MEET YOU DOWN ON THE BILLEVARD
Fan engagement comes to life in Buffalo | By Emily Herr STADIUMS:
Nearly every team in the National Football League will claim to have the best fans in the world, the most passionate fans, who can occasion- ally be rowdy, but nonetheless would not trade them for anything. This we saw the passion come alive over and over again. It was New Year’s Eve and a great way to end 2017 as the entire city erupted with cheers when the Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins, and again when the Cin- cinnati Bengals defeated the Baltimore Ravens on a 4th-and-12 catch Later that night, hundreds of fans stood in sub-zero temperatures
- ulate them and wish them luck for the following weekend. The excite- east coast to the streets of Jacksonville where thousands of Bills fans took over hotels, restaurants, and bars to support their team. The Wild Card game didn’t go in favor of the Bills, but this did not stop our fans.
we were a part of the team’s success. I remember speaking to one of my coworkers at the end of a long day last year stating that our job do not impact how the team performs. He immediately jumped up and explained that is not true, that if fans have a good experience before they enter the gates at your tailgate, they are coming in happy. Our jobs working in sports and entertainment are always easier with
happy guests, but as venue managers we have an opportunity to build The best part of working on fan engagement elements is being able each game day. Prior to this season, the only activation area we had by the stadium was a small parking lot with a handful of sponsors who would set up a table and occasionally hand out free samples. This had been the same set-up for years and like any old idea became stale and did not attract any sort of large crowd. We were missing a huge op- to enhance this area, I researched teams, festivals, and sports venues around the world to develop what’s now called “The Billevard” – a street-fest atmosphere for fan engagement, sponsor activation, photo opportunities, games, live entertainment, a beer garden, food trucks, etc., creating the ultimate tailgate for fans to enjoy. The process of having a new idea come to life: – I spent weeks online researching
what other teams are doing, not just in the NFL, but across all leagues, sports, and even festivals across the U.S. and Canada. One of the best sources I got inspiration from was All-Star games. They always seem to have a ton of fan engagement elements that can be easily transferred to your own sport and venue. I also went to local festivals, local college tailgates, and even other NFL games to see how their tailgates were set up and what I thought I could bring back to New Era Field. My re- search experience also included getting maps and drawings of the area we would be using and measuring out that space which would help me them. This is the stage to think big, then think bigger! As a club in the
NFL we always felt like we should be setting the example, not playing catch-up. While that’s not always the case, I kept in mind that if other sports are doing this activation, so can we! – First: make your boss love the idea.
This may take a bit of managing-up, but if you can get your boss/your the idea to our marketing team. Without the support of the marketing they want the fans to experience? Is this the look and feel that they I sat down with our two marketing team members and pitched the whole idea to them. They were almost immediately on board with the idea. It was also important at this stage to start conversations with our operations team. What is the feasibility of some of the things we want to do? Is there enough power? Will the elements we want to create – Everyone loves a good visual. If you
have access to a digital design team, use them to help put your vision on paper. My next presentation was to our design team. With the help of marketing, we explained the vision, asked for input and asked them to design a logo, a look, and a street-view visual of the area. – Luckily, we did have a bud-
get for this space which helped me create some of the signage for the area and bring in new elements, but more importantly, we needed the sponsor support. Without their help, The Billevard could never come to life, so the next pitch was to the business development team to see if there was interest in participation from our biggest source of revenue - sponsors. Now that we had the visual and the support of the other departments, this was the time to get everyone excited. Be a part of the brand new, ultimate tailgate experience, The Billevard! – Any time there is a new concept on the table, you’re going to get some push back, some resistance to change. Stay receptive to feedback, stay positive, and make changes where necessary even if it is not in the original vision. There was a time close to the end of the process where I had to go back and re- sell the idea to my boss, and then again to the marketing department. What saved me? The visual! Believe it or not, I went back to one of the original pictures that our creative team had designed showing what it would look like and they were suddenly back on board. -
nally The Billevard came alive on September 10, 2017. I am lucky enough to work in a venue that is open minded to new ideas and sup- portive in the execution, but even if your venue is not always open to change, do not let that stop you from thinking big to go above and success of the performance. FM
Orchard Park, New York.
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