Erin Ward is senior vice president of sales and events at Brooklyn Bowl’s two locations: the “mother ship” in Williamsburg, New York, and Las Vegas. And while her job is to create events for clients that offer more than just the “wow factor,” her role is evolving to help guide and mentor those coming up behind her.
Here’s more about what the Louisiana native does at Brooklyn Bowl and the trends she’s seeing:
What brought you to Brooklyn Bowl?
A friend had told me about Brooklyn Bowl. I don’t bowl a lot, but it’s not just a bowling alley. I went there for a concert, walked into the venue, and I just had an overwhelming feeling that I was home. I felt like I could sell that space. I knew that I could be a part of what was going on there. I was hired on in two weeks and I’ve been there five years now.
Has your background always been sales and events?
I started in hotel operations while I was going to college. I started at 17 and I was assistant general manager at 18. I had an opportunity to open a new hotel, Hyatt Regency Wichita, and moved there as assistant general manager and director of sales. I had never been in sales before and started to realize that I liked sales more than operations. When I left the hotel industry, I got more into sales. But I’ve always been intrigued by events and got to do that with Hard Rock International. Since then, I’ve never looked back.
Is there an event you helped with that stands out?
A couple that stand out are an event with Zappos that had a Brooklyn 1988 feel. We had graffiti artists come in. We built a New York subway in our foyer. You came in and you were in a subway and the overhead speaker would say next stop Brooklyn and the doors opened and you were there. That stood out for me. Nike’s Jordan division did an event for a couple of years and built a half court off the stage and kids came in and did the dunk challenge and whole brand thing. They really transformed the space. They took out bowling area and put in a video game area. We’ve had a lot of events take it to the next level that we never even imagined.
How are events at the locations different?
Williamsburg is the mother ship. It’s where we were born and where we were created. Vegas came on after Brooklyn. We wanted to bring Brooklyn Bowl into Vegas and bring in the culture. But we had to ask how can we bring this here and integrate the culture? Vegas has a big music culture and we’ve been able to integrate that into the venue. We’ve been voted best music venue for the past four years there.
Brooklyn is a smaller and more intimate venue. Vegas can set up for 3,000. And I would say food is very big in New York, but in Vegas, they want the activation.
What are some of the trends in events you are seeing for 2020?
A trend that has been happening and continues to grow is making sure events are experiential. Event planners want attendees to take pictures and post them and bring people into what they are doing. Our events have to speak on so many levels. They have to speak to not only the people there, but the people they are talking to on Instagram. They want people to have a severe taste of FOMO because you’re not there—making sure it is echoed beyond just the event because everyone is going to hear about it. The trend is about the connection with people who aren’t even in the four walls.
Will there be another Brooklyn Bowl location?
My position didn’t exist two years ago and was created to push the teams in both venues into expansion. We’re setting up for growth and in 2020 will open another venue. We can’t announce it yet, but this will be the first new venue in five years.
What’s next for you?
My role is ever evolving and changing and I’m not as hands on in events as I used to be. I want to be able to teach and mentor and guide people. I want to leave behind a legacy.
