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<\/a>This is how you communicate with premium customers?<\/p><\/div>\n
Last night, I received the above email from the theater\u2019s \u201cpremium services\u201d team\u2014a term I use very loosely here. It contained confirmation details for my upcoming meet & greet next weekend with Ricky Martin. Amidst the usual laundry list of terms and conditions, a new addition stood out in red and all caps\u2013<\/p>\n
\u201cONE APPROVED PHOTO WILL BE TAKEN AND UPLOADED DIGITALLY. THERE WILL BE NO ALTERNATIVE PHOTOS AVAILABLE\u201d<\/p>\n
Um\u2026What<\/em>?? One photo for the exorbitant price of nearly $700<\/em>?? Clearly, the Park was responding to their faux pas during Ricky\u2019s first All In residency last year, when they neglected to inform attendees that only one image would be posted online but BTW you could request by email the others taken. Instead of rectifying this lack of professionalism, the venue has chosen to penalize VIP customers, proving yet again that it doesn\u2019t have the first clue about how to deliver a premium experience.<\/p>\n September 2017: I almost missed out on this treasured photo because the Park Theater didn\u2019t upload it online.<\/p><\/div>\n Last fall, I purchased two meet & greets with Ricky. On both occasions, just about every Park Theater staffer was rude or ill prepared. Upon retrieving my lanyard from the box office, I joined the VIP line with that, an e-ticket and PDF confirmation. Even with all of these credentials, the greeter asked me to log in to my Ticketmaster account. Apparently the box office rep had failed to give me whatever additional documentation was required.<\/p>\n After going back and forth for several minutes, it finally occurred to her to check the VIP list, where she immediately found my name. Several Ricky fans have encountered similar issues\u2014among them, receiving lanyards with the wrong date on them and total mismanagement of the general admission standing section.<\/p>\n It must be said that this disorganization and inability to effectively run a meet & greet is in no way a reflection on Ricky himself. As he always is has been, Ricky is gracious, down to earth and completely present. He genuinely cares about making it a special experience. If only the same could be said about MGM and its staff at the Park Theater.<\/p>\n Over the last 10 years, I\u2019ve attended several meet and greets with Ricky at first-class venues including Madison Square Garden, Mohegan Sun and Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan. Along with providing at least 3-4 photos, they offered admission to the pre-concert sound check as well as a catered reception\u2013all at a more reasonable cost than The Park Theater\u2019s nearly $700 price tag. This was MSG\u2019s email confirmation:<\/p>\n This is how a VIP email should look.<\/p><\/div>\n Note the welcoming tone and attention to detail, including names and cell numbers of the event hosts (not an impersonal 1-800 number) and\u2014imagine that!\u2014exact info about how to download photos. The only thing you had to think about was arriving on time. Quite a difference from the Park Theater, which leaves you wondering if they\u2019re going to let you in or if the one photo they deign to share will be halfway decent. And do we really need to see the m\/g rules in red font and ALL CAPS? We get it. Your only interest is in shuttling us in and out like cattle as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n Meet and greets by their very nature require time constraints. Having managed several at upscale hotels here in NYC, I am well aware of the need to keep things moving. But that doesn\u2019t justify how the Park Theater is treating Ricky fans. The venue is making money hand over fist\u2014at our expense.<\/p>\n By cramming in 60+ people, the Park takes in approximately $40,000 in gross revenue from the meet and greet. Not too shabby considering they have no real hard costs. There\u2019s zero food or beverages and the only souvenir is a plastic \u2018commemorative lanyard.\u2019 Clearly, they have come up with a formula\u2014higher prices + no hospitality = more profit.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not buy any meets this time just because the experience was not what I wanted it to be anymore,\u201d said one longtime Ricky fan.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d rather watch the show 7 times for that price,\u201d declared another.<\/p>\n \u201cNot worth it,\u201d says yet another RM devotee. \u201cNot even close<\/em> to being worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n Especially for those of us who travel a long distance\u2014many from faraway places like Macao and South America\u2014just to enjoy a few cherished minutes with our beloved Ricky.<\/p>\n The community of Ricky Martin fans is a fiercely loyal and global one. We have braved bad weather, long lines and even longer journeys many times and spent our hard-earned money to support our all-time favorite artist. We do this because Ricky\u2019s music, grace of spirit and humanity speaks to our souls. And quite frankly, we deserve better treatment\u2014far far better<\/em>\u2014than what we\u2019re getting from MGM and the Park Theater.<\/p>\n Back in September, I shared critical feedback on the venue\u2019s Facebook page. And received the same radio silence that I did to my email complaint this week about the new photo policy. I don\u2019t know why I\u2019m surprised\u2014this place continues to operate well below the legendary hospitality standards of MGM.<\/p>\n Want to voice your opinion to the theater\u2019s so-called premium team? Call <\/strong>702.730.6975 or email premium@parktheaterlv.com<\/a>.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHopefully, everyone will get it together to do the best for his fans who have been supporting him so long,\u201d says a Ricky friend.<\/p>\n Are you listening MGM, the Park Theater and RM Entertainment?<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/a><\/a>