Georgia State Offers a "Power Hour" Delivery Guarantee to Drive Ticket Sales

Georgia State Athletics recently announced an intriguing "Power Hour" promotion that is designed to drive ticket sales and buzz prior to the University's first football game on Friday, September 2nd.

On Thursday, August 18th, Georgia State Athletics is running a "Power Hour" ticket promotion guaranteeing that any fans who purchase season tickets between 10am-5pm that day will have them delivered within one (1) hour or else they get them for free. It's important to note that the guarantee is only good for individuals who live within a two (2) mile radius of the GSU Sports Arena but nonetheless, it's a terrific, captivating promotional idea.

The first ten (10) fans who take advantage of the Power Hour offer will also receive a free $20 gift card to Six Feet Under restaurant - an offer that is available to all potential ticket holders regardless of their home address. The GSU Athletic Department is also planning on featuring its mascot, Pounce, in a cage on top of the ticket box office to generate buzz and help the Department achieve its goal of driving 25 new season ticket sales that day. 

The Brewers Drive Season Ticket Sales By Offering 40 Fantastic Prizes

The Milwaukee Brewers are supporting their 2011 season ticket sales efforts with a "Fantastic 40" initiative that rewards 40 season ticket holders with 40 unique prizes and experiences over the course of 40 days (January 17th - February 15th). The terrific concept rewards all fans who sign up to become season ticket holders with the organization. Once fans' payments are received in full, they are automatically entered in the promotion, which offers some truly incredible prizes and experiences.

The Brewers are promoting the initiative by announcing the daily winners on a digital billboard in Milwaukee and posting an announcement, including a photo of the custom billboard, on their official Facebook page. The live billboard, complemented by a daily Facebook post, serve as a great call-to-action to entice fans and drive buzz in the weeks leading up to the season.

With an offseason of exciting acquisitions, ticket promotions, and fan-friendly incentives, the Brewers organization sold 1 million tickets for the 2011 season by January 19th, matching the earliest date that the club has ever reached that milestone. Season ticket and 9-Pack sales were deemed to be a priority for the club heading into the offseason.The Brewers tremendous "Fantastic 40" prize offerings include:

1. Sausage for a year delivered by the Klement's Famous Racing Sausages
2. Your photo on every single Brewers ticket for one game
3. A game with Brewers legend Gorman Thomas in a club suite
4. Groundskeeper at Miller Park during a game
5. Experience a friendly game of catch with a Milwaukee Brewers reliever (10 pitches)
6. Four (4) games of luxury seating in the Gehl Club, including a gourmet buffet
7. Autographed bat and jersey from your favorite Brewers player
8. Take the ultimate slide down Bernie's Slide at Miller Park
9. $500 in concessions vouchers
10. A game with nine (9) guests in the owner's suite with Brewers executives
11. Watch batting practice with five (5) friends in the bullpen
12. Co-present a jersey to a Brewers All-Star for the 2011 MLB All-Star game
13. Win a private party in the visitor's clubhouse with (19) guests
14. Announce the starting lineup over the Miller Park P.A. system
15. Surprise your sweetheart with roses from the Brewers mascot on Valentines Day
16. Take a tour and control the Miller Park roof
17. Sit in the owner's field level seats with (3) friends
18. Win an exclusive hitting lesson with tips from Brewers legend Dale Sveum
19. Win a trip to the 2011 MLB Draft, including airfare, hotel, and a spot at the Draft
20. Win a club suite for (20) with complimentary food
21. Win pizza for a year from Palermo's
22. Run the Klement's Sausage Race during a Brewers game
23. Win a $1,000 private shopping spree at the Brewers team store
24. A party with Brewers GM Doug Melvin and (9) guests in a club suite
25. Autographed baseballs signed by each member of the Brewers starting rotation
26. Opportunity to play video games on the Brewers new scoreboard
27. A fully catered tailgate for (20) guests, including tickets to a game
28. A party in the Dew Deck for (19) guests, including food and beverage
29. An opportunity to manage the Mini Sausage Race for a Sunday game
30. A chance to sit on a Wrigley Field rooftop with (3) friends for a Brewers/Cubs game
31. A chance to sit in the owner's box at Wrigley Field (including train fares to the game)
32. Experience a full broadcast in the Brewers TV booth, including the post-game show
33. A chance to get a photo taken with the entire Brewers baseball club
34. A VIP seat at the head table of the Brewers SSH Luncheon
35. A pre-game dinner and (3) innings of a game in the Brewers press box
36. A chance to watch a Brewers game live from the control room
37. Autographed baseballs from each Opening Day starter
38. A private party in the club level board room
39. A softball game at Helfaer Field, including food and beverage for (20) guests
40. A major league contract for a day, including a full uniform plus pay

 

The Florida Panthers Offer a Good Time Guarantee For Fans

The Florida Panthers recently turned to a new ticket sales strategy to draw fans to the Bank Atlantic Center in January. The Panthers are offering a "Good Time Guarantee" that ensures fans that they will receive their money back if they don't have a good time at any of the team's nine (9) home games during the month.

