Increasing JAR Attendance/Engaging the Fans

[kreed5120]

Not really meaning to pour any salt on wounds. Someone mentioned CoC attendance in a previous post so I looked. If you go back 15 years they were averaging 3,400 fans, similar to us during the later Dambrot years, and that was with them having a relatively new arena.

 

Fast forward 15 years and they're now on a 39 game sell-out streak, meanwhile our attendance has cratered to ~2200. I do think it would be worthwhile for the Zips athletic department to maybe take a look at what factors maybe helped improve CoC numbers at a time when attendance is shrinking most places. Perhaps see if there is anything they've done to engage the community or improve the gameday experience that is transferable.

Edited 3 hours ago by kreed5120

[akzipper]

12 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

Not really meaning to pour any salt on wounds. Someone mentioned CoC attendance in a previous post so I looked. If you go back 15 years they were averaging 3,400 fans, similar to us during the later Dambrot years, and that was with them having a relatively new arena.

 

Fast forward 15 years and they're now on a 39 game sell-out streak, meanwhile our attendance has catered to ~2200. I do think it would be worthwhile for the Zips athletic department to maybe take a look at what factors maybe helped improve CoC numbers at a time when attendance is shrinking most places. Perhaps see if there is anything they've done to engage the community or improve the gameday experience that is transferable.

 

Zips fans show up when it counts. Kent games, Cleveland, etc. They don't care about directional Michigan schools coming to the JAR in the middle of December because those games don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. 

 

In Charleston their basketball team is really the only show in town and they have a much nicer arena. Everyone there probably goes all-in on the basketball team. Whereas in NE Ohio we have pro sports down the road in Cleveland, as well as two MAC schools splitting the region. 

[kreed5120]

20 minutes ago, akzipper said:

 

Zips fans show up when it counts. Kent games, Cleveland, etc. They don't care about directional Michigan schools coming to the JAR in the middle of December because those games don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. 

There are teams in the CAA that aren't any better than the directionals in the MAC. The CAA is also a 1 bid league.

 

CoC is averaging more fans now than when their arena opened 15-20 years ago. Obviously they have done something to improve the experience.

 

Edit: They've also been the only show in town for many years. That wouldn't explain why their attendance improved while ours regressed.

Edited 4 hours ago by kreed5120

[VAZip]

My perception, limited as it is, is that UA has a little bit of a branding problem. My daughter was there during the Dambrot years and being from VA didn’t have the ability to go home everyday or the weekends. The place was pretty much dead on the weekends. If the local kids only see UA as a convenient way to get a degree vs a true college experience it’s unlikely they attend many games. If you didn’t go as a student it’s unlikely you bring your family back as an adult. With 20k student around at anytime and probably 100k alums around Akron it’s crazy the JAR isn’t mostly full every game….its only 4% of the potential fan base.  I love Akron (much better than Charleston🤣) and my daughter loves UA. If we are within a couple hours on game day we go…unfortunately it’s not often enough.

[tpsjugglerdude]

I'm not sure if the women’s team still does this, but they used to schedule one or two games during the school day and fill the arena with kids. It was a great way to boost attendance. That’s exactly what the men’s team should do during the December lull, when students are off campus and we’re stuck with the inevitable Hiram/Walsh/University of Phoenix-type matchup. Most regular fans have little interest in those games, so there’s no reason to let average attendance take a hit.
 

We also need to leverage concessions to help drive attendance. At every level, teams are creating unique food offerings that fans attend specifically to try. These items often go viral and create a sense of FOMO. We should get creative with options like ice cream bowls, loaded fries, or other items served in 3-peat crowns. We also have a great business school, so let’s tap into marketing students’ creativity to help develop and promote these ideas.

Concessions should vary from game-to-game as well. For example, the MAC home opener could become an annual “MAC Night,” featuring mac and cheese flights. This could also serve as a contest for local restaurants to participate and showcase their offerings, and potentially leading to additional NIL.
 

Whenever games are flexed to Friday night, we can brand it as “Fryday Night” and offer a fun, over-the-top fried menu with items like Oreos, Reese’s, and more. The goal is to make concessions part of the experience, not just an afterthought.

[exit322]

2 minutes ago, tpsjugglerdude said:

Concessions should vary from game-to-game as well. For example, the MAC home opener could become an annual “MAC Night,” featuring mac and cheese flights. This could also serve as a contest for local restaurants to participate and showcase their offerings, and potentially leading to additional NIL.
 

