The Minnesota Lynx Know How to Party...

Are you looking to create an in-venue experience? Are you looking to provide fans alternative reasons to come to your games?

In 2008, the Minnesota Lynx unveiled the "Minnesota Lynx Party Zone", a fan-friendly courtside area that offers fans the chance to experience a game courtside with a range of amenities and entertainment.

The Lynx Party Zone was developed as a way for the WNBA franchise to celebrate its 10th year of existence and offer its loyal fanbase an unmatched V.I.P. courtside experience.

The Lynx Party Zone offers a variety of seating, entertainment, and hospitality options:

• Lynx Lounge - Tickets/Hospitality plans range from $1,500 (25 persons) to $3,000 (50 persons)
• Courtside Mini-Suites - Three (3) available suites that seat 6-8 persons; guests receive in-seat service ($500/game)
• Large Courtside Suite - One (1) large suite available that seats 12-16 adults; guests receive in-seat service ($1K/game)
• Kids Zone - Interactive play area (open one hour prior to tipoff), interactive games, face painting, poster making, and balloons
• DJ/Band Stand

Concessions in the Minnesota Lynx Party Zone is comparable to concourse prices ($3.50-$6.50 for food; $4.00-$4.50 for non-alcoholic beverages; $6.25-$6.50 for alcoholic beverages).

Have You Considered Enhancing Your Venue's Restrooms?

Are you looking for new ways to entertain fans at your venue? Have you considered enhancing the bathroom experience for your fanbase?

A horse racing venue in Mexico created a unique way to entertain consumers attending and betting on races at the track. Track representatives branded each of the bathroom stalls with a different horse color/number (portraying that consumers would be racing against one another when going to the bathroom).

This simple, yet extremely creative entertainment tactic can be implemented by venues and organizations in a variety of different means:

• Horse Racing - Implement a similar tactic using the horses racing in the day's featured race
• NASCAR - NASCAR tracks could feature an extremely similar tactic using the numbers/colors of fan favorite drivers on the circuit (e.g. a #20 orange/black sign hanging over the toilet representing Tony Stewart alongside a blue/yellow #48 sign representing Jimmie Johnson, etc.)
• NBA/NFL/NHL - These organizations can create numbered stalls representing players on the home/visiting team. Believe it or not, there are Boston Celtics fans out there who would like to say that they went to the bathroom in Kevin Garnett's stall during halftime.
• MLB - Offer a "Match the toilet with the Inning" promotion, where fans have a chance to be rewarded for their bathroom experience. Teams can brand nine toilets (#1-9) and feature a receipt machine near each toilet. During each inning the machine will give a redemption receipt to fans who use that toilet. If the home team scores the most runs during the 1st inning, fans who use toilet #1 can redeem their "redemption receipt" the next game for a discount on beer/non-alcoholic beverage at a select concessions stand.

Does this idea sound interesting but your organization/venue doesn't want to pay the costs? Bring on a paint vendor, local print/copy service, and/or bathroom/plumbing provider to serve as the presenting sponsor...

Some other guerilla bathroom renovation ideas include:

Phoenix Coyotes Fan Mirror (previously posted on PartnershipActivation.com)

HeadwearMirrors (Give Your Fans Horns - potentially relevant for the University of Texas, Minnesota Vikings, South Florida etc.) (or similar headwear for other organizations)

Toilet Entertainment (Guerilla Soccer Games)

Looking to Drive Retail Sales?

Are you looking to create a retail promotional that will spur interest, store traffic, and sales?

Hoppy Hoffman has the answer.

Hoffman owns The Design Shoppe, a small retail shop in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Prior to the 2008 Arkansas State football season, Hoffman created a retail promotion that rewarded customers with 1% discount off their purchase for every point the Arkansas State Red Wolves won by on the Monday following each home game. Meaning, if Arkansas State won by 10 points, consumers would receive 10% off their purchase on the Monday following the team's home victory.

The result? The Red Wolves won their home opener 83-10... meaning all shoppers received a 73% discount on Arkansas State gear at Hoffman's shop the Monday after the team's opener. Since the promotion was created, business (and media buzz) has been booming for Hoffman. Following the Red Wolves' second home victory, nearly 200 people lined up for the store's doors to open at 9:30am. Arkansas State has four (4) home games remaining on the season, giving Hoffman a reason to hope for another win (although hopefully by a lesser margin). 

