Question of the Week » 2006 » March

Ron Goch
The Telios Group
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Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

March 31st 2006

Q. What promotions and ticket sales strategies are being implemented in conjunction with celebrating Cinco de Mayo?

A. Cinco de Mayo, which means fifth of May and is a national holiday in Mexico, commemorates the Battle of Pueblo (May 5, 1862) and celebration – or Fiesta! – traditionally includes food, fun, music and dancing.

College and professional baseball teams, softball teams and other organized sports teams have created ways to commemorative Cinco de Mayo, and many other sports organizations have created a number of successful cultural marketing programs and initiatives.

Below are two event links and a story link on how the Magic created a Hispanic marketing initiative a few years ago.

Michigan Devil Rays Celebration.

Canes Host Early February Event.

Orlando Magic Hispanic Marketing Initiative.

Your turn to take a shot!

What are you and your sports organization doing to commemorate Cinco de Mayo as well as cultural events and activities in collaboration with your events?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Unique Fund-raising Strategy

March 30th 2006

Q. What unique fund-raising programs would you recommend for 2006-07?

A. Here’s a neat idea to consider – Iowa has produced eight-inch Herky figurines for fans to purchase. They produce 1,000 of each figurine and release from time to time, notifying fans when the new figurine in the series is available for purchase. Check out golfer Herky which was released last June.

Your turn to take a shot!

What unique fund-raising programs have you created for the upcoming 2006-07 athletics season, or for your sports organization?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Professional Development Ideas

March 29th 2006

Q. What are two or three professional development ideas or recommendations you have for collegiate athletics marketing administrators?

A. Here are three ideas I encourage you to consider:

One: Commit to lifelong learning. Have a thirst for knowledge each and every day, and be open to learning from everyone and every experience.

Two: Have a goal plan. Write specific goals and review each of them daily. You’ll be amazed how this provides clarity, focus and how much you will accomplish as a result of setting specific goals and reviewing them on a daily basis.

Three: Seek out a mentor or put together a mastermind team of associates to meet with at least once each month to share your goals, update one another on your goals, hold one another accountable and encourage each other, and seek to challenge and support one another.

Your turn to take a shot!

What are you doing to be a lifelong learner and continually develop your professional skills?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Career Fairs – Part II

March 28th 2006

We had the question yesterday about professional sports teams hosting career fairs and how these might be beneficial to college athletics.

In today’s post, I’d like to share with you three career events being executed in sports in hopes you gain some ideas for hosting your own career fair or sports and entertainment expo with the objectives to offer attendees a quality event, increase your ticket sales, and interview potential summer intern candidates.

You may want to also consider seeking a presenting sponsor for your event as the Atlanta Hawks did for its 2006 career fair (see link below).

Here are the three links you can follow to the sports career events:

Chicago Wolves Career Fair

Atlanta Spirit Career Fair Presented by AJC Jobs (PDF)

Magic Sports & Entertainment Career Expo

Have you signed up for The Telios Group’s free eNewsletter, the Telios Telegram? If not, you can click here to sign up for your free subscription, or go to the top of this page and enter your email address to join the Telios Telegram team.

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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College Sports Career Fairs

March 27th 2006

Q. Many of the professional teams have been hosting sports and entertainment career fairs during the winter and upcoming spring months. Have colleges hosted career fairs or sports and entertainment nights? Are these conducted as a way to interview potential interns?

A. Many professional sports teams are hosting annual career fairs or sports and entertainment nights, and tying the event – along with a game ticket – to a home game. There are a number of colleges that have also conducted similar events as a way to interview intern and graduate assistant candidates, inform high school students of the careers available in sports today, and to sell more game tickets.

The Grambling State Athletics Department will be hosting a career fair on April 4. According to this article, Grambling State is currently the only Historically Black College in the country with a Master of Science program in Sports Management and one of the few with an undergraduate concentration.

Your turn to take a shot!

