Introducing Matt Lynch
ESSMA: Can you introduce yourself to the ESSMA community?
Mr. Lynch: My name is Matt Lynch. I run a small organisation called “MoonShot”. We have been around since 2016 and are based in the United Kingdom and have an office in San Diego, California. We work on designing and developing staff engagement programs, mostly in sports and entertainment venues around the world. We support the National Football League (NFL), where we run the guest services program for all their major events around the world, including the last six Super Bowls. We have trained every staff member at those Super Bowls, as well as here in Europe, at the NFL London and Germany games. We also work on major tournaments. We supported on the men’s Euros two years ago, the women’s Euros last year and the Cricket World Cup in 2019. We are now working on several projects including the new arena in Manchester. We go into these environments and work directly with frontline staff because we know that they have a purpose that’s much bigger about providing a place on the fan journey, that is helping that fan get to their next place, right? And what does that feel like? What does that look like? That’s really what we do. In most instances, it’s in sports, but sometimes we are in visitor attractions and other areas. I moved to the UK about nine years ago to take a position at Wembley Stadium as head of guest services. In the United States, I worked in stadium environments for the Atlanta Braves. I was director of guest services in a very operational role, making sure that our frontline staff had that impact on our fans that makes the people want to come back, they want to come visit and spend time with us. These environments have fans and guests that have an emotional connection to the brand or team and it’s critical that the staff enhance that loyalty through their actions and behaviours. Most of our work at MoonShot currently is in the United States. But we are hoping that that momentum comes to Europe, and we can start to have a bigger impact over here and help create that connection with that frontline staff member.
ESSMA: How many people are currently working for MoonShot?
Mr. Lynch:We have one senior leader in the United States in San Diego who leads all of our US projects. And then here in the UK, we have three full time staff members that deliver our projects over here, which again, are mostly NFL and other tournament-related sports. We are focused on developing training that brings the steward from just being someone a fan might see standing off to the side, to someone who is engaged in the fan experience as a part of the fan journey, understands what role they play in that journey and how they can support and have a positive impact on the fan. That’s really how we see customer service or fan experience within a stadium environment. Those people are there to support that fan on their journey, helping them find their seat, helping them find first aid, helping them find a catering or food and beverage location, etc.
Europe VS US:
ESSMA: How would you compare the stewarding experience in the US versus that in Europe?
Mr. Lynch: I would say, from my experience living in the United Kingdom for the last nine years, arriving here to work at iconic Wembley Stadium, starting to understand how stadiums work and really you have a massive opportunity to enhance the role of the steward in these environments. I would say that the staff in US stadiums is more segmented and not just all one staff role like a steward here. For instance, in the United States you would have a ticketing support team that would be on the gates that know everything about ticketing, they know everything about how to support that fan, how to solve problems, really trained on the ticketing platforms and entry processes. So, there would be a team that is just focused on that and they operate the turnstiles. You would have a fan engagement team that’s helping guests with accessibility and supporting internal concourse areas with information booths or fan service booths. They would also be serving our accessible fans on accessible bays. That team would just be the fan services team. You would have an usher team that’s just manning vomitories and know the seating areas. They know even to the detail the season ticket holders and their names, families, kids’ names, and dig in very closely to who’s in their sections and how he/she can engage with that person. They are always in the same area in every single game. They build relationships over the years with fans. You have these different groups in that position because you are trying to enhance that role, making sure that we are delivering at a high level of fan journey and fan experience. And so, they are specialised in one specific area. I think that the main difference in the US is that you have these different roles within this environment. They are still all seasonal, part-time staff members. But you look at what part of the fan journey that staff member is, what do we really need in this position? What does this person really need to be supporting and then create that role making sure they have all the tools and resources they need to ensure that part of the journey is seamless. I think that is really the difference. And I do think that it will change, and it will become more of the norm over here where you say, what do we really need in this place where this staff member is, where this fan is entering or coming through. I think that’s the change that you will start to see. And it probably will help with retention. It will help with all these other things that are challenging because the staff members themselves have more of a purpose. This is your purpose here. This is what you are supposed to be doing. This position gives them more purpose. It gives them more meaning in what they are doing, not just about getting a paycheck. You are here to have a positive impact on the fan, not just to evacuate the venue or facility.
The role of a steward:
ESSMA: Do you think that clubs could do a better job in communicating what the role of a steward is and use other platforms (social media) to attract new stewards?
