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Steven Tyler Out on a Limb VIP Experience Atlanta 2016

Steven Tyler Out on a Limb VIP Experience Atlanta 2016

Where to begin on Mr. Steven Tyler! He is simply one of the kindest, more engaging down to earth rock stars I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. This was my 6^th time meeting Steven over the years and he never ever disappoints.

I got the 2^nd tier VIP Package which included:

MEET & GREET PACKAGE Includes:
– One (1) premium ticket
– Priority check-in and entrance
– Meet & Greet with Steven Tyler
– Photo opportunity with Steven Tyler
– Access to the pre-show reception which includes specially selected appetizer along with complimentary wine, beer, and soft drinks
– Merchandise item designed and created exclusively for package purchasers
– Collectible laminate to remember your evening
– Onsite check-in staff

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We had a 2^nd row dead center seat for the show which is why I went with the 2^nd tier package vs the front row to save about $200 knowing these were very small venues 2^nd row was great!

This is a solo tour Steven and the band Loving Mary did to promote his country album. This was the 3^rd time I have seen Steven perform with Loving Mary and they are also absolutely fantastic and you could tell Steven truly was having a really fun time each night performing with them.

We received our check in info a few days prior which is always great so you can plan what time you need to arrive etc. We had to arrive at 4:00 this time. I thought the venue staff could have been a bit nicer at the Cobb Energy Center. I had a man trying to tell me I had to check my point and shoot camera which I later had corrected and was allowed to take it in and then we waited in an organized fashion by numbered bracelets in a nice climate controlled area. The staff came out and very kindly went over the rules with us and told us how we would receive our photos. So far this is the only negative, we still don’t have our photos and it’s been 4 days yet it is a holiday weekend so hopefully by tomorrow. Update: Photos came out 5 days after this show.

When we entered the room we did photos with Steven first. It was in a nice private box area which is LOVE when artists do that. He was giving each person at least 1 minute of his time as I timed a few which truly sets Steven apart from others. You were greeted very nicely by his VIP staff and they asked your name as you entered and Steven would then say hello Heather how are you today, he always gives you a huge 14237686_10154052748678978_9111808101970890523_n hug and kiss and we would chat for a bit and he truly makes you feel like you are the most special person in that min. In my opinion he then gets back the mutual respect of each person and you rarely if ever seen him groped in photo and if he’s hugging you or kissing you it’s because that is what he wanted to do. It’s nice to have relaxed experiences and be able to say what you want to say. The photographer then would count down 4, 3, 2, and 1 so you were ready for the photo which again gets an A+ in my book.

After the photo then we had a few drinks, some snacks and then had to go back out and through security again. This was also not a great thing in my opinion, we had all already been checked but, perhaps there was no other entrance into the venue.

The show was absolutely fantastic. Steven takes that stage with such ownership, charisma and man does he blow the roof off the venues. He played a perfect mix of Aerosmith and singles from his Country record. He is one of the rock legends that every fan of rock music should be sure to see just once. However once you see him once you will be forever hooked.

My opinion is I did much prefer the meet and greets with Steven’s solo shows. It’s not that I don’t think Joe Perry is a great guitar player and member of Aerosmith I just think Joe doesn’t care for the meet and greets and it really takes away from these truly special interactions that Steven provides.

Also wanted to give a shout out to the On-Site VIP staff Tanya, she is very good at her job, treats everyone with professionalism and kindness!

Concert Wear:

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I did wear my favorite off the shoulder Bebe top and black dress pants:

To order yours go to: (STYLE # 266813): http://www.bebe.com/

Or they have a new one for Fall that comes in a Purple and black: http://www.bebe.com/Tops/Blouses-Shirts/Keyhole-Cold-Shoulder-Top/pc/184/c/0/sc/215/114454.pro?selectedColor=pcl

I also used my Coach Wristlet and cross body that I was given as gifts from friends for my birthday. They were perfect! The wristlet held my car key, ID, money and credit card and the cross body fit the wristlet, camera and lip gloss with room left over but, it was nice not to have to carry around a bulky purse with me.

http://www.coach.com/shop/women-wristlets

http://www.coach.com/north/south-swingpack-in-embossed-textured-leather/52348.html?dwvar_color=SV%2FTU

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Until next time,

Xoxo

Heather

September 5, 2016

Entertainment Blog

Ideal Meet & Greet/Photo Op

If I could sit down with celebrity VIP teams…

This is a topic I have been thinking about for the last few years. It’s part of the reason for starting this blog. I never want this page to be a negative place but, rather somewhere to share information, experiences, value etc. If I could sit down with artist’s and their management teams to give them insight into what fans feel are best VIP practices this is what I would say:

Artists should keep their commitments. It’s one of the things that I think a pop star and his team did wrong earlier this year. If they didn’t want to do meet and greets anymore that’s fine but, finish the ones that you had committed to, implement rules to meet your needs in the interim and have your team enforce them but, respect that a good portion of your VIP attendees often are paying to travel for the experience.

