Telios Tips » 2006 » March

Ron Goch
The Telios Group
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Invite Fans Over to Your House

March 31st 2006

With the spring football, baseball and softball seasons in full stride, now is the time to bring your fans on campus, and provide them with a tour of your facilities, a sneak peak at the 2006 football team, and provide fans the opportunity to ask questions about the 2006 baseball, softball and football teams.

It’s also an excellent opportunity to provide information on season tickets, group ticket plans and show fans the actual seats they could be sitting in for the season or during their group outing.

The Detroit Shock of the WNBA hosted it’s second Open House event this week (Wed, Mar 29) as they prepare to tip-off its 2006 season, and I thought you might be interested to see what they executed for its Open House event.

The Tulane Athletics Department also hosted an Open House event last night (Thurs, Mar 30) as the athletics staff and fans celebrated the Grand Re-Opening of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center, home of the Tulane athletics staff.

I had the opportunity to be in New Orleans this week, and visited with the Tulane athletics staff in the Wilson Center on Wed and Thurs as they prepared for the Grand Re-Opening, and it was great to see everyone coming together for this celebration after all the Tulane athletics staff and its student-athletes have experienced and endured following Hurricane Katrina.

Tulane did not have the opportunity to celebrate its annual Homecoming last fall during football as they do traditionally do, so they decided to be creative and host their annual Homecoming this weekend around the Green Wave’s baseball weekend and themed the event HomeRun 2006.

The Homecoming event has also been combined with Parents/Family Weekend and you can see all the activities and information for this neat event here.

Your turn to take a shot!

What activities have you tied into your spring football, baseball and softball seasons to engage your fans and provide them with a unique experience, while also promoting and selling more season, groups and single-game tickets?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Packers: No Season Ticket Increase

March 30th 2006

The Green Bay Packers have decided not to increase 2006 football season ticket prices. The Packers waiting list – which totals over 71,000 people – has more fans than the capacity of Lambeau Field.

For those of you who are in the enviable position of being sold out, do you have a waiting list, and if so, how many people do you have on it?

Having a waiting list is comparable to planning for a rainy day, or having a rainy day fund. The Green Bay Packers likely will find themselves utilizing their waiting list, and it’s terrific they’ve planned many years in advance for a day when they may need to use it.

Your turn to take a shot!

How many of you have a waiting list or a deposit form on your web site?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Tennessee’s Big Orange Caravan

March 29th 2006

The University of Tennessee hosts an annual Big Orange Caravan where they tour the state during the off-season. It’s an excellent off-season program to reach out to fans and provide them with a unique experience with Tennessee football and basketball coaches.

Here’s the 2006 Big Orange Caravan brochure for you to view and gather ideas to create your own off-season caravan, or possibly enhance an existing off-season program you may have planned.

Your turn to take a shot!

What off-season programs are you conducting this spring and summer to bring your coaches, season ticket holders, donors and fans together?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Protected: Out of Town Group Ticket Sales

March 28th 2006

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Big Orange Basketball Tailgating

March 27th 2006

When you read or hear the word “tailgate,” you usually associate it with football and “tailgating.” However, the University of Tennessee and its alumni association have collaborated over the years to offer fans a “tailgate” experience with its men’s and women’s basketball programs as well.

The latest post-season Big Orange Tailgate Tour was in Cleveland where the Tennessee Lady Vols played in the Sweet Sixteen.

Your turn to take a shot!

What “tailgate” opportunities could you provide your fans with sports other than football?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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The Mini-Plan Season Ticket Offer

March 24th 2006

The Detroit Shock of the WNBA are offering a Create Your Own mini-season ticket offer. The online form provides a list of the Shock home games and fans can customize their package by selecting the games they want for the 2006 season.

Your turn to take a shot!

What new mini-season ticket plans are you offering your fans?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Fans Invited to Roundtable Discussions

March 23rd 2006

In Florida, the state Committee on the Future of Racing sought input from fans as part of its process of developing a request for proposals (RFP) for parties interested in bidding on the state’s racing franchise.Before the forum, fans were invited to day-long roundtable discussions at the National Museum of Racing. The discussions will be held to help panel members understand issues critical to the thoroughbred racing industry.

Your turn to take a shot!

How could we utilize fan forums with traditional sports organizations to seek, receive and implement fans thoughts and ideas that would assist us in better serving our customers?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Sports Management Programs & Internships

March 22nd 2006

I often encourage students to seek internships and graduate assistantships to prepare themselves for a successful career in sports.

