Splash has powered massive events for Budweiser, hundreds of user group events around the globe for Atlassian, and VIP concerts for Spotify. But the Papal Procession through Central Park was, by far, the biggest event to date in our 5-year history.
From 8:15am to 6:00pm on Friday, September 25 – Pope Francis’ last full day in New York City – the Splash squad worked side-by-side with members of Mayor de Blasio’s administration, NYPD, TSA, and 125 volunteers to pull off one of the biggest spectacles of Pope Francis’ 6-day visit to the United States: The Papal Procession through Central Park.
Preparations had been going on for weeks – from working with the City of New York to launch the ticket giveaway contest site and the RSVP site for 40,000 lottery winners, to strengthening the Splash on-site check-in app to handle the 80K+ ticketholder check-ins, to working side-by-side with the Mayor’s Office and Secret Service to nail down all of the event logistics.
As Party Scientists, we wanted to take a minute to reflect on this momentous day in our company’s history. What was it really like working the security and ticket scanning checkpoints? What did the Splash team learn that day?
Here are 8 observations from our Party Scientists who were stationed on the front lines:
“I quickly learned that a simple smile makes people feel more comfortable when they approach you with questions and concerns.” – Max Wendkos, Product Designer, Splash
“Instead of shoo-ing away someone who was in the wrong zone, I kindly told showed them where to go and guided them to the proper exit area. I made sure that I was patient with everyone, no matter what.” – Debbie Lee, Marketing Coordinator, Splash
OUR ADVICE: Understand that while your event staff may know every single event detail, your attendees don’t. Make every effort to be nice, and helpful. Above all, treat them like human beings. When the lines are long and the sun is hot, treat your guests like they’re competing in a marathon. As they pass by, try saying things like "Keep it up, you're almost there!” Nine times out of ten, you’ll get a smile.
“I quickly learned that the middle of a very long line of people is your toughest crowd to entertain. But a little encouragement and happy smile went a long way.” – Debbie Lee, Marketing Coordinator, Splash
“After the 3:30pm deadline passed, I was stuck with the unfortunate task of informing people that the gates were closed and they could no longer get inside. There was no way to make this news feel good. So, I put myself in their shoes and tried to empathize with them, which worked out really well.” – Max Wendkos, Product Designer, Splash
“After waiting in lines for hours, frustration started to build up. But I made sure to inject a little humor to every situation throughout the day. Making people laugh will diffuse any frustration.” – Brandi Sinclair, Customer Success Manager, Splash
OUR ADVICE: Abiding by the hard-and-fast rules – like closing the gates when instructed by security – is incredibly important. Understand that these decisions can often cause tensions to flare. However, identifying with the crowd’s frustrations always helps to soften the blow. Most important of all: make sure to tell you entire team to keep smiling no matter what.
Will Foley and Brandi Sinclair, both Customer Success Managers at Splash, were in charge of the Yellow Zone, which ran from 66th Street to 70th Street. | Image source: Splash
“When you’re running huge events like this, it’s always better to be loud, assertive and nice. Everyone has the same goal: they want in. If you give them confidence you'll get them in as quickly as possible, and you're nice about it, they'll be your best friend. – Jon Saft, Product Manager, Splash
“People love to constantly be reminded of deadlines, arrival times, and other important details about what’s going on at any given time. Uncertainty is a mood killer.” – Torry Whitney, Customer Success Manager, Splash
OUR ADVICE: At massive public events, people feel so much more comfortable if they just know what to expect next, or the reasoning behind certain decisions. Always anticipate and quickly address the moments where uncertainty will run high. For example, make sure your team has an accurate read on how long the estimated wait time is, or why certain traffic flow changes were made.
“At one point, we ran into some confusion because not all members of the event staff were made aware when changes were made – like when we had to close the security checkpoint at 61st Street due to crowd flow concerns. Luckily, we were all informed via radio and could swiftly guide people to the next check-in point. People were understanding.” – Max Wendkos, Product Designer, Splash
“With all the moving parts that day, it was so helpful to have dedicated team leads who knew the ins and outs of the entire event, and could make game time decisions on the fly.” – Brandi Sinclair, Customer Success Manager, Splash
“It was so gratifying to watch staff members really own their positions that day. Volunteers stationed at the soft-checkins were super helpful, and staff members in charge of crowd control did an amazing job at pumping people up and keeping them in line. Everyone just shined in their roles.” – Torry Whitney, Customer Success Manager, Splash
OUR ADVICE: Place your guest-facing event staff where their strengths can be most utilized; don't place them in positions that might make them uncomfortable. Another important thing to note – make sure you agree on a communication system ahead of time, like a group text or handheld radios. This way, you can ensure that everyone on the staff immediately knows when there's an important update to pass onto guests.