Don’t do photo assembly lines. I truly wish all artists that did meet and greets would commit to an hour or so of their time depending on the #’s and do it right, treat each person like a human being, say hello, ask their name, ask where they are from (stars may be shocked how far some will travel to see them), have a genuine interaction, then take the photo. Let’s face it these meet and greets, photo ops, fan trips cost a large sum of money, show the fans you value and respect their time and money by giving them an interaction. When an artist’s team brags that they did 300 pictures in 16 minutes that truly is disappointing vs a recent event I was at they had about 200 people and they devoted a solid hour or more, it wasn’t rushed and everyone that walked out after was so happy, felt so special and most of all valued.

Make the interactions private. What I have been seeing quite a bit lately is a curtain box created and have thought that is such a great idea. You can step in, have your interaction and not have 200-300 people watching it. It helps with your nerves too, nobody wants to feel like they are in a fishbowl it also solves the issue of people taking photos of the entertainer/star as they approach. It will also help the genuine interaction because then they are not still speaking to the person ahead of you etc.

Make the rules clear, stick to them and let them know what will happen if they violate the rules. If you say don’t take your cell phones out and ask for a selfie and someone does don’t post the photo, if you say don’t hug, kiss and rub all over an artist and people do don’t post the photo. I would guarantee you would only have to enforce it once and word would travel. Too many fans will just take liberties, ignore the rules just to achieve their own objective and it truly does spoil the process for others in many cases and it’s disrespectful to the artist.

Post photos in a timely manner. The companies that have them posted same day or in 24 hours always get a WOW for service from me. VIP Nation events have been crushing it with this service the last year. All events I have gone to hosted by them they have been up during the show or the next day. It’s been nice to see many are getting them done quickly lately, people are always so excited to receive them so the faster the better.

Give organic genuine experiences. A few tours recently I have seen many people asking for kisses, hugs etc. You are putting the stars in an awkward position because if they say no then they can be looked at like they are being a jerk but, people have to realize in most cases you are a stranger or a familiar face in the crowd to the artist. Would you want a stranger walking up and asking you to kiss them, hug them etc.? It’s such a better experience when it happens organically and it’s something the artist initiates because it’s genuine and something they truly wanted to do. On the flip side though as the artist make an effort to say hello, ask someone’s name and go from there.

Please no gum or food in your mouth. I have a few photos with different entertainers with a wad of gum clearly seen in the pic and then recently had an experience where someone was eating a marshmallow. Again people pay a lot for these experiences, travel long distances and it’s just respectful not to have food/gum in your mouth and seen in the photos.

Respect the time of individuals paying for the VIP experience. Don’t make them arrive 2 hours ahead to just stand in line and don’t leave them in the various elements like extreme heat & cold. Be organized. Nobody likes to stand around waiting for hours.

For random interactions with stars I always like to see who puts in the extra effort with their fans. I can say after seeing it many times that Keith Urban is one of the best at this. Keith will stop and literally do selfies with 40 people and it takes maybe 10 minutes. Now in these random cases I think it’s fine to do a quick hello, photo and move on you are not paying for it.

I think the stars also need to be careful the way their team is representing them. At the softball game at CMA fest one of the entertainer’s boyfriend’s came out where fans were lined up after the game and was telling a guy to hurry up and have her car pulled around because she didn’t want to stop for fans. Another country star I saw three times at CMA fest once on the pink carpet, at Fan Fair X and then out and about and he could not be bothered to take a photo or have an interaction but as soon as a TV camera was on him he changed right away. I personally will not spend my money, pay to travel, attend a concert of anyone that shows such disregard for fans. It’s all in how the situation is handled. Like I said in my CMA Fest blog from Day 3 instead of responding “NAH” to someone, say sorry not today. Treat people like human beings and they will in turn reward you by devoting their time and spending their hard earned money to support your career.

One star recently said it best you always have to treat each person special because that may be your 1 time ever to meet that person that has supported you and you don’t know what they had to do to be at that show, if they saved for 6 months, flew across the country etc. Whether it’s a 30 second selfie interaction or a paid meet and greet it’s your chance to make and leave an impression both on the fan and star’s end. I will always support the ones that care and truly get it because that adds value to the experience. I also feel we all have to treat them respectfully.

I would love to hear more thoughts on this from those that read the blog…

Until next time,

Xoxoxo

Heather

August 30, 2016