One of the more intriguingly titled workshops at the upcoming INTIX 2024 in Las Vegas is “15 Years and 20,000 Marketing Experiments Later: How to Listen to Customers and Find What Works.” Scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 31, the one-hour session will start at 3:45 p.m. PST and feature Chris Garlock, Vice President of Marketing Strategy at Allianz Partners, as speaker.
Chris Garlock
Garlock says, “Allianz Partners has been fortunate in that we were early embracers of a test-and-learn culture. As part of that, back in 2007, we began to heavily invest in building a world-class optimization and experimentation program, ultimately powered by the right combination of technology and people. Thanks to this experience, we are excited to share some of the ‘secret sauce’ in what we have learned along the way as well as some of the challenges new adopters face, ranging from where to even start to, ultimately, how you build a program into something truly scalable and sustainable that consistently drives results. While it is always a bit of art and science, if you figure out how to do the right thing for your customers, it will go a long way in driving the results you hope to see in your business.”
Garlock will touch on the massive changes in consumer booking behavior taking place across the event ticketing industry during his 60-minute presentation. He will also guide attendees on how to listen to their customers and transform that data into value-driven initiatives.
He says, “Humans are incredible at producing creative and ethical ways to approaching problems and creating processes to address them. But machines can process massive amounts of data and help make decisions at speeds we cannot begin to approach. The combination of superior technology and experienced people is going to drive the best results … But that shouldn’t be intimidating or a barrier to entry for those wanting to experiment. Even starting small and simple can still produce impressive results. At times, even changing a single word can drive the most surprising of outcomes.”
So, what is the biggest way customers' ticket purchasing behavior has changed and evolved in recent years? Garlock’s answer was quick and detailed: “There have been a number of changes in the way all of us not only purchase tickets, but also in the way we interact with brands, the way we choose to attend events, and considerations to things going on in the world around us. The obvious changes continue to evolve around dominant mobile experiences and the way we now have more access than ever before to both event awareness and on-demand purchasing, delivery and servicing. This has implications ranging from greater on-sale demand, larger booking window spreads between onsale and general sale, as well as a general increase in reach and uptake on historically lower demand categories and events.”
He continues, “Several years on, consumers are still holding tight to memories of how certain brands responded during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. They want to work with the brands that are most likely to take care of them when things don’t work out. To help brands continue to drive better customer care, our research has shown some of the top drivers of event ticket insurance purchasing now include: getting sick or injured before the event, severe weather during the event, an artist canceling or rescheduling, missing the event for work, and even having travel issues on the way to the event. The last point is particularly interesting. In the last few years, consumer willingness to travel greater distances to attend live events has continued to increase. All in all, some of these things are not unique to just the way we purchase tickets, but by nature of an evolving world around us.”
Garlock is looking forward to delivering an informative and engaging session to INTIX attendees and members. He believes any good workshop should include relatable examples and tangible takeaways. He says, “We have tried to craft our session to not only be informative, but also entertaining. Who wants to sit through 60 minutes of boring content? We have had the good fortune and resources to support — and learn — over 15 years of experimentation [and] best practices. Through that, we have been able to drive incredible improvements in both customer experience, value and business growth. Why not share a few tips to help the rest of the industry? After all, a rising tide lifts all ships.”
While Allianz Partners is not new to attending INTIX’s annual conferences, this will be Garlock’s first. He could not be more excited. “Having attended and presented across a number of industry conferences, the number one piece of advice I always carry with me is simply to let others ‘see your passion,’” he says. “While each of us always has something new to learn every day, after a number of years, we all become experts in one area or another. And when you become an expert, it is easy to take that for granted. But a conference is an incredible opportunity to resurface passion, excitement and curiosity in the hopes you will spark something in others to take away and build something new.”
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