NIU Wins Basketball Game, Student Fans Win Free Concert Tickets...

Are you looking for new ways to reward your fanbase? Are you looking for ways to incorporate incentives that tie in both music and sports – two very high passion points for consumers?

Northern Illinois University’s athletic department recently offered a very rewarding promotion for its student fan base. To drive attendance and excitement for its men’s basketball team’s home game against the University of Akron, the athletic department offered free concert tickets to 250 students in attendance based on team performance.

NIU announced that if its men’s basketball team were to score 78 points in a victory over the Akron Zips (snapping the team’s seven (7) game losing streak), all 250 students seated in section 101 would win free tickets to the upcoming T.I. and Ludacris concert.

The result? The team pulled out an exciting 83-79 victory at home, sealing the victory with 48.4 seconds remaining in the game. The crowd erupted when the Huskies scored their 78^th point at the free throw line and went on to win the game a short time later. The promotion proved to be an excellent way for the athletic department to drive fan excitement and attendance at home.

NIU’s promotion, dangling free concert tickets based on team performance, could signal a new trend in the collegiate space. With University support groups often brining in high-profile music acts for concerts on-campus, University athletic departments have a real opportunity to capitalize on using ticket inventory to drive fan excitement and attendance and their home games. Look for other University athletic departments to model this promotion in the near future.