SCIENCE DISCUSSION(NO PLAGIARISM, A++ WORK, QUALITY, ON TIME)
LAGNIAPPE
Week6Forum.docxBest Integrated Event Communication Campaign. (2010). Event, 31.
Sawicki, O. (2008). Leadership and technology: innovations for the sport spectator. Coaches Plan/Plan Du Coach, 15(2), 46.
Technology as a Means of Communication
Today's culture utilizes technology as a means of communication. Today's electronic communication and social media allows marketers to reach consumers instantly and uniquely. Sport event managers must understand how to communicate through innovative use of technology. One of the major goals of marketing a sporting event is to increase awareness and social media is a platform that allows marketers to expand their communication. Public relations strategies are imperative for successful communication. Public relations involves interrelations, communicating with participants, community relations, product marketing sport, financial communications, and media relations. Public relations for sports event managers typically involve communicating frequently with customers, participants, sponsors, partners, financial providers, suppliers, staff, and the community.
Week 6 Forum | Innovative Communications
Please read the open ended resources (readings) found in the Week 6 Content.
This week you are asked to share your personal experiences of how events communicate effectively with fans. Communication, especially innovative techniques, allow sport organizations to connect with their fans to enhance the live event experience. Please answer these questions based on your personal experience.
· How can technology be used to effectively communicate with fans at sporting events?
· What event did the best, and worst, job of communicating with fans? Please share examples.
· What are your expectations in regard to communication at sporting events? Have these expectations changed over the years as technology has become more prominent?
· Finally, what do you foresee in the future in regard to innovative communication? What do you think will be the next "hot" communication trend to impact the sport industry?
Please review the specific discussion directions, including minimum word requirements, as well as information on the discussion grading rubric, at the top of the page under the “Discussions”.
**Reply to Question (No more than 150 words)
Wolfe
I actually like our discussion topic this week because we have been living in a world of innovative communication more so in the past several months than we ever have before. Many of us have seen first-hand how rapidly our environments have changed with the use of technology and communication with many of us/our employers teleworking during COVID. Sports makes things more difficult since you have to be present to play, but fan interaction is a bit different. Many of us have seen some very innovative ideas like the NBA using virtual fans during their games (Powell, 2020).
Prior to the pandemic, me and my family were able to attend games where fan interaction was part of the “game” experience. Of course, that experience is always different depending on the sport and/or event even the venue that you go to. We have been to baseball games in Montana, football games in Georgia, basketball games in Oklahoma, and a Pro Bowl game in Hawaii. Each event brought about unique experiences, but the ones that we found had the most innovative communication was at the Thunder games in OKC.
Although the Pro Bowl game in Hawaii was really exciting, the athletes were there to have fun and there was not a whole lot of fan interaction, especially with communication as technology was lacking at the stadium. The Pro Bowl was mainly for T.V., not those in attendance, even though we did have a great time. We got the most out of their trip when we were able to meet some of the players and Falcons head coach, Dan Quinn, when they went to Pearl Harbor. When we attended the Thunder games, we knew there would be opportunities to win prizes and they used fan interaction on social media as well. They always had some way of highlighting fans and wanted you to post pictures and tag OKC Thunder or “check in” on Facebook too. I believe we had the most fun at those games.
When we attended the Voyagers games in Montana, the interaction was more personal (almost like a high school game) for a more hometown feel or intimate experience. They would walk around selling raffle tickets and t-shirts, so the innovation was not really there from my perspective. While at the Georgia Dome, we did experience some of the same type of fan interaction as the Thunder games, but I do not think we paid as much attention to it because we were excited to be home.
As for future innovative communication or the next “hot” communication trend will be, I believe we are there as I am not a tech savvy person. However, with virtual reality and where we are currently with live streaming and fan interaction, I believe we will see those areas improve…maybe fans on the court of field somehow. Who would have thought we would have seen virtual fans at basketball games this year?
References:
Powell, (2020). How Virtual Fans Found Their Seats at NBA Season Restart: From Digital Crowds to Pregame Intros, Home-court Energy Has Reached Orlando. Retrieved from: https://www.nba.com/article/2020/08/10/virtual-fans-help-restart-atmosphere
**Reply to Question (No more than 150 words)
So for me, I was at the Players Championship in 2019 at TPC Sawgrass down in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. They had a daily competition on the weekend when you walked in that if you took a selfie and shared in on Instagram or twitter and tagged the event you could win prizes such as PGA gear or even meet certain golfers. I was all in on meeting Tiger Woods. I am not a selfie person nor a social media person, but I did create an account of both just for those two days, though I won nothing. The more adult beverages I drank the more selfies I took. I thought that was a great way to get the thousands of people there involved with the event. It even got me some what involved with social media.
If you look at the was the NBA is doing with bringing in the fans with the zoom seats, I can foresee that becoming a permanent fixture in the future of sports. Even when sports go back live, I can see virtual seats being a real thing forever, this would allow fans that do not have the means, and or that live across the country being able to attend games all the time. With that, the next HOT communication, I think they might add a way that would allow people access to speak to the players during TV timeouts, much like they are allowing access to players being MIC'd up I think there will be 2 way mic's for fans to start asking players for money of course. More fan access to players. Pre recorded I am sure so no one says anything outlandish to protect the players.
Rod