Whenever games are flexed to Friday night, we can brand it as “Fryday Night” and offer a fun, over-the-top fried menu with items like Oreos, Reese’s, and more. The goal is to make concessions part of the experience, not just an afterthought.

 

Minor league baseball has done this successfully for years and years.

[kreed5120]

4 minutes ago, tpsjugglerdude said:

I'm not sure if the women’s team still does this, but they used to schedule one or two games during the school day and fill the arena with kids. It was a great way to boost attendance. That’s exactly what the men’s team should do during the December lull, when students are off campus and we’re stuck with the inevitable Hiram/Walsh/University of Phoenix-type matchup. Most regular fans have little interest in those games, so there’s no reason to let average attendance take a hit.
 

We also need to leverage concessions to help drive attendance. At every level, teams are creating unique food offerings that fans attend specifically to try. These items often go viral and create a sense of FOMO. We should get creative with options like ice cream bowls, loaded fries, or other items served in 3-peat crowns. We also have a great business school, so let’s tap into marketing students’ creativity to help develop and promote these ideas.

Concessions should vary from game-to-game as well. For example, the MAC home opener could become an annual “MAC Night,” featuring mac and cheese flights. This could also serve as a contest for local restaurants to participate and showcase their offerings, and potentially leading to additional NIL.
 

Whenever games are flexed to Friday night, we can brand it as “Fryday Night” and offer a fun, over-the-top fried menu with items like Oreos, Reese’s, and more. The goal is to make concessions part of the experience, not just an afterthought.

 

That's actually more useful thoughts than we typically get in this thread. I think concessions might be outsourced so I'm not sure how feasible it would be to implement this, but it's worth exploring. I would certainly enjoy loaded fries on Friday.

[clarkwgriswold]

9 minutes ago, exit322 said:

 

Minor league baseball has done this successfully for years and years.

They need only go a mile for an example.

[Let'sGoZips94]

18 minutes ago, tpsjugglerdude said:

I'm not sure if the women’s team still does this, but they used to schedule one or two games during the school day and fill the arena with kids. It was a great way to boost attendance. That’s exactly what the men’s team should do during the December lull, when students are off campus and we’re stuck with the inevitable Hiram/Walsh/University of Phoenix-type matchup. Most regular fans have little interest in those games, so there’s no reason to let average attendance take a hit.
 

We also need to leverage concessions to help drive attendance. At every level, teams are creating unique food offerings that fans attend specifically to try. These items often go viral and create a sense of FOMO. We should get creative with options like ice cream bowls, loaded fries, or other items served in 3-peat crowns. We also have a great business school, so let’s tap into marketing students’ creativity to help develop and promote these ideas.

Concessions should vary from game-to-game as well. For example, the MAC home opener could become an annual “MAC Night,” featuring mac and cheese flights. This could also serve as a contest for local restaurants to participate and showcase their offerings, and potentially leading to additional NIL.
 

Whenever games are flexed to Friday night, we can brand it as “Fryday Night” and offer a fun, over-the-top fried menu with items like Oreos, Reese’s, and more. The goal is to make concessions part of the experience, not just an afterthought.

 

Been saying it for years - there is too much focus on the suits and not enough focus on the general community. This type of stuff would be a hit with the general community. 

 

Outside of the Wentz-sponsored giveaways, the marketing is typically quite drab and borderline lazy. 

 

I'd like to see some sort of digital attendance punch card, similar to what you might fight at an ice cream stand. Set up a spot in the lobby or 2nd level where fans can have something scanned on their phone that logs their attendance in a database. Every game attended counts towards rewards.

 

1 game = Zippy Keychain

3 games = Zippy Plush

5 games = T Shirt

7 games = Hat

 

etc. 

 

Could also have each game count as an entry towards some sort of grand prize at the end of the season - future season ticket, tickets to the MAC tournament, something like that. 

 

I'd also like to see some sort of Zippy Kids Club brought back. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Let'sGoZips94

[tpsjugglerdude]

11 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Been saying it for years - there is too much focus on the suits and not enough focus on the general community. This type of stuff would be a hit with the general community. 

 

Outside of the Wentz-sponsored giveaways, the marketing is typically quite drab and borderline lazy. 

 

I'd like to see some sort of digital attendance punch card, similar to what you might fight at an ice cream stand. Set up a spot in the lobby or 2nd level where fans can have something scanned on their phone that logs their attendance in a database. Every game attended counts towards rewards.

