A facility audit is conducted by evaluating various information to analyse the effectiveness with which a facility performs (Timperio, Giles-Corti, Crawford, Andrianopoulos, Ball, Salmon & Hume, 2008). Auditing of a facility requires analyzing location, staffing, design, staffing and marketing necessary for event management. The scope of current report involves facility audit of Melbourne Ballpark, which has a Melbourne baseball ground. Melbourne Aces is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League, which is located at Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The facility is located at the center of the city and has various features including wide field, changing room, shower room and so on (Hepburn, 2013). It has an organization which maintains the field with proper organizational structure to conduct regular activities at the center. Initially physical components of the facility through which various training and events are held are analysed. Thereafter, marketing activities, evaluation of human resources and competitor analysis is undertaken to understand ways in which the facility functions.
Future challenges which the organization might face along with ways to deal with such challenges are reflected at. The facility at Melbourne hosts Australian baseball League and was established in the year 1990 (Emery, Crabtree & Kerr, 2012). The scope of this current analysis takes into consideration detailed facility audit along with future challenges and opportunities.
Melbourne’s baseball ground is responsible for baseball, soft ball training and wellness needs of Melbourne Aces team, staff and others who get selected for their team. It has a well-defined organization structure governed by Melbourne Aces (Bainbridge, 2015). Melbourne Ballpark provides training needs for Baseball and Softball in Victoria. Initial set up of the park was done by the State Government of Victoria contributing to $ 2 million and the Australian Federal Government contributed to $ 1.8 million, which led to a total cost of $ 3.9 million in establishing the entire park. An in-depth facility audit of various features and aspects of the park can reveal in detail ways in which the park functions (John, 2015).
2.1 Nature of Facility
The park was constructed by CK Designwork Architects. Former name of the park was Altona Stadium, based on its location at Merton Street, Altona, Victoria. The state Government of Victoria is the Owner of the park and it has a siting capacity of 3,900 of siting and other capacity (Mygind, Bentsen, Badland, Edwards, Hooper & Villanueva, 2016). The very large field area offers multiple facilities for spectators, participative, natural along with multi-use facilities as stated below.
2.2 Design and Construction
The design and construction was initially undertaken in the year January of 1990, which later was renovated a number of times. The following are the aspects of design and construction. Australia Baseball Federation director Ron Smith selected Laverton location for the stadium (Sekendiz, Gray, Norton, Keyzer, Dietrich, Eickhoff-Shemek & Finch, 2016). As the land was free and money could be expended for building the venue instead of buying it elsewhere. The park was finally opened by The Minister of Sport, the Honorable Neil Tresize.
Needs assessment: The Park is able to cater to its basic needs. The large siting capacity of the park allows multiple spectators with watch a game sitting comfortably. The inner basement of the park hosts a number of features with which other associated needs of participants and spectators are met.
Physical layout: The physical layout of the park includes a field with siting capacity. The capacity of 3,900 of the park includes removal of seats along the base line and turning them into standing area.
Renovations: Post opening of the park there have been multiple renovations which have taken place. The park has been renovated in the year 1997, 2000, 2012, 2013 and in the year 2015. The park often receives grants from the State Government of Victoria for various constructions (Schwarz, Hall & Shibli, 2015). In the year 2000, the original AstroTurf was replaced with newly improved surface with a cost of $250,000. In the year 2012 up gradation of the stadium had taken place which was funded by the Sport and Recreation Victoria.
The organization totally funded by the State and Federal Government has a formal organization structure which devises strategies for its professional functioning. A management team is present which coordinates amongst various functions and strategies, then implements the same for arriving at results (Ben-Joseph, Lee, Cromley, Laden & Troped, 2013). The organization has a director with varied departments such as finance, human resource, operations and marketing. There are staffs and employees within each department for the purpose of coordinating functionality of their individual departments.
Stakeholders: Stakeholders are internal and external in nature. While internal stakeholders are those who are internal and are present within the Organization, external stakeholders primarily comprises of rating agencies, customers, spectators and so on. Major internal stakeholder of the organization comprises of State and Federal Government within the country and state (Mitchell & Thompson, 2013). The Governmental bodies and authorities undertake major decisions pertaining to the organization and they are the main sources of funding. There are staffs and employees present who take active role in coordinating amongst various activities for the park. The participants of the baseball team Melbourne Aces and their management team also comprise being the internal stakeholders of the Organization.
