The Game Day/Non-Game Day, Fan Experience Formula

Optimizing University Facilities to Drive Revenue 

Fans of collegiate sports are eagerly awaiting the return of competition this fall. A survey by Dynamic Pricing Partners found that 72% of universities are expecting 100% capacity for football games. But what will the fan experience look like in the post-pandemic world?

Elevating the game day experience

The COVID-19 pandemic gave college administrators time to examine all aspects of the fan experience and their revenue-generating opportunities. As a result, some schools will offer more hospitality and tailgating options.

“Recently, people have become more interested in an experience tailored to their needs,” said Ray DeWeese, CEO of REVEL^XP, which provides game day premium hospitality solutions and non-game day options to help universities increase revenue. “The goal is to create multiple options. Schools need to create experiences inside and outside the venue to elevate the fan experience and generate additional revenue.”

An important first step is a facility and game day audit to discover a university’s unused opportunities for its various demographics.

“Before making recommendations to our collegiate partners, we look carefully at each school’s unique traditions and culture,” said DeWeese. “The school should embrace its history and work with partners to provide solutions that elevate and expand on it.”

Taking into consideration the younger demographic, which prefers the social atmosphere of sporting events, the game itself may be secondary. For this group, REVEL^XP often recommends outdoor breweries with a club-like experience and live entertainment to keep fans engaged. The older demographic may simply want a white-glove service experience with hassle-free setup and catering.

“As schools look to diversify, it’s important to recognize that different experiences allow for multiple price points and options for every fan’s preferences,” said DeWeese.

Increasing year-round facility usage

Most college football stadiums may host seven home games as well as a spring intra-squad game, while the basketball arena may have 30-40 home games for the men’s and women’s teams. This leaves many opportunities for those facilities, and the universities’ other fields and facilities, to be used for other events.

“Colleges have been aggressive in monetizing their facilities when they’re not in use,” said DeWeese. “It’s an area where schools can increase their departmental revenue.”

Revenue-generating opportunities could range from small events, like fitness activities that take a couple of hours, to medium-sized events like a road race that may take an entire day, to large-scale events like concerts or conferences that may use the building for several days. The key is coordinating events around teams’ schedules. 

Rethinking the merchandise experience

Another way to improve the fan experience is to offer an elevated merchandise experience in more locations, which will make it easier for fans to purchase their team’s gear. Schools can also create a more customized experience by segmenting their product offerings to the demographics for each location.

“At Ole Miss, we’ll be offering a different tier of exclusive products in the stadium’s club level than at the game day location at The Grove,” said Scott Killian, CEO of Dyehard Fan Supply, a turnkey sports retail solutions provider that works with the University of Mississippi, among others.

The merchandise experience can also be improved by providing shipping stations. This could lead to additional purchases since fans won’t have to worry about their merchandise during the game.

Ole Miss case study

Beginning with the 2021-22 season, Ole Miss has partnered with Teall Sports & Entertainment’s REVEL^XP as its Official Experience Provider and Dyehard Fan Supply as its Official Merchandise Provider.

“Fans love coming to The Grove, but we wanted to bolster the rest of our already great experience,” said Keith Carter, Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics at Ole Miss.

REVEL^XP will provide turnkey, white glove tailgating services at the North Plaza Walk of Champions, an indoor/outdoor experience with a beer garden and live entertainment in the Pre-Game Pavilion and field level pre-game and in-game experiences in the stadium. The company will also program the facilities and operate a variety of non-game day events.

“The Grove is well known across the country,” said DeWeese, “but we want to reach more Ole Miss fans and provide them with another opportunity for pre-game festivities.”

For the first time in the university’s history, Ole Miss will have a merchandising location adjacent to The Grove.

“By having product where the people are, we’ll be able to easily reach the 50,000 to 100,000 fans in The Grove,” said Carter.

In addition to having multiple, segmented merchandising locations, Dyehard Fan Supply is launching two private-label brands for Ole Miss. One is an exclusive, high-end product, while the other is a hyper-local offering that will incorporate slogans and design elements that are part of the current Ole Miss news cycle.

“We think this combination of timely, relevant product and exclusivity will help differentiate the official team store from other places where people can get static Ole Miss merchandise,” Killian said.

This hyper-local product can adapt on a weekly basis to reflect the current state of Ole Miss athletics. With a continuously updated and timely product line, fans are apt to be more engaged and make repeat purchases.

“While sports fans have always reacted to large hot markets, they’re also passionate about hyper-local micro moments,” Killian said. “We’re working to deliver super relevant merchandise at the speed of social media.”

“We think the synergy with REVEL^XP and Dyehard Fan Supply will take our game day experience and overall level of customer service to a higher level,” said Carter.

10 Tips to Elevate the Fan Experience and Generate Additional Revenue

1. Review all current game day opportunities to discover ways to improve existing opportunities and add new ones.
2. Review best practices from other universities to potentially adapt to or adopt new ideas.
3. Conduct a sports facilities audit to determine spaces available for game day hospitality uses and non-game day programming.
4. Determine which activities would excite the fan base and start small in adding those opportunities.
5. Allocate the staffing and resources to carry out these opportunities.
6. Find good partners for collaboration.
7. Evaluate outsourcing opportunities.
8. Provide excellent customer service.
9. Increase the number of game day merchandising locations.
10. Segment products offered by demographic.

REVEL^XP and Dyehard Fan Supply are a part of Teall Sports & Entertainment, a collection of extraordinary sports brands committed to dramatically improving the fan experience and growing the next generation of fans. 

For more information about creating a more engaging fan experience, visit  www.revelxp.com