In February, we discussed strategies to take full advantage of internships, and in The Telios Group’s Question of the Day blog, I encouraged students to commit to an internship, consider joining NACMA, and seek graduate assistantship opportunities. These are all worthwhile experiences and opportunities available to students.

I recently read in a news story that UNC-Charlotte is in the process of approving what looks to be another terrific opportunity for students to earn a Masters of Sports Marketing and Management Degree. Students would be required to perform a one-year internship with a sports organization.

In another story, I read about Michael Beasley, who years ago earned a sports management degree and completed an internship, and now is a baseball general manager.

The opportunities available to students in the sports business today are aplenty.

Your turn to take a shot!

What recommendations do you have for students who have a desire to work in the sports business?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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The Telios Group’s NEW eNewsletter

March 20th 2006

The first installment of The Telios Group’s FREE eNewsletter – Telios Telegram – will be published on Monday, May 1.

I encourage you to go to The Telios Group’s resources page and sign-up for the Telios Telegram, a FREE monthly eNewsletter that will provide sports business executives, administrators, interns and others with the best business and sales strategies being implemented in sports today.

If you’ve found The Telios Group’s Question of the Day and Telios Tips blogs helpful, you may want to sign up for the FREE Telios Telegram eNewsletter.

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Combining Sponsorship and Ticket Sales

March 19th 2006

Have you ever approached your ticket sales with sponsorships and ticket sales objectives in mind? Have you ever approached your sponsorship sales with ticket sales and sponsorship sales objectives in mind?

If so, good for you! If not, why not?

What if you approached a potential restaurant corporate partnership with the objective of collaborating to promote the restaurant at your athletic events, offered a combined ticket / restaurant certificate package, and the restaurant promotes your sports organization and the ticket / restaurant certificate package in their restaurant?

Your turn to take a shot!

What other corporate partner ticket sales programs could you create, collaborate on, and implement?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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NCAA Tournament Brings a Lot of Work

March 18th 2006

With all the hoopla over the NCAA Basketball Tournament, many are not aware of the excitement surrounding hockey championships around the country.

Likewise, so many of the Division I tournaments receive the media exposure, and we often don’t hear about NCAA Division II and III championships happening in both basketball and ice hockey.

Here’s an article on some of the work that goes on behind the scenes well before the puck drops for the NCAA Division III Ice Hockey Championships:

NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Championships

Your turn to take a shot!

Is there anything you’ve learned from the NCAA events that may assist you during the regular season with improving your business operations?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Colleges Set Football Season Ticket Prices

March 17th 2006

On March 13, I shared with you how Iowa State created a $99 football season ticket in an effort to “Pack the Jack” end zones, and they’ve reported selling over 2,100 of the $99 season tickets so far and have a little over 600 left, which Iowa State hopes to sell by its Spring football game on April 15.

Here are some other recent season ticket announcements you may be interested to read:

Clemson completes football ticket pricing comparison

Bowling Green announces season ticket prices & benefits

South Carolina Season Ticket investment increases for 2006

Appalachian State announces football season ticket prices

Your turn to take a shot!

What are you doing at this time to promote sales of your 2006 football season tickets?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Get On Board With Backstage Tours

March 16th 2006

Are you offering tour packages for your fans, season ticket holders, corporate partners, and group organizations?

If so, good for you! If not, why not?

You might want to check out Churchill Downs unique opportunities – the tours and Backstretch Tour section on its group web page – as well as the Lambeau Field facility tours.

These are great opportunities to engage your fans and provide unique behind the scenes experiences while generating incremental revenue for your sports organization. These packages can also be included in your group specialty programs as a group attendee benefit for certain size groups.

Your turn to take a shot!

How are you utilizing facility tours to offer your fans unique experiences while generating incremental revenue for your sports organization?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Preparing for the Louisiana Open

March 15th 2006

I thought you might enjoy an article on the Louisiana Open, a PGA event being held later this month. The article shares what it’s like to prepare for and execute an event like this with a full-time staff of two and a lot of volunteers and community support.

Your turn to take a shot!

What annual events does your sports organization host where many volunteers are needed to ensure the events success?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Protected: Father-Son & Daddy-Daughter Events

March 14th 2006

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Pack the Jack $99 Season Tickets

March 13th 2006

Check out Iowa State’s $99 Season Tickets they’re offering in its end zone seats in an effort to increase its season ticket base to 30,000.