Mr. Lynch:As soon as I left Wembley and created MoonShot, I went straight to a big governing organisation here in the UK. And I said: ‘You have to change the way that stewards are seen right now, they are seen as these staff members that are detractors of the experience. You have to change how the fan sees that person right now.’ They are seeing that person as somebody who’s doesn’t care about their sport or why they are there, they don’t have a positive impact on their experience, they are just telling them what they can’t do, not very friendly, can’t help me find my vomitory or first aid, they are on their phones… there’s all these negative connotations of what a steward is, and that has to change because the fan won’t even approach a steward, right? Because they already think that person is not engaged. I have done it before. They don’t have the support, or the answers and they don’t know anything about ticketing, the stadium itself. And it has to change. This was seven, eight years ago when I approached this big entity and said, you have to change. A steward should be seen as a person who is here to keep me safe, to support me and my fan group and be a part of our experience. They are here to have a positive impact, to help me if I or my grandfather needs support getting into our seat, if I need first aid and has to be able to react very quickly. But also just be a part of the overall fan journey. Every time I come back here, every week I’m going to see Arsenal or Chelsea, they are there to welcome me back and start to get to know me and know my name, who my kids are and talk about what happened on the road last week. When I worked for the Atlanta Braves, we expected all of our staff to know how the team did on their away trip. There are 162 games in baseball. How is the team doing when they go away for 10 days when they come back home, we should all know how well they played in San Francisco, in LA, in San Diego. Did we go six and two, or did we go two and eight? And that’s an expectation that we had of our staff. I think that expectation should be the same over here. All of our fans are passionate. They want to be able to engage with the staff that work at the stadium. They want them to be as passionate about the team as they are. The stewards themselves need to be redefined. They need to redefine what that role is, and it is definitely not to stand there and just be ready to evacuate the building. If that’s all you are going to do, that’s just not an acceptable role. If you are going to staff your whole stadium with stewards, how are you being really a world-class venue from a fan experience perspective? I absolutely think there needs to be a rethinking of what that position is and why they are there and how they can have a positive impact on everyone that they engage with.
ESSMA: Do you think there’s also a bit of a perception problem the other way around? That potential stewards are seeing a lot violence and anti-social behaviour among fans and rethink their ambition to be a steward?
Mr. Lynch: Absolutely. I think the environment is different over here. There’s no doubt about it. There are more challenging situations. But again, that’s a really small part of the overall fan population. In my experience, especially at Wembley, I felt in a lot of instances that we are creating processes and procedures for the 1% of fan that is going to tailgate into the building, that is going to be creating disorder. And the other 99% then aren’t having the experience you want them to have coming to iconic Wembley Stadium. I think we have to be careful about how we are promoting or showing what that role is and what exactly they are going to have to deal with or manage in that environment. Yes, of course, there’s disorder. Of course, there’s these challenges that happen. But then there’s a lot of opportunities where you can have a positive impact on the fan experience, and you might not see that at all. It’s also about how you train your staff properly, how you prepare people to manage those situations, how through awareness, they understand what’s going on around them. You have to be able to address issues and de-escalate situations. But you also have to understand where you have an opportunity to create a moment to remember for someone and they are going to grow up and talk about their journey to Wembley. Wembley is just a building. It’s made of stone and concrete. Without people in it, there’s no soul to the place. You have to have people and the staff there to make those connections, to enhance that experience for that person as they come to these magical places where all of your members are caretakers. That’s really how you should look at these places and how you should sell this to stewards. You are going to be the legacy of this place. How are your actions and behaviors going to make a positive impact on that legacy? The venue also needs to find ways to show respect and appreciation to stewards and venue staff.
Training modern stewards:
ESSMA: When you start working with new organisations or new stewards, how do they perceive the training sessions?
Mr. Lynch: I definitely believe it’s something new. I mean, there are venues that are ahead of others in this understanding that a steward is a caretaker. They are an individual that’s here to have a positive impact on the fan experience. I started at Walt Disney World where I supported the opening of Disney’s fourth theme park back in 1998, Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I remember my first day there and I remember the focus was all about purpose. What your purpose is here, not what your function is here. I believe in all environments, even in the stewarding community, that it should always start with purpose. What is your purpose here to do in this place, in this environment, in this venue? Because I think you have to set the tone about what it is that we are trying to create here. I think in most environments that I have seen, they go straight to function. You are here to evacuate the building, to check someone’s bag, to make sure they are not bringing in something that they shouldn’t be bringing in, to scan a ticket. Those are functional things which we have to do because we are operating large facilities and venues, and that’s how they work. But I do think you should be more focused on purpose. What are you here to do and create for our fans? What are you here to do to create a positive impact? And if you do that, I do believe that will help with retention because I do feel like most stewards do want to have a positive impact. They don’t want to just stand in a corner or stand in a vomitory and watch thousands of people walk by them. So you have to start with training that focuses on purpose and then tell them how you use that in your functional role. How do you scan a ticket and make someone feel welcome? How do you help someone find their way to an accessible toilet and ensure that they have access in a purposeful way that they remember that person really had a positive impact on me.
