A quick start: how a typical event feels for your team

• How many events do you host per season, and which event types are most common? Options: 40 to 60, 61 to 80, 81 to 100, More than 100
• Describe a typical event-day schedule from first staff check-in to post-event teardown.
• Who on your team owns event-day operations and who is the escalation contact for failures? Options: General manager, Director of operations, CIO/IT lead, Premium services director, Other
• Which core systems support ticketing, POS, and access control today at your venue? Options: Primary ticketing platform, Primary POS system, Access control hardware/provider, Staff scheduling tool, Facility maintenance system, Other
• What are the three most public-facing failures you have seen on event day in the last two seasons?
• Point to the one event-day failure that would make you stop evaluating new partners immediately.

Where game-day success actually shows up

• If a single system failure caused a two-hour concession outage, how would you detect and escalate it?
• Estimate the average revenue per fan on a normal event-day and how that figure shifts when service stalls. Options: Under $25, $25 to $50, $51 to $75, Over $75
• When last season's biggest failure happened, who noticed it first and what was the immediate response?
• How many minutes of lost concession sales do you consider acceptable before it becomes a season-level problem? Options: Under 10 minutes, 10 to 30 minutes, 30 to 60 minutes, Over 60 minutes
• Which dashboards or reports do you rely on during an event to know fan experience or revenue is degrading? Options: Real-time POS sales, Gate throughput, Queue length sensors, Inventory burn rate, Sponsor activation dashboard, Custom BI/dashboard, None
• Point to the single metric drop that would cause you to pull funding from a pilot. Options: Per-fan revenue decline, System uptime below target, Order fulfillment time increase, Sponsor impression shortfall, Other

What's getting in the way of consistent event days

• What risk could force you to pause a pilot or postpone a season rollout?
• List the vendors and staffing roles that most often introduce variability on game day. Options: Concessions vendors, Third-party POS integrator, Access control vendor, Temp/event staff agency, In-house operations staff, Other
• In the last 12 months, how many front-of-house leadership changes occurred? Options: None, 1 change, 2 to 3 changes, More than 3
• Who is accountable for coordinating vendor schedules and resolving day-of conflicts? Options: Director of operations, Event operations manager, General manager, Third-party vendor manager, Shared responsibility
• If vendor consolidation failed to improve service quality, what consequence would be most damaging to renewals or sponsorships? Options: Sponsor churn, Reduced premium renewals, Negative public relations, Revenue shortfall, Other

Operational readiness: the gates that decide timelines

• Name the single integration or approval gate that would stop the project from starting.
• Do you have vendor APIs or integration endpoints available today for POS, ticketing, and access control? Options: All exposed and documented, Partial APIs available, Only vendor-specific connectors, No APIs available
• Identify the person or role who will provide API access and maintain integrations during the pilot. Options: In-house IT lead, Third-party integrator, Vendor engineering contact, No owner assigned yet
• Estimate the percentage of event-day data that is currently clean and accessible for reporting. Options: 0 to 25%, 26 to 50%, 51 to 75%, 76 to 100%
• Are there regulatory, vendor contract, or compliance reviews that could delay contract signing beyond your desired timeline? Options: Yes, regulatory, Yes, vendor contracts, Yes, both, No foreseeable reviews
• List the infrastructure access points on game day, such as network closets or badge systems, that require existing agreements to change.

The other options you are weighing

• Tell us which alternatives you are actively evaluating, including the incumbent and any internal build options. Options: Staying with incumbent, Evaluating a different external vendor, Building in-house, Hybrid approach, Undecided
• For each alternative, what would have to be true for you to stay with it instead of switching?
• Has anyone on your staff proposed solving this in-house without an outside partner, and if so, who and why? Options: Yes, recommended by IT, Yes, recommended by operations, No internal proposal yet
• Rank the importance of cost, speed, proven references, and integration risk when choosing a partner. Options: Cost, Speed to deploy, Proven references, Integration risk
• Suppose your incumbent promised zero downtime and a fixed price, what remaining concern would still push you to change vendors?
• Would you choose to build internally or pause if no external vendor meets your integration requirements? Options: Build internally, Pause the project, Keep evaluating vendors

