How to improve attendance and polish the gameday experience.

[NWLB]

We have so many basic elements in place that have improved the gameday experience at BGSU. Without suggesting a reinvention of the wheel, how could some of these things be polished.

How could marketing be adjusted to improve effectiveness?

[BGorDeath]

How about some brass poles for the dance team? Sorry, that should be a basketball suggestion. Ok, how about Hooter girls hawking concessions in the stands?

[NWLB]

Or a serious answer.

Per a post on another thread:

There isn't a hard and fixed way to figure these things, so the best we are left with are educated guesses and observation.

At or near the bottom of BG's past downturn, the Falcons still drew about 8,500 to some of the least appealing games late in the year. There were no students there.
So I will figure the hard-core local fan base to be that figure.

If BG draw 5,000 to 7,500 students per game, and you add them to the hard-core fans, you have a rough average of 16,000.

With those numbers in mind, factor in locals staying home and out of the weather, and several thousand alumni that don't normally come to games being present.

Give or take the place of the Falcons in a title race, who we are playing, and you have a good picture of who didn't show up to homecoming.

From that, you can gain some idea of what is and is not working marketing wise.

I think we buy into catching phrases to much. Folks are unhappy that we drew so low for homecoming, so understandably, those inclined to show up anyway, declare it "inexcusable." The inexcusable part is hinged on the fact we declared the game "homecoming" in this case. What is homecoming? Not many alumni came to campus in the good days because of it. Why are people going to go out of their individual or family routine on a Saturday, to show up for it?

There are some reunions for select groups, a few modestly attended alumni association events, the game, etc. I say modestly attended events because compared to a 25,000 seat stadium, they don't amount to much impact as they currently stand. So clearly whatever homecoming is supposed to mean to alumni, it doesn't. At the very least, it isn't convincing many alumni to travel two to three hours to attend it.

So inexcusable attendance depends on how you look at it. It is a call to dig deeper into why alumni don't come back and to polish what is done.

Hence my other thread on improving attendance and polishing the gameday experience.

[1987alum]

I said inexcusable and I stand by the choice of word(s).

The University needs to make Homecoming a must-attend event. I'm not necessarily blaming the alumni, because I agree that there's not exactly a packed lineup of stuff to do. But that's inexcusable, too. We shouldn't need a "big" game to draw a big crowd. Homecoming should be enough.

Using your math, which looks pretty reasonable to me, we should be able to pull 16,000 with minimal effort. That should be the base number, assuming the on-field performance continues at its present level.

[NWLB]

I'm not really sure I disagree with your choice of words actually. But as you say, it isn't a matter of blaming alumni and such.

I'd be curious to see them offer a drop-off daycare option for alumni seeking to attend a game, dance, concert, or reunion. I'm sure there are a million reasons why they wouldn't be able to use the on-campus facility. But if they did it on a RSVP basis, and partnered with one or more local day-cares, it might attract a few more people. Even if they attached a nominal fee for the service.

Per the other thread:

I don't think it is a much a matter of pride, as much as habit. In some respects, it is a matter of marketing and money. There isn't much money, and the marketing is therefore kept more general.

Maybe homecoming as we have known it, has outlived its purpose? After all, if it is supposed to be about pride in BGSU, why should that be restricted to one weekend. Focus to tightly on HC for alumni, and when they can't make it, you may do more to cause them to give-up on coming back at all that year. The University shouldn't make alumni feel that there isn't going to be something to do if they can't make it back a given weekend. The alumni and development people already are spread thin for HC.

Target the pioneer groups and older alumni circles for the home opener, before they snowbird south. Target parents day for alumni with kids and families in particular. Target single alumni and the younger set for a weekend with the traditional HC, if you keep the title at all, and taylor events for the young and single set. Spread reunions for fixed years over other games. The individual colleges and programs factor into this as well.

I'm sure somebody would argue it is harder to plan for several home dates as a University, and it is better to combine all focus on a single date. I would argue it isn't, and if it is hard, that is what needs to be done. Not for the sake of boosting football attendance as it is for rallying support for the University in general. Why limit the range of time you can use a huge marketing tool that can draw alumni back to campus.

Regardless, if in an otherwise good year, we don't draw more than 16,000 for a HC game, "61" and others are right, there is something wrong.

[BGorDeath]

I'm sorry that I didn't take this thread serious enough. My bad. If I may, I would like present a serious take on attendance.

What needs to be kept in mind is that the BG football program has only had recent success for about four years now. There has been a whole generation of fans that only have seen dismal football played at BG. The Moe Ankney years and the Gary Blackney years, save a few at the beginning of his tenure, have been, for lack of better words, pathetic. During those times, many fans were put off by the product on the field. If you went to the games as a child at that time or were a student during that time, you probably only remember a crappy time at the game so you are not inclined to attend as an adult or alumni.

What people need to stop doing and looking for a quick fix to the perceived attendance problem at BGSU. It is what it is based on the past. And compared to the past 10-15 years, it is much improved. Very improved.

