Hornets’ new president sensitive to fans’ concerns, vows to improve customer experience

Blocks away from the uptown construction zone where most team business typically takes place, Shelly Cayette-Weston is making due.

On the basement floor of the building that houses some of the Charlotte Hornets’ temporary office space, and not far from a well-known restaurant, the team’s new president finds herself in a unique environment: getting officially introduced to the local media in a quaint private setting rather than at a press conference.

Delivering her vision in that format was a necessity for Cayette-Weston, all because Spectrum Center remains in the midst of renovations, being reimagined during this first phase prior to the arena opening up again in the fall. Cayette-Weston has been in town for three weeks and it’s a constant adjustment, especially given the sheer number of new employees within Hornets Sports & Entertainment.

“I’m very much so solving problems,” Cayette-Weston said during a sit down with The Observer following the event’s conclusion. “That’s my forte and I think that’s been a big part of my success — my ability to figure out and solve problems. In this case, we’ve got a great group of people that have been helping.”

At the very top of that list: chief operating officer James Jordan, older brother of minority owner Michael Jordan. Cayette-Weston raved about the longtime executive’s calming influence.

“James Jordan has been amazing in the transition,” she said. “He’s been sort of a core. This organization has gone through a lot of change over the last few years and he’s really been a constant and a core part of that. The people, the executives, the team members, everyone I walk past, they’re helping me out, directing me in the right way.

“As has the Charlotte community, people that don’t work for the Hornets. So, it’s been a lot of help and support. I still am not going in the right direction all the time, but they guide me in the right way. And I think that’s a big part that reaffirms for me that I made the right decision. Because we are with the right people in the right community.”

In laying out several areas she intends on tackling, Cayette-Weston pointed to increasing the Hornets’ fan base as one of her top tasks. She’s already taken the unscientific route, sampling whether random people — Uber drivers among them — follow the city’s NBA team and gathering their thoughts on the franchise.

She’s strategizing ideas to grow the Hornets’ base.

“How are we connected to them?” she said. “When are they listening to us on broadcasts? Obviously, we are going through something very public with the Bally scenario, but how are we growing? And all of it is about numbers. What is the fandom today?

“Our task as leaders in this organization is to grow that and that’s what we have to be laser-focused on. We can’t just be OK with wherever it is. Even where it is is not bad. We have to be laser-focused to grow it.

“If it’s stagnant, we are missing fans. And guess what? They are going somewhere else. Our plan is to grow each of those bases more to create a wider affinity.”

Ensuring their games reach all markets would certainly go a long way in bringing that closer to reality. Watching Charlotte pro basketball on regional television has been a challenge of followers of the organization for years, especially on Bally Sports Southeast.

It’s the No. 1 issue and Cayette-Weston knows that can’t ultimately continue.

“There’s a lot of pieces to this that’s a much bigger play as you think about the broadcast rights and from a league level,” Cayette-Weston said. “We are very aware of it. It’s something that’s been going on for a few years now. It’s something that’s changing. It’s evolving. Some of it is generational, some of it is how new products have come on the market. Streaming. So, all of this is new not only to us, but also the media partners that we are working with.

“I think it’s something that we have to continue to stay close to, listen to. Our goal is to provide our games and our broadcasts everywhere our fans are. And we will continue to do that daily. There are obviously some things we have to work through, but that is one thing on the top of mind as we create new relationships and new deals. We are trying to get our product be seen and heard as widely as it possibly can.”

Cayette-Weston also addressed other topics with The Observer:

Arena renovations on schedule

Phase 1 of the work inside the Hornets’ home arena is on schedule, according to Cayette-Weston, and things should be in place when that initial preseason outing against the New York Knicks rolls around on Oct. 6.

So what should patrons expect when they walk in for the first time in the fall?

“It’s a two-phase process, so that’s going to be a little interesting,” Cayette-Weston said. “We’re going to have Phase 1 that opens this October, and then we’re going to go and do a lot more work even next summer. So, I want them to also prepare that it is a multi-phase summer project. But I think when they come in, still they’re going to immediately see some new clubs, some new spaces, you think about the entrance when you walk in and that plaza area.

