Promotion: Combine Events for a Jumbo Sports Night

Dick Moss, Editor

Here's an idea that may improve exposure to your school sports program. Offer an evening in which spectators are able to watch not just one, but several varsity competitions.

How to Organize
This is a great time to go all out in promoting your school. Schedule two or more sports on the same evening–for example, wrestling, basketball and volleyball. The idea is to provide better value than with the presentation of a single event. This should also supply the participating sports with fans who might never ordinarily attend their events.

You might consider scheduling the most popular sport in the middle of the card so early-comers will catch some of the previous competition, and perhaps linger to watch the following sport. For example, start with wrestling, then guys' basketball (which is often the school's most popular sport), then finish with a girls' volleyball match.

Other Entertainment
Between sports, have a concession area open and provide entertainment so your fans don't head for the parking lot. Your school's music or drama department may be able to assist you with this entertainment—and in the process receive unexpected exposure themselves.

References
1. John R. Johnson, Promotion for SportDirectors, Human Kinetics Publishers, 1996.
2. Frank Supovitz, The Sports Event Management and Marketing Playbook, Wiley, 2nd Edition. 2013.

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