Managing the Customer Experience in a Mega Event

Enhancing customer experience, regardless of the event or its size, is a significant task. Over the first weekend in May each year, Churchill Downs hosts hundreds of thousands of customers for Kentucky Derby Weekend. Kevin Flannery, President of Churchill Downs, presents on his organization’s approach to maintaining a top-notch customer experience through his organization’s mega events.

Speaker: T. Kevin Flanery, President and CEO, Churchill Downs

Kevin Flanery was named the 13th president of Churchill Downs Racetrack on July 13, 2009. He also serves as a senior vice president for Churchill Downs Incorporated.

Flanery joined Churchill Downs in December 2005 as vice president of national public affairs and was promoted to senior vice president of national public affairs and communications in March 2008.

During his career, Flanery held important state government posts, including secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. In that role Flanery served as the Commonwealth’s chief financial and  procurement officer and led the Office of Finance Management, which controls the Commonwealth’s debt and
investment portfolio. Flanery also had oversight of the Department of Facilities Management, which designs, builds, operates and maintains state facilities. Part of his statutory responsibilities included serving as chairman of the Consensus Forecasting Group, which determines revenues available for appropriation by the governor and legislature of Kentucky.

Prior to joining the Churchill Downs team, Flanery served as president and chief operating officer of Hagan Properties. Flanery holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Bellarmine College and a juris doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law.