Guest Speaker: Jessica Lee

Business/Leadership Takeaways (Jessica Lee, Miami Marlins)

• Career strategy = build adjacent skills + prove fit through action

  • Started in sport management after discovering it at a university “undeclared” fair.
  • Used high-volume volunteering to convert into real roles (e.g., event ops, guest services).
  • Key principle: try anything, but be honest about limits—her “Braves” experience didn’t convert into a full-time hire because she wasn’t comfortable/strong in the role’s core responsibilities.

• Talent/playbook mindset: “No single point of failure”

  • Advises not putting all eggs in one basket: apply widely, keep backups, and keep conversations active across organizations.

• Operational leadership approach

  • For game days/large programs: emphasizes structured planning cadence and cross-department alignment.
  • Leadership style: open dialogue + flexibility + protecting staff from uncomfortable situations, while still driving execution standards.

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Frameworks / Processes / Playbooks Mentioned

• Rewards program product framework (evolution from spend-based to fan-behavior based)

  • Fish Family Loyalty (2014) → Home Run Rewards (launched Feb 2019; expanded Feb 2020)
  • Philosophy shift:
    • Old: points mostly tied to how much you spend
    • New: points tied to how much you engage as a fan (tickets, merchandise, TV voting, MLB event voting, etc.)

• Program build + launch process (analytics + budgeting + pilot)

  • 7 months of data research/studies with an analytics intern/buddy to redesign the program.
  • Pilot with a season ticket holder group (“Marlins Members”) in 2019, then expand to all fans in Feb 2020.

• Game day operating cadence (home stand execution system)

  • Pre-home stand
    • Ballpark ops sends game-by-game guidelines for the first home stand (example: first six games).
    • Homestand kickoff meeting ~1 week prior with cross-department reps (historically ~50 people; ~2 hours).
  • Day-of
    • Department-specific pre-game brief (example: she brings event staff reps about 1 hour before they work).
  • Post-home stand
    • Post-home stand meeting to capture what worked/what didn’t.
    • Often followed by a planning meeting shortly after for the next home stand.

• Crisis/pivot playbook (COVID-era operating model)

  • When ballpark operations were uncertain (April timeframe), loyalty became a way to keep engagement digital:
    • Continued contact with fans “from home.”
    • Ported/maintained successful digital features into 2021.

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Key Initiatives & Business Execution Examples (Miami Marlins)

1) Customer loyalty / rewards modernization (Home Run Rewards)

• Program timeline

  • Team launched in 2014 with Fish Family Loyalty.
  • Home Run Rewards:
    • Launch Feb 2019: start with season ticket holders (focus group)
    • Launch Feb 2020: expand to all fans

• Core economics/benefits structure

  • Free to join; points earned via fan engagement.
  • Points redeemable for prizes and experiences.

• Product philosophy

  • “Reward fans for being fans, not just spending.”

2) COVID-era engagement & conversion retention (digital pivot)

• Fantasy baseball was launched because fans were at home, with an intent to keep it post-restrictions.
• Maintained contact and engagement through digital experiences when physical attendance was limited.

3) In-ballpark operations redesign (fan experience + safety)

She oversees/executes operational programs including:

• Contactless payment methods tied to loyalty

  • Rewards card for discounts/savings/points
  • Cash back offers at concessions

• Stored value ticketing

  • Scan ticket → stored money loaded for concessions/retail spend

• Mobile food ordering (planned launch “next week or so” in the described timeline)

  • Order in the MLB ballpark app → “ready in ~15 minutes”
  • Designated pickup lane to reduce lines

• In-seat delivery replacing pickup rules under new constraints

  • Previously strict 90-day pickup policy
    • Reason: longer storage increased losses/damage risk and created last-day line congestion.
  • New policy: reserve a time slot / inning (e.g., “third inning”) for delivery to reduce crowding and support social distancing.
  • Acknowledges staffing execution challenges.

4) Traffic/entry operations improvement

• Free-flow parking system
  • Replaces scan-and-stop approach tied to phone parking passes.
  • Fans enter garage with no stopping; pay by app (e.g., ParkMobile or similar).
  • Goal: reduce street congestion around Little Havana / I-95 and Dolphin access points.

5) Capacity & seating strategy (social distancing merchandising)

• Socially distanced seating as the “biggest project”
  • Reallocated season ticket holder seating into pods / spread configurations
  • Tickets sold via a pod map
  • Business implication:
    • Reduced capacity → supply/demand effects → ticket pricing rises

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Metrics / KPIs / Targets Mentioned (explicit or implied)

• Loyalty program

  • 7 months of data research to rebuild the program
  • 90-day pickup policy (previous threshold)
  • Launch dates:
    • Feb 2019 pilot with season ticket holders
    • Feb 2020 full rollout

• Mobile ordering

  • “Ready in 15 minutes” target

• Operations cadence example

  • Coverage for the first six games of a home stand

• Revenue protection under constraints

  • Emphasized objectives:
    • “making sure we can still have fans in the park”
    • “still get revenue”
  • No numeric revenue targets provided

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Actionable Advice She Gives (Career + Execution)

Career/people playbooks

• Volunteer heavily to maximize serendipity and network effects.
• Take assignments—but
• Be honest about fit/comfort/limits early to avoid prolonged misalignment.
• Don’t rely on one employer: maintain backups and keep applying/interviewing.

Hiring etiquette

• Send a handwritten thank-you note after interviews.
• Ask during interview for next steps + timeline so the employer becomes accountable.
• If no response after the stated timeline: follow up (encourages continuing contact, within a logical window).

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Organizational Outcomes / Change Management Themes

• “Program became outdated” → redesign using analytics

  • Modernize data collection and segmentation logic.

• “Rules are helpful” → but flexibility is required in uncertain environments

  • Modified strict policies (e.g., pickup windows) into safer, fan-friendly processes (e.g., in-seat delivery).

• Cross-department orchestration is the product

  • Treated game-day execution as an integrated system (marketing + sales + ticketing + ballpark operations + concessions + signage + event staffing).

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Presenters / Sources

• Presenter / guest speaker: Jessica Lee (Miami Marlins)