By Beverly Rosenbaum These days, it isn't over when it's over. When the last ride is finished, the dust in the arena settles and the smoke from the indoor fireworks display clears, the Houston Rodeo now lives in cyberspace at www.hlsr.com. The 1997 Show marked the debut of two new websites. With a little more than a month's work, T-1 Design of Houston put the pay-per-view site www.rodeohouston.com online in late January and the primary website www.hlsr.com in early February. Neosoft, an Internet service provider, donated Internet access and service fees. During the run of the Show, the two sites attracted more than 1.3 million "hits," or visits, from all over the world. "The history of the Houston Livestock Show is to always lead and never follow," said Leroy Shafer, assistant general manager of marketing, information and presentations. "A natural progression for the rodeo is to develop and utilize leading-edge technology. Our goal is to enhance the entertainment experience and, if possible, offer something new and different each year to expand the audience, both interstate and internationally. Cable, pay-per-view and the Internet all provide that capability," he explained. "If you look at traditional media outlets -- television, newspaper, direct mail and radio -- you realize that they all compete for people's attention in a very short time span," said Patrick Griggs, webmaster of the sites and owner of T-1 Design. "It is difficult to get the essence of the rodeo experience there." Griggs asserts that the website is another, more effective channel to reach people. "People come to the website on their own time and with their own interests, to see what the Show has to offer," he added, "and it provides an expanded way to communicate the message and experience of the Show through text, pictures, video and audio clips." The top rides from each event and the high flyin' hard luck rides were very popular, as 83 percent of those visiting the website searched the 30-second movie clips and specialized graphics. The initial hlsr.com came online with 194 pages of content, but quickly swelled to more than 1,000 pages by the end of the Show as rodeo, livestock show and horse show results, news releases and clips of daily events were added. Shafer noted that the purpose of this site is fourfold. First, it is designed to be informative -- every piece of information, from every press kit and many publications, is easily accessible. All major elements of the site can be accessed from the opening page. Each section of the site contains subsections with both brief outlines and in-depth information. The second purpose is to provide specific information about daily event schedules. Griggs has designed the underlying databases so that any changes are immediately made to allow prospective visitors to the Show grounds to easily make plans to attend the events of their choice. Third, any question about any event can be answered -- including everything from the explanation of terms, scoring, judges and history of the organization to the educational programs sponsored throughout the state. Fourth, there is current ticket availability and accurate shuttle bus information. Rodeo results are posted by performance, go-round and total standing. "All press releases are available to the news media within 20 to 30 minutes after the event," said Shafer. "In the past, these results were distributed by broadcast fax. With our web server, the sporting media are able to download the exact details they want as an ASCII or unformatted text [files] directly at their own convenience." A recent addition to the site is the Show's quarterly magazine. The May 1997 issue was the first, and past issues are expected to be added later. Another new area, devoted to the Best of School Art 1997, has three purposes. It is designed first to entertain, by displaying color pictures of the art entries; second, to provide rules, regulations and entry forms for the many teachers whose students will be participating; and third, to serve as a teaching tool, by demonstrating for other budding young artists examples produced by their peers. Color pictures of the art are available for viewing or downloading. The premium lists for livestock and horse events will be posted online when the published premium books are mailed out for the 1998 Show. The site already has been recognized in the industry at a recent management conference held by the International Association of Fairs and Expositions. During a presentation on web design and utilization for 300 attending managers, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo site was lauded as an excellent example of how to do everything from marketing to informing to entertaining. "This is a great tribute to our organization and a testament to what an organization and great website design company can do in a short amount of time," said Shafer. "A lot of people put a lot of thought into it -- there was a lot of planning. This shows what electronic communication can do today, and this is only the beginning." Future plans for the site include posting of year-round Go Texan events, committee activities and meeting schedules, and merchandising of RODEOHOUSTON and logo licensed items. After the 1998 Show, committee chairmen will be able to use the website to distribute information to their committee members. By logging on to the site using their member number as a personal password, they will be linked with the appropriate information based on a database of committee rosters. A two-way mail system will be implemented in 1999, and members will be given the option of receiving official Show correspondence by conventional mail, e-mail only or both. This system would help save the Show significant material and postage costs. The 1997 rodeohouston.com site contained sound clips of the scheduled entertainers. This year the site will be expanded from a pay-per-view site, with specific information about the telecasts, to a year-round site informing visitors about the Show's various electronic distribution projects, such as upcoming home video releases. Griggs sees the website fulfilling different needs for different people. It can be a tool for the public to savor the moment of where they have been, or to get a flavor of what it is really like if they have not attended before. It makes the thrill last a little longer for the junior winners by the display of the color photos of the auction animals and art pieces. It also can be used as an educational resource for teachers and certainly an invaluable tool for media professionals. "The hlsr.com website can educate the public that the Show is not just about animals," said Griggs. "It's about people helping other people, and people helping kids -- people educating people."
|
|
Letters and comments should be sent to: |