Your turn to take a shot.

What new football season ticket packages are you offering for the first time in an effort to increase your 2006 season ticket base?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Off-Season Football Fan Fests

March 12th 2006

Here are a couple neat ideas: the first, creating an off-season fan fest in conjunction with your ticket on-sale day; and the second, a three-day fan fest the Hawkeye’s conduct each year.

Your turn to take a shot.

What football fan fests, or other fan events, are you conducting during the off-season to engage your football fans?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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Iowa, Louisville: Creative Revenue Programs

March 11th 2006

Check out these creative revenue programs Iowa and Louisville are offering their fans:

Hawkeye’s Collectible Patch Offer

Louisville’s Football Helmet Offer

Iowa’s February Fan Fest Weekend

Hawkeye’s Offer Fan’s Souvenir Ticket Stock

Your turn to take a shot!

What creative programs are you offering fans that are generating revenue beyond your traditional revenue streams?

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Ron Goch, The Telios Group

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College Football Season Ticket Sales

March 10th 2006

I asked on March 6 – What are you doing NOW to sell more season tickets in 2006? I thought you might be interested to see what some college athletic programs are doing to sell more 2006 football season tickets:

2006 University of Florida Season Ticket Brochure

Akron’s 2006 Early Bird Season Ticket Offer

Vanderbilt Announced 2006 Season Ticket Prices

Maryland’s Single-Game Pre-Order & Mini-Pak Offer

Baylor’s 2 Price Points & the “Time Is Now” Campaign

Louisville Promotes 2006 Season Ticket Waitlist

2006 Auburn Ticket Priority Ticket Information Brochure

Your turn to take a shot…

What are you doing NOW to ensure you sell more season tickets in 2006?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Score Ticket and Sponsorship Revenue

March 9th 2006

Do you have a presenting sponsor for your single-game ticket specials?

If so, good for you! If not, why not?

The Atlanta Hawks have scored both ticket and sponsorship revenue with its Two for Tuesdays presented by Aaron’s Sales and Lease Ownership. Fans receive two tickets for the price of one for every Tuesday home game when they purchase $45 or $25 seats.

Your turn to take a shot…

What single-game ticket special have you signed a presenting sponsorship?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Selling and Re-Selling Tournament Tickets

March 8th 2006

A few people have asked this week about tournament ticket sales and I thought I’d share some strategies and best practices from tournaments for you to consider. Here’s the question:

What are some successful strategies to implement when a “host” school loses in the early or first rounds of a multi-day tournament or championship and you have pre-sold all-session tickets?

Some of the issues and challenges schools, conferences and tournament organizers face are the tickets returned by schools and now re-selling tickets you already had sold in all-session package. And in many cases, this is on top of selling tickets you’ve yet to sell!

First, I know it will come as no surprise to hear a great deal of pre-planning will need to be invested in each of these areas well in advance of the tournament in order to decide what strategies are best for your school, conference, tournament and market.

This way, if a host team is ousted from the tournament – or a favorite local team with a large following, you can turn to your game plan and begin successful implementation.

My first experience – or should I say “opportunity” – to be involved in this situation was in 1990 when the University of Tennessee hosted the NCAA Women’s Final Four and the defending National Champion Lady Vols were eliminated and not one of the four teams we hosted in the 24,535-seat Thompson-Boling Arena.

Okay, let the fun begin!

Although going into the tournament and leading up to the Final Four, Tennessee being eliminated wasn’t top of mind, it was clearly top of mind when the Lady Vols were upset in the Regional. This brought a whole new meaning to the saying “expect the unexpected.” Bottom line, this is where the pre-planning and pre-sales can assist you immensely.

First, let’s discuss ticket refunds. A ticket refund/exchange policy should be established and clearly communicated on tickets, your web site and ticket sales material. Not only do you want to have your policy posted on your web site ticket page, but also easy-to-follow steps for ticket refunds and exchanges. Also, ensure the ticket office and tournament staff members who interact with your customers are well informed of your policies and procedures.

You will want to develop a waitlist strategy in case the tournament sells out early, and to also prepare for team ticket returns during the tournament. Post a waitlist form on your web site with clear instructions for processing. You can check out the ticket information page for the 2006 NCAA Men’s First and Second Rounds hosted at the Greensboro Coliseum here.

