The Wave

Tech-Driven Thrills: Elevating Fan Engagement with AI-Powered Experiences

Overview

WAVE is a concert venue and community space in Downtown Wichita. The perfect hybrid of a major event space and your favorite neighborhood bar, WAVE welcomes eclectic crowds of 500-3,500 people for concerts and events in our indoor-outdoor space.

Wave website

Problem

The Wave, an independent music venue, faces tough competition from Live Nation for ticket sales. In the Wichita market, independent music doesn't receive as much support as in other cities. This, combined with post-Covid challenges, makes it difficult for The Wave to reach desired ticket sales. How might we utilize technology and/or AI to bring more customers to the venue by enhancing the overall fan experience?

Solution

Prototype an interactive poster designed to boost user engagement and awareness through gamification.

Stakeholders Meeting

We met with the owner of the Wave to determine these particular challenges:

  • Competitive Landscape: The Wave, an independent music venue, faces stiff competition from Live Nation, as well as other local venues like bars and Intrust Bank Arena.

  • Post-Covid Struggles: They continue to grapple with the aftermath of Covid-19, experiencing lower ticket sales compared to pre-pandemic levels.

  • Booking Challenges: The venue encounter difficulties with booking certain talent due to constraints imposed by booking agents.

  • Limited Local Support: Wichita's arts and music scene lacks the robust support seen in other markets, with many residents unaware of The Wave's presence.

My notes from our meeting

Collaborative Idea Generation

As a class, we engaged in group brainstorming to generate individual concepts.

  • Brainstorming: Generated "How Might We..." statements for addressing challenges.

  • Research: Referenced existing products that tackled similar issues.

  • User Journeys: Defined paths and experiences for end users, including the venue, the fan, and the artist experience. Because we had 3 different journeys, we tried to find the common pain points that could address all 3 users.

Ideating

  • Criteria: Tasked with narrowing down ideas that were both original and not solely marketing-focused.

  • Objective: Sought innovative concepts leveraging technology and AI to enrich the fan experience, spanning from pre-concert anticipation to post-event engagement.

  • Discussion Topics: Explored a wide range of possibilities, including exclusive app membership perks, holographic experiences during concerts, enhanced sound systems, streamlined artist booking processes, and ticket purchasing enhancements.

  • Value Enhancement: Prioritized ideas that significantly added value to the overall fan experience.

Prototype - Interactive Poster

  • Inspiration: Drawing from the success of Budapest Orchestra's collaboration with Telekom in 2015, which engaged nearly 600 users weekly through interactive posters.

  • Concept Customization: Propose installing touchscreen panels at the Wave and other music venues, allowing users to simulate playing drums, guitar, or bass. These interactions would lead to a screen displaying upcoming concerts.

  • Integration of Ticketing: Implement QR codes on the screens for direct ticket purchases, streamlining the user experience from engagement to ticket acquisition.

  • Location Strategy: Recommend installation in high-traffic areas in the city, as well as at other music venues like the Cotillion in Wichita, KS, to maximize exposure and engagement opportunities.

Next Steps & Learnings

  • Pitch Presentation: Each team member had 3 minutes to pitch their idea to the client.

  • Client Response: We received enthusiastic feedback from the client, indicating interest in our proposals.

  • Learning Experience: Aim to incorporate even larger ideas in the upcoming prototyping phase, pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation. Also, emphasize the creation of value-enhanced experiences over traditional discounts, inspired by examples like Coca-Cola's strategy of never giving away free products.

  • Future Plans: Anticipate observing how our think tank session influences the incorporation and utilization of new fan, artist, and venue experiences.

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