6 Tips for sports sponsorship & game operations success

Teams can keep sponsors happy by investing in creative and making sure their game ops are well executed.

1. Create new inventory to entice sponsors.

New opportunities for sponsors and corporate partners to get their message out can pay off big for your sales team. Think outside the box for unique opportunities to attract and renew sponsors. Races, swaps, crowd pumps and interactive trivia are great examples of premium sponsor inventory. The animation can be detailed and tailored to a sponsor’s theme. If the presentation is executed well (graphics, timing and sponsor branding), it can help keep a long-term relationship with your corporate partner. Impress the partner and they will want to renew their deal for the following season. Custom, themed animations that cater to a sponsor’s brand are always a hit.

Sample frames from a college hockey sponsor’s themed ribbon animation.

2. Invest in creative.

Animated player intros, themed graphics templates, 3D logo elements, crowd pumps. Set your team or program apart from the competition. Clients I work with invest a bit up front to create larger opportunities for sponsor revenue. If you put on a good show, fans will remember it — and more importantly, sponsors will take note. Having a team that’s winning on the field, court, or ice will definitely attract sponsors. However, when they’re not having a great season, solid creative will help you keep those sponsors on board and fans entertained. Build the cost of the creative into your sponsor package offerings and make sure you have a reliable creative partner to work with.

Sample animation ribbon frames. These were designed for a college basketball client’s sponsors.

3. Make your game presentation memorable.

This is where I’ve found that some teams fall short. You want a show for your fans — and again, something that will impress potential sponsors. Static ribbon ads, generic template videoboard graphics, and doing the same thing year after year all signal amateur hour. I work with teams to create sponsor ribbon spots and videoboard creative to attract fan attention, and I always encourage them to do as much animation as much as possible. Would you rather see a tire store’s name and location on a static solid background — or a sports car whizzing by with cameras flashing on it followed by an animated 3D logo? I think we both know the answer.

Giddy up: Running 3D horse rig from a recent crowd pump animation.

4. Make sure your music is done right.

Everyone is a music critic it seems like. You’re not going to please everyone with the selection you choose, but at least try. Mix it up, but also know your audience. I went to a few games at a client’s ballpark one season and the playlist was almost all country music because that’s what the coaches wanted to hear. Nothing against country, but you can’t just play one genre all game long. Also, be sure to edit tracks to start at points that make an impact, not just starting a song at the beginning. That sounds like a no-brainer, but I’ve been to plenty of games where the music wasn’t cut. Also, if you have time during preseason planning, match up some tracks to your crowd pumps for greater effect. Make sure the music doesn’t offend or is edited properly — especially if it’s part of a sponsor’s promotion.

5. Have reliable game day staff.

Make sure all game day staff responsibilities are assigned. Small details can easily fall through the cracks because a great deal of confusion if not planned out correctly. Make sure EVERYONE has a copy of (and has read through) the script. Also, make sure you have enough staff to cover every aspect of the plan. Make it one person’s job just to ensure sponsor elements run and are logged properly for reporting purposes. It’s important to entertain fans, but if sponsors aren’t happy, you won’t be able to afford the show for very long. Make sure videoboard playout, music, camera and on-field promo staff are ready to go and that everyone is on the same page, literally.

Make sure everyone knows both the script and their role on game day.

6. Keep it fun & make it electric!

There’s nothing better when it all comes together — videoboard, ribbons, music — and the game itself is a good one. One of my favorite memories from doing game ops was a double-overtime basketball game between rival schools. As the clock counted down, I remember seeing people in the nosebleed seats jumping up and down to music I was playing during the game’s final timeout. Everything was in sync with my crowd pump ribbon animations and the atmosphere was electric. There were also a lot of late timeouts for extra sponsor spots to run in the arena. Our team won both on and off the court that night.

Remember that you’re in the entertainment business. It’s not just your corpoate sales team’s job to attract sponsors and keep those relationships afloat. Incorporating your partners into the game experience is crucial as they help pay the bills. Your game day experience can enhance a game and create buzz among your fan base and attract new sponsor revenue.

— SP