Ron Goch
The Telios Group
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Canaries Host Tag Day Lunches
April 28th 2006
The Sioux Falls Canaries (AA baseball) recently hosted a series of Tag Day Lunches at their field from 11 am to 1 pm for fans to enjoy some ballpark food and select their seats for the 2006 season.
Your turn to take a shot!
What successful events or activities have you hosted for fans to select their season ticket seats?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
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Down, Set, Hut 1, Chapter 2, Verse 3
April 27th 2006
As some college athletic programs have been hesitant to host “Faith and Family Night” themed events, The Birmingham Steeldogs will wear Bible-themed jerseys for their Arena Football League game against Louisville on May 5, according to The Winnipeg Sun.
“The name of Bible hero Samson replaces Steeldogs across the chest. Instead of the player’s last name on the back, there’ll be a book of the Bible with the player’s number indicating a chapter and verse of that particular book.
“For example, quarterback Ryan Hawk wears jersey 12, and he’ll still wear 12 on May 5, but the name on his back will change from Hawk to James, referencing the book of James, Chapter 1 Verse 2.
“The jerseys will be auctioned off and proceeds will go to local non-profit ministries.
“Christian recording artists Audio Adrenaline will perform a pre-game concert, and free Bibles will be handed out.”What are your thoughts on the Steeldogs Bible Hero event?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Sign up for our free eNewsletter, the Telios Telegram
Protected: Girl Scouts Have Over 1,300 Patches
April 26th 2006
The Challenges of Signing New Sponsors
April 25th 2006
A recent story on sponsorships provides some interesting insights on sponsorship solicitation for sports and entertainment events.
Check out the article here.
Your turn to take a shot!
Do you feel it’s become more challenging to sign new sponsors?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Sign up for our free eNewsletter, the Telios Telegram
Creative Suite 16 Offer by the Canaries
April 24th 2006
The men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments and March Madness are a great time of the year, and create a lot of buzz every where you turn.
How did you leverage the March Madness hype last month? How did you utilize this time to sell more tickets?
Well, the Sioux Falls Canaries unveiled its March Madness Suite 16 Ticket Package and I thought you’d be interested to see what they did to kick-start your creative thinking for next year as well as ticket sales programs you could do all year long to take advantage of special events…whether they relate to your sport or not.
Your turn to take a shot!
What creative ticket offer could you offer next year during March Madness?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Sign up for our free eNewsletter, the Telios Telegram
Let’s Not Forget About Father’s Day
April 21st 2006
Yesterday we discussed looking outside of sports at some events being offered on (or around) Mother’s Day. Here are five events I thought you might be interested to see that are happening on (or around) Father’s Day that may provide you with a new idea or two for your events:
Father’s Day Sleepover at San Diego Zoo
Friendship Firehouse Father’s Day Open House
Father’s Day Race to Fight Prostate Cancer
Your turn to take a shot!
What new Father’s Day event and ticket promotion could you create that will offer Dads and families a fun event and help you sell more tickets to sports event near or on Father’s Day?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Sign up for our free eNewsletter, the Telios Telegram
Mother’s Day Events and Ticket Sales
April 20th 2006
Mother’s Day is Sun, May 14, and many times when we look to create an event around Mother’s Day at our sporting events, we look at other sports organizations to see what they’re doing.
This is a great practice and I’d like to encourage you, as I have in past blog posts, to look outside of sports as well.
Here are five Mother’s Day events to get you started in your search for a new and fun event for Moms and families on Mother’s Day:
Mother’s Day Sleepover at the San Diego Zoo
Mother’s Day Tea Party with the Urban Park Rangers
Your turn to take a shot!
What new Mother’s Day event and ticket promotion could you create that will offer Moms and families a fun event and help you sell more tickets to sports event near or on Mother’s Day?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Sign up for our free eNewsletter, the Telios Telegram
Protected: Do You Really Know Your Competition?
April 19th 2006
Faculty and Staff Receive 50-Percent Off
April 18th 2006
Stanford Athletics has expanded its faculty and staff section in football and is offering its 11,000 faculty and staff the opportunity to purchase up to four season tickets at 50 percent off full price.
Your turn to take a shot!
What season ticket offer do you extend to your faculty and staff?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Sign up for our free eNewsletter, the Telios Telegram
Did You Host an Easter Egg Hunt?
April 17th 2006
Many sports organizations, including the Sioux Falls Canaries, hosted an Easter egg hunt last week or this past weekend for youth throughout their community. It’s a great event to bring youth and their families to your sports facility or to one of your sporting events.
Along with meeting the Easter bunny and the traditional children’s Easter egg hunt, a neat event held last week targeting teens 13 to 18 was the Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt. Thousands of eggs filled with candy, prizes and money were scattered in a field for teens to find in the dark using their flashlights.
If you didn’t host an event, avoid simply saying “maybe next year” and forgetting about it until next year when…you guessed it, you forget about it again! Start a master calendar or a “to do” list for next season NOW so you don’t miss those opportunities when “next year” rolls around…which is always sooner than later.