The Panthers are leveraging the guarantee and appealing single game ticket offers (game ticket and free parking for $9) to attract fans to the arena and assure an unforgettable live game experience.  The Money Back Guarantee applies to up to four (4) tickets for one (1) game during the month of January. The refund guarantee does not incorporate issues due to service, maintenance, parking, or building fees. 

Sunrise Sports and Entertainment President and COO Michael Yormark commented on the unique promo by saying, "We have been saying all season long that Florida Panthers hockey at the BankAtlantic Center is one of the best live experiences in South Florida, and the professional sports industry. Now, we are putting our money where our mouth is and guaranteeing that incredible experience or your money back.”

A "Good Time Guarantee" serves as a creative, unique idea for sports organizations looking for ways to spike attendance during months of slow attendance or poor attendance. It's important to note that the Panthers have played this strategy right - only offering it for a month-long period. Organizations can offer the "Good Time Guarantee" as a general slogan/cause throughout a season but they would not want to consider making a full ticket refund available for fans purchasing multiple game ticket packages.

Select Fans Pay Their Age at the 2010 London Olympics

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games recently announced an interesting ticket promotion designed to benefit senior citizens and kids. To keep ticket prices affordable and accessible to as many people as possible, Locog is offering a "Pay Your Age" promotion that allows anyone who is 16 and under at the start of the Olympic Games on July 27, 2012 to pay their age in pounds and senior citizens ages 60 and older to play a flat rate of 16 pounds.

The London Organising Committee is offering 1.3 million tickets available to senior citizens and schoolchildren via the "Pay Your Age" promotion and are also planning to offer 120,000 free tickets to London schoolchildren so that one (1) in eight (8) will have the chance to see the Olympic and Paralympic games live. Standard pricing for tickets to the 2010 London Olympic Games will range from 20.12 pounds to 2,012 pounds for the Opening Ceremony and 20 pounds to 725 pounds for sporting events.

The promotion serves as a great benchmark for sports organizations looking to adopt new ticketing strategies to fill the seats at their stadium venues with senior citizens and school children. The promotion is attractive, relatively easy to understand for consumers, and can serve as a great way to demonstrate value to fans who usually cannot afford to pay to attend live games.

The Cleveland Indians Feast on Lunchtime Tickets

Are you looking for new ways to attract fans to the ballpark? Are you looking to create promotions that specifically target businessmen working 9-5?

The Cleveland Indians are currently offering a terrific "Lunch and Three Innings" promotion that enables persons working downtown to purchase a $15 upper deck ticket to the ballpark for games played at 12:05pm and receive a $10 credit towards lunch at any Progressive Field eatery.

The $10 concessions credit is applied via a bar code on the ticket that can be easily scanned. The promotion, devised by Indians Vice President Bob DiBiasio, has proven to be very popular yet just one other MLB organization (the Cincinnati Reds) currently promotes a similar offer.

Thus far, the Indians have held five (5) "Lunch and Three Innings" promotions in 2010 and have another scheduled for the team's home game against the Chicago White Sox on September 1st. From a traction standpoint, the Cleveland Indians recently sold 1,250 (of 3,065 game day tickets sold) for the Lunch and Three Innings Promotion when the team hosted the Toronto Blue Jays for a 12:05 game on Thursday, July 1st.

While most consumers who purchase the Lunch and Three Innings offer stay for about 1.5 hours before returning to work, the promotion serves as a great way to get fans in the stands and engaged in the action and entertainment offered at Progressive Field. But business people are not the only ones taking advantage of the unique offer. A camp counselor recently brought 250 kids to a game, realizing that he only had to pay $5 a ticket once the offer was all said and done.

Hats off to the Indians for coming up with an out-of-the-box idea to fill the stands at Progressive Field during afternoong games!

Source: Cleveland.com

The Grizzlies Sell Tickets with a Holiday Twist

Are you looking for new ways to drive ticket sales during the month of December? Are you looking for ways to engage fans around the holidays?

The NBA's Memphis Grizzlies created a terrific elf animated video to help drive ticket sales during the Holiday season. The team is hosting the video and details on exclusive ticket packages on the microsite, GrizzHoliday.com.

In the video, the Grizzlies feature stars Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, Marc Gasol, and Zach Randolph who use a little holiday jingle to help Grizzlies fans get in the mood to buy some tickets. Check out the Grizzlies' Holiday Gift Pack campaign below and stay tuned for more details on who helped them create this unique ticket sales driving piece!

