What can the WSU Athletic Department do to get more fans in the seats? That's a tough question, and there is no sure answer. First there needs to be a
promotion that really benefits the Athletic Department, that promotion would be to make Bob Grant the next AD. I feel that Bob Grant is not only a good
athletics guy, but a good people guy too. He has been fundamental in bringing in more money into the athletic department to upgrade many things. To raise this
money, he has been inovative in his thinking, which is exactly what WSU needs if they want to increase attendance. It also doesn't hurt that Bob's wife
has a marketing background, which should help with some new ideas too.
The second personnel move that I think started to pay dividends last year was hiring Chris Collins full time as kind of a student liason to help get the students motivated and out to the games. Chris, like Bob Grant is also a very innovative person, with passion for what he does. I would expect more student promotions and an ever increasing amount of students at the games. Making the games exciting and fun for the students, helps the entire atmosphere of the arena, which in turn should help non-student attendance too. So I applaud the university's foresight to hire Chris Collins, I guarantee it will pay big dividends in the future.
Last year WSU signed on with a marketing firm for the next 9 years or so, to help with promotions and sponsorship. I believe the marketing firm gives WSU a set amount of money, and then goes out and tries to sell sponsorships to cover that money, and then anything over what they pay WSU they can pocket themselves. I am not sure that was a wise move, as I think it limits the ceiling of what WSU can bring in with sponsorships. It does help with setting a budget as WSU knows how much money they will get, but it doesn't give a lot of leeway for promotions by the athletic department, especially if it would step on the marketing companies foot. Last year some of the sponsors that paid the marketing firm complained that Wright-Patt Credit Union was getting too much for their money because their name was on the balloons the student section was using. So the students couldn't keep using the blown up balloons over and over, even though the students enjoyed it and it seemed to help distract opposing teams. It all came down to money and not what was best for the students and basketball team. I think WSU's athletic administration needs to talk with the marketing firm so that more flexibility can be used if a certain promotion/idea seems to really work with making the game a better experience, increases attendance or helps give the basketball team more of a home court advantage.
In a later blog, I will try to gather ideas on different promotions/ideas that myself and others on the message boards have come up with to make the Nutter Center a full, formidable home court to play on for the Raiders.
The second personnel move that I think started to pay dividends last year was hiring Chris Collins full time as kind of a student liason to help get the students motivated and out to the games. Chris, like Bob Grant is also a very innovative person, with passion for what he does. I would expect more student promotions and an ever increasing amount of students at the games. Making the games exciting and fun for the students, helps the entire atmosphere of the arena, which in turn should help non-student attendance too. So I applaud the university's foresight to hire Chris Collins, I guarantee it will pay big dividends in the future.
Last year WSU signed on with a marketing firm for the next 9 years or so, to help with promotions and sponsorship. I believe the marketing firm gives WSU a set amount of money, and then goes out and tries to sell sponsorships to cover that money, and then anything over what they pay WSU they can pocket themselves. I am not sure that was a wise move, as I think it limits the ceiling of what WSU can bring in with sponsorships. It does help with setting a budget as WSU knows how much money they will get, but it doesn't give a lot of leeway for promotions by the athletic department, especially if it would step on the marketing companies foot. Last year some of the sponsors that paid the marketing firm complained that Wright-Patt Credit Union was getting too much for their money because their name was on the balloons the student section was using. So the students couldn't keep using the blown up balloons over and over, even though the students enjoyed it and it seemed to help distract opposing teams. It all came down to money and not what was best for the students and basketball team. I think WSU's athletic administration needs to talk with the marketing firm so that more flexibility can be used if a certain promotion/idea seems to really work with making the game a better experience, increases attendance or helps give the basketball team more of a home court advantage.
In a later blog, I will try to gather ideas on different promotions/ideas that myself and others on the message boards have come up with to make the Nutter Center a full, formidable home court to play on for the Raiders.
