Atlanta Falcons Tackle Game Experience

The Falcons offer standing room only tickets and give fans a new way to enjoy the game

By Alyssa Hedington

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Editor’s Note

Dear Faithful Readers,

As you all probably have heard by now, the NSF is heading to ATL for the 2020 National Sports Forum! We are so excited to celebrate our 25^th anniversary in a booming sports market like Atlanta, which is why this week, we wanted to bring you a story from one of the city’s most beloved teams.

Wanting to create an added benefit to being a season ticket holder, the Falcons implemented a new promotion, offering special standing room only tickets, giving fans a new way to enjoy their experience in-stadium.

Hope you enjoy the read!

Cheers,

Jada Brown
Marketing & Communications Manager
jada@sports-forum.com

P.S. – Don’t forget to stay engaged with us on social media! Follow @NatlSportsForum on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook!

PROGRAM TITLE

San Francisco Giants & Topgolf Crush

OBJECTIVES

Fans of any kind from NFL to the MLS all share one thing – a passion for the game. Ironically, this is what has to be on the minds of front office staff as well. In order to be successful, team executives must figure out how to enhance the experience of the game. This past season, the Atlanta Falcons did just that by implementing a program aimed at their most passionate groups of fans, season ticket members. Their new program gives season ticket members the option to purchase Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets for home games. The Falcons created this promotion with the intention of enhancing the benefits that come with being a season ticket member, as fans are the number one priority for the team. Senior Director of Ticket Sales, Warren Parr, said “the objectives were simple” – create the best in-stadium experience, give season ticket holders another added benefit, and allow people to share the game with friends and family. With this promotion they were able to not only meet their objectives, but exceed their expectations and empower fans to rally the troops, and get everyone out to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This promotion was truly well thought out. Season ticket members were excited for the opportunity to enjoy Falcons games with friends and family who may not have had a chance to attend games on a regular basis. In turn, the Falcons hope to create new fans in the building. The SRO program was woven so seamlessly into current marketing efforts that it seems simple. Two weeks before each home game, along with the weekly email they already receive, season ticket holders are sent a link to purchase SRO tickets. The private link is also shared with stadium associates. Through this link, season ticket members and stadium associates can invite friends and family to come enjoy the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with them.

The tickets are $59 and each person is able to purchase four of them. Something that makes these tickets truly unique, is that they don’t confine game attendees to one spot. Instead, viewers are able to enjoy Mercedes-Benz Stadium as it was intended – an experience. The only areas not open to SRO ticket holders are suites and clubs, but all other areas are open for people to stand and enjoy the game as well as the stadium. The most popular communal areas for fans are the 200 & 300 level skybridges, thirteen neighborhood bars and drink rails, the AT&T Perch, the Budweiser Biergarten and an area in the front of the stadium called the “overlook” as an homage to the Falcons.

Parr expressed that this stadium was built for experiences and while they are cautious to not over-crowd communal areas, they “encourage fans to have the full experience”. Mercedes-Benz Stadium truly is an experience. The stadium contains the largest video board in professional sports, uses a card and mobile only transaction model, and is the most sustainable sports venue in North America. Overall, this one of a kind stadium combines beautiful architecture with state of the art technology to create a completely unique game experience for fans.

PARTNERSHIP

The Falcons were able to successfully implement this program in-house through their ticketing, sales, and operations teams.

RESULTS

While SRO tickets were offered in 2017, the benefit was not hyper-targeted to season ticket members. The 2018 campaign saw tremendous success through this new strategy. The amount of SRO tickets sold varies with the opponents that week as do all ticket sales. But, fans have been eager to take advantage of this new type of ticket. The most important aspect of the program is the value added to season ticket members. When describing how the program has impacted this important group of people, Parr explained, “The SRO program gives our season ticket members an added benefit and allows us to pack the stadium with raving fans and provide a home field advantage”.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Falcons are excited to be able to keep offering this program to their season ticket holders in future seasons. They believe it is a “win-win for all”.

CONTACT

For more information regarding the Falcons SRO ticket promotion please contact Marketing Operations Manager Laura Lanier at – Laura.Lanier@ambse.com.

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