Attendance ideas for UNT's Tuesday night ULL game

[Harry]

OK -

So we know we play ULL on a Tuesday night this season on national TV which is great exposure. We also know that student attendance needs to be good and should be since most of the students will be on campus. We also know, that try as we might - getting the alumni to attend on a school/work night will be challenging. Of course the diehards here on this board will be there and will smartly take a half day to avoid the traffic etc. And moving the start time to later was a smart move.

So, instead of ignore the issue that we face - given the state of the program at this particular time - I say lets address the 800-pound gorilla in the room. I got this idea from a great fan who will remain unnamed and I think it makes a lot of sense.

We don't need to worry about revenue per seat on this particular game and should start letting people know now that it is a game that they can attend for very little money so they will mark it on their calendars.

Let's promote this game to every single elementary school, middle school and high school in the area and tell them that if they show up wearing green they will get a free seat in the wing zone! In addition - to help fill out the alumni area, let's allow season ticket holders to bring 4 guests.

For the students, let's relax the policy of requiring them to get a paper ticket for their ID and just let them show their ID. Like the alumni, let's let the students bring guests (who are not UNT students) for a minimal charge.

For the faculty - let's encourage them to offer extra credit or some type of incentive for students who attend that game. If the professor has an early class the next day, let them allow the students who attend the game to miss or take the class at a later time in the day. Let's be bold and go beyond just asking the faculty and staff to help us on this big night.

For local businesses: encourage them to come out attend the game and offer them some free advertising on the main scoreboard, ie Acme and its fine employees do tire repair and they support the Mean Green. Use this as an opportunity to give the business community a taste of the fun and promotion that can be had and they will come back. Require them to check in at the game to run their ad. Or maybe do a promotion where the company that cheers the loudest gets some type of prize or award. Run the contest at halftime to keep them there.

Get a really good band to come and play before and/or after the game. That will keep people in the seats and attract more of the local community. Someday the program will do this on it's own two feet -- until that time we need to help it along. I understand that revenue is important but on this particular night the promotional opportunity presented far exceeds the revenue potential in my mind.

These are just a few ideas and I know others on here will have even better ones. This game is one of those rare times where the entire nation will be giving us a look. We now have the facility but we need the fans. Let's hear your thoughts and Go Mean Green!

[UNTcrazy727]

Pray the Rangers aren't playing in the playoffs that night

[DeepGreen]

All the above, Harry, plus give away an automobile. Must be present to win and car is awarded sometime late in the 4th quarter or after the game is completed. One of the local car dealers and/or car makers could get beaucoup free advertising throughout the game.

Edited August 21, 2012 by DeepGreen

[Harry]

All the above, Harry, plus give away an automobile. Must be present to win and car is awarded sometime late in the 4th quarter or after the game is completed. One of the local car dealers and/or car makers could get beaucoup free advertising throughout the game.

Great idea Deep! Every person that walks into that stadium gets a ticket to the raffle for that car. And you HAVE TO BE THERE or you don't win. 4th quarter is a fair thing and I would even throw in some secondary prizes to reward 2nd and 3rd place. Or heck, offer up a couple of free semesters of books and tuition to get the students there.

I realize that there will be some who say that this sounds desperate but darnit, I would rather have some of these ideas fail trying to do something than sit and throw stones at them and not do anything at all. Large numbers of students and alumni are our strength and we can't just hope that we will have them show up consistently with the way the program has been. If we can incentivize them to show up odds are they will have a good time and come back again.

[smoothfresh]

Buy a ticket to the Texas Southern game... get a free ticket to the ULL game.

[meangreendork]

For the faculty - let's encourage them to offer extra credit or some type of incentive for students who attend that game. If the professor has an early class the next day, let them allow the students who attend the game to miss or take the class at a later time in the day. Let's be bold and go beyond just asking the faculty and staff to help us on this big night.

Extra credit isn't something I'd offer unless the game was somehow relevant to class. IE: social interaction, sports marketing, culinary arts or something.

Some of these other ideas are pretty good - but they all tackle the "make it easier to get into the game" issue, too. The idea of returning to the old process of an ID swipe at the gate for students will probably be a huge boon. Frankly, I don't see why we don't do that and stick to it. It would likely help attendance all season.

Other great ones include having people "check in" via Foursquare at Apogee and take a photo of their presence at the game. Partnered with local businesses (or even non-local ones), the people who check in and take a photo, and load it (typically one action anyways) are given some sort of prize selectively, or everyone gets a blanket discount.

To encourage attendance for the whole night, a special prize can be awarded to people who are still checked in after the start of the 4th quarter, or at least selectively given to a few in that group.

Reduced prices on the concessions will probably help (I'm not sure to what extent), but advertising that will put more people in seats, I'm sure of that.

[All About UNT]

Great idea Deep! Every person that walks into that stadium gets a ticket to the raffle for that car. And you HAVE TO BE THERE or you don't win. 4th quarter is a fair thing and I would even throw in some secondary prizes to reward 2nd and 3rd place. Or heck, offer up a couple of free semesters of books and tuition to get the students there.

