Promotions round-up: Steve Martin on noisy arenas, glow sticks, Rene Rancourt singing Christmas carols, more...

1. Glow sticks handed out for a Hornets logo reveal.

Tonight's halftime show at the Bobcats game: GLOWSTICK RAVE @darrenrovell pic.twitter.com/kLTexjgtId
— Chris Sotardi (@sotardi) December 22, 2013

2. Bruins anthem singer Rene Rancourt singing Christmas carols.

Rene Rancourt singing Christmas carols with the crowd during the intermission ^CS pic.twitter.com/Jl5xuZeHUf
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 22, 2013

3. A giant four-sided washing machine on the field for Fulham FC.

#webuild - an incredible 4-sided Washing Machine for @LGUS @FulhamFC @EventProdShow #matchdaypromotions #standb39 pic.twitter.com/93cyFg95cU
— Global Games Sports (@GlobalGSports) January 20, 2014

4. First 1,000 fans get free orange juice in Maryland for women's basketball


5. Steve Martin is not a fan of "loudest arena / loudest fans" promotions.

Asking fans to break volume records at arenas is to the ears as what asking them to stare into the sun for 5 minutes is to the eyes.
— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) November 18, 2013

6. Kansas City Chiefs’ Crowd Louder Than KISS at Full Volume



7. Halftime entertainment in Colchester (UK)




8. Michigan State Students Force Two Consecutive Shot-Clock Violations

9. Atmosphere and fans' role in Premier League games becoming a concern
Recent managers' complaints at apathy of fans raises issue; Fan groups look into ways to increase involvement at games

10. Jacksonville Jaguars: No more free drink promotions planned

20th Anniversary of the Milwaukee Brewers racing sausages

Found this in an old bookmark file tonight, while preparing for my Algonquin College Sports Management class tomorrow.

Here's a press release from the Brewers:

This Thursday, June 27, 2013 marks an anniversary of one of the most historic events in Milwaukee Brewers history. On that day in 1993, the Klement's Famous Racing Sausages came to life, jumping off of the scoreboard and onto the field to complete the first of well over 1,000 "official" races to date. The races became a fixture at Milwaukee County Stadium and the tradition carried on with the move to Miller Park.
The Milwaukee Brewers and Klement's want to invite you to join in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the occasion on Thursday, June 27. The fun starts at 6 am at NorthPoint Custard, 2272 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive, along the Lake Michigan shores. The first 250 fans will receive a free sausage breakfast sandwich (of course), a coffee, and best of all, an exclusive 20th Anniversary Klement's Famous Racing Sausages Commemorative T-Shirt. Fewer than 500 of the shirts will be made, and the event will be first come, first served.
That afternoon, the Brewers will host a pre-game ceremony to officially mark the anniversary, which will include a race featuring only the "Original Three" Sausages and much more.

A few fun facts on the history of the Klement's Famous Racing Sausages:

1. The Klement's Famous Racing Sausages began as a scoreboard animation in the early 1990's with three characters running toward Milwaukee County Stadium against the backdrop of the city skyline. They were shown running through the parking lot, arriving at the gates to the outfield, where they merely became dots on the scoreboard and a winner was determined.
2. In the fall of 1992, the idea to have the Sausages transform from a simple scoreboard dot to arrive on field to complete the race as live Sausages -- was presented by Milwaukee graphic designer Michael Dillon (McDill Design) to Gabe Paul (then VP of Operations for The Milwaukee Brewers). During the off-season, Dillon advanced the idea on his own and hand crafted three larger than life costumes of the lovable characters: a Bratwurst, a Polish, and an Italian sausage. In the spring of 1993, he got the call from Gabe Paul. The sausages could race -- live.
3. The first race took place at Milwaukee County Stadium on June 27, 1993 and made history by being the first-ever live racing event by mascots at a MLB game.
4. The original race was scheduled for June 26, 1993 -- a notable date for fans as it was the first series in which former Milwaukee Brewer, Paul Molitor, played in County Stadium, as a Toronto Blue Jay against his former team. However, there was a scoreboard malfunction that day and the race was postponed to Sunday, June 27.
5. The winner of the first race was the Bratwurst. The original costumed runners were all McDill Design employees -- Michael Dillon as the Bratwurst, Dan Necci as the Italian, and Jeff Paul as the Polish.
6. According to Dillon, the race was a well-kept secret, which resulted in a mixed reception: the crowd went "berserk" but the officiating umpires (and more than a few players) thought that it "diminished the professional nature" of the game. Coincidentally, the controversy may have been the catalyst the team needed as the Brewers had been scoreless through the sixth inning and rallied with two runs in both the 7th and 8th innings - after the sausage race.
7. For the remainder of the 1993 season, the Sausage characters raced live only at those games that had particularly high attendance.
8. In the 1994 season, the live Sausage race resumed on Sunday, May 29 -- the day the Brewers retired Robin Yount's number 19 jersey, and became a fixture at every home game since -- with Klement's as the official sponsor.
9. The phenomenon of live racing mascots was born in Milwaukee, and was a first for MLB. Entering the 2013 season, nearly half of all MLB teams now have their own version of the iconic race.
10. A video of the June 27, 1993, first live race can be viewed here.

