Dale Jr. Wins... Fans Win?

When considering promotions and ticket sales, have you ever thought of tying fan incentives to the action on the playing field?

Well, Las Vegas Motor Speedway has done just that, creating the Dale Jr.'s South Point Jackpot. The speedway is offering free tickets to the 2009 LVMS race to 8,888 persons if Dale Jr. takes home the 2008 Sprint Cup title.  The first 8,888 fans to renew their tickets for the 2009 LVMS race before the start of the Daytona 500 would be refunded their full ticket amount if Dale Jr. captures the title. The promotion was sponsored by the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas.

The Results? Within hours of the announced promotion, LVMS officials fielded hundreds of calls from excited fans. For more information, see the LVMS website.

While the Golden Rule in  sports is to never give away free tickets (or else fans will always look for alternative ways to try to get tickets for free in the future), these type of promotions can be a great way for teams to retain season ticket holders and spike ticket sales at select events.

A couple of spin-offs of this promotion include:

• For underdog college basketball teams, reward fans attending the NCAA tournament to cheer on the team (through a pyramid rewards program):
• 32 minute on-court shooting session (if the team advances to the Top 32)
• "Sweet 16 autographs" - autographs of the team and coaching staff if the team advances to the Sweet 16
• "Elite 8 in the Gates" - VIP sweepstakes opportunity for eight (8) persons to gain behind-the-scenes access to the daily basketball operations
•  "Final 4 On Tour" - Chance for four (4) individuals to attend one (1) away basketball game with the team the following season if the team advances to the final four
• Underachieving professional teams can reward fans if the team pulls off a major upset
• i.e. Heat fans would receive "Greenbacks at the door (redeemable merchandise/food vouchers)" if the team would pull off an upset against the Celtics at home