Sports Tickets: Assets Or Albatross?

To many businesses, the appropriate use of sports tickets is an albatross. They often go unused or are given at the last minute to an employee of the firm. Many law firms struggle to fill their skybox stadium seats. These firms are missing a great opportunity to use the tickets to the sporting event as a strategic marketing tool.

Tickets to a ball game can help a law firm both internally and externally. Within the firm, our Orioles Terrace Box seats are used to reward our staff. Giving four tickets to a family of a secretary, clerk or a person in our accounting department goes a long way to build enthusiasm and loyalty within the firm. Couple this with passes to the Zoo, Babe Ruth Museum or Aquarium, and you enable families to enjoy the community while allowing the firm to show its support of the community at large.

We have a partial ownership in a Baltimore Orioles skybox, club seats for the Baltimore Ravens, and center court Washington Wizards tickets. Previously, we had a partial interest in a skybox for the Baltimore Ravens football team. We have found that at football games, the gaps in time between the action is so short that it does not permit the same type of leisurely interaction available at a baseball game. For this reason we discontinued our use of the football skybox. Now we utilize 10 club seats in separate locations at Ravens Stadium. Each attorney can take one to three guests and then meet with others in the firm on the club level at Ravens Stadium both prior to the game and at halftime.

We can fit 26 people comfortably into our baseball skybox, while others visit throughout the evening. With food, our cost is approximately $110 per person; the football skybox costs $700 per person. The relaxed pace of a baseball game and the ability to interact with our guests during nine innings makes it an excellent venue to enable a group to really get to know one another.

The secret to the successful use of the skybox and club seats is to appoint a marketing person to quarterback ticket dissemination. It is important to know who is going to the event, confirm that the food has been ordered, and prepare name tags for those attending. It is also essential to the success of the event to appoint a member of the firm in charge. This person is responsible for greeting the guests, ordering any additional food and addressing other issues that may arise.

We make certain that each practice group hosts at least one night in the skybox. This allows them to showcase the group's talent to clients, referral sources and prospects. It also creates more camaraderie and a team atmosphere within the practice group, which includes associates and paralegals.

In other cases, we try to give various attorneys the opportunity to invite up to six clients or referral sources to the skybox. In this way we can highlight other practice areas within the firm while also giving attorneys from different offices and practice groups the opportunity to develop a closer relationship and learn more about one another's unique practice skills.

At least five times a year, we donate our skybox to charitable organizations for fundraising opportunities. At the same time, we retain four tickets to those games so that our attorneys can interact with the big hitters that the charitable organization invites to the skybox. This helps us in two ways. First, we are recognized for our philanthropy in the community by the hospital, university or another worthwhile charitable organization. At the same time, we get an opportunity to network with leaders in the community that we may not otherwise have the opportunity to meet in such a relaxed setting.

When we want to get to know key people at banks, accounting firms, insurance companies or brokerage firms, we often plan a cooperative skybox event. Our firm retains one-half of the tickets and invites key members to the box. The bank or insurance company is given the remaining tickets and they invite a group from their organization to attend and intermingle with our attorneys. We usually split the cost of the food with their organization. It is a great way to really get to know their personnel while also showcasing key practitioners and practice areas within our firm. This strategy works extremely well with large clients and large organizations that could potentially become a dynamic referral source.

Once a year, we give the skybox to our associates, paralegals and our administrative staff. They can invite friends and family and just have an enjoyable time. We have given the box to practice groups for a similar purpose. This boosts morale in the firm and strengthens our work teams.

We have four satellite offices that also host special nights at the skybox for clients and referral sources located in their communities. We invite specific lawyers from all offices to attend the game so the full breadth of the firm can be showcased. In a couple of situations, we have purchased additional skybox evenings at local minor league teams located in the community that is serviced by one of our satellite office. The cost per person is significantly less and in many cases it is more convenient for families and friends of the firm to attend.

Certain key equity members of the firm have used the skybox as a venue to entertain friends and community leaders in a catered party atmosphere. This allows us to communicate with community leaders, friends and family about our firm in a non-threatening atmosphere. This is done as a goodwill gesture and a way to have a good word said about our law firm in the community.

If law firms develop a well thought-out marketing strategy for the use of tickets to athletic events, then the tickets to the game will be an amazing asset. If the tickets are handled in a chaotic way with no centralized theme or focus, then you will have a costly albatross that is under-appreciated.