Baseball organist Nancy Faust is now available in bobblehead format

This is pretty cool. It's a bobblehead honouring Nancy Faust, former organist for the Chicago White Sox.  She plays the organ occasionally for the Kane County Cougars (Chicago Cubs affiliate), who are giving these bobbleheads on Sunday, August 11.

See also: Detroit Red Wings PA Announcer Budd Lynch Bobblehead

What a video scoreboard promotion looks like in Japan: "Home Run Cam"

Check out this really fun video from the Orix Buffaloes, a pro baseball team in Japan. I think it is called "Home Run Cam". It was one of the entries in this year's Golden Matrix Awards.

The Washington Nationals are introducing a fifth racing president this weekend

...and speculation is that it will be JFK. UPDATE: The fifth racing president will be William Howard Taft.

Great promotions: Aircraft carrier home run derby

From milb.com:

Most creative Minor League Baseball promotions inspire employees of other teams to react with sentiments along the lines of "Why didn't I think of that?" 

And then there was the event that the Charleston RiverDogs staged on June 18, at which the sentiments were more likely to be along the lines of "I never would of thought of that!" 

The event in question, the 2012 MiLBY award winner for Promotion of the Year, was truly unprecedented: the RiverDogs held the first round of the South Atlantic League Home Run Derby on the deck of the USS Yorktown, a decommissioned World War II-era aircraft carrier turned living history museum stationed on the Charleston Harbor. Derby participants, standing within a makeshift inflatable batting cage, blasted baseballs into the water (where they were summarily retrieved by volunteers on jet skis). 

The RiverDogs' aquatic revitalization of a moribund All-Star festivities staple beat out 11 other contenders en route to being voted 2012's best promotion by MiLB.com readers. And for good reason, as this was an event that truly had it all: stunning visuals along with copious local and national media attention. It also had both a national sponsorship and philanthropic tie-in via MillerCoors' "Welcome Back to the High Life" initiative for returning American veterans. Oh, and that there was a cameo from RiverDogs co-owner Bill Murray (the team's "director of fun") sure didn't hurt. 

...

"If anything, this is a lesson in the process of thinking big and going beyond the ballpark," said [Dan] Migala. "When I first saw [the USS Yorktown], it was like the scene in Field of Dreams. But instead of seeing a baseball field in the cornfield, in this case it was on an aircraft carrier. From there, it was a matter of working out the logistics and finding a [sponsorship] partner, because this wasn't the type of event where it was just 'insert sponsor here.'" 

Enter Miller High Life, whose "Welcome Veterans Back to the High Life" promotional campaign seeks to provide veterans "with thousands of memorable 'High Life' experiences, such as tickets to professional sporting events and concerts." This iconic brand was eager to partner with the RiverDogs on this unique Home Run Derby, once Migala approached them with what he calls "seven innings worth of an idea." 

...

As Migala was working on the sponsorship parameters, Echols was engaged in the task of making sure that the derby would work on a logistical level. The USS Yorktown is now part of the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, and Echols said that the museum was eager to participate as they are "trying to find revenue-generating events, and always looking for ways to highlight the uniqueness of the ship."

Securing permission to hit baseballs into the harbor was a bigger concern for Echols and his staff, and in this regard he likely became the first general manager to deal with Harbor Police and the Department of Homeland Security while coordinating a promotion. 

"We had to work to assure them, and then the community, that we wouldn't be letting balls drop to the bottom, as this could endanger animals and the environment," he said. 

The aforementioned "volunteers on jet skis" took care of this potential problem, and Echols soon secured the necessary approvals from the various governmental agencies and city governments (on both sides of the water) that were needed to make the derby a reality. And soon, that's just what it was -- a glorious reality. 

Approximately 400 fans attended the free event, with their access to the USS Yorktowngranted upon providing a not-so-secret password of "Home Run Derby." These fans lined the sides and upper-deck sections of the USS Yorktown as some of the SAL's top hitting prospects blasted baseballs beneath an inflatable batting cage provided by InMotionAir. ("They sent me a blast email out the blue, advertising inflatable batting cages," recalled Echols. "Once I saw that, I thought, 'My goodness, someone wants to make this work.' Everything just fell into place.") 

American war veterans honored by Miller High Life also were taking swings beneath the inflatable cage along with Murray, a recent inductee into the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame. Echols reports that the resulting local media coverage of the event "moved the needle" when it came to ticket sales for the following evening's All-Star Game at Joseph P. Riley Stadium, and though that was the main event, this is the rare instance in which a Home Run Derby ultimately overshadowed the game itself. 