What sports career events has your sports organization hosted, and what events did you include for participants?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Marketing, Community Relations Collaborate

March 24th 2006

Q. How would you recommend our marketing and community relations programs work together to conduct programs that assist the community while raising attendance?

A. This is a great question and one I touched on earlier this month when asked for ideas to increase youth ticket sales. I encourage you to visit The Telios Group’s Question of the Day blog post on March 4 for these youth program ideas.

Here are three other examples of community relations ticket sales strategies you could consider:

Padres Charity Ticket Program

Bulls in the Community Basketball Programs

Avengers Stay in the Game to Achieve Program

Your turn to take a shot!

How are your marketing and community relations teams working collaboration to offer community relations programs that not only impact the community in a positive way, but also increase paid ticket sales?

*********************************
Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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The Courtside Seat Experience

March 23rd 2006

Q. We are looking into the courtside seats for next season. How have teams implemented courtside seats in the last few years, and what are examples of successful courtside seating programs?

A. Courtside seats are common with NBA and WNBA teams, and becoming more popular with college athletics. The fans enjoy the experience of floor seats and sports organizations are able to generate significant revenues.

Here are five courtside / floor seat programs and ideas for you to review and consider for your sports organization’s courtside seating:

Taking Sporting Event Seats to the Next Level

Phoenix Suns Floor Seat Experience

Premium Treatment at New Arena

The Marauder Courtside Club

Courtside Cougars

Your turn to take a shot!

What changes have you made the last few years to offer your fans the courtside seat experience?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Senior Discounts and Events

March 22nd 2006

Q. What are sports teams offering in the way of senior discounts for games or “AARP Nights” at athletic events?

A. Senior events have included informative presentations at the sports organization on a variety of topics, including Medicare, senior health and nutrition, and exercise routines for seniors. Fun activities have included senior prom, where the senior adults attend a dance; bingo nights; and shuffle board tournaments.

Some sports teams have also created their own Grandparents Days and offered ticket specials, along with combo ticket packages for grandparents bringing their grandkids.

Working with your local or regional AARP organization is a viable option since AARP events and discounts are popular around the country, and it’s easy for seniors to present their AARP membership card for special discounts and offers at your ticket office, concessions stand and/or team shop.

Your turn to take a shot!

What senior adult events and activities do you offer?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Internal and External Collaboration

March 21st 2006

Q. We’re looking to improve our internal and external collaboration and hopeful you could recommend a book or two, or other resources that could assist me with developing a plan.

A. Someone once said, “None of us is as smart as all of us.” How true.

Collaboration has been a hot topic in business the last few years, but is a business concept that has been successfully implemented for generations.

There’s no question businesses consistently practicing internal and external collaboration are in a much better position to be successful than those businesses that do not implement internal and external collaborative strategies.

Here are five books I recommend for review and reading in preparation for creating and implementing a collaboration strategy:

“The Power of We,” Succeeding Through Partnerships.
   (Tisch)
“Organizing Genius,” The Secrets of Creative Collaboration
   (Bennis)
“Go Team!” Take Your Team to the Next Level.
   (Blanchard, Randolph, Grazier)
“Beyond Teams,” Building the Collaborative Organization.
   (Beyerlein, Freedman, McGee, Moran)
“Radical Collaboration,”
   (Tamm and Luyet)

Your turn to take a shot!

What collaboration books or resources have you used to improve your internal and / or external collaboration?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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In-Game Atmosphere and Experience

March 20th 2006

Q. What are sports teams doing to enhance the in-game atmosphere and overall fan experience?

A. Here are five events and programs that are great examples of being creative with engaging fans and offering fans a unique experience:

Verizon Customers Get Puck-Sized Boost at Arena

PGA Tour Exhibit Pavilion Engages Fans

Richmond Raceway Offers Open Test Session

Indy Car Race Experience – Thunder on the Ground

Saints Rebrand Gameday Experience

Your turn to take a shot!

