Gameops.com: First
of all, tell us about what you do for the 67's.
Glen
Gower: I'm
the "Audio/Visual Producer". My main responsibility
is looking after all of our videoboard content and
game day entertainment. But I also do some Web design,
graphic design, and other special projects.
Gameops.com: Explain
your Baby Race promotion (I will also use your link of
the rules).
Glen
Gower: Whenever
we put a cute baby up on our video scoreboard, it always
gets some "oohs" and "aahs" from
the crowd. Imagine the crowd response to EIGHT cute
babies on the video scoreboard. I'd seen baby races
done before -- although I'm not sure if it's ever been
done at a sporting event.
Our Baby
Race was an intermission event featuring eight babies.
They "raced" -- crawled -- at centre ice on a
15-foot track -- which was a carpet divided by tape into
eight different lanes. The moms were with their kids at
the starting line, and the dads were at the finish line.
Dads were allowed to bring one item to encourage their
baby to "come to daddy".
During
the game, we introduced the eight contestants on the video
scoreboard during a commercial time-out. We made a "hero
card" for each baby on the video scoreboard (see Web
site).
We also
gave each baby a numbered bib. (My wife made these -- she
painted numbers onto the back of some store-bought baby
bibs.) Each number coincided with our top players. That
gave fans a baby to root for.
The goal
of holding the Baby Race was to create an exciting, original
event that would be entertaining, and generate a good "buzz" about
the team in the community.
|
From
the 67's web site, their second place winner Hailey. |
Gameops.com: How
did you find contestants? Was it difficult to get enough
people?
Glen
Gower: We
promoted the Baby Race at our games and on our Web
site for about four weeks before the actual event.
We invited people to sign up via a form on our Web
site, or in person at our box office. The eight babies
were chosen at random from all entries received.
I think
about 15 people in total entered the race. That was fewer
than I was hoping for, but still enough to choose the eight
contestants from.
Gameops.com: How
successful was your event? Did it draw significant interest
from your fans and the media?
Glen
Gower: It
was an extremely popular intermission event. It really
created a "buzz" around the arena. The typical
intermission games (shoot-outs, obstacle courses, etc.)
can become routine -- but this one kept everyone in
their seats.
The race
was picked up by our two main local television stations.
They each ran a story on the event on the evening news.
I think it was the lead story on one of the stations. One
of the local community newspapers ran a large photo on
the front page. So it was great exposure for the club.
Gameops.com: Were
the sponsors of the event pleased?
Glen
Gower: This
event didn't have a title sponsor. To be honest, none
of us really knew how well it would work. What if the
babies just sat there? What if they all fell asleep?
So we didn't sell this to any sponsor.
We did
have several of our existing sponsors provide some prizing,
which worked out really well -- they were happy with the
exposure from the event. The winning baby won over $1,000
in prizes, which is a big prize for an intermission event.
Gameops.com: Will
you do this event again?
|
Click
the photo to see the
Baby Race Slide Show |
Glen
Gower: Absolutely.
We are looking for a title sponsor for the event, and
it will likely be one of our marquee promotions next
year.
Gameops.com: Did
you think this exposed your hockey team to a different
demographic > (young families) than you typically might
with other promotions?
Glen
Gower: We
promote our games as an affordable family outing --
so this event fit in perfectly with our goal of reaching
young families.
Gameops.com: -Did
you included any other "baby" themes into the
night (with music, > video, player bios, premiums, discounts
at the merchadise stands for kid's > items, etc)?
Glen
Gower: Besides
what I've mentioned above, we did use some extra baby
music - "Baby Love", "Hit Me Baby One
More Time". We discussed a few premium and discount
tie-ins, which we may use next year. One idea was to
offer half-price tickets to any parents who come to
the game with a baby.
Gameops.com: Was
there anything you would change about the promotion if
you do this > again?
Glen
Gower: We're
hoping that with a sponsor next year, we can attract
more entries. For example, the sponsor would help us
promote the event, and all contest entries would be
dropped off at the sponsor's location. That would help
drive traffic to the sponsor as well.
I would
like to use a bigger carpet next year. The one we had this
year was 15x10, and it was barely big enough.
I would
also change the baby ages. This year babies could be 6-9
months old. I think 7-10 months would be better.
Gameops.com: Did
this promotion help draw fans, or bring in people who may
not > typically come to your games?
Glen
Gower: We'll
be able to guage that better in the second year of
the promotion. Hopefully we'll draw fans to the game
who missed the first Baby Race, and want to be there
in person for the second one.
Gameops.com: Anything
else people should consider when planning a promotion like
this?
Glen
Gower: I
was happy with how we used our Web site to tie in with
this event. Leading up to gameday, we added a Web poll
on our site where people could vote for their favorite
baby. And after the event, we posted "play-by-play" photos
of the contestants. The cute photos were a good draw
for our Web site.
Some
important elements to consider for anyone planning a baby
race:
- Provide
a quiet area for parents, for feeding, changing, etc.
