8
"Strike while the iron is hot," says Eric. "If
we're not able to run organized league play,
organized instructional clinics, after school
camps or things like that because of regulations,
then certainly, fill the time by bringing in rentals.
That's just good yield management." He compares
the situation to an empty hotel room or
airplane seat—Time spent unoccupied is lost
potential.
Once state restrictions allow you to start rebuilding
your programming, get that going as soon as possible.
"It's the right thing to do for our businesses long-
term because you can have better control of the
guest experience. You can cross-market your other
programs; you can make more revenue per hour
and per square foot."
Most facilities should set their own programming
schedules first. Once that is set, then you can begin
to fill the gaps in the schedule. At his SFM-operated
facilities, rental requests go on a waiting list; once the
house programs are set, rentals are offered on a first-
come first-served basis.
With all that said, is the rental boom a good thing?
Yes, says Eric. "Anything we can do to get people back
to sport, back to health, back to recreation, and fill our
venues, that's good for our businesses. It's good for
our communities, and it's good for our patrons."