Competitive Analysis: along with Melbourne Baseball park, there is present a large number of other parks as well in and around Melbourne area. They comprise of the major competitors for the park as they mostly offer similar facilities compared to the park. Other baseball and softball parks in the area include Perth Heat, Wanneroo Giants Baseball Club, Holloway Field, Aquatic Reserve Baseball Park, Moore Park Bat and Ball Oval, Albert Park Baseball Complex, Blacktown International Sportspark and so on.
Competitor analysis can be conducted in a multiple number of ways; however it can best be understood by analysis of power of spectators, suppliers, industry rivalry, threat from new entrant and substitution power. Below is a depicted a competition analysis for Melbourne baseball park.
Consumer Profile: Consumer profile primarily comprise of organizers of baseball and softball events along with spectators. Organizers of the game select a field based on presence of various facilities and features (Lee, Macfarlane & Cerin, 2013). The spectators also select the park on basis of presence of basic facilities and features. All these features and facilities are present at the park and spectators as well as organizers prefer this location for hosting their events.
Staffing/ Human Resources: There comprise of large number of staffs and human resource. The HR department coordinates and allocates function to each staff and employee for the organization. The central role of staffs and employees is to manage events, finances, coordinate operations, conduct marketing, coordinate cleaning and maintenance of the park (Eime, Harvey, Charity, Casey, Westerbeek & Payne, 2017).
2.4 Marketing
Marketing consists of an important functionality for almost every organization. For the current baseball park also several marketing activities needs to be conducted in order to attract organizers of events towards the park.
Positioning: The baseball park is positioned as one of the premier parks for baseball and softball operations. The current baseball park as compared to other parks of similar nature can be seen below.
Public relations: Due to State and Federal Government being heads of coordinating functions. The organization is able to maintain good public relations with various organizers of events. The public relations department of the organization further maintains stable relation with organizers of events with the organization.
Pricing strategy: The field area is made available at a cost effective rate. The organization offers competitive costs for hiring the field for various activities at the park.
Merchandise: The Park also offers multiple merchandise for sale to its participants of major events.
Ticket sales: The Park offers ticket sales at its counter and also through online sources. This enables regular collection of funds for various events at the location.
Sponsors: The organizers of various events are generally able to get sponsors. Apart from this there comprise multiple fixed sponsors for various events which are held at the park.
2.5 Programming
Programming of events allows appropriate organization and gathering sufficient funds for conducting as well as coordinating various activities for the event (Gray, Sekendiz, Norton, Dietrich, Keyzer, Coyle & Finch, 2016). Programming is taken into account through analysis of customer type, space against activities, bookings and evaluation of tenant needs.
Customer type: General customer type of the park comprises of organizers of events of baseball and softball. Due to the location of the park at Victoria, generally the customers prefer to select the location and conduct their sports activity there.
Tournaments: Tournaments for baseball and softball are generally held at the location. This Ballpark has been known for hosting Melbourne Monarchs and Melbourne Bushrangers. The 202 IBLA was held at the ballpark too. The Australian Baseball League 2012/2013 for the new ABL has been taken place in the park. The Australian Softball National Championship, National Softball Fastpitch League and Commonwealth Softball Championships have taken place in the field.
Space vs. activities: The Park is well known for holding of several sporting events and activities of baseball as well as softball.
Bookings: The Park can be booked by directly contacting with its booking office or through online enquiry modes or by telephoning them.
Tenant needs: the park is generally able to meet needs of its tenants which comprises of proper maintenance of the field and catering to needs of the spectators.
2.6 Operations
The operations at the park comprises of varied types of operations which are conducted such that games can be held in an appropriate manner.
Security: The Park has a security agency which meets regular needs of securitizing and maintaining of the park. There is present round the clock security for the purpose of safety to the place. Moreover at the time of event being held, security personnel assume special roles to check and allow entry into stadiums so as to prevent any unforeseen incident form taking place.
Medical/first responder care: The field has doctor and nurse present, especially during hosting of an event. During practice sessions there is always doctor present along with doctor on call facility for emergency purposes. A first aid box present in the field aids any accidents or injury taking place at the field.
Registration and accreditation: The Park has been successful in getting registration as well as accreditation from state as well as national authorities. Such registrations and accreditations presents prevalence of safety features, medical aspects being present and other facilities being there.
Maintenance: The Park needs maintenance on a regular basis such that any sporting events along with practice sessions can be held. Maintenance requires maintaining and taking care of the field and boundary spaces.
