The Science Behind Emotions
How to Harness Emotions to Fuel Arena Premium Sales
Premium suites, VIP Experiences and Hospitality offers are one of the major revenue drivers for arenas, stadia and venues. But many venues struggle to balance the heavy lifting sales, the inbound noise from leads that will never close, and the maintenance of a truly premium experience for guests. In this piece we delve into neuromarketing to explore the science behind decision making and how this can support venues. Incorporating these neuromarketing insights can help your offering really stand out from all the other venues and make your premium experiences shine – bringing more leads, more revenue, and an easier life for your sales team.
Decision-Making Is Emotional, Not Rational
In the age of data-driven marketing, it’s tempting to believe that consumers make decisions based on logic alone. But neuroscience tells a different story.
Our brains process information through a complex web of emotions, memories, and past experiences.
According to Antonio Damasio’s Somatic Marker Hypothesis, emotions act as shortcuts – guiding us toward advantageous decisions by tagging memories with emotional significance. This means that premium sales strategies in arenas – from VIP suites to backstage passes – must go beyond features and pricing. They must tap into the emotional architecture of the brain, rather than overwhelm with technical specs.
The Myth of the Rational Consumer
Consumers are not spreadsheets. Cognitive overload from too many options leads to decision fatigue, pushing people toward emotionally charged shortcuts.
Emotional Anchoring & Somatic Markers in Live Entertainment
Every premium experience becomes a neural anchor. The first time someone watches their favorite artist from a luxury suite, that memory is emotionally encoded and influences future decisions.
Real-World Applications
This is something the Everton Stadium team understands well. Vicky Jaycock, their former Premium Sales Head, shared how they are working to “gather all that experience that they do anyway and really attract that into the stadium”. This means integrating and enhancing the established emotional rituals fans already have, rather than trying to create something entirely unfamiliar. For example, fans often meet at bars or cafes with multiple generations before a game, and the new stadium aims to infuse these rich social rituals into its design.
Strategies to apply:
- Use emotionally resonant storytelling in marketing (“Be part of the legend”).
- Personalize pre-event communication to prime emotional engagement.
- Create rituals or branded moments that become part of the fan’s identity.
Sensory Branding: Designing for the Brain
Arenas are multisensory playgrounds. Neurobranding leverages this by embedding brand identity into sound, scent, lighting, and tactile design.
Strategies to apply:
- Soundscapes in VIP zones that match the brand’s emotional tone.
- Scent marketing to evoke nostalgia or excitement (think fresh leather or citrus).
- Lighting design that uses color psychology to evoke trust, energy, or exclusivity.
Neuroeconomics & Perceived Value
Consumers don’t just evaluate price—they assess emotional payoff and social validation.
Real-World Applications
Moody Centre in Austin, Texas, embraced the idea of “southern hospitality” to create a welcoming and familiar emotional connection.
Chelsea Donovan, their Guest Services Manager, explained how they “really brought a different level of hospitality premium that Austin had not yet seen”. They also offer “premium elements in our general spaces” so even public attendees can experience a taste of the premium offerings, potentially drawing them toward future upgrades. This creates an emotional connection across all guest types, not just those in premium areas.
Strategies to apply:
- Present ultra-premium options first to trigger anchoring bias.
- Use influencer presence and testimonials to activate social proof.
- Highlight what customers miss out on by not upgrading- loss aversion is powerful.
Memory Encoding & the Halo Effect
Emotionally charged experiences are more likely to be stored as long-term memories. A positive first impression in a premium suite can color the entire perception of the brand.
To explain the “Halo Effect”: imagine a truly wonderful first experience in a premium suite. That powerful positive feeling extends beyond just that moment, creating a “halo” over your entire perception of the arena, its services, and even the team or artist. It’s a natural brain shortcut: if one part is amazing, we tend to assume other related parts are too!
Real-World Applications
The Everton Stadium project is actively redefining “premium” to be more inclusive. Vicky noted they decided to “drop the word hospitality” and even “Premium didn’t seem to encapsulate what we were trying to do”.
Their guiding principle is “all,” which aligns with Everton being known as “the People’s Club”. This approach creates a sense of belonging for a wider range of fans, moving away from traditional exclusive feelings. They’ve also designed spaces like “The Blue Line,” inspired by Liverpool’s maritime heritage, and “Merchants,” a tapas-style restaurant, to offer unique emotional experiences beyond a typical football theme. More inclusive, but still wonderfully unique, right?
Horse Racing Ireland also adapts its premium experiences to different audiences and occasions, recognizing varying emotional needs.
Paul Dermody, their Commercial and Marketing Director, mentioned how different race days attract different demographics, from younger crowds at “music festival nights” to older audiences at the Dublin Racing Festival. They also view their “student days” not just as a revenue stream, but as a “pipeline for future fans,” fostering long-term emotional connections.
Strategies to apply:
- Use personalized welcome rituals to prime emotional memory.
- Ensure staff behavior and design aesthetics reinforce brand values.
- Create branded narratives for each premium zone (“Legends Lounge,” “Backstage Journey”).
Trust, Loyalty & Emotional Resonance
Trust activates the brain’s reward system and reduces perceived risk. Loyalty is built not through logic, but through emotional consistency.
Real-World Applications
Both the Moody Center and Everton Stadium utilized immersive showrooms or “preview centers” to create emotional connections before their venues even opened. Chelsea from Moody Centre noted their team was able to “show the spaces in a more digital light, to really immerse them in what we were trying to sell”. This helped build anticipation and trust, leading to all premium spaces being sold out well before opening. Vicky from Everton emphasized that this virtual experience helped with the “comforting part of the emotional journey, as is the physical movement to a new stadium”.
Strategies to apply:
- Coherent branding across all touchpoints—from ticketing to suite access.
- Feedback loops that show empathy and responsiveness.
- Exclusive communities that foster a sense of belonging and advocacy.
Digitally Igniting Premium Sales
Real-World Applications
UBS Arena further exemplifies how emotional design drives premium sales, showcasing curated experiences beyond basic features and pricing — including in its online presence. With its setting in historic Belmont Park, UBS Arena focuses on the energy of music and hockey, inviting guests to curate their experience within exclusive suites. Their premium clubs, such as the sophisticated UBS Club inspired by New York’s cocktail culture, offer an “Opera style box” for socializing among “elite members,” tapping into desires for exclusivity and status.
To amplify these emotionally resonant touchpoints and attract premium sales, digital tools are invaluable. By focusing on the digital experience, UBS Arena grew their website’s conversion rate by more than 2X.
Strategies to apply:
Personalize digital interactions using CRM insights: Tailor pre-event communication by integrating customer data to deliver relevant content.
Create immersive preview experiences online: Use high-quality visuals, video walkthroughs, and interactive layouts to showcase suites and club spaces.
Use web platforms to build anticipation: Develop dedicated landing pages that highlight amenities, and tease limited-time offerings to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity.
- Use Automations to Simplify Your Sales: Capture inbound leads in a deal flow or pipeline that supports your sales team’s workflow and simplifies their day to day
Looking to Deepen Your Understanding of Arena Marketing Innovation?
For more conversations and valuable insights into building success in the evolving world of arenas and venues, we encourage you to check more of our Top Tips and our Arena Marketing & Innovation Webinar page.
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