Preparing to Welcome Your Fans Back post-Pandemic
As the adage says, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” and with that, fans’ expectations will have too during the down time. They will remember a romanticized game day experience, which makes the emphasis on creating an unforgettable event essential for your team.
Start planning your Welcome Home Party. It may seem far away, but starting to plan for that first game back, even if 60 days from now, will set you up to succeed. As community business owners wrestle with the implications of what the quarantine will mean, teams have the amazing opportunity to provide hope and optimism to smaller businesses and organizations in the community. Make your first games back a party centered around uniting and celebrating your community. Reaching out to organizations now and inviting them to help collaborate in planning what that entertainment will look like when fans can return gives you, and then, something to work together on, forging bonds and supporting each other in a time of need.
Order your promotional giveaway Items: Think hand sanitizer or other “cleanliness” products are a great giveaway? You’re right, but you’re not the only one. If you go onto most sites now, there is a 30-60 back order. Decide what you would like to have on hand and order it this week to have it in time for when games resume. Use local businesses as much as possible for these orders. The impact you’ll have by investing with them will be tremendous in this time of need and will be a lasting legacy for your brand.
Book the talent. Engage local groups who are likely not able to perform right now and invite them to be a part of the party. Nothing brings hope faster than opportunity. Be a pillar in your community by inviting groups to be a part of your Welcome Home Party and, while the date is not known, confirm they will be part of it when they do. Halftime, concourse, quarter breaks, outside by parking lots, program the spaces and highlight your home-grown talent of all levels to make it a true welcome home party. Dance, aerial silks, drum line, rock band, spoken word-find a talent that reflects your brand and market and engage them during this tough time to plan ahead.
Invite your guests. Give your fans something to look forward to by talking about the Welcome Home party. Tell them what community groups will be involved and provide some optimism for what lies ahead. Position your brand as already thinking through to the end and appreciating the fans during this difficult time. This gives you leeway if games resume without fans, or require limited audiences, while still focusing on something to lift the community spirits.
Celebrate and support your Community through the event. Every community will have amazing rock stars who fight, overcome or are affected by COVID-19. Make the first game back entirely about them, and having them fully integrated in the game and share their stories. Reaching out to them now to provide opportunities gives the groups something to look forward to, which is a very powerful gift during a crisis.
Small Business: Uplift small businesses that may need that additional exposure, regardless of sponsorship. Allow them to table the concourse or collectively hold the Flag while wearing their brands to show unity across the community.
Non-Profit Groups: Provide a platform for non-profits who are fighting to support underserved populations. Invite their leaders and members to be a part of the game.
Youth & Schools: If you are in a low-income area, invite those who helped keep the kids fed and educated during break.
All- Community Presence: Showcase the community in full with a diverse representation of age, gender and race showcased as special guests. We overcame this together, there’s no better way than to promote unity than celebrating it at the event.
Local Heroes: Fire, Police, EMT and public safety officials sacrificed to keep the community safe. Celebrate these individuals for their work. An entirely separate medical professional event can also be done to support and thank these individuals and tie into existing sponsorship platforms.
Medical Staff: Recognize the individuals who put themselves on the front line to heal and protect our communities.
Program the 360-event experience. An often-overlooked area, this is the first impression your fans have of your venue when they arrive. Have you personally ever approached the venue on an event day and entered as a guest? The answer is likely no as you’re probably busy with run-throughs and activations. Visualize the approach your guest has and moments along that path where you could make small but highly impactful changes. For your guest, the experience begins when they pull up (if not sooner), yet our programming and entertainment often waits until they are in the concourse or even their seat before it kicks in. Now is a great time to invest mental energy in designing a 360-entertainment experience to delight your guests without having to increase resources. In particular:
Enhance your audio reach- Is music audible? Are announcements on shortest entry lines present? Is there energy or silence as fans walk from the parking lot and wait in line? If you don’t have built in speakers, consider investing in a few Block Rockers ($159 each on Amazon https://smile.amazon.com/ION-Audio-Block-Rocker-Plus/dp/B07C32XSH1/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=block+rocker&qid=1584642755&sr=8-1) or other rechargeable speakers to position near traffic crossings, along paths where guests walk or outside of your doors. They come with a microphone so you can have your emcee, an usher or other staff engage directly with your fans.
Revitalize your greeting-Are staff positioned to greet and engage guests at any point along the route? Do signs in parking lots explicitly indicate how to get to the venue if you can’t see the venue from the parking lot? Do any of your spirit teams or talent visit fans outside of the venue? Adding 1-2 bodies to key areas can make a tremendous difference, especially if their entire focus is on being a “Memory Maker” for fans. Challenge these staff to come up with trivia, dance contests or other interactive elements that reflect your brand. Work with local sign shops during this time to give the local economy business and also get prepared for returning to event action.
Optimize your concourse flow and programming-The concourse sets the stage for the quality and attention to detail the many fans will expect in the game presentation. The organization, flow, design elements and interactive features make a huge role. With COVID-19, the need for social distancing, space and organized transit becomes vital. Take this time to review what is in your concourse and minimize elements that congest and do not elevate the experience. This is a great time to minimize oversold sponsor activations and find alternate placements before it is a requirement once events resume.
Create hands-free photo opportunities- More than half of fans under 25 indicate the ability to interact, take photos and share their experience is a critical aspect of their game day, this is especially important for student attendance. Create interactive opportunities around and outside the venue to give guests the opportunity to document their game day. The options below can all be put in place for under $1000** and we are happy to point you to vendors we know who deliver good quality work.
Giant letters spelling your city or team name that they can pose with.
Photo backdrops with foam board props (and disinfecting wipes to clean).
Mascot or live-animal mascot station-set fixed times pre-game for fans to meet and interact with your team’s most beloved icon.
Wing-span/height graphics on walls of your players.
Pictures of iconic moments in team history on the walls with spot for fan to pose as if they were a part of it.
Archway with the scoreboard/scenery in the background. Don’t underestimate a “STAND HERE” sign that perfectly aligns fans for the stadium view.
Make accommodations feel intentional-Are there shuttles to transport guests with mobility issues? Is there a place for parents to park strollers? Room for those with mobility issues to easily maneuver into the building? Invest in signage to help fans identify these areas and make entry seamless, not just designed for the fully mobile or kid-free fan.