"It was a total team effort and a flawless promotion that was fun to be a part of from start to finish," said Echols. "The combination of an influential industry leader in Dan Migala, the Veeck flair and a national sponsor gave our fans and the All-Star players a lifetime memory, and that is something our entire staff is extremely proud of." 

Read the entire article... 

I found a web site that sells foam hats in the shape of various things

Cheesehead.com by Foamation sells these hats and many more.

(via @darrenrovell)

VIDEO: 1976 beer box stacking contest

Saw this recently on the GameOps.com blog.
From the Chicago White Sox, August 22, 1976.

What a great idea: Baseball team offers free sunscreen to fans

Source: http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120731&content_id=35868504&vkey=pr_t541&fext=.jsp&sid=t541&tcid=fb_share

Storm Chasers Equip Werner Park with Free Sunscreen for FansSPF 30 sunscreen available, for free, inside of Werner Park 

OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha Storm Chasers are proud to partner with Alegent Health to provide fans with numerous sunscreen stations inside of Werner Park. The stations are stocked with SPF 30 sunscreen that is available for free to fans and was made possible with a generous grant of $10,000 by the Nebraska Cancer Coalition.
"We look at our fans as members of the Omaha Storm Chasers family," said the Omaha Storm Chasers President and General Manager Martie Cordaro. "We want to provide our fans and families with the safest, most enjoyable experience possible and teaming up with Alegent to promote sunscreen awareness fits our goals."
Currently, the Storm Chasers have sunscreen stations located down the left field line next to Valentino's, one behind home plate next to the Alegent Health First Aid Station, one down the first base line next to Omaha Steaks and another one in right field. There are plans to add additional sunscreen stations to Werner Park in the future.
According to dermatologists with the Alegent Health Clinic, it only takes 15 minutes for the sun to damage unprotected skin. Fans are advised to apply sunscreen before leaving their homes and reapply every two hours that they are outdoors or more often if they are sweating a great deal.
"Skin cancer is the one of the most preventable forms of cancer in the United States," said Cindy Alloway, chief operations officer of Alegent Health Midlands Hospital in Papillion. "We wanted to help keep people safe and one of the ways we could do that was by making sunscreen available to them at the ballpark."
Alegent Health surveyed fans at the beginning of the season on sun-safe behaviors and they will talk to them again at the end of the season to learn how many changed their habits and adopted more sun-safe behaviors at the ballpark like; wearing long-sleeved shirts, sunglasses, hats, staying in the shade and reapplying sunscreen.
To attend any game or event at Werner Park please call the Werner Park Ticket Office at (402) 738-5100 or visit www.omahastormchasers.com.

Great moments in Bobblehead giveaways: Alice Cooper

Well done Phoenix Coyotes, well done. Here's more info via Puckdaddy.

For my Wednesday morning class: "Florida Panthers’ AHL team may have world record for most dogs attending sporting event"

From Puck Daddy:

All-You-Can-Eat nights? Been there. Bobblehead dolls? Done that. Clearly, it's time for the next evolution for minor-league hockey promotions. Since the Las Vegas Wranglers have the Rapture covered, that leaves shattering irreverent world records as the next big thing. 

The Central Hockey League's Texas Brahmas attempted to break three Guinness World Records on Friday night: the longest air hockey marathon, the most simultaneous fist bumps and the longest conga line on ice. As the video shows, they might have pulled off the conga line record, at least. 

But over in San Antonio, home to the Florida Panthers' AHL affiliate the Rampage, the team believes it's set a record that will give you paws: The greatest number of dogs ever assembled to watch a live sporting event.

Full article here...

MC Hammer spinning bobblehead

You can't touch this.  (via Partnership Activation)

Detroit Red Wings Budd Lynch Bobblehead

Budd Lynch.  PA Announcer for the Detroit Red Wings since 1985. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. This bobblehead was a hand-out to fans at Joe Louis Arena back in 2009. See also: Rene Rancourt Bobblehead.

The future of fan experience / trends and technology in game entertainment

Really interesting article from Sports Business Journal. Some highlights:

Whether it's shooting T-shirts into the crowd or laser beams throughout the arena, entertaining with a mascot or informing with a smartphone app, the approaches run the gamut. 

And while some added options provide the opportunity to generate additional revenue, team executives need to know when to dial it down and keep the focus on the game. 

Just ask Chicago Bulls executive Jeff Wohlschlaeger, who has spent 15 years directing in-game entertainment at the perennially sold-out United Center. Each season demands new ways to enhance the fan experience, from up in the rafters to down at courtside. 

"Fans are smart," Wohlschlaeger said. "We can't create fake energy and fans aren't going to cheer for no reason." 