“So, I think there are some things that they’re going to immediately see, but we also want them to not get overly excited because we want them to even be more excited once we’re finished the entire renovation, and see all of it together, which at that point will have impacted every single level of fan — from on the floor, on the event level, all the way up to upper level. It’s for everybody. And that’s what we want them to see and get excited for.”

More listening and subsequent action

Improving customer and the fan experience is something that’s on the horizon. Count on it.

“I think one big thing is the customers don’t lie,” she said. “And part of that is do we have the right platform so they can tell us? There’s a lot of surveys that go out, but what are you doing with them? Are you actually creating action on them? And making sure that we’re diving deep in those spaces, not only to listen, but also to go out and look at other sports. Not just NBA arenas, but other venues and platforms and entertainment, music. What are we missing? What are we not doing?

“So, I think we also have to be proactive and going and finding the experiences that our fans don’t even know about that can be great for them. And so that’s something that we will have to lead, but all of that helps to ensure that we’re having great customer service. But I think the very core basis of it is we have to listen, and we have to act, and we have to show our fans that we’re acting and make sure they feel that.”

Cayette-Weston touched on other topics during her chat with the local media:

Hornets on Bally Sports Southeast

The bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of Bally Sports, puts a cloud of uncertainty over the Hornets’ television situation. And Cayette-Weston won’t deny the impact it’s having on some of the league’s teams, including her previous employer in Cleveland.

Talks among all parties involved are constant.

“We’ve been going through this literally for the last two years,” Cayette-Weston said. “The Diamond bankruptcy is public. And so the NBA is in negotiations with them. We are waiting and standing. We are hoping and we’re been very hopeful. Ballys is a great partner for us here locally and in our region. We are hopeful they are going to come to a resolution. That’s all the signs we’ve been given even as most recently as last week.”

She eased any fears about a potential hiccup in the meantime.

“One thing I can assure you for us, regardless of what happens our games will be broadcast,” she said. “And so that is the most important news for our fans, is that will not be disrupted and we have a contingency plan with the league for that. But we are hopeful the league and Diamond are going to work through a resolution here in the short term.”

Jersey patch sponsor

With MrBeast ending its partnership as the sponsor of the Hornets’ jersey patch, the franchise is searching for another brand to take its place, marking the second time in a year the Hornets must go through the process. LendingTree was the initial sponsor until 2022-23, prior to MrBeast taking over for 2023-24.

The team has hired a consulting firm to assist in finding a replacement.

“It is unlike anything else we sell,” Cayette-Weston said. “It is one of our most prized possessions to our players. It’s the heart of who we are. There were some teams at the beginning where their owners didn’t really want to put anything on it because they wanted to protect that.

“We want to do both — monetize it and protect it. So we are in conversations right now and we are working with an agency that’s helping, so we do plan to have one for this upcoming season. But it’s one that we are going to take the process and approach because we cannot put just anybody on our jersey. That goes back to who we are.”

WNBA back in Charlotte?

Don’t expect to see a rebirth of the Charlotte Sting anytime soon.

While the WNBA is slowly expanding, bringing on new teams in San Francisco in 2025 and Toronto a year later, Hornets Sports & Entertainment has zero plans of entering the chase to land the next franchise in the blossoming league.

“We are committed, we are supporting WNBA and women’s basketball,” Cayette-Weston said. “We are not in current conversations to bring a team here. There are a lot of aspects and logistics to that when you think about Spectrum Center, the number of games. There are so many components to that.

“But we will always keep opportunities open as they present themselves. We are not currently not looking to bring a team here. But you can know that for us, we absolutely support the women’s game, the WNBA and we’ll continue those conversations as they arise.”

Financially, it would take a big commitment given the league’s growing popularity.

“There’s so much demand for getting a WNBA franchise that it’s actually really competitive right now,” Cayette-Weston said. “So the decision is not just (wanting to) get it. There is a long line in waiting for the next franchise that’s going to be awarded by the league, which is a great thing. That was not the case three years ago, so that’s a really positive thing.”