BTS coming to El Paso was amazing. The entertainment level and the economic impact were off the charts.
This was a perfect example of “experience economy.” Hotels, restaurants and sales tax skyrocketed. The concert was a breathtaking spectacle, featuring massive production value and an electrifying, high-energy atmosphere. Talking to restaurants, there was a small rebound effect of fewer people than average going out to eat for a week to 10 days after the show. Often such large expenditures for the concert experience can lead to expendable income exhaustion. That rebound was not enough to significantly drive down the overall financial benefit of the BTS show for El Paso.
There were challenges. Stadium concerts for artists like BTS, and Coldplay expand into weeklong city-wide events. The “first mile” of the fan experience — getting into the venue — becomes the biggest operational challenge. Long lines at security and ticket scanning dampen the excitement. It’s a high-stakes puzzle of safety and efficiency.
Many venues teach the concept of the first three feet, which means people really care about what’s 3 feet around them. Their experience begins when they get close to the venue. What was traffic like? How quick was getting into the stadium? That’s where we started to see challenges. Four hours to get in the stadium the first night is unforgivable.
The prolonged wait causes huge crowd fatigue, which can lessen their enjoyment. A frequent lament is that the show was great — the experience was not. Technical challenges happen. With a crowd that size they’re going to happen. A mountain on one side of the Sun Bowl makes it a unique setting, but it also removes any entrance path mountain side and complicates the challenge.
Strategies for that crowd size that make it easier and more reactive to the situation include frictionless security screening (which is walking through arches using AI) to help the crowd get into the facility faster. Concertgoers walk through the arches without stopping. Automatic bag screening systems are available where you don’t have to stop and go through the normal metal detectors or X-ray bags. Utilizing these methods triples the speed in getting patrons into the venue. These alone would shift a four-hour fiasco to a little more than an hour.
There was the second major issue of some of the ticket scanners not working. This is a frequent challenge in the concert industry. The easiest fix is making sure that wherever you put scanners has a strong Wi-Fi signal. If someone says we just don’t have signal, my answer is “fix it!” Boosting Wi-Fi in stadiums using a high-density network design, deploying overhead access points with directional antennas, and using Wi-Fi 7 all minimize interference and help keep the signal strong at scanner positions. For users, combining stadium Wi-Fi with cellular data via bonding apps can significantly improve performance all through the stadium.
The third issue that was frequently heard was that dropping off and picking up attendees for families was daunting. Having designated areas where you may have to block off a lane and part of a parking area to have a drive-through-pickup can be useful with stadium shows. Just having the kids wander down Mesa Street until they get someplace mom and dad can come pick them up isn’t really a very good system.
Even with all the challenges leading up to it, the BTS show at the Sun Bowl turned out to be an incredible experience for everyone at the sellout show. It was proof that determination and passion can overcome any obstacle and that El Pasoans love a good show.
Brian Kennedy is a former city representative. He established the El Paso Sports Commission in 2003.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: OPINION: Even with challenges, BTS show in El Paso was incredible
Reporting by Brian Kennedy, Guest columnist / El Paso Times
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