“It was great that we planned ahead for the little things – like making sure people had access to plenty of food, water, and knew where the restrooms were.” – Jon Saft, Product Manager, Splash
“I realized we should have provided iPhones or iPods to the ticket scanning team. After a few hours holding the heavy iPad & OtterBox combo in one hand, I can say that everyone's wrists started killing them! iPhones are much lighter option and are fast becoming an event management industry standard.” – Greg Higgins, Director of Accounts, Splash
OUR ADVICE: Your ticket scanning team must have everything they need to do their jobs correctly and efficiently. So plan ahead – you can never have too many backup plans, backup iPads, or backup chargers. And don't hesitate to let them use an iPhone or iPod. Both are perfectly acceptable and look just as professional as an iPad. Oh, and make sure to instruct them to never be intimidated by a long line. When you’ve got the Splash app, no line is too big.
Zack Shapiro, a Mobile Developer at Splash, was on hand to help with crowd control and to ensure the Splash checkin app was working as planned. | Image source: Splash
“I learned quickly that controlling the traffic before ticketholders got to the check-in staff was imperative to the success of the ticket scanning process. We used barricades to bring crowds of people to a point, and then stationed a traffic controller there to easily point people to the next step in the process. That helped turn the crowd flow on and off like a faucet.” – Greg Higgins, Director of Accounts, Splash
OUR ADVICE: Event planners need to create on the fly and create efficiencies in the details. For example, Splash had a firm structure for crowd flow when we arrived that morning, but we later laid out key barricades to funnel traffic. That part was all determined on the fly. Come prepared to think on your feet. The more you iterate on your own processes, the more efficient you’ll become.
“Representatives from Mayor de Blasio's Office and the NYPD were awesome to work with. Lots of coordination, communication and laughs.” – Greg Higgins, Director of Accounts, Splash
“The NYPD cops were so lovely. Forming those relationships early on was a lifesaver." – Debbie Lee, Marketing Coordinator, Splash
OUR ADVICE: At large events, it’s imperative that the entire event team introduces themselves to the entire event team – from security to the check-in volunteers. Encourage them to make friends early on. If you know people’s names ahead of time, for example, you can address them directly on radios, which makes communication 100x more efficient.
“Surprisingly, most people were really polite. There must have been a lot of out-of-towners, because nearly everybody I helped either thanked me or blessed me.” – Max Wendkos, Product Designer, Splash
“People were so sweet. I got three big hugs that day.” – Ben Hindman, CEO and co-founder, Splash
“For the most part, guests who had been waiting for several hours were more than grateful that they even made it to see this great opportunity. They were prepared for the wait, and they tackled it with a great attitude.” – Brandi Sinclair, Customer Success Manager, Splash
OUR ADVICE: There’s no reason to ever be rude or condescending to anyone in line for a huge event. Most people will be really sweet; make sure your staff is just as sweet. And remember – you can plan everything down to the last detail, but know that something will always throw you for a loop. It's important to adjust gracefully and exercise patience and flexibility. If a plan gets thrown out the window, devise a new one. If you come up against a wall, just pivot and try another direction. But never ever lose your cool.
A few members of the Splash team stop for a team photo after the last 20,000 people were checked in just before the 5:00pm deadline. From left to right: Max Wendkos, Andrew Harris, Zack Shapiro, Phillip Kim, Ben Hindman, Raffi Senerol, Danielle Lewandowski, Mark Koslow, Debbie Lee, and Jon Saft. | Image source: Splash
Kayla (Zerby) Kaplowitz is the Director of Communications at Splash. She is responsible for all outbound communications and media relations, and works closely with the Sales, Product and the Customer Success teams to execute marketing initiatives to reach key user groups. Previously, she ran PR and Communications for Code and Theory, one of the largest independent creative agencies in the U.S. Prior to that, she cut her teeth in PR at boutique firms in Washington, D.C., Newport Beach, Calif, and NYC. She earned her B.S. from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in 2005. She is an absolute news junkie, a skiing fanatic, and set up her first Splash page in 2013; it was a family reunion in the Poconos called #ZerbyFest.
