#MSBLFriday411 - Innovation

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, not only did we see the sports world come to a stop, but any large event in general (sports-related or not) was canceled too. As the pandemic progressed, many organizations were left with tough choices, and while not all events are the same, some decided to innovate to hold their event in some manner STILL.

A great example of that was Minnesota State University – Mankato, which announced this last week a "virtual sellout" planned for the homecoming weekend of their football stadium.

"The Homecoming football game has traditionally been a focal point of what has usually been a full week of activities on our campus. Unfortunately, all of that has been sidelined this year by COVID-19, and while the thought of our Alumni and fans not being able to come together to celebrate this fall is certainly disappointing…”

Minnesota State Director of Athletics Kevin Buisman

Ticket Prices Sideline Pass ($100) • An opportunity for a virtual "Tailgate" with head coach Todd Hoffner and student-athletes. • Entered into a drawing for a tailgate spot in Lot 7 for the 2021 season. • Receive a commemorative game ticket. $25 Ticket • Entered into a drawing for a tailgate spot in Lot 7 for the 2021 season. • Receive a commemorative game ticket. $10 Ticket • Entered into a drawing to receive one of five $100 gift certificates to the official MSU Sideline Store. 

Tickets for the virtual sellout started the day of the release and are scheduled to run through kickoff of their homecoming game on October 3rd. While this is a nontraditional event and fundraiser, Mankato took a “bad news” item and re-engaged their alumni and fans to still generate revenue for an event that isn’t happening in-person. They also were able to successfully do it with (based on the above pricing structure) with little overhead cost to maximize the revenue potential.

Another great example is Eastern Michigan Athletics hosting its first event virtual golf tournament. While it has all of the typical features of a golf tournament fundraiser scramble (purchasing mulligans and a tee prize etc.), it gives players the ability to pick their golf course to play within a specific standard; players don't even necessarily have to play the same course. Scoring is all done through e-mailing in your scores with the department reporting the winner. As part of the fan engagement, players are encouraged to take social media photos with Eastern Michigan athletic gear to take a stroke off of their score, which also generates social media traffic for the athletic department when it has little content itself to produce.

Both of these events show that it’s unnecessary to cancel an event in this COVID sensitive era, but just take a moment to see if you can reimagine it. Through reimagining, you're still able to generate engagement with your fans and donors, but also opening yourself up to possible new events and revenue sources after things have "returned to normal." Fans and donors also appreciate organizations' effort to try to engage with them as (while opportunities are returning) many just simply haven't had a lot to do over the last few months.