What truly needs to be done at this time is to cultivate a following by the younger generation and I think that is exactly what the University is trying to do. Going to BGSU football is a family event. It is a good place to take your kids on a Saturday (unlike going to the Browns according to the 10/19 Findlay Courier) where you do not have to fear drunks or loud cursing in the stadium. With the product on the field and the atmosphere in the stands, the beginning of a loyal fan base is being built. Will we see that result in 2006? No. Will we see it in 2014? Maybe.

Get them while they are young. That is the key.

I remind myself of a story of a UM fan. I asked him why does he and his family go to the every game in Ann Arbor every year? The man said because his dad took him to every game and it is the one lasting memory he has of his father. He wants to make sure his son has the same memories. No marketing technique can beat that.

I'll say it again: Get them while they are young.

Do you think the University is doing that now? The inflatable Kids Zone? Falcon Kids Club? Kickoff Kids? Coin-toss Kids? Cultivation.

If we are going to begin to question the alumni for not attending a game, you should really question the alumni that were there and didn't bring their child, grandchild, niece, nephew, younger sibling or neighbor's kid. That is truly where it is at.

I am now going to back away from this dead horse. I hope I was serious enough for this thread.

[1987alum]

BGorDeath:



Very well put. Gameday needs to be an event, one that caters to the BG family. I'm sure the Freak's boys will bring their children to BG games in 2030 and I suspect my son will do the same in 2035. But the more BG can do to draw those families in, the greater the long-term effect.

[NWLB]

More effective maybe, to sponsor a charter bus in Cleveland, that becomes a fixture. Folks know it will be there, charge them slightly more than a reserve ticket (which pays for the bus) and don't worry about the lost ticket revenue. As popularity grows, expand the fleet of bus'.

You'd have to be able to do some market research, figure how many folks would use it, and promote it. But I've heard of stranger things working.

Expand the idea to Columbus, Cinncy, Dayton, Lima. Maybe attach an identity to it, sell it as part of the season ticket package. Heck, sell a road-trip package that way.

[Flipper]

Schedule a few postgame Foghat concerts and watch thsoe turnstiles spin...

[TG1996]

I've thought about that for the past few years. I don't know that kids will want to go to the game because they have an inflatable slide there, but they'll want to come back. But it doesn't seem too hard to find ways to get them into the games. I know that the team already has a full schedule with classes, practices and games and such, and they already do alot of community-type events, but why not pick one or two nights the week before a home game and visit a classroom or a scout meeting, or even a pee wee football game and meet kids and hand out tickets. That way, kids can go to the game and instead of looking for the slide, they can look and see "There's #4, I know him!" And as good as the players are about thanking the fans after games, if you sit those kids in the front rows by the player entrance, talking to them afterwards would leave a lasting impression that not even a 56-21 win over Toledo could replace (okay, maybe a little ). And as far as cost to the University, sure 100 or so tickets is 1400 bucks they might miss out on, but if they're not packing the place anyway, its 1400 bucks they might make in the future, not to mention the concession money those free tickets might bring.

I think I've mentioned it before, but at one point I had even thought of buying tickets and mailing them to the coaching staff (or a friend in the area) and instructing them to take them down to Kroger or something and randomly hand them to a father and son (or daughter) walking out of the store. No thank you needed, except to hear back about what they thought of Falcon football.

I'll say it again for ya... Get 'em while they're young!

[Flipper]

My three year-old is a football fanatic. Everytime she sees me wearing something with a BG logo on it she asks me if we're going to a game.

I'm pretty sure it's not the top notch concessions that are drawing her.

[BGorDeath]

I think your daughter is a fanatic because you are a fanatic. You have raised her right. This only goes to help prove my point about taking your children to the games. Here is your treat (pretend that I just tossed you a Tootsie Roll).

My son goes crazy when we go past the stadium. He cries when we don't turn into the ice arena parking lot when we are on our way to a basketball game. He does get happy again when he realizes we are just going to a different game.

We are the living proof of "getting them while they are young."

[Falconfreak90]

I think your daughter is a fanatic because you are a fanatic. You have raised her right. This only goes to help prove my point about taking your children to the games. Here is your treat (pretend that I just tossed you a Tootsie Roll).

My son goes crazy when we go past the stadium. He cries when we don't turn into the ice arena parking lot when we are on our way to a basketball game. He does get happy again when he realizes we are just going to a different game.

We are the living proof of "getting them while they are young."

Hence the reason I've drilled into the Freaklings heads that BG football (and other BG athletics) is THEE way to go. They are BG fans totally....and they want to go to as many games as possible.

[Falcon Fanatic]

I think your daughter is a fanatic because you are a fanatic.

HEY....I thought I was the FANATIC around here....oh, sorry, off topic...darned ADHD kicking in again.....what was the topic?????

[transfer2BGSU]

More effective maybe, to sponsor a charter bus in Cleveland, that becomes a fixture.

Expand the idea to Columbus, Cincy, Dayton, Lima.

Great alumni chapter events.