Consider leveraging a similar promotion with your retail partners!

Score Five Goals, Score Free Tacos...

Are you looking for new ways to reward fans based on team performance?

Since 2003, the Nashville Predators and Taco Bell have teamed up to execute an extremely popular "free taco giveaway" promotion. Every time the Predators score five (5) goals while playing at home, all fans in attendance receive one (1) free taco. Since the promotion's inception, it has become routine for Predators fans to chant "We Want Tac-os" every time the team is on the verge of scoring its fifth goal.

Energized by the enormous fan receptivity for the promotion, the Predators added a unique musical twist, as demonstrated in the video clip below:

How Genuine Are Your Fans?

Are you looking for a unique way to promote your organization's MillerCoors partnership in-venue? Are you looking for a new way to promote Miller 64, the new 64-calorie version of Miller Genuine Draft Lite?

The Milwaukee Brewers are currently running a unique initiative called "The Search for Genuine", which rewards 50+ Milwaukeeanswith a year's supply of Miller Genuine Draft and the chance to throw out the first pitch at a home game during the summer of 2008.

"Genuine" fans will be selected through a variety of means:

• Consumers at Brewers home games will be selected at random and featured on the video board
• MGD street teams will search local sports bars through September and reward select consumers that are 21+
• Consumers can submit stories of their friends who live to a "genuine standard" at www.ReachforGenuine.com

Each of the 50+ "Genuine Fans" will receive two (2) free tickets to the Brewers game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 24th, where they will have the chance to be chosen as Milwaukee's "Genuine Person of 2008" and throw out the first pitch.

The Brewers activate the promotion by offering an in-venue video board feature called "The Search for Genuine". In essence, the team zeroes in on one (1) fan in the crowd that defines a "genuine fan" (e.g. a fan drinking Miller Genuine Draft). This simple, yet creative video board is an excellent way to promote this Miller Genuine Draft initiative in-venue.

The Marlins Offer Unique In-Game Entertainment...

Are you looking for new ways to attract a new fans to the ballpark? Are you looking for ways to attract a new demographic to your games? Battling a low payroll and blistering hot summer days at the ballpark, the Florida Marlins have gone to new lengths to attract  and entertain fans at the stadium:

The Marlins have created two (2) sets of dance/cheer teams... The Mermaids and Manatees.

The Mermaids

• The Florida Marlins' Mermaid squad, a group that has been around since 2004, can be hired to do autograph sessions, photograph sessions, and dance performances at parties and corporate events.

The Manatees

• The Marlins created the Manatees squad in 2008 after putting out an open casting call for fans who have bellies with the biggest jiggle, big feet with the best dance moves, and enthusiasm that will rock Marlins fans out of their seats
• The group performs at all Marlins home games played on Friday and Saturday night

Are You Living in the Moment of Exclusivity?

Is your brand living in the "moment of exclusivity" in-venue? Are you selling the "moment of exclusivity" to your corporate partners?

MediaPost Publications recently featured an interesting article on how "the moment of exclusivity" has quickly become the newest buzz word in the sports biz. What is it exactly? When teams convert every piece of digital signage in-venue to display a select brand's messaging at a given moment during a game. For example, teams can control the in-venue signage so that if a fan leaves his seat to go to the bathroom and misses the massive Sprite ad on the center-hung LED scoreboard, he/she will see the same branding on the LCD monitors mounted outside the restrooms.

Who is doing it? Currently, only a handful of powerful brands (e.g. Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, etc.) have invested in the opportunity to own a given moment in-game. As properties update their signage, eliminating static panels, the industry will see more and more brands investing in "the moment".

Stay tuned for more information on strategic plans that brands are implementing to differentiate themselves in-venue...

Incorporate Olympics Entertainment While It's Hot...

Over the past two (2) weeks, have you considered incorporate Olympics entertainment into your game nights? Have you considered finding unique ways to capitalize on the buzz surrounding the 2008 Beijing Olympics?

The Washington Nationals recently staged an Olympics-inspired Presidents Race during the 4th inning of their game on Sunday at Nationals Park. The team tasked its 10-foot President mascots with jumping over hurdles during the team's traditional in-game Racing Presidents feature. The team even outfitted Abe Lincoln with gold running shoes (ala Michael Johnson) during the contest.