What is your sports organization doing to engage your fans and offer a unique in-game experience?

*********************************

Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Annual Kick-off and Tip-off Luncheons

March 19th 2006

Q. We’re thinking about implementing kick-off and tip-off luncheons for our football and basketball programs. Could you provide some examples of these events?

A. Hosting kick-off and tip-off events are terrific events for your fans, and could also be a great way to generate ticket sales for your home opener by packaging a ticket, and possibly an event T-shirt with the price of the event.

Since a large number of season ticket holders would likely attend the luncheon, having the tickets benefit a children’s charity or under-served youth would be an excellent way to positively impact and serve youth in your community who may not otherwise have an opportunity to attend one of your athletic events.

Tulane athletics hosts a neat Fall Kick-off Luncheon that not only features the Green Wave football team, but the soccer and volleyball programs as well.

Here are some Kick-off and Tip-off event examples, including the Green Wave’s annual event:

ODU’s Basketball Tip-off Luncheon

Tulane’s Fall Kick-off Luncheon

Washington Huskies Basketball Tip-off Luncheon

Rose Bowl Kick-off Luncheon

Atlanta Falcon’s Kick-off Luncheon

Your turn to take a shot!

What annual events does your sports organization host to kick-off or tip-off your sports seasons?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Try New Creative Ticket Sales Programs

March 18th 2006

Q. What can we do to be more creative with our ticket sales programs so we’re not offering the same ticket specials from year-to-year?

A. I like to encourage sports organizations to look outside their geographic area, as well as outside of sports and see what organizations in entertainment are doing, as well as the arts.

Also, explore collaborations with other entities in an effort to package a ticket to your sporting event with a restaurant, transportation company, or a company’s event, such as employee appreciate night.

There actually is a great deal of creativity in sports, entertainment and the arts when it comes to ticket sales strategies. Do some online research, plan well ahead and be open to new concepts and ideas, and you’ll be amazed what’s available to you and the impact new and effective strategies for your market can have on your ticket sales.

Here are a couple examples of creative ticket sales programs outside of sports to get your creativity session started:

Canada: Hertz Sponsors Ski Ticket Offer With Car Rental

Europe: Promoting Tourism with Movie Premiere

Your turn to take a shot!

What creative ticket sales program is your sports organization implementing in an effort to stimulate new ticket sales?

*********************************

Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Offer Fans an Enjoyable Tailgate Experience

March 17th 2006

Q. What are colleges and pro sports teams doing across the country to offer fans an enjoyable tailgate experience?

A. Colleges and professional sports team are becoming more involved in their tailgate areas versus opening the parking lot gates and letting fans tailgate each week.

There are on-stage band performances; cheerleaders, dance teams and marching bands entertaining the fans; cooking contests; and interactive and inflatable games for the kids just to mention some of the changes over the last few years.

Here are some stories on contests, tailgate hot spots, and the celebration taking place in the parking lot.

The University of Miami’s Football Tailgate Contest

The Ultimate Football Tailgate Cook-Off

Fans Plan to Kick off Tailgate Season

College Football Tailgating Hot Spots

The Celebration in the Parking Lot

Your turn to take a shot!

What unique programs and activities will you offer your fans during the 2006 season?

*********************************

Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Off-Season Visibility & Ticket Sales Programs

March 16th 2006

Q. What are athletic departments offering during the off-season in an effort to generate visibility, awareness and ticket sales?

A. Many sports organizations are hosting caravans, tours and open house events. Here are three examples of events:

Iowa State’s Cyclone Club Outings.

Florida’s Gator Gatherings Hosted by Alumni Association.

Detroit Shock’s Open House.

Your turn to take a shot!

What off-season events is your sports organization hosting to generate visibility and ticket sales?

*********************************
Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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WNBA Strategies for Women’s College Hoops

March 15th 2006

Q. What marketing strategies used by the WNBA would translate best to marketing college women’s basketball?

A. If your primary objective is increasing attendance and ticket revenues at women’s basketball games, I’d recommend the various programs used in and out of season by the WNBA that consistently includes tickets packaged in with events.