Measure it or miss it: define the success you can prove

• Name the measurable event-day outcome that, if the pilot achieves it, would make you sign a full rollout immediately.
• Provide the key metrics you currently track for ticketing, concessions, and premium services during events. Options: Per-fan revenue, Average order value, Transactions per minute, Queue wait time, Sponsor impressions, Premium seat utilization, System uptime
• Identify who receives post-event reports and how those reports influence renewal conversations. Options: Executive leadership, Sales/sponsorship team, Operations, Finance, Other
• Describe the cadence of post-event reviews and whether they feed executive decisions on sponsorship or pricing. Options: After every event, Weekly during season, Monthly, Quarterly, Ad hoc
• State the minimum percentage improvement in per-fan revenue or reduction in order time that would justify converting the pilot to a season-long contract. Options: 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% or more, Other

Governance: who signs off and who moves fast

• Please list the person or role with final signoff for pilots and season rollouts and the primary risk they are most concerned about.
• Tell me which internal committee or governance body must approve budget changes arising from a pilot. Options: Executive committee, Finance committee, Procurement, Board-level approval, No committee required
• Should the pilot achieve its targets, what contractual step would accelerate full-season buy-in and who owns that decision?
• Are there procurement, insurance, or other requirements that would block a go-live date unless addressed first? Options: Procurement approval, Insurance certificate, Vendor background checks, None
• State the timeline you need for legal review and purchase approvals to hit a pre-season go-live. Options: 2 to 4 weeks, 4 to 8 weeks, 8 to 12 weeks, More than 12 weeks

Pilot triggers and immediate next steps

• Flag any decision or constraint that would prevent you from executing the full contract the week the pilot proves the expected lift.
• Provide the dates in the upcoming season that are non-negotiable for piloting or that must be avoided.
• Please identify who on your side can be a day-of owner during pilot events and whether they are budgeted for extra hours. Options: Already budgeted, Can reassign internally, Need additional budget, No owner assigned yet
• When can your team provide access to API credentials, sample data, and a test environment? Options: Within 1 week, 1 to 2 weeks, 3 to 4 weeks, More than 4 weeks
• Outline your ideal pilot governance and list who must attend weekly reviews.

• Solution Experience Session

• Confirm the current state and its cost
• You confirm the current state statement and accept the quantified consequence as accurate.
• Run a scenario simulation using the buyer's sample event data and deliver outcome metrics before the pilot planning session.
• Map failure scenarios to your event examples
• You validate that the demonstrated workflow eliminates the specific failure modes you described for your event scenarios.
• Provide event-day system logs, sample POS and ticketing transaction extracts, and sponsor reporting requirements for the scenarios used in this session.
• Prove the integrated workflow on a buyer scenario
• Draft the pilot success measurement plan with target metrics and deliver for review.
• You agree on the pilot acceptance criteria and the exact evidence needed to prove success to operations and sponsors.
• Confirm pilot event date(s) and assign on-site owners for the pilot.
• Show how sponsorship ROI is measured from event data
• Validate the future state
• Agree pilot acceptance criteria and evidence

• Solution Experience Session
• Solution Experience Deck
• Solution Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Deploy Integrated Ticketing System
• Migrate Ticketing and CRM Records
• Install and Configure Point-of-Sale Terminals
• Integrate POS with Ticketing and Payment Gateway
• Install and Integrate Access Control with Ticketing
• Implement Fan Engagement Mobile App and Wallet Passes
• Consolidate Concession Vendor Operations and Contracts
• Operate Event-Day Staffing and Labor Management
• Manage Premium Seating Inventory and Sales
• Deploy Facility Maintenance Scheduling Platform
• Activate Sponsorship Activation and ROI Reporting
• Run Season-Long Event Operations Management

Deploy Integrated Ticketing System

• Do you plan to use the integrated ticketing system for all ticket types on pilot events (general admission, season tickets, suites, comps)? Options: Yes, all ticket types, Pilot for selected ticket types only, Not sure / need recommendation
• Which ticketing back-office workflows must remain available on event day (seat exchanges, refunds at gate, will-call lookup)? Options: Seat exchanges, Refunds at gate, Will-call lookup, Promotions/discount codes, Other
• How many concurrent ticket scan streams do you expect during peak ingress (scans per minute across all gates)? Options: <500, 500-2,000, 2,000-5,000, More than 5,000
• Who will maintain the ticket manifest and approve last-minute comp lists during pilot events? Options: Your ticketing manager, Box office lead, We provide a shared operator, Other
• Where are your current ticket barcode formats defined (ticket vendor spec document, internal guide, none)? Options: Vendor spec document, Internal barcode guide, No formal spec, Other
• By when do you need the ticketing system configured to support season-ticket renewals and single-game sales for the upcoming event window? Options: Within 2 weeks, 2-6 weeks, 6-12 weeks, Custom timeline