The sole aim of the stakeholders comprising of the State Government and Federal Government is to generate revenues to maintain the place. Another subsidiary aim is to make sure those sports such as baseball and softball is promoted and taken up by the youth in Australia (Cerin, Vandelanotte, Leslie & Merom, 2008). It can be contended that consumer loyalty is at the focal point of the showcasing idea, and key arranging of physical offices has been found to impact customer fulfillment. Considering the observer sport industry has encountered a colossal blast in the working of offices, a superior comprehension of how offices impact clients is justified.
Conducting facility audit ensures that the facility is able to function in an appropriate manner in its future as well. There are various components which allows functioning of the facility in the future time periods. It involves being able to cater to its customers, catering to its participants, sponsors and being able to run the facility through proper budget. It is essential that a budget is developed in an adequate manner to cater to and meet needs of the facility. Various leveled relapse investigation uncovered that the two impression of administration work force and of the physical office added to consumer loyalty far beyond the effect of clients’ view of the center item. In light of these outcomes, it is contended that administrators must address the physical office in mix with different focuses of value to enhance observers’ levels of consumer loyalty.
Keeping up athletic fields is critical to their execution, and doing it right takes ability, time and cash. For some athletic divisions, in-house abilities are more than adequate and spare the additional expenses of employing outside experts. Be that as it may, for others, it bodes well to contract out field upkeep. Since fields without a doubt require the most consideration of the considerable number of parts of an open air office, the main need ought to ensure those in charge of the fields have an intensive comprehension of them. Regardless of whether that obligation lies with a committed games field administrator, the athletic office, parks and amusement staff or an open works division, whoever is in control ought to have a decent working learning of when and how frequently each field is utilized for which games or exercises, the creation of each field, particular eccentricities or needs everyone has and some other uncommon contemplations.
A careful field evaluation and testing project can help distinguish these attributes. Not all fields are made equivalent, so reporting and understanding the individual physical and substance characteristics and necessities is basic. Leading evaluations all the time and keeping a log of dates, issues, adjustments and different components will likewise help guarantee you have the most state-of-the-art data on your offices. Making arrangements for the upkeep of whatever is left of your open air offices ought to take after a comparable however less difficult assessment process. Different segments of outside games offices, for example, seats, wall and burrows, can ordinarily be kept up by an in-house offices division in a similar way that it cares for different structures on grounds or inside the network.
Consumer loyalty is a vital part of the accomplishment all things considered, including sport. Research on consumer loyalty as it identifies with recreational game offices and administrations may give helpful bits of knowledge to expand investment rates. The fulfillment was impacted by three groupings of elements: offices, staff disposition, and staff capability; unwinding, wellbeing, and wellness; and aptitudes, assortment, and achievement. Though the team and the park receives considerable support from the State and Federal Government, there remains challenge with regards to motivating youth to join training or practice related to baseball and softball.
Often the rates for training and availing other aspects of the sport become a burden for the youth, who leaves on to join part time low paying jobs. For any facility to be successful customers and stakeholder feedback is necessary. Stakeholder and customer satisfaction is generated in the long run by catering to ability to go to the refocus constantly and be centered around passing by the activity focus routinely and making it a part of their timetable. With an impressive measure of its stakeholders on enlistment outlines, a refocus on energizing and support is developed for current contracts. Melbourne Baseball park need to grasp various philosophies to counter these issues and finally become successfully.
The sports and health industry is an industry that relies upon continued with feedback and support by customers for its advancing accomplishment. Customer feedback is important for growing productivity within the organization (Jones, Jones, van Sluijs, Panter, Harrison & Griffin 2010). The accomplishment of prosperity of baseball or softball clubs is controlled by the limit of prosperity and wellbeing on its ability to pull in new customers along with retaining of old customers. A considerable size of advantages are locked in with choosing new people such as sponsors for hosting mega events of softball or baseball, which infers most extraordinary profitability. The facility’s guidelines which publicize the organizations need to conduct in an extensive manner.
The organization needs to conduct social media promotion, through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram also put up billboards and other advertisements. Keeping up the present customer base is a potential test that the wellbeing spotlight could look later on (Nicholson & Hoye, 2008). Besides concentrating on new people, there will be a critical need to revolve around the satisfaction of current people for endless accomplishment later on.
The nature of staff often limits the prosperity of a facility to set up social relationship with the customers, who in turn expect in engaging an append affect that prompts repurchase of enlistments by present and past people. Staff needs to be ready to get support from senior organization members who are close to customer. This will allow to upkeep techniques at operational, vital and fundamental level could assemble the budgetary estimation of held and help cater to customers. High parameters for success and all around staffs with better customer advantage qualities can lead than higher purchaser reliability.