The WNBA, as well as the NBA, has successfully leveraged a great deal of its inventory (assets) in an effort to maximize its ticket sales. Two examples of this are the WNBA camps and clinics offered in and out of season. Colleges offer camps and clinics, but most do not include paid tickets.

For example, the Detroit Pistons and Shock are hosting a Coaches Clinic and have tied in two Shock tickets to its home opener. How many coaches clinics do you offer during the off-season that has paid tickets incorporated in the participant package? How many of your coaches include tickets in each of its summer camps and clinics?

A high five to those of you who do offer a ticket in your summer camps and clinics, and to those who don’t, I’d start asking “Why don’t we include tickets in our summer camps and clinics?”

Here’s another off-season Shock event – a four-day girls-only basketball clinic – that includes a list of benefits on the flyer, including two tickets to a Shock home game versus the newest WNBA team, the Chicago Sky.

Your turn to take a shot!

What off-season programs are you successfully packaging paid tickets to your 2006-07 season?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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St. Patrick’s Day Promotions & Ticket Offers

March 14th 2006

Q. With St. Patrick’s Day coming up in a few days, what are some ticket sales strategies and promotions we could implement?

A. Thanks for the timely question and I hope you have enough time to implement an idea or two you may not have considered from this list.

The obvious ticket offer is a special discount for those showing an ID with the names Patrick, Pat, Patty, Patricia, O’Sullivan…okay, you get the idea. (more…)

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Multiple Groups and Theme Night Activities

March 13th 2006

Q. It seems like pro sports offer a lot more group events each game than college athletics. Do you recommend multiple group and theme events, or one group or theme per game?

A. I encourage sports organizations – college and pro – to host multiple group and theme events for each of the games. A great example of multiple groups and theme events is the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2005-06 groups and themed event schedule. You will find a variety of groups and themes within each game.

Your turn to take a shot.

What group and theme night events are you hosting for each of your athletic events?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Select-a-Seat at Spring Football Game

March 12th 2006

Q. In preparation for our spring football game, what are schools doing to offer fans an experience beyond just the game, as well as promote/sell season tickets?

A. The University of Miami will be hosting a Select-a-Seat event in conjunction with its annual spring football game.

Your turn to take a shot.

What are you doing in conjunction with your spring football game to offer your fans a unique experience, while also leveraging the event to sell season tickets, or gain new season ticket holder prospects?

*********************************

Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Increase Visibility for Soccer and Volleyball

March 11th 2006

Q. As we look ahead to the fall sports and preparing our marketing and promotions plans for our sports that need assistance with increased visibility and awareness to increase attendance, what strategies do you recommend for soccer, volleyball and other sports other than football?

A. Iowa has a couple programs well worth considering if your objectives are to increase visibility, awareness and attendance for soccer, volleyball and other sports.

Iowa was able to show appreciation to its donors with the I-Club Appreciation Days, and simultaneously increased attendance at soccer, volleyball and other sports.

They’ve achieved similar objectives with increasing visibility and awareness for many of their athletic teams with the Go (see The) Hawks promotion!

Your turn to take a shot!

What programs are you implementing to increase visibility, awareness and attendance for soccer, volleyball and other sports?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Connecting Players with Fans

March 10th 2006

Q. What are some of the best ways college athletics and sports organizations are connecting players with season ticket holders and fans at athletic events?

A. Here are five ways your players (student-athletes) could interact / connect with your season ticket holders and fans.

Have the student-athletes and coaches available at the arena or stadium entrances to surprise your fans with greeting each as they enter your facility.

Have a different student-athlete – or pair of student-athletes – sign autographs for 20 to 30 minutes following each home athletic event.

On occasion, have your basketball student-athletes enter from the concourse and run down the aisles slapping high-fives with your fans as they make their way to the court for player introductions.

