We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brian Bauer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Brian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

For as long as I can remember, I have loved music, sports, and entertainment. In fact, since the mid-‘90s I’ve collected stacks of ticket stubs in my nightstand as a journal of extraordinary experiences and incredible memories. Above all else, I’m definitely a fan. But in addition to confirming my lifelong devotion to sports, music, and entertainment, these tickets represent milestones in my marketing career and symbolize what motivated me to found and grow Bauer Entertainment Marketing. Most importantly, they confirm that my personal passion and professional mission align perfectly with the priorities of my firm’s clients: attract and engage with more fans.

NBA CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL GAME – JUNE 13, 1997
Being a kid in Chicago during the Michael Jordan era was a dream come true. The man was my hero. He literally defied gravity. I wanted to “be like Mike!” So, when a friend invited me to see MJ and the greatest NBA team of all-time win their 5th NBA championship, it was life-changing. Today, I emulate my childhood hero by always being a clutch performer, innovating under pressure, and always going the extra mile for BEM’s clients despite the odds. Think it can’t be done? Think again.

CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK – MARCH 11-15, 2009
I’m a third-generation drummer and the son of a piano teacher. So, it was almost destined that I became a musician, artist manager, and record-label professional. I experienced first-hand what goes into making records, licensing songs, booking shows, and performing around the world. I understand what it takes to launch and grow a music career, and that a great team behind you makes all the difference. At BEM, teamwork makes the dream work for our clients as collaboration is among our core values.

GEORGE CARLIN AT CAESARS – JULY 17, 2005
Comedy icon George Carlin once said, “People who see life as anything more than pure entertainment are missing the point.” I see my life as entertainment — and entertainment as my life. I live to have unforgettable experiences and to share them with others, which is why I made entertainment my career. At BEM, we deliver only the very best for fans, brands, and entertainers while having a lot of fun doing it.

MARYLAND TERRAPINS NCAA PLAYOFFS – MAY 15, 2004
When it came to the sport of lacrosse, it was love at first sight. I attended and played at the University of Maryland, the mecca for this amazing game. As team captain, I led the undefeated Terps Lacrosse Club to a national championship. My athletic experience taught me exactly what it takes to achieve perfection. At BEM, we strive for flawless results for our clients and partners. No exceptions. No excuses.

ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME CONCERTS – OCTOBER 29, 2009
This show featured a who’s who of all-star performers: Bruce Springsteen, BB King, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and many others. What struck me is that these legends started their careers with a vision of what “could be” and worked tirelessly to go beyond “what is now.” Our approach to marketing is identical. We know every step is meaningful when pursuing perfection. Our underlying goal is to generate growth for our clients that is self-perpetuating and limitless.

TITANS VS. BEARS – AUGUST 27, 2017
Living and working in Nashville is like being a kid in an all-night candy store. It’s non-stop music, sports, and entertainment. It’s also a thrill to raise my two sons here. When I took them to their first NFL game, I caught myself watching them more than the athletes! As a parent and marketer, I know how the next generation seeks and consumes entertainment. I’m inspired by emerging trends and excited to apply them to help our clients accomplish their business goals.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Bauer Entertainment Marketing was named “Best Place to Work” for the following reasons:

1) We have a culture of caring. On a daily basis, everyone on the team helps make others around them better. We have mutual respect for each other, which fosters an atmosphere of psychological security. Collectively, we’re committed to giving and receiving constructive feedback to each other. The team is very receptive to having tough conversations as needed because we believe that if we withhold sharing opportunities to learn and improve, we are failing each other. During weekly one-on-one meetings and team huddles, we discuss individual and company challenges, key wins, and goals to ensure a positive, growth-oriented path forward.

2) We are dedicated to mental health. The entertainment industry and marketing agencies are both notorious for long hours and burnout. Knowing this, we implemented “mental health mornings.” We encourage and provide a financial stipend for team members to take time away from work and recharge every month. Moreover, we provide flexible scheduling which gives employees the opportunity to work from wherever, whenever. There is also no limit to how much paid time off they can take.

3) We are mission-driven. Our team consists of musicians, athletes, entertainers, and creators. Because we are all passionate about the things that make life worth living, our mutual purpose is to share and facilitate unforgettable experiences with others. As music, sports, and entertainment marketers, we improve people’s lives by introducing them to incredible moments. And because we are fans ourselves, the company provides numerous opportunities to experience entertainment. For instance, we supply “concert cash” to attend events and Spotify or Apple Music subscriptions to discover new music. Through our Bucketlist employee recognition platform, the team earns “Bauer Bucks” that can be redeemed for countless experiences. And by hosting the team at a Bonnaroo retreat, we enjoy our fandom together on the grandest scale. By being fans first, our passion translates to dedication and success for ourselves and our clients.

4) We share the wealth. Despite COVID’s impact on the entertainment industry, we more than doubled our annual revenue goal. In recognition of the team’s hard work and dedication, we compensated them with significant cash bonuses. Additionally, several part-time staff members were awarded full-time positions.

Beyond financial well-being, we share a wealth of knowledge. We pay for professional development courses, association memberships, and conference registrations. Additionally, every other week, there is a group huddle for staff members. This is an opportunity for everyone to connect candidly without the President’s presence. Each meeting will have one host who is responsible for making sure everyone is contributing, respecting people’s time, and remaining focused. This is a great opportunity for attendees to share recent activities and happenings in an informal setting. Next, the host presents a topic or activity to the group. This can be about absolutely anything of value — a team-building game or exercise, a subject they’re passionate about, etc. Social activities or engaging topics are highly encouraged! Finally, attendees have the opportunity to present a recent business challenge to the group. Then, each group member gets a chance to ask clarifying questions or give feedback and recommendations for overcoming the challenge. During the meeting’s conclusion, the host distributes recap notes to the group and selects the host for the next meeting.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

No other industry has been more constrained, challenged, and actually shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic than live entertainment. In a matter of days, concerts, shows, festivals, games, conferences, and restaurants worldwide were canceled. Most were not even rescheduled. Rather than being victimized by COVID, using it as an excuse to reduce staff, cut expenses, and passively hunker down, Bauer Entertainment Marketing stepped up to create opportunities. We pivoted our business to focus on live-stream events as well as those live events rescheduled for late 2020 and into 2021. We also established an e-commerce merchandise capability for event producers.

Although COVID-19’s impact on public health has subsided, the Pandemic’s lingering effects have continued to plague the live-event industry. To “make up for lost time,” event producers flooded the marketplace with shows this past year. As a result, availability of staff and production resources became extremely limited, causing event expenses to skyrocket. Moreover, due to an abundance of events from which to choose – plus the constraints of growing inflation – the ticket-buying public became more discerning than ever in how and how much they spent on live experiences. This combination of event oversaturation, shrinking profits, greater competition, and fewer customers put an event industry, which had been almost entirely shut down for the prior two years, into further peril. Instead of succumbing to production challenges and the poor economy, I continued to pivot and make a positive difference for all stakeholders.

For instance, instead of charging fixed fees for BEM’s services, I creatively implemented flexible pricing through “per-ticket commissions” that minimized perceived risk and front-end expense for our clients. And through our proprietary tactics and tools, BEM turned more online browsers into eager ticket buyers. In fact, we improved clients’ website conversion rates by as much as 237%.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BauerEM.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bauerentmktg/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bauerentertainmentmarketing
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauerentertainmentmarketing
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bauerentmktg/

Image Credits
Eshton Loh can be credited for the photo taken at IEBA conference.