Temporary Tattoos
EnterSport Convention Update
Detroit Shock
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Snap Bracelet
Punch List
Portland Trailblazers
Six from Six: Gameops.com Team Reviews
In 2006 Gameops.com will feature six game reviews from six teams around sports. We have selected teams across different sports, leagues, levels and markets to hopefully give readers a good variety of subjects.
For these game reviews, we visited each team for a game with one goal: Find six things each team is doing well and discuss how other teams can find similar success by following their lead.
The entire Six from Six Series is now available in a printable document on the Gameops.com Store.
Six from Six: Portland Trailblazers
Game Notes
The Blazers played their seventh game of the season against the Utah Jazz. The Blazers entered the season with an emphasis on reestablishing their community connection and trying to recapture their fan base after two years of missing the playoffs for the first time in 20 years and several negative off the court incidents involving players.
The Blazers are a familiar team, since Gameops.com was based in Portland for five years. We traveled back in December 2005 to see what the Blazers were doing well amid different circumstances and with a different game director.
The game was reviewed by Gameops.com Editor Jon Cudo December 4th, 2005.
Staff
Todd Bosma
Game Presentation Manager/ In Arena Host (Todd even has his own web page)
Craig Miller
Game Production Director
John Jackson
Music Director
Entertainment/Talent
Blazer Dancers, Hip Hop Dancers, Breakers, Blaze (mascot), Jr. Dancers and scoreboard operation by Post-Up Production
The Lessons from Portland
- Lesson 1: Music ties the show together
- Lesson 2: Multiple openings keep the games fresh
- Lesson 3: Allow flexibility in your game script
- Lesson 4: Connect with the sport and league
- Lesson 5: Use simple effects for bright results with lighting effects
- Lesson 6: Position Yourself for Success
Lesson 1: Music ties the show together
Lesson 2: Multiple openings keep the games fresh
Lesson 3: Allow flexibility in your game script
Lesson 4: Connect with the sport and league
Lesson 5: Use simple effects for bright results with lighting effects
Lesson 6: Position Yourself for Success
Most Game Directors are positioned at the arena in one spot...wherever the last Game Director for their team sat. The location of your Game Director can be an important factor in how they are able to call games, and the Blazers have a very good location reserved for the Game Director, the music operator and assorted other staff.
The Rose Garden has a production table and seating mid-way up at center court on the lower level. This location allows for easy access to the court and concourses, perfect line of sight for the court and scoreboard and, most importantly, a seat among the fans where the game director can really get a feel for the crowd, their response and energy, as well as their reaction to the event production.
In a modern building like the Rose Garden, like most buildings, you could create the Game Operations Director's post in many different locations, but I don't think you would find one better suited for event production.
In addition to being a part of the crowd, this approachable location allowed the director to discuss up-coming time outs with the staff, without having to radio back and forth. The cumulative group discussion was clearly enjoyed by the Blazers production team and was evident in their decision making ability and their execution.
Like most choices, there are some negatives. In their case, the Game Director isn't seated with the PA Announcer, but the Blazers used Clear Com to connect with their veteran voice man, minimizing the disadvantage of not being at the scorers table.
When considering where your events are called from, explore the possible solutions and weigh the advantages carefully. Being connected to your fans, in a comfortable and accessible location, with good sight-lines and the ability to discuss the show with staff may strongly outweigh being next to your PA announcer or at the scorers table in the "middle of the action".
Lesson: Reconsider the location of your Game Director to best experience and call your games.
The Blazers have a very good show and are working hard to counter what have been a few difficult years on and off the court. I thought they used the Game Presentation very well to connect to their team goals (like Community Outreach).
I got the sense that they were very aware that their show was subject to the fan's likes and dislikes and were always looking for ways to tweak parts of the show and improve them. The trail of sharp and simple ideas (like the gobo glowing logo and the team ranking introduction) were an indication that there is a consistent and long-term effort there to see what works, what's possible and what might be interesting...then to keep what is working as part of their show.
The entire Six from Six Series is now available in a printable document on the Gameops.com Store.