 

1 game = Zippy Keychain

3 games = Zippy Plush

5 games = T Shirt

7 games = Hat

 

etc. 

 

Could also have each game count as an entry towards some sort of grand prize at the end of the season - future season ticket, tickets to the MAC tournament, something like that. 

 

I'd also like to see some sort of Zippy Kids Club brought back. 

 

Students used to have this during the KD era. It was called Roo Rewards and you could get points from all sports.

[HoopsFan03]

9 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Been saying it for years - there is too much focus on the suits and not enough focus on the general community. This type of stuff would be a hit with the general community. 

 

Outside of the Wentz-sponsored giveaways, the marketing is typically quite drab and borderline lazy. 

 

I'd like to see some sort of digital attendance punch card, similar to what you might fight at an ice cream stand. Set up a spot in the lobby or 2nd level where fans can have something scanned on their phone that logs their attendance in a database. Every game attended counts towards rewards.

 

1 game = Zippy Keychain

3 games = Zippy Plush

5 games = T Shirt

7 games = Hat

 

etc. 

 

Could also have each game count as an entry towards some sort of grand prize at the end of the season - future season ticket, tickets to the MAC tournament, something like that. 

 

I'd also like to see some sort of Zippy Kids Club brought back. 

Good ideas. A few years ago. Students had a punch card to get a jersey. 

 

Is Hoppin Frog still involved? Get more out of them or Thirsty Dog. College kids might drink $2 bud lights but I don't. 

 

The T-shirt toss was weak this year. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

I wonder if that exclusive Zips Fan Club thing is popping out ideas like these.

[kreed5120]

33 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Been saying it for years - there is too much focus on the suits and not enough focus on the general community. This type of stuff would be a hit with the general community. 

 

Outside of the Wentz-sponsored giveaways, the marketing is typically quite drab and borderline lazy. 

 

I'd like to see some sort of digital attendance punch card, similar to what you might fight at an ice cream stand. Set up a spot in the lobby or 2nd level where fans can have something scanned on their phone that logs their attendance in a database. Every game attended counts towards rewards.

 

1 game = Zippy Keychain

3 games = Zippy Plush

5 games = T Shirt

7 games = Hat

 

etc. 

 

Could also have each game count as an entry towards some sort of grand prize at the end of the season - future season ticket, tickets to the MAC tournament, something like that. 

 

I'd also like to see some sort of Zippy Kids Club brought back. 

 

Love the idea of a punch card. You can even expand it a bit to include perks that cost the University little to no money, but might be viewed favorably to others who don't typically get those experiences.

 

2 - courtside seats for 1 game

2 - tickets to Tommy Evans Lounge 1 game

 

[kreed5120]

26 minutes ago, HoopsFan03 said:

Good ideas. A few years ago. Students had a punch card to get a jersey. 

 

Is Hoppin Frog still involved? Get more out of them or Thirsty Dog. College kids might drink $2 bud lights but I don't. 

 

The T-shirt toss was weak this year. 

They have craft beers at the arena. You'll just be paying more than $2 lol.

[tpsjugglerdude]

9 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

I wonder if that exclusive Zips Fan Club thing is popping out ideas like these.

Not sure what that is, but happy to provide more ideas if they need some. I came up with those ideas as I typed. I work in marketing. Give me time to brainstorm more and I'll come up with even better ideas. 

[GP1]

The CoC discussion is interesting. I didn't know their attendance was so successful until today so I'm learning along with everyone. I live in SC and go there about once a month. The people I know don't talk about going, but it's a big area and it doesn't take many people to fill their arena, which is a takeaway for Akron. Everyone in NE Ohio can't go to every game. They just need more people who are interested and willing to go. 

 

CoC does get a big student crowd, which doesn't strike me as unusual because they tend to live on campus and going to the beach isn't an option during basketball season. The students also take a lot of pride in going there. I've always heard that their baseball team gets good crowds. They play over by the aircraft carrier at Patriot Point in Mt. Pleasant, I think and it's a convenient place to go. 

 

What they have executed on is the goose that laid the golden egg in sports attendance. The key to success is selling as many season tickets as possible. CoC has three consecutive seasons of sell out season tickets. That's amazing. If people buy tickets, they tend to go or give them to someone who will. 