Host a post-game Q&A with a different student-athlete following each home game, or have the post-game radio show audio piped throughout your arena or stadium for fans to stay and interact with questions from the stands to the coach and student-athletes.

Provide your fans access to courtside or sideline areas to observe and take pictures of the player’s pre-game on-court or field activities.

Your turn to take a shot…

What are you doing to connect your student-athletes, coaches and fans?

All the best,

Ron Goch

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Drive Accessibility and Ticket Sales

March 9th 2006

Q. NASCAR offers accessibility to its fans that most sports don’t provide today. How can we offer better accessibility in college athletics – much like NASCAR – in an effort to connect with our prospects and sell more season tickets and sponsorships?

A. NASCAR is the leader in fan accessibility, and the NBA and others have taken notice and begun to offer unique fan accessible programs. The Nets have created a neat program that offers access and is assisting them with selling more season tickets with The Ticket Influencer Program.

The Nets not only offer prospective season ticket buyers access to its players, coaches and executive staff; they’re hosting the Influencer receptions – which are presented by Tiffany & Co. – at key season ticket holder homes for about 50 people.

Unique accessibility; a great off-season strategy for increasing season ticket sales; and each reception is underwritten by a corporate partner. In terms of a successful collaboration between your marketing, ticket sales and sponsorship sales teams, it doesn’t get much better!

Your turn to take a shot…

What programs do you offer in or out of season that provides your fans with access to your players and coaches, while increasing season ticket sales?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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New Coach Strategies to Engage Fans

March 8th 2006

Q. We will be hiring a new coach and I’d like to know what some of the best strategies are for engaging our newly hired coach with the students, faculty, staff and the community?

A. As usual, another great question, and an especially great question since it’s being asked PRIOR to a new coach stepping foot on campus. I love to see athletic administrators being PROACTIVE. Absolutely love it.

To be successful marketing and selling your athletic programs, it’s critical to have coaches who engage your athletics staff, community, faculty, staff, students, alumni, former student-athletes, community and state leaders, and media.

In recent years, some of the coaches who’ve made this a priority and have done an exceptional job connecting with the above groups, are Urban Meyer at Utah and now Florida; Dave Leitao at DePaul and now Virginia; and most recently, Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl.

Meyer met with EACH Florida student group shortly after arriving in Gainesville; Leitao has hosted “Coach Huddles” with fans prior to select home games; and Pearl stood on a chair inside Pat O’Brien bar on Beale Street before his Vols played Memphis, and riled up a gathering of Tennessee alums.

Here are five strategies we’ve learned from these coaches and others that you can provide to your new coach that have worked exceptionally well:

1. Learn the school fight song and teach each of your student-athletes the school fight song, and then – along with cheerleaders and band – go over to the student section immediately following each home game and sing the school fight song with the students.

2. Recognize the student body support is one of the most important factors in establishing a home field/court advantage. In addition, with the student body’s support, energy and enthusiasm, it will be easier to attract the community’s support since season ticket holders have consistently expressed how much more fun they enjoy attending athletic events when student sections are filled with enthusiastic students.

3. Meet with the student leaders on your campus to establish a relationship between the team and student body on campus. Send a personal invitation to each student organization leader and invite them to meet individually. This is an excellent opportunity for fraternities, sororities, and student group leaders to get to know you and for you to listen to their thoughts and ideas.

4. Organize a school pep rally before you organize your first staff meeting. Invite the entire student body to the Student Union, and along with activities involving the cheerleaders, dance team, band and mascot, share your vision, passion enthusiasm and commitment to the students and the important role they will play in creating the home field/court advantage.

5. When the students do show up, or line up outside your athletic facility for a home game, run over to the student section and “high five” the students, thank them for coming and supporting your student-athletes, and – they’ll love this – deliver pizzas to students in their seats (well, they won’t actually be in their seats as you run over with your hands full of pizza boxes). As the season progresses and the student support increases, surprise them at the student entrance late in the season by personally handing each student a complimentary T-shirt and thank them for their support.

