Discussion Post: NFCA Case Study- An Exercise in Planning

Using the NFCA case study found in the chapter 18 respond to the following:

Considering the number of athletes participating and the number of games played over the three days, ensuring an event like this goes smoothly can be a daunting task. If you were running one of these events, you would want to deliver an excellent event so that participants, spectators, and sponsors would have a good impression of the NFCA and want to return to future Leadoff Classic Events. To do so, you would have to put in a lot of planning to make event day successful.

Question I. Regarding participants` experiences at the event, what would be specific examples of moments of truth? Based on these moments of truth, what services would you need to provide the teams in order to ensure a good experience for them? What information would it be necessary to provide participating teams?

Hint: Identify a series of moments of truth and conceptualize how to increase satisfaction or reduce dissatisfaction at each point.

Question II. It would be impossible for one person to manage all of the games and activities that need to take place, which means you would have to rely heavily on your staff. How would you make sure your staff provides a good experience for everyone involved?

Hint: Identify areas where staff will need training and education, and illustrate how staff will be supervised.

Question III. The event also draws spectators. What would be your admissions policies? How could you effectively communicate with spectators at the event to make certain they enjoy their experience?

Hint: There are many different admission policies, each with advantages and disadvantages. The challenge is to identify the best policy for your event. Communication with spectators will often make or break the experience.

Question IV. Events like these often rely on sponsors to cover costs and provide needed goods and services. How can you make sure sponsors are satisfied with their partnership with you and would want to renew for future events?

Hint: The key to making sure sponsors are satisfied with the partnership is to underpromise and overdeliver. Identify ways to deliver over and above what was promised.