To many businesses, the appropriate use of sports tickets is an albatross. They often go unused or are given at the last minute to an employee of the firm. Many law firms struggle to fill their skybox stadium seats. These firms are missing a great opportunity to use the tickets to the sporting event as a strategic marketing tool.

Tickets to a ball game can help a law firm both internally and externally. Within the firm, our Orioles Terrace Box seats are used to reward our staff. Giving four tickets to a family of a secretary, clerk or a person in our accounting department goes a long way to build enthusiasm and loyalty within the firm. Couple this with passes to the Zoo, Babe Ruth Museum or Aquarium, and you enable families to enjoy the community while allowing the firm to show its support of the community at large.

We have a partial ownership in a Baltimore Orioles skybox, club seats for the Baltimore Ravens, and center court Washington Wizards tickets. Previously, we had a partial interest in a skybox for the Baltimore Ravens football team. We have found that at football games, the gaps in time between the action is so short that it does not permit the same type of leisurely interaction available at a baseball game. For this reason we discontinued our use of the football skybox. Now we utilize 10 club seats in separate locations at Ravens Stadium. Each attorney can take one to three guests and then meet with others in the firm on the club level at Ravens Stadium both prior to the game and at halftime.

We can fit 26 people comfortably into our baseball skybox, while others visit throughout the evening. With food, our cost is approximately $110 per person; the football skybox costs $700 per person. The relaxed pace of a baseball game and the ability to interact with our guests during nine innings makes it an excellent venue to enable a group to really get to know one another.

The secret to the successful use of the skybox and club seats is to appoint a marketing person to quarterback ticket dissemination. It is important to know who is going to the event, confirm that the food has been ordered, and prepare name tags for those attending. It is also essential to the success of the event to appoint a member of the firm in charge. This person is responsible for greeting the guests, ordering any additional food and addressing other issues that may arise.

We make certain that each practice group hosts at least one night in the skybox. This allows them to showcase the group's talent to clients, referral sources and prospects. It also creates more camaraderie and a team atmosphere within the practice group, which includes associates and paralegals.

In other cases, we try to give various attorneys the opportunity to invite up to six clients or referral sources to the skybox. In this way we can highlight other practice areas within the firm while also giving attorneys from different offices and practice groups the opportunity to develop a closer relationship and learn more about one another's unique practice skills.

At least five times a year, we donate our skybox to charitable organizations for fundraising opportunities. At the same time, we retain four tickets to those games so that our attorneys can interact with the big hitters that the charitable organization invites to the skybox. This helps us in two ways. First, we are recognized for our philanthropy in the community by the hospital, university or another worthwhile charitable organization. At the same time, we get an opportunity to network with leaders in the community that we may not otherwise have the opportunity to meet in such a relaxed setting.

When we want to get to know key people at banks, accounting firms, insurance companies or brokerage firms, we often plan a cooperative skybox event. Our firm retains one-half of the tickets and invites key members to the box. The bank or insurance company is given the remaining tickets and they invite a group from their organization to attend and intermingle with our attorneys. We usually split the cost of the food with their organization. It is a great way to really get to know their personnel while also showcasing key practitioners and practice areas within our firm. This strategy works extremely well with large clients and large organizations that could potentially become a dynamic referral source.

Once a year, we give the skybox to our associates, paralegals and our administrative staff. They can invite friends and family and just have an enjoyable time. We have given the box to practice groups for a similar purpose. This boosts morale in the firm and strengthens our work teams.

We have four satellite offices that also host special nights at the skybox for clients and referral sources located in their communities. We invite specific lawyers from all offices to attend the game so the full breadth of the firm can be showcased. In a couple of situations, we have purchased additional skybox evenings at local minor league teams located in the community that is serviced by one of our satellite office. The cost per person is significantly less and in many cases it is more convenient for families and friends of the firm to attend.

Certain key equity members of the firm have used the skybox as a venue to entertain friends and community leaders in a catered party atmosphere. This allows us to communicate with community leaders, friends and family about our firm in a non-threatening atmosphere. This is done as a goodwill gesture and a way to have a good word said about our law firm in the community.

If law firms develop a well thought-out marketing strategy for the use of tickets to athletic events, then the tickets to the game will be an amazing asset. If the tickets are handled in a chaotic way with no centralized theme or focus, then you will have a costly albatross that is under-appreciated.