With the NASCAR HOF celebrating its one-year anniversary this week, Exec Dir Winston Kelley "discussed the highs and lows of the hall of fame's first year" during an interview with Erik Spanberg of the CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL. The following is a portion of the conversation.
Q: On what worked in year one:
Kelley: The fact that we achieved what we set out to achieve, which is to design a facility that had something in it for everybody. For all types of customers. I think our customer feedback tells us that. ... We are the second-highest in attendance of any sports hall of fame in North America.
Q: And what hasn't worked:
Kelley: All of the focus has been on narrow parts of the hall of fame. On the attendance and the financials. Not that they're not important -- because they're very important if you list the things that are most important, they'd always be on that list. But the fact that that has garnered, at least locally, the majority, if not 99%, of the attention, suggests we should have communicated that differently.
Q: On future revenue projections and absorbing deficits:
Kelley: We're in the process of developing our budget. ... There are a lot of differing opinions on how much should be spent on marketing. Those conversations have not taken place, so I can't say, "Here's where we are."
Q: On shifts in marketing and promotions:
Kelley: How would I describe our marketing efforts is an evolution. The evolution is exactly what you would expect with a new business. You do a marketing plan based on what information you have, right or wrong. ... The evolution is real data versus projections. Some of it evolves more to the local audience. And a lot of the decisions are made for the local audience (CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/6 issue).