Your turn to take a shot…

What have your coaches done to engage your fans?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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One Strategy to Increase Football Attendance

March 7th 2006

Q. What one strategy would you recommend this off season that would have the biggest impact on our 2006 football home attendance?

A. Just one? Well, your ticket sales are only as good as your prospect ticket buyer lists, and since college athletics usually finds itself reaching out to the same former season ticket holder and single game buyer lists each year, I’d recommend implementing a solid strategy to enhance your prospective ticket buyer lists.

If you do not have a free fan ezine or e-newsletter, develop one as soon as possible and post a subscription box in the most visible location on your web site.

If you do have a solid lead list generation strategy in place, commit to and implement a group ticket sales program…now!

Your turn to take a shot…

What strategies are you presently implementing that will have a significant impact on increasing your 2006 football game attendance?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Use Technology to Increase Revenues

March 6th 2006

Q. With so many advances in technology today, where should we focus our immediate efforts to maximize revenues and our fans experience on our web sites?

A. To maximize ticket sales and season ticket retention, it’s important to have a CRM program. Ensure success with excellent training, communication, and integration throughout your organization. To enhance your season ticket holders, group leaders, corporate partners and fan’s online experience; you should have an ezine, weekly web polls and a blog.

Your turn to take a swing…

How are you integrating new technology into the sales of your athletic programs, as well as using new technology to enhance your fans experiences?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Daddy-Daughter Events

March 5th 2006

Q. I’ve noticed more and more father and daughter events, and that may be because of Valentine’s Day being celebrated three weeks ago. Does this kind of event transfer over well to college athletics and could it help increase women’s sports attendance?

A. I was one of the thousands of dads around the country who attended a father-daughter Valentine’s Day event last February. It was a terrific event and my daughter and I had a lot of fun.

The event we attended was hosted by our local community center, and it offered dinner, a craft project (creating a frame for the photo we took together), dancing and dance lessons.

I was surprised to learn that similar daddy-daughter events are annual traditions all over the country and date back over 40 or more years. Best of all, each of them are consistently pre-event sellouts ranging from 150 to over 600 dads and daughters for one community event.

The WNBA and its teams in particular have done a great job of tapping into this tradition and I believe college athletics could find a great deal of success with implementing an annual daddy-daughter event.

I would caution you to research what events are presently being held by your community centers, recreation departments, schools and churches before selecting a date for your event. If one or more do exist, and if the event date works well with one or more of your women’s home sporting events, why not see if you could host the event at your facility and tie in your athletic event ticket?

Other options to consider could include expanding to include grand fathers and granddaughters; as well as step-dads and step-daughters in an attempt to be all inclusive. You can also accommodate multiple daughters who would also like to attend.

You could host around or on Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, or any time during the year.

Ticket packages could be two tickets, two hot dogs, two soft drinks and a picture, or you could host a pre-game dance, a pre-game free throw shooting opportunity or contest, as well as consider a father-daughter clinic, chalk talk, Q&A with a player and/or coach.

You could also tie the dads and daughter’s theme into your event by having your dance team’s dads do an on-court dance routine with their daughters. I’ve watched a few of these over the years and they’re pretty entertaining.

You could also do an essay contest tied to being a fan – my first sporting event with dad – or why I have the world’s best dad, or why my dad should be the (your school here) MVP Dad. Tie in media partners and promote the essay contest and event, and the winner could receive an ultimate father-daughter night courtesy of your school and the sponsors.

You may want to look into partnering with an existing organization like the Girl Scouts, YWCA, churches, a school district or the PTA, and you could even turn it into a ticket fund-raising program for any organization involved.

Bottom line, I believe this is a great event opportunity for all involved – the dads, daughters, women’s athletics, sponsors…whoever would like to be involved should enjoy the experience while also increasing ticket sales for your event!