 

The downtown area of Charleston is slow in the winter and there are far fewer activities because their organized activities tend to be outside and it does get cold there in January and February. CoC allows a high quality indoor event separate from the cold so that has to be attractive. Moreover, it's cold but there are not several inches of snow on the road. The parking situation isn't the greatest, but with fewer tourists in the winter, it's manageable. 

 

I don't know. Call me crazy, but maybe making their athletic department benefit the athletes students alumni fans and general community around the school pays off. 

[exit322]

3 minutes ago, GP1 said:

I don't know. Call me crazy, but maybe making their athletic department benefit the athletes students alumni fans and general community around the school pays off. 

 

You're crazy!

[Let'sGoZips94]

57 minutes ago, tpsjugglerdude said:

Not sure what that is, but happy to provide more ideas if they need some. I came up with those ideas as I typed. I work in marketing. Give me time to brainstorm more and I'll come up with even better ideas. 

 

It's called the Zips Fan Council and it sounds like a decent number of ZN members signed up for it, but none of us were chosen to my knowledge. They were doing final interviews last I heard with the first meeting set for sometime in the spring. The running joke is that it seems like a lot of effort when they could just join ZN, make a thread called "Zips Fan Council" and have brainstorm sessions here. 

[Hilltopper]

10 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

It's called the Zips Fan Council and it sounds like a decent number of ZN members signed up for it, but none of us were chosen to my knowledge. They were doing final interviews last I heard with the first meeting set for sometime in the spring. The running joke is that it seems like a lot of effort when they could just join ZN, make a thread called "Zips Fan Council" and have brainstorm sessions here. 

They haven't chosen anyone yet. Give them time. 

[kreed5120]

14 minutes ago, GP1 said:

 

What they have executed on is the goose that laid the golden egg in sports attendance. The key to success is selling as many season tickets as possible. CoC has three consecutive seasons of sell out season tickets. That's amazing. If people buy tickets, they tend to go or give them to someone who will. 

 

I agree with pretty much everything you'd stated, but found this to be especially true. Scarcity drives demand. Particularly in this age of people wanting to show off on social media. 

 

People buy season tickets because they feel they have to and then keep them because it's a great experience watching games with an energized crowd.

 

Perhaps the change needs to start with us on Zipsnation. Last year I bought 1 season ticket and split it in half as many games my fiancé work schedule didn't allow for her to attend and there were quite a few games that frankly I had little interest in committing time to attend in person. I will commit to two tickets next season and try to invite friends to games when fiancé can't attend. Perhaps that leads them to getting tickets in the future.

[Let'sGoZips94]

4 minutes ago, Hilltopper said:

They haven't chosen anyone yet. Give them time. 

 

So it wasn't a rejection email we received? It read like a rejection email. 

[Hilltopper]

7 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

So it wasn't a rejection email we received? It read like a rejection email. 

Nope. Just an apology for not doing anything yet. It did say there would be no notice if you were not selected. 

[exit322]

3 minutes ago, Hilltopper said:

Nope. Just an apology for not doing anything yet. It did say there would be no notice if you were not selected. 

 

So it was a rejection letter.

[Let'sGoZips94]

6 minutes ago, Hilltopper said:

Nope. Just an apology for not doing anything yet. It did say there would be no notice if you were not selected. 

 

It actually didn't. Here's what I received...

 

"Thank you for your support of the Zips and interest in joining the Zips Fan Council!   While it’s been a hectic time of year with basketball season in full-swing, I wanted to send out a quick update regarding where our department is currently at with creating the Zips Fan Council.  We had overwhelming interest in being a part of this council, with just under 100 applicants from across the state of Ohio and beyond.  

 

Our goal for this council is to build a group that spans across as many different demographics as possible, and as such we’ve selected limited numbers of individuals across a wide variety of graduation years and backgrounds to accomplish this goal.  We are in the final stages of scheduling interviews with applicants and hope to have our council members finalized in the coming weeks, with our first meeting late in the spring.   

 

If you were not chosen to move forward in the process, please know that it was based on limited availability and Akron Athletics appreciates and values your support.  As this will be a group that ebbs and flows based on availability, we would love to consider you for the group in the future even if you are not ultimately selected in this first iteration."

 

The part I put in bold is what reads like a rejection. 

 

Regardless, I still don't understand why they aren't joining ZipsNation for feedback, suggestions, brainstorming, etc. 

[kreed5120]

1 minute ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Regardless, I still don't understand why they aren't joining ZipsNation for feedback, suggestions, brainstorming, etc. 

What's to say they aren't here lurking already?