Your turn to take a shot!
If you were to start a master calendar for next season, what “opportunity” would you add to this list that you wish you would have executed this year?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Sign up for our free eNewsletter, the Telios Telegram
Fifth Lesson – Giving when it Counts
April 14th 2006
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease.
Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes I’ll do it if it will save her.”
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek.
Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?” Being young the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Fourth Lesson – The Obstacle in Our Path
April 13th 2006
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Third Lesson – Remember Those Who Serve
April 12th 2006
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 -year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
“Well how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.
When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.
You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Second Lesson – Pickup in the Rain
April 11th 2006
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm.
Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.
Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read “Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.” Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Five Lessons about How We Treat People
April 10th 2006
A friend recently forwarded to me an email he received from a friend. The title: “Five Lessons about How We Treat People.” Each are great lessons and reminders for all of us and I thought I’d share each of the five lessons – one each day – with you this week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
First Important Lesson – Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school? Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘hello’. I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
More Colleges Jumping on Caravan
April 7th 2006
I shared with you back on March 29, information on Tennessee’s Big Orange Caravan. It looks like other schools have jumped on board and are hosting their own caravan events. Here are five caravan events you can check out for yourself:
Oklahoma’s Annual Sooner Caravan
Your turn to take a shot!
What caravan events and activities do you have planned this spring and summer?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Ports’ Make Adjustments to Increase Sales
April 6th 2006
The Stockton Ports’ are listening to its customers and responding with changes in an effort to better serve its fans needs and increase ticket sales.
A few changes include moving away from the businessperson special during the weekdays and the 1 pm Sunday afternoon games and instead tossing the first pitch at 5 pm on Sundays. Check out the article here.
What works in the Stockton market may not work well in other markets, but the lesson here is listening and responding to your fans needs. All it takes is listening and then implementing accordingly. A simple strategy, yet for some reason, isn’t often employed by sports organizations.
Your turn to take a shot!
Have you asked your customers what changes you could make to increase their attendance at your events?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Exclusive Online Single-Game Pre-Sale
April 5th 2006
Do you offer your fans an exclusive online single-game pre-sale before you offer your single-game tickets to the general public at the box office?
If you do, good for you! If not, why not?
The Detroit Shock of the WNBA offered its fans an exclusive online pre-sale for fans to purchase single-game tickets to its ninth season, and today began its traditional single-game ticket sales – both online and offline to the general public.
This is a great way to utilize the power of the Internet and offer fans an easy and convenient way to purchase your tickets, and reward those who purchase early.
Your turn to take a shot!
How are you utilizing online sales strategies to increase your ticket sales?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Season Ticket Numbers Continue Decline
April 4th 2006
In Pittsburgh, the Steelers are easily selling out. Other sports organizations, as well as arts and entertainment, are finding themselves having to be as creative as ever to sell tickets.
In a recent article in the Tribune-Review, many creative ticket sales strategies and tips were presented to show how being creative and flexible could lead to increased ticket sales.
Check out the article here.
Your turn to take a shot!
What are you doing to address the growing trend of decreasing season tickets?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group
Mail versus Pick-Up
April 3rd 2006
Many colleges and sports organizations mail season ticket holders their season tickets each year. A number of sports organizations host a party for season ticket holders where they can pick up their season tickets as well as some food, autographs and fun.
The Manchester Wolves, New Hampshire’s arenafootball2 team, hosted its annual party for season ticket holders on Sun, Apr 2 from 1 to 5 pm. The restaurant is a corporate partner of the Wolves and the season ticket holder party, along with other events throughout the season, is a part of the sponsorship.
The opportunity to pick up season tickets at first glance might seem to be an inconvenience for season ticket holders, but when you look a little closer, it’s a win-win-win strategy for the season ticket holders, the restaurant and the Wolves.
Fans have the opportunity to attend an exclusive team event with coaches, players and staff; receive autographs and take pictures with players and coaches; and enjoy free food and socialize with other Wolves season ticket holders.
The Wolves have the opportunity to get to know their season ticket holders and thank them for their support; answer questions and inform season ticket holders of any changes or new additions for the upcoming season; and the Wolves save a considerable amount of money on postage and the party and food are likely a trade agreement between the Wolves and restaurant.
The restaurant has the opportunity to introduce their business to the Wolves season ticket holders and generate revenue from drinks and additional food ordered throughout the evening; and could generate additional revenues by providing each person attending with a special bounce-back dinner offer for a future date.
This season ticket holder event seems like a terrific way to provide your season ticket holders with an exclusive and unique experience; it delivers what sponsors are looking for in a partnership by getting your season ticket holders in their business; and you have an opportunity to engage with your season ticket holders and reduce operating expenses as a result of the sponsored event.
Your turn to take a shot!
What event could you host that could achieve the same results as the Wolves season ticket holder party?
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Ron Goch, The Telios Group