Migrate Ticketing and CRM Records

• How many ticketing and CRM records require migration for the pilot (ticket accounts, season-ticket accounts, active CRM contacts)? Options: <10,000, 10,000-50,000, 50,000-200,000, More than 200,000
• Which record types must preserve historical event purchase history and ticket scan logs during migration? Options: Purchase history, Scan/entry logs, Promotions and order notes, All of the above, Other
• Do you require deduplication rules based on email, phone, or loyalty ID during migration? Options: Email + phone, Email only, Loyalty ID, No dedup required
• Identify the source systems for migration exports (current ticketing CSV, legacy CRM export, box office database, other). Options: Ticketing CSV export, Legacy CRM export, Box office database dump, Other
• What level of data reconciliation do you require to accept migration as complete (acceptance criteria example: X% of ticket orders reconciled with payment records)? Options: 90% reconciliation, 95% reconciliation, 99% reconciliation, Custom threshold
• Which team in your organization will sign off on migration completeness and corrected data sets? Options: Ticketing manager, Director of operations, CIO / IT lead, We need to nominate a signer

Install and Configure Point-of-Sale Terminals

• How many POS terminals and mobile POS units must be configured for the pilot events (fixed terminals, handhelds, roving tablets)? Options: <10, 10-30, 31-75, More than 75
• Which POS hardware models and operating systems are currently in use at concessions and merchandise stands? Options: Android terminals, Windows POS, iOS tablets, Proprietary terminals, Unknown
• Do you require offline transaction capability and queue replay for network outages at high-traffic concession points? Options: Yes, required, Optional, prefer online-only, No
• Who will handle physical installation, power, and network drops for POS terminals at each concession zone? Options: Venue IT team, Concession vendor onsite staff, We coordinate installation, Other
• Specify POS SKU and price list source that should be loaded into terminals for pilot events (current inventory spreadsheet, vendor-fed catalog, manual entry). Options: Inventory spreadsheet, Vendor catalog feed, Manual entry, Other
• Are there specific cash-handling or tip reporting workflows your finance team requires from POS reports? Options: Cash reconciliation by register, Tip pooling reporting, End-of-day Z reports, No special workflows

Integrate POS with Ticketing and Payment Gateway

• Which payment gateway category must be supported for card processing during the pilot (existing gateway, new gateway, third-party processor)? Options: Existing gateway, New gateway to onboard, Third-party processor via PSP, We need guidance
• Which ticketing events should trigger POS entitlement checks (entry validation for suite holders, concession discounts for ticket tiers, promo codes)? Options: Suite holder verification, Tier-based discounts, Promo code validation, None
• Do you require tokenized payment flows between POS and payment gateway to avoid storing PANs (primary account numbers) on local devices? Options: Yes, tokenization required, Optional, Not required
• Provide the names of integration endpoints and their authentication method for POS-to-ticketing sync (API endpoints, OAuth, API key, SFTP feeds). Options: API endpoints (OAuth), API key, SFTP export/import, Need to collect these details
• What measurable acceptance criteria will validate POS and ticketing reconciliation (example: <1% transaction mismatch across 5 pilot events)? Options: <0.5% mismatch, <1% mismatch, <2% mismatch, Custom SLA
• Who is responsible for resolving a failed transaction match between POS and ticketing records within the pilot window? Options: Your payments team, Box office reconciler, We provide reconciliation support, TBD

Install and Integrate Access Control with Ticketing

• How many access control points and turnstile models must be integrated with the ticketing manifest for pilot events? Options: <20 points, 20-50 points, 51-100 points, More than 100
• Which scan device protocols and formats need support (1D/2D barcode, NFC, RFID, mobile wallet pass scans)? Options: 1D barcode, 2D barcode (QR/Aztec), NFC/RFID, Mobile wallet pass
• Do you require gate-level dwell time and throughput dashboards to measure ingress performance during the pilot? Options: Yes, required, Optional, No
• Who will own the physical network and PoE (power over ethernet) availability at each access control cabinet? Options: Venue facilities team, Third-party integrator, We coordinate infrastructure, Other
• List any existing access control vendor manuals, wiring diagrams, or single-line diagrams you can supply for integration planning.
• Are there regulatory or league-specific requirements for credential validation or anti-fraud checks we must enforce at gates? Options: League credential rules, State/local ID checks, No special requirements, Other

