The days of going to a sporting event and mainly focusing on the game itself are over. Minor League Baseball and other minor league sports have always placed an emphasis on the entire fan experience and professional leagues including Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association have done the same. Teams understand that they are no longer just competing against other sports teams in their city, state and region. They are competing against concerts, restaurants, places including Punch Bowl Social and other miscellaneous social spaces where people can connect. Lest we not forget teams are also competing against Netflix, cheaper food, tablets, 50 inch televisions and stronger wifi signals that all come with the in-house fan experience. In Milwaukee, you are also competing against street festivals, even in the Winter.
Fighting for attention and eyeballs has become a major topic of discussion. How do you combat this business problem as a sports team? Bring the social experience to the ballpark, stadium and let the space speak for itself.
The Milwaukee Bucks unveiled the Panorama Club when they opened the Fiserv Forum, (see greenlit area below) and this space holds up to 500 people on game days and concerts. It is a space equipped with plush seating, full bar and a view of the Milwaukee skyline. The catch? There is no catch. Any fan with a ticket to that day's game or concert has access to this space that overlooks the court and stage on concert nights. This idea alone is brilliant and strategic, as it provides people access without making them pay extra for a space that typically is reserved for people who are paying a premium.
If you don't believe in the power of access or exclusivity, just watch the Fyre Festival documentaries. (granted there was some serious scamming and manipulation happening) With this Panorama Club, fans who are sitting right below this Club in the 200 level just went from "nosebleeds" to first class. This club makes people feel special, and this is important, as it provides a casual fan with an elevated experience and valid reason for them to come back and enjoy this space with friends at a future event.
Social spaces are not geared toward season ticket holders who would be coming to a game regardless of the bells and whistles. These spaces are for the person who would have otherwise went out to dinner or a bar with friends on a Thursday night. This person might be mildly interested in sports. Teams are now building districts and areas around their stadium to funnel fans, and baseball teams in the United States have an added advantage of playing in the spring and summer for most of the season. Ballpark Village in St. Louis is the perfect example of a sports team buying land and developing it specifically for fans to enjoy Cardinals games throughout the season and around the stadium on non-game days.
Mixed-use developments is the term being thrown around at sports conferences in recent years, and creating housing, business space to lease and a spot for fans and customers to enjoy is smart business. The Cardinals are generating revenue even when the team is not playing, and they are ushering in potential new customers. The Chicago Cubs have Wrigleyville, but the Cubs don't own these bars and establishments whereas the Cardinals do.
During a sports marketing course at Marquette in 2015 I had the opportunity to create a sports franchise. My choice? Adding a WNBA team in downtown Jacksonville, as there is only one other team located in the southern region of the United States. My added value proposition? Create an oasis or pool area and social space for people to enjoy before and after games. I mention to show that I have been thinking about ways to engage fans for awhile, but more importantly, trying to figure out ways a social space makes sense within that area and is geographically relevant.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been on this wave for awhile too, as they have a Pool Suite that can be bought out every game. This area grants buyers with exclusive access and the following benefits: 35 tickets, 5 parking passes, patio seating, non-alcoholic drinks and food from their Classic Menu. While this premium social space costs way more than a ticket in the nosebleeds, it is an elevated experience that a large group or even company would spend money on because it is so unique. Going back to spaces marketing itself, fans/customers in this space will undoubtedly share their experience with friends and family on social media, making it a hot commodity and exclusive part of Chase Field that is different from most, if not, all of the ballpark.
A sports team does not have to necessarily have a million-dollar space fir patrons to explore, but intentionally creating a an environment where people can socialize away from their seats is important. Take for example the Atlanta Hawks, who have executed a Tinder "Swipe Right Night" since 2015. The Hawks set up "glam stations" and suites for people to meet during this game, using technology to connect fans and giving them a reason to get out of their seats during the game. Taking a product that has been developed and one that is already heavily consumed and using it to connect fans within an arena is a smart, low cost idea. There was also a lot of of positive publicity on a local and national level and generated positive brand awareness for the Hawks.
This Tinder ticket package started at $70 for two people and limited edition t-shirts were available in store, tying in a sales and merchandise component to this social experience. Bumble, a main sponsor of the Los Angeles Clippers and the team's jersey patch sponsor, could utilize its partnership to help the Clippers attract more female fans, casual sports fans and maybe people who wouldn't have otherwise gone to an NBA game with a similar ticket package.
These social spaces can also help the community and create jobs by the way of job fairs, renting out these spaces for events and making it available to the community for recreational use. Tying in merchandise deals or a social media promotion with your social space, whether premium or general admission, are a few ways to leverage this space's exclusivity. Creating an entire experience around a social space and including your digital team, sales team and sponsorship team is important, as each department has something to offer with content creation, naming rights negotiation and prospecting and group tickets deals. I fully expect more organizations to carve out social spaces as stadiums adapt to what consumers want, which is more space to mingle, more chances to meet people and more opportunities to share everything outside of the game. That sounds like a winner to me!