Lisa Siciliano

How Z2 Entertainment Transitioned their Business to Prism

Change can be difficult for anyone, but working in live music means always being ready to adapt. Whether having to suddenly mic up a surprise horn section or learn a new POS system, it can seem that things are always in flux. 

stage at z2
Explosions in the Sky – BT (Photo credit: Dave Arnold

While storing information on the cloud was certainly an improvement from paper files, there were still some gaps in the team’s ability to collaborate in an efficient way. “After multiple team discussions, we identified that accessing information from 6 or 7 different source documents to produce an accurate show flash was too manual and inefficient. Prism changed all that. Starting with creating the offer in Prism and then having real-time ticketing data pull in as well was a game changer for our organization.”

Vice President of Concerts + Events,  David Weingarden, had heard some buzz around Prism, but he remembers some hesitation about moving over to yet another new system: “Sure, we had these manual systems, but it wasn’t like they were totally broken. At the same time, we were overwhelmed managing everything for everybody.”

Some of the biggest questions around Prism weren’t about functionality, but around the transition process itself. With the platform touching virtually all parts of the business, it was critical for Z2 Entertainment to have a proper plan in place to make sure the move to Prism was as smooth as possible. “When you’re asking someone to change their entire business, I think it’s hard to make it work without the support and responsiveness Prism provides. [Prism’s Client Success Director] Rosie came in and tried to understand our whole organization, department by department. Having a dedicated rep made all the difference and was a huge part of our success,” says Cheryl.

live show at z2
Grouch Fox (Photo credit: Ryan Cutler)

“With Z2, we started with the buying team to ensure they felt confident and comfortable managing calendars and using shortcuts to make offers. Then, we had focused training sessions with the marketing, accounting, and production teams to make sure they had the specific information they needed to get their jobs done,” says Rosie. “Throughout the process, we had check-ins with the senior team to sign off on data migration and ensure things kept moving forward.”

Of course, not everyone needs such an in-depth approach. For many clients with smaller operations, a simple Google Calendar export/import with a hands-on training session is all they need to hit the ground running from day one. No two promoters/venues are exactly alike, so making sure each client has the right-sized plan makes all the difference. Just ask Cheryl: “I can’t think of a smoother transition. And we’re a tough nut to crack!”

front of z2 - Boulder
B&W Boulder Theater photo shows Cheryl and Doug Greene (Photo credit: Lisa Siciliano)

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