Source: SportsBusiness Daily

SUBWAY Unveils a Fresh Promotion in Columbus

Are you looking for new ways to leverage QSR partners? Are you looking for ways to tie ticket sales drivers into partnership agreements?

The Columbus Blue Jackets recently announced a partnership agreement with SUBWAY Restaurants offering the team's fans an incredible promotional offer. SUBWAY and the Blue Jackets organization are teaming up to offer a "4 Subs, 4 Stubs" promotion that enables fans who purchase four (4) foot-long subs in one (1) transaction to receive a voucher for:

• (4) select Blue Jackets tickets for just $5 each (in the SUBWAY Fresh Seats)
• (4) Blue Jackets/Subway co-branded shirts

The Blue Jackets have designated 250 SUBWAY Fresh Seats for five (5) select games during the 2009-10 season. When the allotted tickets are gone, fans can use the voucher as a $5 discount on select area tickets. Consumers may take advantage of the SUBWAY Fresh Seats at the following games:

• December 14th vs. Nashville
• January 18th vs. St. Louis
• February 4th vs. Dallas
• March 2nd vs. Vancouver
• March 15 vs. Edmonton

The Blue Jackets organization did a terrific job concepting the "Subway Fresh Seats" section - an idea that will most likely be replicated in many other venues. Check back for additional "fresh" ideas from the Blue Jackets soon!

The Wizards Use Globalization to Sell Tickets...

Are you looking for new ways to drive ticket sales? Are you looking for new ways to leverage the globalization of sports?

The Washington Wizards currently feature a cool "Wizards vs. the World" tab under the Schedule drop-down bar on the team's official webpage. The "Wizards vs. the World" tab leads to a creative webpage that features a breakdown of 85 players representing 38 countries currently competing in the NBA. 

The Wizards vs. the World page is designed to sell tickets to consumers interested in seeing their favorite international players/countries represented, versus necessarily coming to see the Wizards play. This ticketing concept could prove to be very successful, especially in a city like Washington, D.C. that serves as a melting pot for different cultures and nationalities.

The "Wizards vs. the World" page gives consumers a one-stop shop to search and purchase tickets to see their favorite international players competing against the Wizards organization. The team even offers a special discount for groups of 15+ through the website. Check it out below:

Looking for New Ways to Reward Season Ticket Holders?

Are you looking for new ways to demonstrate value to season ticket holders? Are you looking for ways to promote small businesses in the local marketplace?

Sports organizations looking for new ways to provide value to dedicated season ticket holders should consider finding new ways to advertise and promote "their" business. In 2008, the New York Knicks created a tremendous resource - the Knicks Business Alliance - to drive sales/B2B efforts amongst the businesses of the team's season ticket holders.

Teams should consider taking the Business Alliance concept one step further by featuring pillars/LED stadium concourse level signage that touts season ticket holders' business cards or related information. Teams could consider partnering with a financial/insurance/tax services company to execute the initiative (and provide additional benefits/services for all parties involved).

The Firstbank in Colorado recently implemented a similar initiative that has drawn raves of excitement. The bank installed a series of rotating display signage that featured a collection of business cards representing their small business customers with the tagline, "We care about small business" (a team could use the tagline, "We care about our season ticket holders").

Source: CherryFlava.com

NBDL Mascot Lives on Billboard to Sell Tickets

Are you looking for new ways to spur ticket sales? Are you looking to leverage a team mascot in a media campaign?

The Utah Flash of the NBA D-League recently called on their mascot, Flash Fox, to pull of an incredible stunt to drive season ticket sales. The team asked their mascot to live atop of a billboard along I-15 in American Fork, UT until the team sold 500 incremental season ticket packages... so he did.

On Friday, October 16th, Flash Fox took residence on a billboard touting the team's "Buy Tickets, Save Flash Fox" campaign and lived there for a full week until the team sold 500 season ticket packages. To pass the time, Flash Fox chatted with fans online, broadcasted his day-to-day actions to fans across the nation via Ustream, and camped out with a tent and a rocking chair.

The Utah Flash did a tremendous job supporting the campaign with a custom microsite (www.saveflashfox.com) that fostered Flash Fox's online fan interaction and linked to official Twitter/Facebook pages that featured frequent posts and video updates. The site featured tickers that detailed how long Flash had been living on top of the billboard and how many tickets still needed to be sold. It also mentioned local companies/persons who purchased tickets in support of the cause. 

When the team successfully sold 500 tickets, it called on the local fire department to help Flash Fox get down and filmed the entire story. Check out a terrific video of the entire campaign here:

Check out some of the media exposure the team received from the campaign:

• Yahoo Sports - http://is.gd/4zBkm
• Fox 13 - http://is.gd/4zBgO