Implement Fan Engagement Mobile App and Wallet Passes

• Do you plan to use mobile wallet passes for entry, concessions offers, or suite access during pilot events? Options: Entry + concessions + suites, Concessions only, Entry only, No wallet passes
• Which fan engagement features are highest priority for the pilot (digital seat upgrades, in-seat ordering, targeted offers, wayfinding)? Options: Digital upgrades, In-seat ordering, Targeted offers, Wayfinding, Other
• How will you segment fans for personalized offers (season-ticket holder status, seating zone, past purchase behaviour)? Options: Season-ticket status, Seating zone, Purchase history, Loyalty tier, Other
• Provide the privacy consent mechanism in place for push notifications and wallet pass delivery for fans. Options: Opt-in during purchase, App-level opt-in, No consent captured yet, Other
• Who will maintain the creative assets and sponsorship creative for wallet passes and targeted push messages? Options: Marketing team, Sponsorship team, We support asset management, Other
• Are there platform restrictions for fan devices we should account for (minimum iOS/Android versions, captive portal behavior at venue Wi-Fi)? Options: Minimum iOS/Android specified, Captive portal restrictions, No restrictions known, Other

Consolidate Concession Vendor Operations and Contracts

• How many individual concession vendors and contract groups are in scope for consolidation during the pilot season? Options: 1-3 vendors, 4-8 vendors, 9-15 vendors, More than 15
• Which contract elements must be harmonized across vendors (pricing tiers, settlement cadence, inventory SKUs, service-level agreements)? Options: Pricing tiers, Settlement cadence, SKU master list, SLA terms, Other
• Do you require centralized inventory technology for vendor restock triggers and low-stock alerts during events? Options: Yes, centralized inventory required, Optional, No
• Who is authorized to sign contract amendments or addendums for vendor consolidation? Options: Director of operations, Procurement lead, Venue GM, TBD
• Describe the revenue-share or commission model currently used with concession vendors that must be modeled in reconciliations.
• Are there vendor service continuity risks we should flag as out-of-scope for the fixed pilot (e.g., vendor staffing guarantees, equipment replacement SLA)? Options: Vendor staffing guarantees out-of-scope, Equipment replacement SLA out-of-scope, No exclusions, Other

Operate Event-Day Staffing and Labor Management

• How many event-day staff roles and headcount must be scheduled and tracked in the pilot (concession cashiers, ushers, suite attendants, security)? Options: <100 people, 100-300 people, 301-800 people, More than 800
• Do you require timekeeping integration for payroll (clock-in/out feeds, break rules, overtime thresholds)? Options: Yes, integration required, Optional, No
• Which rostering constraints must the system enforce (maximum consecutive hours, required breaks, union rules)? Options: Max consecutive hours, Required breaks, Union rules, No constraints
• Who will be the onsite staffing contact to approve last-minute shift fills and no-shows? Options: Operations manager, HR/staffing lead, We provide a coordinator, TBD
• List the training artifacts or certifications required for frontline staff before they can operate POS or handle cash.
• Do you want automated staffing alerts for low coverage in a zone based on ticketed attendance predictions? Options: Yes, enable alerts, No, manual monitoring, Discuss predictive thresholds

Manage Premium Seating Inventory and Sales

• How many premium inventory classes are in scope (suites, club seats, loge boxes, premium tables)? Options: 1-2 classes, 3-5 classes, 6+ classes
• Which premium fulfillment workflows must be supported at events (catered suite orders, dedicated suite staff scheduling, comp seat allocations)? Options: Catered orders, Dedicated staff scheduling, Comp allocations, All of the above
• Do you require integration between premium sales and the mobile app for in-seat ordering and concierge messaging? Options: Yes, integrate, Optional, No
• Who owns pricing approvals for premium packages and last-minute upgrades during the pilot? Options: Premium sales lead, Director of revenue, We assist with pricing, TBD
• Specify any inventory holdbacks or partner allotments that must be respected during the pilot season.
• Are premium suite amenities and F&B allowances managed on a per-event credit or on an annual allotment basis? Options: Per-event credit, Annual allotment, Hybrid