For teams, improving the in-game experience not only demonstrates value to fans, but it also provides opportunities to increase revenue. The trick is knowing when enough is enough. 

"You can wallpaper the game presentation with sponsors' specific reads, but you can go over the edge," said Tom O'Grady, president of Gameplan Creative and in-game executive producer and consultant for the Chicago Fire and the Chicago Blackhawks. 

"You want to sell everything you can but you want something that hooks the fans in," O'Grady said. "Teams are doing more of that than before, and off the shelf is not good enough anymore. It's about creating ideas that will stick." 

So intertwined is the in-game fan experience and revenue that the Tampa Bay Rays now make it a policy to include game presentation staff on corporate sales calls, creating a seamless strategy between in-game presentation and sponsorship inventory. 

Yet, at the same time, the Rays refuse to roll out a sponsored promotion during the middle of the eighth inning in order to preserve the feeling that the game belongs to the fans. 

"Our fan experience department generates ideas that are put into sales pitches so they will be integrated from the beginning, but we are not going to do something that sacrifices the experience at the ballpark," said Brian Auld, senior vice president of business operations for the Rays. "We made the decision to protect that moment of the game that is exciting."

In the NBA, which has long pushed its in-game approach to new entertainment heights, some teams are moving away from an overly scripted strategy to ward off any in-game sponsorship overload. 

"The in-game experience has gone from being overproduced to finding a balance between the basketball and entertainment," said Shelly Driggers, director of event presentation for the Orlando Magic. "We have scaled back on the number of fan prompts, while the number of replays shown on the scoreboard has gone far beyond what we have done in the past. We let the game be the game."
...
NBA Entertainment logs every timeout of every NBA game and makes a video reel available for all teams. If a promotion or new entertainment element plays well in Portland, for example, teams in other markets will quickly adopt it. 

In addition, the NBA assigns a game presentation manager to each of its 30 teams to assist and evaluate their in-game efforts through regular customer surveys. Every summer, the NBA holds a workshop for all in-game managers where new and best practices are discussed.
Currently, NBA teams are following a league mandate to increase player interaction inside arenas. 

"Player imaging has been one of the focus points," 

Wohlschlaeger said. "We try to be creative in using players in our in-game and have them visible." 

Baseball, Mannion said, is moving toward more sophisticated fan engagement between innings. He said baseball teams spend anywhere from $600,000 to $2 million on in-game operations for each 81-game home season.
...
But not all clubs share the "newer is better" opinion when it comes to in-game entertainment. Advances in technology bring a bigger price tag and more sponsorship revenue opportunities, but ill-timed execution can have a dampening effect on the fan experience. 

Tim Beach, vice president of game operations and events for the New York Islanders, said the club previously launched a Zamboni race video game that was powered by text messages. Beach said the game was slow and complicated, and few fans actually engaged with it. 

"During a TV timeout, you have 90 seconds to capture the fans, and if you spend the first 30 seconds explaining how a game is going to work, they are gone," Beach said.
... 

Not all teams favor grassroots entertainment like the Islanders. The Los Angeles Kings start each game by beaming a laser light show across the arena as the players step out of a castle-shaped structure onto the ice. A light projection system beams televised movie clips and logos onto the ice. 

According to Chris McGowan, chief operating officer for the Kings, both the laser system and projectors represent significant six-figure purchases for the club. 

"Los Angeles is the creative capital of the world. We need to have a game presentation that is above the rest," McGowan said. "It is a significant expense, but people are paying good money to come to the arena, and we feel it is what people expect nowadays."

Full article is here...

Time lapse video of the Alaska Aces painting their rink pink

(They painted it pink for a cancer awareness promotion.)

Three videos from the Pittsburgh Pirates to raise awareness about hotdogs.

This is my second hot dog post in a row. My favourite is the first one, "Catch That Meat".







(via Brian Gainor)

Promotions gone wrong, etc.

• Hockey charity bans teddy-bear toss due to bedbug fears
  
• Cincinnati Bearcat Arrested During Game For Throwing Snowballs
  
• The Bucks don't want soldiers to propose on their video board (that headlines a bit sensationalized, make sure you read the article for context
• Halftime mascot lapdance

Promotions round up #753

• Florida Panthers host Hanukkah Celebration Night
  Billed as the biggest Hannukah party in South Florida, it was presented by The Original Booklyn Water Bagel Co. and featured events like the lighting of a giant menorah, Jewish music, kosher food, and yes -- a Panthers yarmulke.
• Thrashers fans get married during a game

For my Sports Management students: Theme Nights

A couple links from Ben's Biz Blog:

• Promo Year in Review: Theme Nights
  
• Ben's Biz Blog: Promos!

and a few more:

• The Padres generate buzz with Star Wars promotion
• Awarding the most unique minor league promotions of 2010

Washington Nationals Presidents spotted at a performance of the Nutcracker

More info / background here.