Now what about filling the seats?

Here are some strategies you can consider putting in place well in advance of your tournament so you can re-sell teams returned tickets, as well as fill those seats that may have been empty prior to eliminated teams returning tickets:

Corporate e-list/waitlist: This is a good strategy for last minute ticket offers, which could be weeks or days leading up to – or even during – your tournament. Assemble your corporate e-list well in advance of the tournament and include corporate partners, large companies, and organizations.

Whether you have limited seating available and want to reach a sell-out, or have flexible seating options in the lower and upper areas of your facility, pro sports, special event centers and select colleges have assembled extensive e-lists and experienced successful sales of both full and reduced ticket offers.

With corporate partners and companies, be sure to communicate with leadership and have each of them communicate to their employees, clients, friends and families in advance of the tournament so in the event tickets do become available – or special last minute offers are extended on unsold seats – everyone’s prepared to act on the offer.

You will want to have e-mail communication of these offers prepared and on standby in the event you will need or want to send the e-mail ticket offers. This will make it very easy and effective to execute. Additionally, have media releases prepared in advance and ready to send immediately when needed.

This same strategy transfers over well to the arena or special events center e-list; alumni chapters in the area e-lists; pro and college teams e-lists; and facilities and schools who have hosted, or will be hosting tournaments, may have established ticket buyer e-lists you’ll want to provide an e-mail offer.

Why not reach out to current package buyers and single-session buyers who you’ve captured email addresses? Each have told family and friends how they’re going to the tournament, and family and friends who wish they would have also purchased tickets, and now they have an opportunity to purchase those tickets. It may also trigger some spontaneous ticket purchases.

This can be easily accomplished by putting a one-liner on your email – “Email to a Friend” with a graphic/icon of an envelope, and those you email to can forward your e-mail to co-workers, friends and family.

There’s a number of other strategies to consider, and I’ll likely share these in future posts, but the above information and best practices used by tournament organizers should give you a good start and foundation.

Your turn to take a swing…

What are some ticket sales strategies your school or conference has implemented with tournaments?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Five More Touch Points Ideas

March 7th 2006

I shared two touch point ideas – the thank-a-thon and one-page online survey – on Feb 24 in the Question of the Day post, and here are five more touch point ideas for you to consider for your year-round season ticket holder, group leader, and corporate partner touch point strategy.

1. Invite season ticket holders out to a baseball and softball game this spring.

2. Send an email update to season ticket holders.

3. Call season ticket holders and invite them out to a spring practice.

4. Inform season ticket holders and group leaders of a special merchandise sale.

5. Invite football group leaders to bring their group to a baseball or softball game.

Your turn to take a shot…

What touch points are you implementing this off-season to stay connected with your football season ticket holders?

All the best,

Ron Goch

The Telios Group

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Plan Now To Sell More Football Tickets

March 6th 2006

Now is the time to successfully plan for selling more tickets for your 2006 football season than you did in 2005. Here are five questions to consider:

1. Have you sent an online survey to each of your season ticket holders and asked them to evaluate their 2005 football season experiences and provide you with feedback for 2006?

2. Have you established a season ticket payment plan and timeline that’s in the best interest of your existing and prospective season ticket holders?

3. What are you doing now to increase your prospective season ticket holder database?

4. What are you consistently doing during the off-season and on a regular basis (ie, monthly) to service your present season ticket holders, group leaders and corporate partners?

5. Have you updated your web site – removing all 2005 football information and replacing it with your 2006 football schedule, ticket prices, and provided an online 2006 season ticket deposit form?

Your turn to take a swing…

What else can you do now to prepare for successfully selling more football tickets in 2006 than you did in 2005?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Let Fans “Test Drive” Your Events

March 5th 2006

Most college athletic programs have a courtesy car program, coach’s car program, or a similar auto dealership program where coaches and athletic administrators receive a courtesy car as a part of their employee benefits.

This is a neat program for the coaches, athletic administrators and auto dealerships, who usually receive sponsorship benefits – including season tickets – in exchange for the leasing of a vehicle.

Most sports organizations also have auto dealership sponsorships, or corporate partnerships.

How are you utilizing the car dealer program – for those of you who offer this – and partnerships to sell more tickets, or add to your prospective ticket buyer database so you can sell more tickets?

