Arenas, Attendance, and Activations

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.