Every year the same question is asked to owners and PR people from the Boston Celtics about in-game entertainment and every year we get the same generic answer. It usually follows the line of a casual sports fan and that this stuff tests pretty highly.
Well here is an online poll from ESPN about in-game entertainment
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/polling?event_id=3478&action=1&question26445=105055&question26446=105057&question26447=105060&question26448=105062&question26449=105065&question26450=105073&question26451=105074&question26452=105080One could say well ESPN is for sports fans which is partly true. ESPN is also one of the highest rated networks and a complete juggernaut when it comes to anything sports. Almost every male goes to their website at least once a day. I think the casual fan is indifferent, they don't really know what they want so they will say YES to anything.
I think at the very least coming from Boston and being a Boston fan our experience should be unique to other arena's. There was something special about not having a dance squad. I think GINO is a pretty unique touch. But get rid of the PYRO the NOISE O METER. The single best fan experience I have ever had was the Celtics 21 point comeback against the NETS. There was a lot of Jumbo-Tron but it was really well timed and there was a lot of improv. Instead of telling the crowd to make noise. The camera would focus on this really attractive blonde and everytime they wanted to lift the crowd they would show her. They would also show the Larry Bird look-a-like who sits in the balcony. Finally when things really heated up they showed the super-man guy. Part of what made that experience great was how the visuals on the Jumo-tron were unique to that time and place to that specific moment. I think a lot of the energy was dicteted by the fans and the players not by the screen.
Then again if your team is stinking out the joint and you want keep fans in their seats then you have to get creative. The key word is creative though. Using the same old canned ideas that every other arena uses is not always gonna work. The best way to keep a fan in their seat is with a good product on the court field or ice. I think some of the age old gimmicks work, like offereing free things throughout the game. Letting people know they are part of a raffle. I think even giving out something like free pop-corn would be a great idea because then fans will have to buy a soda or beer. I think the key is to really BE creative I would try sometihng new every night. In the end the sports product itself is what determines whether a fan stays in their seats or even buys them.
Topic: The Fan's have Spoken! (Read 2321 times)