A beneficial outcome of the endeavor is mean to make customer to repurchase through such properties. Melbourne Baseball Park presents staff with some being permanent under State Government and some are under contract with YMCA that way to give incredible customer advantage regardless, as the kind of staff is accommodating. Senior position staffs are generally appointed by State authorities and are quality staffs who give staff planning to ensure that customers are satisfied to a more noticeable degree and work compel with key organization properties for running the prosperity of the facility.
The organization’s staffs are aimed at high level of responsiveness to the customers’ issues. Secondly, ensuring commitments made to customers at the time of renting or lease. Providing general and detailed information to customers, so as to prevent in doubts in their minds regarding policy made by the organization.
The demonstration of setting up, keeping up and invigorating relationship with customers and sponsors can be used as relationship displaying for the achievement of affiliations. The organization ensures development of incredible associations and a better bond with the customers. It ensures quality control which could incite holding customers. Progressing and influencing a brand to the prosperity of the facility prompts customer commitment. It results in influencing the objective of customers and sponsors to conduct their events regularly at the facility.
Brand loyalty frameworks can accomplish potential buyers and assistants in making them more careful about the thing regarding the workplace. Moderately unessential displaying practices including no publicizing allows necessity for promoting the refocus of a positive picture among the people that would at last up being useful later on. Highlight on the baseball and softball game should be displayed in the external correspondences; practices held at within and in the park of the organization will help in attracting and holding customers. There are more constructive reactions to ads progressing being physically unique for prosperity related favorable circumstances instead of advertisements that outline the association between being associated with the park or facility.
The organization can make use of flyers and flyers within the grounds, in and around the area Victoria highlighting element the prosperity and wellbeing points. This can encourage young people interested in the baseball and softball game to join the club Melbourne Aces or the facility center in the minds of both potential and existing customers. Such membership will ensure regular inflow of funds taking place at the facility center. The field Center and its club are estimated to be growing yearly. The Centre and the club requiring extensive maintenance will require regular influx of funds which can be generated from regular memberships. There needs to be extensive promotional strategies through planning be instilled which will allow, attracting large number of young players towards the club.
This in turn will allow getting fresh new talents and also training facility for existing ones. Through such efforts good coaches and other personnel required for the game can be appointed and their payments being made timely. The Centre needs to affix budgetary schedules which allow it to function well in future and current situations as well. The Centre offers support to open up new potential territories for sponsors can be centered around and the estimation of the workplace can be advanced through these supporting organizations.
The park’s organization can recognize unmistakable sections of the young people and give them scholarships for playing the sport which is important for this segment of people. Recognizing young talents will allow the club in attracting potential new talents for the future. People endeavoring to gain from such offers with no interests in being contributing on offer, could be offered access to various other programs.
Organization of an office incorporates making considerations with respect to the use of room and making approaches to ensure the workplace functions and continues running in an effective manner. Components like the explanation behind the workplace, resources necessary, development or equipment essentials, ought to be attended to. These are segment of the essential parts that are incorporated, the path toward becoming an efficient and effective club and facility Centre.
The center’s activity focus has a smaller approach as appeared differently in relation to its competitors. The facility can attract sizable number of contracts and invitations from outside contractors for the purpose of maintaining the facility in a cost effective manner. Most clubs and centers located at Australia have outsourced their major functionalities to outside people to ensure that it is conducted in an appropriate manner. For the status of this current club and to ensure sustainability in the future, it needs to ensure proper influx of funds along with adequate maintenance. Such efforts will ensure that the facility functions in an appropriate manner and continues to get frequent funds from the government.
Conclusion
Analysis of the facility audit and future proofing reveals that the Melbourne Ballpark in Australia has a facility center that is entirely managed by State Government. Though a team is directed at its management and control, the park due to its location and facility is able to attract sizable number and amount of customers. Baseball and Softball has been considered to the major events which takes part in the park. Apart from this there are other sports such as Motocross events, which are held during multiple times in a year.
There have been quite a few significant events which have taken part in the field including marling of the western end of the light aircraft visual flight rules (VFR) advisory lane entry into Moorabbin Airport and class G airspace into east and south along with various other events. Apart from scheduled events a number of other events are held at the park, which in turn adds to its revenue earning capacity. The only substantial factor which needs to be considered is the maintenance of the park. Due to the large area of coverage and facilities which are offered at the park, there needs to be tremendous contributions made to maintain the park in an appropriate manner. The maintenance team does not operate in a professional manner which often leads to problems and needs to be tackled in an effective manner.
References
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