managing the event booking process. This is to: Identify desired events or activities appropriate for the venue … [Read more...]
How Do I Know Which San Diego Venue Is Best for my Event?
At Stylehawk Event Services, our primary business function is sourcing sport event venues with sport event promoters. In reality, we are bigger than that though. Venue sourcing typically leads to event management or general contracting work as we provide our event clients with a turnkey solution to event operations, event logistics and venue management. Even still, it is a pretty specific niche we fill. The reason why our services are in demand and why we have such a high repeat and referral … [Read more...]
Sports Illustrated Once Called San Diego “Sportstown USA”. Agree?
San Diego is a great sports town! Yeah…I said it! Sure, the Padres currently sit in last place. They haven’t been in the playoffs in 12 years and haven’t won a World Series...since...ever... And the Chargers…ugh... Despite the lack of on-field success for the professional franchises, San Diego has been a legitimate athlete factory. Think about it—this city has produced the likes of Tony Hawk, Jimmie Johnson, David Wells, Meb Keflezighi, Dave Roberts, Shaun White, Luke Walton, Gail Devers, … [Read more...]
Is Fear Keeping You From Enjoying Our Incredible San Diego Event Venues?
We are no longer surprised by acts of violence at sport event venues and public assembly facilities. San Diegans were reminded of this last week when a knucklehead had a tantrum upon being denied access to the Ice Cube concert at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and fired a handgun into the air just inside the admittance gate. Fortunately, nobody was hurt (except for the shooter) but it is a scary example of how quickly a situation can escalate. As a venue operator, crisis events like these provide … [Read more...]
Despite What the Chargers Say, San Diego Still Has Great Sports Venues
Event venues like stadiums, arenas, and theaters and really special buildings. These spaces exist largely so communities can share human experiences and create life-long memories. It makes sense then, that people are emotionally connected to event venues. This emotional connection plus the high-profile nature of these facilities transforms event venues from buildings to landmarks. Event venues are iconic to the community they represent. For as long as I can remember, I have been mesmerized by … [Read more...]