Weight of Communications: How Intangibles Feed Into Tangibles

Happy Sunday for the second to last time!

Summer is approaching, which means that this term is wrapping up. How bizarre! While I usually write my blog posts on Sundays, this week, I had no choice but to wait until the end of the weekend. Surprisingly (and thankfully) my reason feeds into what we are discussing in class this week- measuring tangibles and intangibles in communication. In this situation, a venue did not exercise the importance of intangible assets which will feed in directly to the measurement of their tangible assets.

Venue Communication Matters

This past week, I had the opportunity to see my favorite band of all time, Greta Van Fleet, in northern Alabama. While I have been to several shows, each has required traveling over state lines, so the chance to attend a “home” show was exhilarating. I bought my general admissions tickets in October of 2023 (with a presale code of course) and waited for the months to pass before it was time to travel north.

The venue is where we begin to get into the communication aspect of this story. Fans seemed to have been drawn to this show due to the venue’s intimate seating capacity, classical architecture that compliments Greta Van Fleet’s aesthetic choices, and the structure being an amphitheater- somewhat similar to Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater. With such a buzz regarding the venue, fans from all over the world wanted not only to be present for this show but as close to the stage as possible.

While the show was scheduled for Wednesday, fans arrived with plans to camp out as long as necessary to earn barricade spots- usually the first 150 people. Before this process even began, fans emailed the venue asking for instructions to ensure they could line up safely, stay out of the venue's way, and honor their line order. The instructions were clear- fans were not to be on venue property until 10:00 AM the day of the show. It was then that people were permitted to form a line at the North Box Office. This information was emailed, direct messaged, and posted on the venue’s website. That sounds like clear communication, does it not?

Unfortunately, fans began lining up Monday morning… on venue property. They were quickly kicked off and their wristbands were voided. The venue told them that any fans seen on security cameras before 10:00 AM Tuesday would have their tickets voided. The line would start strictly at 10:00 AM. However, being familiar with the intensity of the fans of this band, this was a safety concern. To have everyone ambush the box office at 10:00 AM would cause a blood bath. We decided to head up early Tuesday morning and park our cars in a nearby parking lot to prepare- hopefully being able to get a good spot thanks to our close proximity to the venue.

Later Tuesday morning, more people showed up, so we were forced to start a line off venue property for the sake of organization. In the past, venue security would come out, give us instructions, and check on us, but we heard nothing. By 4:00 PM, the line consisted of over two hundred people and venue security was nowhere to be seen. Rumors circulated that the head of security was letting us “cook” before sending us all home at 5:00 PM, however, we were off property, out of the way of the public, and quiet. Fans who had been disbanded from the first line complained about our off-property line and were told that our wristbands would not be honored. The same information was given over emails, direct messages, and from the lady at the box office, but when security finally came out, everything changed.

The head of security finally emerged, and we were ready to find out the truth. To our surprise, we were thanked for our cooperation and told that we were the only line that would be honored since we followed directions. He would come back out at 10:00 AM to give us wristbands, and we could leave to eat, sleep, and shower until the gates opened at 4:30 PM. Security then admitted to providing false information on their website and to people emailing in. We were told to keep it a secret that our line would be honored. Our confusion only grew.

We camped overnight and quickly learned that a second line had formed at the South Box Office. They told us that security had said our line would not be honored. It became a carousel of rumors and confusion. When 10:00 AM Tuesday rolled around, we packed up and formed a neat, quiet line, ready to be released to go rest. We stood outside until 11:00 before security passed out wristbands.

When we returned at 3:30 PM for the gates to open an hour later, we thought that all miscommunications had been resolved. That was until it was 7:30 PM, half an our after the show was supposed to begin, and we were still outside the gates standing in the rain. Apparently, a delay had occurred, but the venue did not tell us. We found out through social media. Soon, venue employees began leaving. We asked what was happening, and they only smiled, responding with “We can’t say,” and “Tomorrow.” Before the venue even notified us, the dates on our mobile tickets changed to Thursday, and we were left standing in the rain, booking hotels, refunding tickets, and driving home. Thankfully, my friends and I were able to stay for the next day, but so many people had to miss the show.

Bad weather caused the postponement, which was understandable, but the complete lack of honesty, clarity, and communication by the venue left a sour taste in our mouths.

Tangible and Intangible Assets

Tangibly, the show sold out, and the venue reaped the benefits of hungry, thirsty fans paying for concessions. The show was a wonderful success, but fans followed through for the sake of Greta Van Fleet. The night’s tangible successes were not a direct response to the venue’s campaign, but the artists’.

Intangibly, the venue suffered. Many of us agreed that we would never attend a show there again. We did not feel safe or valued as patrons. People were purposefully misinformed. Word-of-mouth carried our experiences to others attending shows, and Yelp reviews illustrated our frustrations with communication. We may have attended the show, aiding in tangible data, but patronage was lost due to poorly conducted intangible aspects of communication. This response will affect tangible data, especially if poor communication continues.

I must say, the venue was beautiful and Greta Van Fleet put on a show of a lifetime. I do not regret my attendance, but I was greatly disappointed in how we were treated. I hope that the venue will begin operating its communications strategies with sincerity and consideration so that attendees can sing their praises instead of warning future concertgoers. However, I am thankful to be able to note a real-life experience that applies to this course.


Sincerely,

Sofia

(Note: The title of this post, Weight of Communications, is a play on the Greta Van Fleet song titled "Weight of Dreams." It was voted the "Best Guitar Solo of the 21st Century" by Guitar World. I recommend giving it a listen!)