Finding Success at Spring Games and Open Practices
Over the past month our partners have been hosting their 2021 Spring Game Scrimmages and open practices and have had great success! Fans are ready to get back to their favorite stadiums in the fall and took full advantage of the opportunity to see their teams hit the field this spring. With restrictions loosening and increasing demand from fans, the optimism for the upcoming fall season is at an all-time high. Our teams are hard at work during the games and are using the opportunity to build relationships with fans and generate new leads. Key initiatives include pre-game tours of premium seating areas, in-seat visits and contact-less QR codes to drive enter-to-win contests. Check out the successes our teams are having below!
The Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners sales team sold more than 20,000 tickets to their 2021 spring game! Our team leveraged digital seats by placing QR codes on every seat in the stadium to include football season ticket and renewal ticket information, along with their football interest form and deposit link for men’s and women’s basketball. The QR codes also linked to virtual tours of the stadium’s premium seating areas including the South Stadium Club, the East Stadium Club, the Santee Lounge and Stadium Loge Boxes. In conjunction with the QR codes, the Sooners ran a ReplyBuy Short Code Text in-stadium announcement urging fans to text in if they had interest in Football season tickets. Our sales team was also set up with a table outside the stadium for any in-person questions regarding Football season tickets. The Sooners have been able to capitalize on the interest from the spring game attendees, already resulting in $74,650 new revenue from these spring game initiatives only.
The Mountaineers
Similar to our other sales teams, the Mountaineers set up a table at the gate with QR code-interest lists for season tickets, mini plans and single game tickets. Before the game, our team put together a list of best possible locations in each section and personally escorted spring game attendees to view and purchase best available seats. The table garnered attention from fans and our team sold many season tickets on the spot. Fans were given the ability to go see the prospective seats if they wanted to. Our team was able to meet up with current season ticket holders during the game, as well. The sales team is currently working on reaching out to the leads for season tickets and mini plans they received from the spring game.
The Hawkeyes
The Hawkeyes sales team similarly set up a table at the main entrance of the stadium. They were able to actively engage with multiple groups and sold new season tickets during the game. They also had the above graphic displayed at the sales table and a few other athletics tables. Fans interested in tickets were invited to scan the QR code and enter their information. Our team exchanged contact information and business cards with prospective buyers so they could reach out on their own time. The graphic was displayed throughout the game on the jumbotron, while an announcement directed fans interested in tickets to our sales table at Gate B.
The Tarheels
Our team at UNC created QR codes that allowed fans to participate in an Enter-to-Win contest and view stadium seating charts throughout the game. Since the game was a ticketed event this year, our team worked with ticket operations to get an attendance list pulled for leads. In the past few weeks, our team has been reaching out to those attendees who do not currently have season tickets on their account and have been able to sell many new season tickets this way.
The Vols
The Vols sent out the social media post above prior to their spring game. Fans attending the game were invited to sign up to arrive early to the stadium to view next season’s available seats. For fans that were not attending the spring game, our team created an interest form for them to fill out and be contacted at a later date. At the game, like many of our other teams, the Vols sales team set up a sales table at one of the entrances of the stadium. At the table, there was a poster with a QR code for interested fans to scan and fill out their information. Our team was able to walk prospective season ticket holders around to see various available seats and successfully sold tickets to multiple prospects on the spot. Most of our team’s success has actually come after the Spring game, as their follow up efforts have generated new season ticket revenue from leads at the game. The sales team will continue reaching out to fans who attended the game to help them secure seats for the fall.
The Hilltoppers
Our team at WKU worked with prospective season ticket buyers interested in seats and were able to have them “test out” these locations at the Spring Game. Lynn Miller, our Sales Manager was able to reserve seats for a few prospects, including a group of six that tested these locations. Following the game, this group of six purchased the season tickets at these seats because they were certain that they loved them!
Lynn had a sales table set up displaying seating maps as she greeted fans. She collected many names and followed up the next week. She also gave out her card and received a handful of inbound calls inquiring about season tickets after the spring game that led to new sales. Fans were encouraged to bring guests with them that were interested in season tickets and these referrals have also led to new sales.
The Mustangs
The Mustangs had a successful turn out at their Friday night spring game. The sales team was able to set up a Enter-To-Win contest for a Triple D helmet and custom jersey. To drive additional traffic they had the helmet and jersey on display at the sales table. Through the Enter-to-Win contest, they were able to generate over 100 new leads, with over half of them being excellent leads. Overall, they had a highly productive night!
The Panthers
The Panthers sold tickets to the spring game event for the first time ever which allowed them to collect fan information in advance. After removing current package holders from the data they collected, our team now has a comprehensive list of fans that attended the spring game with no tickets for 2021. Prior to the game, an email was sent out to anyone that had purchased tickets to the game with a link to schedule a time to visit the club area with our team. During the game, our team took new prospects and current season ticket holders for tours into the club area during their scheduled times to potentially upgrade their tickets. The team also made seat visits to put a face to a name for a number of new season ticket holders. Since the game, our account executives have had success connecting with those prospects on season tickets and mini plans for the upcoming football season.