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in being at your rink and signing auto- graphs. News stations are always craving for a relatable story to broadcast on their morning and evenings newscasts. Even if you don't have an Olympian to help, set up some Olympic-centric events (curling, speedskating, a 3-on-3 youth Olympic tournament, etc.) that might provide a good news segment as well. And don't forget about your local news- papers and bulletins. Media exposure will get your facility in front of people who might not have even realized all that your facility offered. Promote Olympic sports Speaking of Olympic-centric events, don't forget to try and promote other winter sports, not just hockey and figure skating. Get creative and think of sports like skiing, bobsledding, speedskating and other sports that you can promote and have fun with—all with the goal of creating excitement leading up to the Olympics. Host a watch party Once the Olympics are here, host a watch parties. See if you can't put up a big screen, or even a sheet, and broadcast in a drive-in type of way. Have all of your customers—and their friends and family—come in with flags from their native countries and your take photos that can be posted in the building or on your social media pages. Don't forget the end game: getting people in the building and in programs There are lots of ways to build excitement before and during the Olympics, but the real goal is to get people excited so they want to come to your building and sign up for a program or come to a public skate. That means you need to have programs available as soon as the Games end. Beginner classes that start in early March that can handle the increased demand are imperative. Maybe they are just a few weeks or a few classes to give prospective clients a taste of skat- ing is something that would work for your facility. Some sort of introductory price might help get them interested. USA Hockey has National Try Hockey Day on March 3 rd . That is a great way to roll the interest in the Olympics right into a chance to actu- ally experience it for themselves right on the ice. Try the same for figure skating. U.S. Figure Skating can help with ideas. Once you have them in your building it should be time to focus on customer service and the customer experience. Don't waste the opportunity, the people will come…but will you be ready? Be prepared and your numbers will grow. J There's an old saying that says: "Failure to prepare, is preparing to fail." In order to capitalize on the Olympic momentum, you and your staff will need to be prepared in advanced. Here are a few notes to bring to your Olympic prep meeting to focus on the important factors before and after Pyeongchang. • Contact a photographer: Wheth- er it's photo ops with Olympi- ans or just photos of the crowd at your facility's events, make sure to have someone on hand to take some quality pictures to share with everyone—or for purchase. • Map out an events calendar: Organize February and March with plenty of events—dur- ing and after the Olympics to make sure you take advantage of every available day. Have the calendar displayed on your bulletin board, online and have printouts ready at the front desk. Make sure people know what's happening and when. • Advertise: If you have the bud- get, look into advertisements in your local paper, and on news and radio stations. Make sure the public knows what you have going on. • Equipment check: If you're offering new Olympic sport programs, make sure you have all the right gear. It may seem like a no brainer but if it's your first time running a curling program, you'll want to be sure you have brooms, rocks and paint for the layout. Also, with a potential influx in traffic, make sure you have enough skates and helmets on hand, too! Olympic Planning Meeting PUMP UP THE OLYMPIC ENTHUSIASM WITH SOME WINTER GAMES DÉCOR ON THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF YOUR FACILITY. 20 / JANUARY.FEBRUARY.2018 USICERINKS.COM