ESSMA: Because of this increasing focus on “purpose” and on client service, do you also see a little bit of a demographic change in the profile of the average steward?
Mr. Lynch: I think you have to have diversity in your workforce. It’s important for the fan too, that the fan sees other people that are like them. One of the things that really frustrates me is venue response teams that just don’t look very friendly. They are moving around the stadium in groups of 6 to 8 and can make fans feel very uncomfortable. Those types of things you have to really look at and go, how’s that impacting our fan experience? Yes, again, we are talking about the 1%. They are there for the 1% of people that are disorderly or create issues for other fans, but they are impacting the 99% of people that are just there to watch their favorite team play or go to a concert.
Staff Recognition:
ESSMA: How do you think clubs can work to give stewards recognition? And do you think this also helps with the retention of stewards in the long term?
Mr. Lynch:A lot of the work that we do, especially with the NFL and in major tournaments, is about staff recognition. How do you make them feel they are important? How do you show them that they are important? Again, back to my experience working at Wembley: staff arrive, it’s cold, wet, they check in outside, they come inside, there’s not really anywhere for them to go to sit down, they change in the concourses, they eat standing up…. All these things have a huge impact. A lot of our stadiums aren’t built with these welfare areas for frontline staff. For stewards, there’s nowhere for them to go. There’s nowhere for them to take a break. You find them in stairwells sitting on the stairs having their lunch or their dinner. I think that just as we look to optimise the fan journey, we should look to optimise the staff journey. Now we are surprised that when they get to their post, they are not in a very good mood, not very friendly, or fan focused. Well, it’s not shocking. So how can you change some of those things? How can you create a recognition program? How can you create welfare areas? How can you give them a hot meal instead of a cold sandwich? All these things matter, and it all contributes to retention also. Do I want to work at club X where they give me a hot meal, or do I want to work at club Y where I get a sandwich? These things have an impact on the staff members, just like they would on the fans. You should look at that staff journey and say, how can we make this a better experience? So then when they do get to their posts, they are focused on the fan and feel valued. They have a purpose and they know what they are there to do. They feel like someone really cares about them, not that they are just a number, right? That’s what you don’t want. You want people that have a connection to who you are. You want them to feel like they are valued, that you are taking care of them, that it matters that they show up and that they are positive and have a positive impact. All these things are important.
ESSMA: So what would be the first initiative that you take, the first thing that you would change to hopefully improve the situation for your stewards?
Mr. Lynch: Well, if it’s from a staffing perspective, I really look at their role and their function. How can we create this so it’s more beneficial even for the staff members and for our fans? What else can this staff member be doing to have a positive impact on our fans? Then what training do we need to provide so they can do that? From a welfare perspective, I would look at their journey. How are we taking care of them? How are we showing them that we appreciate them? How can we do that? And you can just start small, right? It can be from a better meal or a new staff area where they can go and have a break. These types of things really go a long way. You can’t solve the problem overnight. You need to be strategic about it and think about years. What can we do in year one? If we can do these things, we will make a big impact. And there’s a lot of things that are very low cost, big impact. What are those things? What are those opportunities that are really low cost, that are big impact ideas? Let’s do those ones first. And then let’s think more strategic, building staff areas, these types of things that we know cost a bit more money, big expenditures, potentially.Even here in Europe with the NFL, (Tottenham, Munich and Frankfurt) the staff members are going to get a big surprise when they arrive at the venue, because we are so different from what they would normally feel from any ‘event owner’ or somebody coming in to run a concert. We have a number of big initiatives. Every entry point, we give out a TEAMMATE pin and a breakfast bar as they arrive to welcome them. These things make a huge impact. Low cost versus the massive budgets that you need to pull off these types of events. I think it’s just about showing a little bit of care and a little bit of appreciation for the staff members, making a positive impact on their journey. We also have a number of different levels of recognition that TEAMMATES can receive during the event from our dedicated recognition team that is wandering concourses and external areas during the game. We do it at every NFL event that we support. The NFL is so focused on making sure that frontline staff members are a part of the NFL community and know that they have an integral part to play in the NFL experience, especially here in Europe where our fans demand an authentic NFL experience and it should feel like you could be in any US stadium, right? But you are in Frankfurt or Munich or in London. So the NFL fans here in Europe can be sure that the staff in these venues will be ready and extremely motivated to give them an authentic NFL experience in Europe!