- Lesson 1: Build around a Theme (Blue Jackets)
- Lesson 2: Great Script Writing Makes a Great Show (Blue Jackets)
- Lesson 3: Listen to the fans (Blue Jackets)
- Lesson 4: Use Pre-Game to enhance your show (Blue Jackets)
- Lesson 5: Use time wisely (Blue Jackets)
- Lesson 6: Honor fan participation (Blue Jackets)
- Lesson 7: Music ties the show together (Blazers)
- Lesson 8: Multiple openings keep the games fresh (Blazers)
- Lesson 9: Allow flexibility in your game script (Blazers)
- Lesson 10: Connect with the sport and league (Blazers)
- Lesson 11: Use simple effects for bright results with lighting effects (Blazers)
- Lesson 12: Position Yourself for Success (Blazers)
- Lesson 13: Careful placement of elements (Shock)
- Lesson 14: Be creative with your premium Items (Shock)
- Lesson 15: Setting up powerful moments (Shock)
- Lesson 16: Cultivate your staff into your best fans (Shock)
- Lesson 17: Stand until you score, bonding your fans (Shock)
- Lesson 18: Using Different Voices When Talking to Your Fans (Shock)
- Lesson 19: Know your fans and connect with them (Rangers)
- Lesson 20: Tell your fans about your players (Rangers)
- Lesson 21: Shock your fans (Rangers)
- Lesson 22: Customize the music you use the most (Rangers)
- Lesson 23: Play off your competition (Rangers)
- Lesson 24: Have a back-up plan for EVERY contest (Rangers)
- Lesson 25: Spice up your most reoccuring elements (Pirates)
- Lesson 26: Use different combinations of technology, performers and sponsorship (Pirates)
- Lesson 27: Have fun with your contestants (Pirates)
- Lesson 28: Sell yourboard first, then sell everything else (Pirates)
- Lesson 29: Buidling on your success (Pirates)
- Lesson 30: Profit from your elements (Pirates)
- Lesson 31: Premiums that make a difference (Devil Rays)
- Lesson 32: Make your building as interesting as possible (Devil Rays)
- Lesson 33: REAL fans get the good stuff (Devil Rays)
- Lesson 34: The pre-game matters (Devil Rays)
- Lesson 35: Introduce your teams (Devil Rays)
- Lesson 36: Keep an eye on the future (Devil Rays)
Six From Six Series from Gameops.com
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Portland Trailblazers
- Detroit Shock
- New York Rangers
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Bonus Promotion
Show Your Card Time Out Promotion
In each Six From Six we want to provide not only Six Lessons, but a bonus promotion.
A partial time out promotion from the Blazers was the "Show Your Card" promotion, which is very popular for banking partners or partners with membership cards (movie rentals, affinity cards at grocery stores, etc).
In this promotion, the PA announcer prompts fans to get their cards out and show them off. The announcement would ask fans who have a bank card from "Sponsor Bank A" to get them out and show them off. At that point a fan or fans who have their cards out are selected by team staff (or on the scoreboard camera) as winners. Many teams have interactive teams, mascots or staffers go directly to the fans, confirm its the right Bank Sponsor card and hand them a prize.
Music ideas include: Money (Pink Floyd), Money, that's what I want (Rolling Stone/Beatles), Money for Nothing, or the editor's choice, Here Comes the Money (Shane McMahon/WWE Theme).
For more ideas on finding the right song option for your promotion, we recommend the Green Book of Song titles. For example, the Green Book lists over 300 songs w/artists that have money themes or money in the title.
Read the Full Six from Six Report
A full copy of our Six From Six Series is now available as a downloaded .pdf in the Gameops.com Store. This printable copy includes all 36 lessons from the six live game reviews. Click to visit the Store for more details.
The entire Six from Six Series is now available in a printable document on the Gameops.com Store.
Columbus Blue JacketsDebra Belinsky & Cheryl Benson-Guanci of DCB Productions
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
EnterSport Convention Update
Detroit Shock
Pilates Starter Kit
