What is a "right-sized venue"?
My philosophy in working with organizations is that every club in a right-sized venue should sell out every match.
So what's a "right-sized venue"?
A right-sized venue is...
Well-suited to the type of event, adjusted to the level of popularity and size of the market and fully functional throughout.
* A venue's size is well-suited to the event when it doesn't hinder the enjoyment of the event. A play should not be in a 100,000 seat stadium. Pro basketball is not at its best in a 500 seat auditorium. Opera is loud and can reach two or three thousand easily, but not 10,000.
Generally, professional football (soccer) should be in a stadium of thousands and not much more than 30,000. Baseball goes a little bigger, but you'll notice stadiums have been shrinking in recent years. Ditto American football.
* However, you have to adjust this for the level of the event and the place where it's happening. A Premier League match in London can push the size of the venue farther than a USL 2 match in Peoria, Illinois. (Go Peoria City FC!)
* And if part of the venue is non-functional, it doesn't count. There are major professional clubs that play in venues where some seats just don't work. Either they literally can't be sold or they're so bad, it's near impossible. This is mostly true in legacy venues, but these don't count. You don't have to sell these.
But given all that, every club should sell out every match.
Getting there doesn't happen overnight, but it's the right goal. I'll talk about why in future posts.
(This is probably the wrong place for my upcoming piano recital.)