Deploy Facility Maintenance Scheduling Platform

• Which maintenance workflows must be digitized for pilot events (work order creation, preventive maintenance schedules, incident response tracking)? Options: Work orders, Preventive maintenance, Incident tracking, All of the above
• How many facility assets need initial onboarding into the maintenance platform (HVAC units, generators, elevators, concession equipment)? Options: <100 assets, 100-500 assets, 501-2,000 assets, More than 2,000
• Do you require mobile technician checklists and photo attachments for post-event inspections? Options: Yes, Optional, No
• Who will approve emergency maintenance spend thresholds during events? Options: Facilities director, Operations GM, Finance approver, Other
• List any lockout/tagout (LOTO) or local permit-to-work procedures that must be embedded in the maintenance workflow.
• Are integrations required between maintenance scheduling and the event calendar to prevent work during active ingress/egress windows? Options: Yes, integration required, Optional, No

• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Subscription Agreement
• Commercial Order Form / Pricing Schedule
• Pilot Acceptance & Conversion Agreement
• Operational Readiness & Governance Addendum
• Service Level Agreement (SLA)
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
• Change Order Agreement
• Confidentiality Agreement (NDA)
• Termination & Exit Plan

• Go-live Health Check (weeks 1-4)
• First Measurement Review (weeks 4-10)
• Acceptance Gate and Incumbent Wind-down (around day 90)
• Quarterly Realization Review (ongoing)

• Update the enhancement backlog with committed delivery windows and circulate for async confirmation if owners are not available for a live meeting.
• Restate acceptance criteria and numeric targets
• Produce a documented acceptance record that lists pass/fail for each acceptance criterion recorded in Solution Scope and captures the authorized buyer signatory or buyer owner decision.
• Verify the incumbent system is either decommissioned or formally retained-read-only with archived/migrated data and no active operational fallbacks.
• Create a remediation plan with dates for any failed acceptance criteria that must be resolved post-acceptance.
• Publish the formal acceptance record with pass/fail per criterion and the buyer's documented signatory or owner approval.
• Produce and circulate the incumbent wind-down checklist showing decommission status, data archive confirmation, and contract/renewal disposition.
• If any criteria failed, issue a remediation plan with milestones and target dates to be tracked in the ongoing reviews.
• Snapshot of outcome metrics vs Solution Scope targets
• Confirm whether average per-fan spend per event and fan satisfaction score remain on a trajectory toward the targets recorded in Solution Scope or require new interventions.
• Ensure integration uptime and vendor consolidation status remain stable and that any regressions have a remediation path.
• Agree the prioritized enhancement list for the next quarter with clear completion windows or an async review plan if items are deferred.
• Publish the quarterly realization summary showing metric trends, open issues, and agreed backlog priorities.
• Produce an incident trend report for any recurring high-severity issues and propose mitigation steps for the next quarter.
• Re-confirm success criteria and owners
• Confirm the deployment components listed in Solution Scope are live and integrated at a basic operational level.
• Identify and document all high-priority incidents that must be resolved before the next event.
• Establish an immediate remediation list with deadlines to clear blocking issues.
• Publish the remediation plan for all high-severity incidents with target resolution dates.
• Share a short adoption-status summary (onboarding completions, active users) for async review.
• Confirm and document live integration endpoints and any temporary workarounds in the deployment log.
• Present first-event data vs Solution Scope targets
• Determine whether the point-of-sale transaction success rate and access-control gate entry failure rate are trending toward the targets recorded in Solution Scope or require remediation.
• Agree a prioritized list of corrective actions with resolution timelines that will be tracked to the acceptance gate.
• Ensure data sources and measurement methods are validated so subsequent comparisons to Solution Scope targets are accurate.
• Produce a root-cause analysis document for POS and access-control incidents with proposed fixes and target completion dates.
• Publish a validated measurement specification showing how each metric is calculated and which data sources are authoritative.
• Schedule any operational or staffing changes required for the next event and record expected impact on measured metrics.
• Deployment and integration validation
• Persistent issue burn-down and incident trends
• Root-cause diagnosis for gaps
• Present outcome data against each acceptance criterion
• Agree corrective actions and timelines
• Document pass/fail per criterion and capture formal acceptance
• Enhancement request backlog and prioritization
• Early adoption signals and user behavior
• Confirm readiness for the acceptance gate
• Open incidents and blockers
• Incumbent system wind-down verification
• Operational risks and staffing or vendor changes
• Agree remediation plan for any failed criteria
• Agree immediate remediation actions