Building an audience can be tough.
It is even tougher to build an audience when the
team might be moving out of town.
This was the dilemma the Sacramento Kings faced
just a few years ago when the Kings were almost sold and moved to Seattle. Uncertain of whether the franchise would be
changing addresses, Phil Horn, the Vice President of Ticket Sales and
Service, and his team still had to be
prepared to unleash a brand new marketing campaign.
In a video interview with the
Sports Business Education Network in July 2013, Horn shared with host Troy
Kirby how the Kings fans rallied around the team to pack the Sleep Train Arena
in an effort to keep the franchise in Sacramento. Ultimately, the Kings
remained in Sacramento and will be welcoming a brand new building in 2016. According
to Horn, the new venue – which will be known as the Golden 1 Center – will
feature more fan interaction and the fan experience in the VIP suites will
increase, through the use of iPad tablets to order concessions and merchandise,
as well as Wi-Fi capabilities, and various camera angles of the game from
multiple television screens within the suites.
However, renovations and updates will manifest
within the current Sleep Train Arena before the move, with the expansion and
renovation of VIP areas and suites. In regards to the relocation in 2016, Horn
stated he has already engaged in conversation with consultants about arena
configurations,. In terms of seating and sightlines and how the changes in
seating might affect current season ticket holders, Horn knows the NBA has
“many Best Practice scenarios and we have great blueprints to work from. We do
not have to reinvent the wheel.” Horn channeled from personal experience with
seating, having attended San Francisco 49ers games at Candlestick Park and now
at Levi’s Stadium.
Horn and Kirby discussed several other topics,
from variable and dynamic pricing (Horn favors keeping the games affordable for
fans, but understands the increase in price and the demand for games when the
more competitive and popular opponent comes to town). In addition, Horn wants
the Kings to “limit secondary ticket markets so games remain affordable, and to
give season ticket holders the best opportunity to resell their tickets for
games they cannot attend.”
Still, the Kings are doing better at selling
tickets, as Horn labeled them “as leading the NBA in new full season-ticket
sales.” The new season-ticket campaign “the Cap City Kingdom,” and the “Long
Life the Kings” slogan bring a one-two combination of freshness and a
revitalization to a franchise that almost changed residences. Horn still embarks in conversation with former
season-ticket holders, who reminisce about the team’s history. Kirby compares
the disconnect of former Kings fans with the current team to a divorce between
two people, to which Horn agrees.
Personally, I witness the importance of fan
engagement at every WWE NXT event I work in the Student Initiative. The NXT
brand is the hottest entity in Sports Entertainment right now. The crowd attendance
continues to increase, and the brand awareness is expanding exponentially,
which has led to the debut in new markets throughout the state of Florida. At
each event, the interaction with the audience – from the talent to the staff –
continues to be of most importance because our priority is putting smiles on
people’s faces and giving them the best experience possible. This has led to
the brand continuously growing outside of the Florida market, from New York to
California and other states in-between.
From autographed merchandise, photos, and programs, to meet & greet opportunities,
to social media contest giveaways, the activations are endless.
I believe these activations and added incentives
contribute to the success and expansion of the brand. Beyond the in-ring
product, which is top-notch on its own, the interaction the fans get with the
Superstars creates ever-lasting memories. It is these positive experiences that
the fans reflect upon and decide whether or not they will spend their
hard-earned money to come to the next show in their market. I already had an
good understanding of fan engagement before this internship but, these last few
months have provided me with real world experience about just how vital fan
engagement truly is.