I realize that there will be some who say that this sounds desperate but darnit, I would rather have some of these ideas fail trying to do something than sit and throw stones at them and not do anything at all. Large numbers of students and alumni are our strength and we can't just hope that we will have them show up consistently with the way the program has been. If we can incentivize them to show up odds are they will have a good time and come back again.

I hate asking since they spend so much money with us but who is the dealer in Denton that is on the MGRN and everywhere else? Is it James Woods?

[Dr. Seuss]

Im pretty sure people dont go to the games because tickets are to expensive and if you lower them to $5 or $10 thats going to make a huge difference.. Look at the Marlins attendance, they built a brand new stadium, gift give aways, ect.. and attendance doesnt change

[meaniegreenie]

I hate asking since they spend so much money with us but who is the dealer in Denton that is on the MGRN and everywhere else? Is it James Woods?

I think you are referring to Bill Utter Ford

[MDH]

I hope they allow season ticket holders to get some extra seats out of this. The game falls the day after the tax deadline this year and a couple of guys are already planning to come along with for a day of tailgating/drinking to celebrate the busy season being over with.

[emmitt01]

All of this sounds great.

I'd be sincerely interested in the reception you get when you pitch it to the AD.

[oldguystudent]

I hope they allow season ticket holders to get some extra seats out of this. The game falls the day after the tax deadline this year and a couple of guys are already planning to come along with for a day of tailgating/drinking to celebrate the busy season being over with.

Yeah, I was pretty pissed at a Tuesday night game until I realized it's the day after extension season. Should be able to sneak out early on Tuesday. The two home games prior are actually on good weekends. Extended deadlines on a Monday blow.

[Travis Scott]

All of this sounds great.

I'd be sincerely interested in the reception you get when you pitch it to the AD.

agreed. Harry, are you planning on talking to Rick or Hank personally?

[NTGabe15]

To comment on the students not being able to use their IDs to get in to the football games, it is such a huge waste. You know what happens when you get to the little table in the union to get your ticket? That's right, they swipe your ID! I knew plenty of people last year, myself included, that never go over to that side of campus because their classes aren't over there. If your going to make it difficult for the, already lazy, college student to get in its going to hinder attendance. I made sure I got my ticket every week but I know there were some who missed out because they never made it over to get one./Rant

Back on topic, all of those ideas Harry said sound great, but if you give out free stuff students will come. Give out a shirt before the game and then one after the game. Students love free shirts, cups, anything Mean Green!

[greenjoe]

How hard would it be to have a "little table" from the Union at Apogee the night/day of the game. Students that didn't get to swipe their ID card early could could do so at the gate.

[oldguystudent]

How hard would it be to have a "little table" from the Union at Apogee the night/day of the game. Students that didn't get to swipe their ID card early could could do so at the gate.

You can already get a student ticket at the gate. It is completely unnecessary to go to the union. There is a window at the box office specifically for student tickets.

[trud1966]

For the elementary thru high school students: Free ticket as well a coupon for 1 drink and 1 hot dog = $1 buck

[Baby Arm!]

We need to remove any exucuse an already lazy college student uses not to attend this game.

Too far to walk?- Shuttle bus services making laps around the campus to pick up students. Pick up at the Union and dorms, drop off in the old Raddison parking lot on The Hill.

Too cumbersom to get a ticket? As mentioned before, go back to the ID swipe at the game.

Let's get TWU on board too. Show you TWU student ID and get in free.

Partner with youth football leagues in Denton, Lake Dallas, Lewisville. Every kid gets 4 free tickets to the wingzone.

We need to get coaches and athletic department staff at every Kwanias, Rotary Club, Lions Club, VFW, American Legion, Mason, Elks, IOOF, and Chambers of Commerce meeting in Denton County in the weeks preceeding the game. Push how this is Denton County's appearance on national TV. It's a 3 hour commercial for Denton County and sell tickets to the members.

[ntmeangreen11]

Instead of giving tickets away to every elementary student why not get in touch with just the pee wee leagues around here? I'm sure those coaches would love to bring their kids to a FBS game in a new stadium. It might not be the best idea for a Tuesday night game that starts at 8 PM, but if we're going to give tickets away, I say give them to the kids who will probably want to be there and could possibly convince their parents to come back.

[ragpicker]

Boosting attendance for any game would be possible if we did not ignore what is right in front of us- the A-Train. With proper promotion and marketing the DCTA could be a boon for attendance for Dallas alumni and fans. As it is, those of us who do take the train for night time events

at UNT are left stranded after those events with no way back to town save for pedicabs and walking.(I have done both).

Expect more from me on this subject in a future missive.

[FirefightnRick]

How bout we give out Scantron's and Number 2 Pencils? That seemed to have worked well the last time?

Rick

[NT91]

I think NT will have over 27k at the game.

[All About UNT]

I think NT will have over 27k at the game.

wow....I would wager that you are around 7k higher than what will show.

[FirefightnRick]

wow....I would wager that you are around 7k higher than what will be reported.

I agree.

Rick

[GL2Greatness]

giving tickets away will be a disaster....one need only look at the olympics where sponsors were handed loads of free tickets to give away and they did just that and people placed so little value on them they did not even show up to see the best in the world compete once every 4 years