Your turn to take a swing…

What ideas do you have for a great daddy-daughter event that can generate ticket sales for sporting events?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Community Relations Ticket Sales Programs

March 4th 2006

Q. How can my school increase ticket sales with the attendance of youth?

A. Sports organizations may want to consider taking a closer look at their community relations programs targeted to youth and ask a similar question as the one above: “How can this program help us increase ticket sales with the attendance of youth at our events?”

For example, you may be hosting an annual youth essay contest with different age categories, covering multiple school districts, and hundreds (or even thousands) of youth in your area. You may offer a prize for each age group in each school district, and honor those kids at one of your home sporting events.

This is a great educational program and has the potential – with a few additions – to be a great educational program that substantially increases your “ticket sales with the attendance of youth.”

You could implement a variety of different strategies to generate sizable ticket sales and one strategy may be partnering with a company (or companies) in your area to be a corporate partner of this program or the presenting sponsor.

The corporate partner (or multiple partners) you identify could underwrite the program (including the tickets), and each child who participates in the program could receive one ticket to your sporting event, courtesy of the corporate partner (or partners). Depending on how many school districts and age categories you include in this program, this youth community relations/ticket program potentially represents a lot of youth…and a lot of ticket sales.

There are a number of other strategies to target the youth’s families, friends, etc., and we’ll visit about those strategies in the days and months ahead.

Your turn to take a swing…

What community relations programs are you presently implementing that you could modify or make adjustments – similar to the above- and sell more youth tickets?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Fan Appreciation Events

March 3rd 2006

Q. Besides the usual fan appreciation nights, I’m looking for other ways to thank our season ticket holders and supporters. Do you have any ideas?

A. Here are three events you may want to consider:

1. Season ticket holder appreciation luncheon with players and coaches

2. Group leader appreciation event

3. Exclusive season ticket holder, group leader and corporate partner Selection Sunday event

Your turn to take a swing…

What events or activities are you hosting to thank your season ticket holders, group leaders and corporate partners?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Best Online Fan Pages

March 2nd 2006

Q. Who is doing a good job of utilizing its web site to inform and service its season ticket holders and fans?

A. One of the best fan web pages I’ve found in sports today that offers their season ticket holders and fans an excellent online experience with excellent customer information is the University of Oklahoma Athletics Department’s Customer Care Central web page.

It’s well designed, easy to navigate and includes all the information an Oklahoma season ticket holder or fan could possibly need. Check it out for yourself right here.
.
Your turn to take a swing…

What are some excellent online customer service and fan web pages available to sports fans today?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Group Ticket Theme Events

March 1st 2006

Q. What would you say are some of the more successful group ticket theme night events, as well as some of the more unique group ticket theme events?

A. There are many successful group ticket theme events being executed in sports. To be successful, sports organizations have gone beyond the traditional group ticket flyer programs to offer a unique group ticket theme night experience tailored to each group category.

Five theme nights that have proven to be very successful in sports are:

Armed Forces Appreciation Day/Night. One strategy to consider is a joint color guard presentation.

Faith and Family Day/Night. A few organizations have hosted a “Preachers in Sneakers” basketball game that has proven successful.

Boy/Girl Scout Day/Night. Packaging a patch with the ticket has proven successful, and some sports organizations are also offering badge workshops for attendees.

First Responders Day/Night. This group theme event targets police, fire and EMT. A pre-game basketball or flag football game between the groups has proven to be a fun fund-raising event for all involved.

Sports and Entertainment Career Day/Night. Some sports organizations have also included a game day/night job shadow component with this event, and panel discussions with sports and entertainment professionals have been well attended.

Three rather unique group ticket theme events that sports organizations have hosted with success include: Home School Day/Night; Nurses Appreciation Day/Night; and 4-H Friends and Family Day/Night.

Your turn to take a swing…

What are some of the most successful group ticket theme events – as well as some of the most unique group ticket theme events – your sports organization has hosted?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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