- If
your sport has any danger of flying pucks, foul balls,
etc. -- make sure that the contestants are seated out
of harm's way. We reserved a section for the babies & parents
behind the protective netting behind our goal.
- We
held a information meeting with the parents a few days
before the event, to explain the rules and procedures.
They could ask questions, and give us some suggestions
on how to make the event run smoother.
10
BONUS Kids's and Baby Related Ideas from Gameops.com
Promotion Pages. There are hundreds of ideas on
these pages, don't forget to jumpstart your brainstorming
sessions with a visit to Gameops.com.
- The
Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs (A/Devil Rays), known for
their outrageous promotions thanks to team president
Mike Veeck, have more than a few lined up for 2001, though
some of the more unique are still in the planning stages
and dates will be announced later. But "Card-Me
Night" when the team takes on the Savannah Sand
Gnats (Rangers) promises to be a favorite for little
kids. Fans age 12 and under will make a dash for a huge
pile of baseball card packages in the outfield. (From
USAToday)
- Flipper
Race - Three contestants lined up at 2nd base. They are
wearing diving flippers, diving mask and snorkel, and
a life preserver. They must race to a finish line near
on-deck circle and must be sure to touch third. We were
able to get most contestants to dive across the finish
line. (Hudson Valley Renegades)
- Birth
Night - The Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox invited
20 expectant mothers — dozens of others had to
be turned away — to attend ``Birth Night''. The
first one to give birth after the first pitch wins a
year's supply of diapers. Ambulances and a local obstetrician
was on call. "They'll take her to a hospital,''
Spinners spokesman Dan Hoffman said. ``She's not going
to give birth on the concourse.'' The
women and their partners get free box seats behind home
plate — under the screen, so they're protected
from foul balls, of course. The idea gained national
attention.
- Dizzy
Bat Races- Two contestants place their nose on
the end of a bat, and spin around ten times. The dizzied
contestants then run towards a finish line about 50 yards
away. Watch out for the dugouts! (Thanks Reading
Phillies)
- Drawing
Kids In - The Minnesota Twins asked local students
K-8 to submit artwork for their holiday cards. The
winning student will have the opportunity to watch a
Twins game from a luxury suite next season.
- Kids
Only Day - The Saint Paul Saints are hosting a Kids Only
Day, when only 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders (and their chaperones)
are invited into the game.
- Moms/Dads
and Kids run the Bases - Something we did with unbelievably
great results. Originally children 14 years old
or younger were allowed to run with their mom on Mother's
Day, and their Dads on Father's Day. This having been
the final year in Tiger Stadium, we had 40-year-old kids
pushing their parents in wheelchairs, etc. Realizing
there would be no way to distinguish adult from child,
the team allowed everyone to touch the bases. The event
lasted 1 1/2 hours after both games!!! (Thanks
Detroit Tigers)
- Little
Tikes Hockey Challenge - tricycle or big wheel races
on the ice with contestants riding through a slalom course
of cones and then getting off their bikes to shoot the
puck in the net - winner gets a gift certificate to Philbrick's
Sports. Thanks Univ. of New Hampshire Hockey
- "Be
a player for a Day" - Register your child
at all area restaurants for the chance to become a "Player
for a Day". Contest open to youngsters between the
ages of 5-14. Grand prize: on-ice ceremony signing of
a 1-day contract; a chance to sit on the team bench during
pre-game warm-ups, a party suite for 50; and autographed
replica team jersey and hockey stick. (Thanks SF Stampede)
- "Halloween
Candy Dash" - Costume contest for children between
the ages of 5-10. Ten contestants will compete on the
ice in a 30 second dash for Halloween treats. Grand prize
for heaviest candy bag is a 5-pound candy bar and free
dental cleaning. Every youth in attendance receives a
free Halloween Bag (plastic). (Thanks SF Stampede)
Thanks
to Glen Gower and the Ottawa 67's for their time and consideration
in preparing this interivew and related content.
Prizes that
were offered by the Ottawa 67's for this season's baby
race.
1st
Place
- Barbecue from Climec Residential Inc.
- $150 Baby Gift Basket from Loeb
- Two 1-year fitness memberships from Goodlife
-$50 Gift Certificate from Natural Food Pantry
- $50 Gift Certificate from Montana’s
- Spider-Man DVD from Rogers Video
- CAA Fleece Vest
- Prize pack from the Ottawa Sun
2nd
Place
- $100 Baby Gift Basket from Loeb
- One 6-month fitness membership from Goodlife
- $25 Gift Certificate from Montana’s
- Spider-Man DVD from Rogers Video
3rd
Place
- $50 Baby Gift Basket from Loeb
- One 6-month fitness membership from Goodlife
- $25 Gift Certificate from Montana’s
All
contestants
- Entertainment coupon book from CHEZ 106
- Family video from CHEZ 106
- Gift certificate from the Ottawa Lynx
- Four tickets from the Ottawa 67's
