If you have been to a few different football or baseball stadiums, or basketball or hockey arenas, you’ve probably had very different experiences at each one. Of course, your experience is influenced by the outcome of the game, but there are several other factors that influence your overall experience. When welcoming thousands of fans on game day, the venue’s preparation for the event is crucial to offering the best experience. This includes getting people through the gates efficiently, having enough concession stands and restrooms throughout the venue, and purchasing enough food and merchandise to accommodate all those loyal fans. And it turns out that a supply chain network needs to consider the same kinds of preparations to deliver an excellent customer experience.
Getting through the Gates
Especially when expecting a high volume of people, it is important to have the proper entry points and processes so that fans can quickly and safely enter the venue. Without streamlined processes and the right number of staff, people will be spending their time waiting in line, rather than spending their time in the venue (where they can be spending their money). Similarly, all the processes in your supply chain network, from purchasing to picking orders to shipping, should be examined for potential inefficiencies or unbalanced staffing levels. Are there trucks waiting to be unloaded due to low staffing levels on the receiving dock? Do you have picked cases that only need a shipping label applied, but are still flowing through the pack area with the items that need to be packed, sealed, and labeled? Look for bottleneck processes and inefficient material flows that limit how quickly you can get product in the door and out to your customers.
Facilities in the Right Places
While a stadium or arena is a facility in itself, it contains many other facilities, like concession stands and restrooms. For the best fan experience, there should be enough of these facilities to accommodate the expected crowds, and they should be easily accessible to people seated on any level. The number and locations of facilities in your supply chain network are also critical for getting products to your customers quickly and at low costs. It is also important to consider the amount of inventory stored in each facility and which customers are served by each. If one of your facilities is doing the bulk of the order fulfillment, perhaps offloading some of that work to another existing facility or opening a new facility could better serve your customer base. A network optimization study can help you better understand where your facilities should be located.
Satisfying Demand
Even if you have the right number of concession stands in the right locations, that means little if you don’t have enough food! Being ready with enough food, beverages, and merchandise throughout the venue will ensure that fans are well fed, hydrated, and have a new outfit for when they return to the venue. By forecasting customer demand, you can purchase or produce the types and amounts of products needed to satisfy customer orders. If your business is highly seasonal or there is an upcoming event, plan accordingly to ensure you have the inventory when your customers come calling. In other words, don’t run out of bottled water during a heat wave!
A supply chain network is certainly more complex than a single stadium or arena. Nevertheless, some of the features that ensure an enjoyable game day experience can also apply in providing great service to customers in your network. While there are many factors to consider when planning your supply chain, make sure to maintain or elevate your customers’ experience.
—Heather Little, St. Onge Company