There are a number of neat programs, and one is the “Test Drive.” As a part of the car dealer program and/or partnership, sports organizations include an allotment of tickets that are offered to people who take test drives. As a part of your partnership, the dealership includes the ticket offer in all of its advertising and promotional efforts.

The test drive program has proven beneficial for all involved – the dealers, the test drive participants, and sports organizations. The dealerships have a neat item to offer and entice prospective auto buyers to take a test drive; the test drive participants receive a valuable gift (game tickets) compliments of the dealership; and the sports organization receives a number of benefits.

First, those taking the dealer test drive, now have an opportunity to “test drive” one of your sporting events. Second, you have the opportunity to build your prospective database with those who receive the tickets, compliments of the dealer. Three, you have the opportunity to follow up the day after their “test drive” at your sporting event to thank them for coming out; see how they enjoyed their experience; and present a special ticket offer for a future game or extend a mini-plan offer.

There are many other strategies you could explore with auto dealerships and I encourage you to “test drive” each of them in an effort to sell more tickets, increase your prospect ticket buyer database, and generate more dealership foot traffic for your corporate partner.

Your turn to take a swing…

What are some of the strategies you’re implementing with your sports organizations to sell more individual event tickets and increase your prospective ticket buyer database?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Offer Flexible Family Ticket Plan

March 4th 2006

Do you offer a family ticket plan or family nights for your fans? If you do offer a family plan or family nights, does the plan accommodate every size family? If so, good for you! If not, why not?

I was asked the “why not” question – which is one of my favorite questions – about six years ago after I shared with someone that we offer a family plan for five and a fun-for-five ticket package.

My response to the “why not” question, as you might expect, was we needed to increase ticket sales and offering the family of five and fun for five plans helped us sell more tickets.

I was so focused on increasing ticket sales that I didn’t take into consideration what should have been my No. 1 focus, and that was the fans needs and the fact we’d probably sell more tickets if we customized our family ticket packages to accommodate any size family. The “why not” question was a real “wake up” call for me and I immediately changed our family offer to a flexible family plan and ever since that day, I’ve been encouraging sports organizations to consider doing the same.

You can still promote your family plan of four tickets, four hot dogs, four soft drinks, and two (to four) premium items (ie, T-shirt, hat, etc), but you can also be flexible and customize your offer to accommodate any size family whenever a smaller or larger family is interested in your family plan.

Your turn to take a swing…

What do you offer for a family plan that has helped you sell more tickets, while accommodating the needs of the families supporting your organization?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Effective Ways to Use Season Tickets

March 3rd 2006

The following are 10 ways to share with individuals and corporate partners how they can effectively use your season tickets:

Corporate Partners:
Thank a loyal customer for their business
Reward an employee for going above and beyond
Thank a new customer for their business
Welcome a new employee to your company
Conduct an employee drawing and give to the lucky winner

Individual:
Spend quality time with your family
Provide to someone who hasn’t attended before
Donate to a charity of your choice
Offer to a library for a youth reading award
Give them to a teacher to thank him/her

Your turn to take a swing…

What are some other ways individuals and corporate partners could effectively use their season tickets?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Rest Your Stress

March 2nd 2006

I received the following email regarding a stress management lecture from a good friend in South Carolina. Take a few minutes to enjoy these lecture notes, as well as a few good laughs:

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”

As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”

“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.”

So, my friend, why not take a while to just simply RELAX. Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don’t pick it up again until after you’ve rested a while. Life is short. Enjoy it!

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.

Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

Never buy a car you can’t push.

Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.

Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.

Since it’s the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

The second mouse gets the cheese.

When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

We could learn a lot from crayons…Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Have an AWESOME day, and remember, just get up and dance!

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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Ask the Question

March 1st 2006

Today, ask the question “How will this help us sell more tickets?” When in a meeting and someone suggests a promotional activity, a community relations program, an advertising strategy, a radio remote, a marketing activity…ask, “How will this help us sell more tickets?”

All day long, as ideas and issues are raised, asked the question.

While discussing a new web site design, ask the question.

When you’re informed a news release will be sent, ask the question.

If you hear about an administrator, player/student-athlete, or coach will be making a public appearance, ask the question.

The more you apply this question with all you and your organization does each day, the more you will find ways to sell tickets and maximize each of the ticket sales opportunities available to you and your organization.

Your turn to take a swing…

What existing programs or activities – in your department or in another department within your organization – will be implemented this week that you could add a ticket sales component?

All the best,

Ron Goch
The Telios Group

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