The Baltimore Ravens aired Michael Phelps' final race at the Beijing Olympics after the team's home preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings on August 16th as a salute to their hometown hero. The team received permission from NBC to broadcast the event on the stadium SmartVision scoreboards and promoted the coverage by sending out press releases prior to the game and encouraging fans throughout the game to stay for the entertainment. 

The Ravens supported the event by sending Phelps an autographed No. 08 jersey, distributing "Ravens for Phelps" posters to all fans in attendance, and providing fans the opportunity to record video messages wishing the Olympian good luck in his quest for gold.

Here is a clip of the excitement at M&T Bank Stadium surrounding Phelps's victory:

Find unique ways to capitalize on the affinity that consumers have for the Olympic games... There are some quality ways here to connect brands with fans!

Are You Integrating Fans Into the Action?

Are you looking for a new promotional concept that engages fans? Are you interested in an idea that provides fans a way to have a direct impact on the game they are watching/attending?

Consider developing a "You Call the Play" promotion, where fans can call/text in a play that they would like to see their home team execute during the game. To execute such a promotion, team representatives would need to work directly with the coaching/team personnel. While such an idea may seem difficult, such an idea has been executed in the past (e.g. Charlie Weiss ran a play to kick off a Notre Dame game that was selected by a fan with a terminal illness).

Teams and supporting partners can execute fan polling through a variety of means:

• Poll fans prior to the game through print-text message/call-in/online poll (the team can openly ask fans to submit what play they would like to see on the first offensive/defensive play of the game, provide multiple choice options, etc.). In this scenario, once the play happens in-venue, the team can announce the fan play-call support via videoboard, LED, and on-air mentions
• Poll fans during the game through a video board display (provide fans with five (5) multiple choice options of plays that they would like the team to execute coming out of a timeout). With teams in college basketball knowing when certain timeouts will take place (e.g. 16:00, 12:00, 8:00, and 4:00 marks), this is easier to execute than in other sports
• Poll fans via LED in-between innings (providing fans the opportunity to select relief pitchers, pinch hitters, etc. via text messaging to a computer that calculates the final tally in the dugout) 
• Enable fans to vote on a variety of happenings in-game (touchdown dances, halftime performers, dance team music/performances, pre-game music, and player autographs after the game)

While such a promotion, which provides fans with a way to directly impact the outcome of the game, requires cooperation from many parties (the hardest of which is team/coaching personnel), it shouldn't be deemed unrealistic. Properties are inching closer towards creating in-venue promotions that offer said fan involvement. This promotion would be a great way to incorporate telecommunications partners.

Check out the video below, which provides a benchmark for executing such a promotion:

Gila River Casinos Offers DBacks Fans a Chance to Win Big...

Are you looking for an in-game promotional concept that will capture the attention of all fans in attendance? Are you looking for an idea that will generate a multitude of media impressions?

The Arizona Diamondbacks recently collaborated with Gila River Casinos to create an in-game "Gila River Casinos Million Dollar Hit & Win" promotion. During each Diamondbacks home game (from July 18th through the remainder of the season) randomly selected section(s) will be deemed the "Gila River Casinos Million Dollar Hit & Win Section". If a Diamondbacks player hits a home run off the Gila River Casinos target in left-center/righ-center field during the 4th, 5th, or 6th inning, eligible fans in the selected section(s) will win Circle K gift cards worth a combined total of $1MM. The Diamondbacks have also opened the promotion up to fans everywhere - five (5) fans not in attendance will be selected from mail-in entries to participate in each game promotion.

The actual amount of the gas cards distributed is dependent upon the number of eligible fans in the winning sections that are 21+and have a valid ticket for that section. The targets are located 425 feet from home plate, making a HR off the target a feat in itself. The team selects the "lucky sections" when it lowers the targets from the LED boards during the bottom-half of the fourth inning. To claim their prize, fans just have to fill out a completed affadavit form and submit it with their ticket stub to Diamondbacks representatives located at the Hit & Win Headquarters in Section 300.

Looking for more information on the promotion? Send an email to hitandwin@dbacks.com.

A special thanks to Kristie VanEngelen of the Arizona Diamondbacks for her contributions to this column.