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A Fan Fair rec room is outfitted with tables, bar stools, pool tables — all from league licensees.
Photo by: IAN THOMAS / STAFF
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A new tech rollout at this year’s NHL Fan Fair aimed to give the league more information about the 34,200 attendees at the interactive event than they’ve captured in the past, but also shed light on which of the on-site activations were Nashville hits.
The league this All-Star Weekend introduced what it called the NHL Fan Fair Pass, a unique QR code that each attendee could get online when buying a ticket for the four-day event or at a kiosk inside the Fan Fair. That image, not unlike an airplane boarding pass, carried for each fan basic demographic data (like age group), but also contact information and the fan’s favorite team.
Fans then were prompted to scan their codes when visiting any of 24 sponsor activations within the Fan Fair. The more places a fan scanned his or her code, the better the prizes they would be awarded for participating: 10 check-ins provided a 10 percent off discount at Shop.NHL.com, while 20 check-ins entered the fan into a sweepstakes to win four tickets to the All-Star Game. By scanning the code at particular sites, fans also could access photos and videos taken of them during some of the activities, as well as schedule a time to take their photo with the Stanley Cup — avoiding what was consistently a long line.
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The Fan Fair Pass delivers rewards to attendees and gives the NHL insight into its fans.
Photo by: IAN THOMAS / STAFF
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But using the code was not only a benefit for the fans in that regard. The league and its partners benefited as well, according to
Brian Jennings, the NHL’s chief marketing officer. For example, Jennings said, comparing code scans at the different activation sites provides insight on what sort of activities resonate most. Do more fans like to take part in active experiences, where they test their hockey skills, than sites where they are more passive observers? How do fans typically travel around the Fan Fair: In a circular-type fashion, or simply selecting a few activities they find most interesting? Is there a way the league could help a sponsor tweak its activations (maybe change its on-site location) to help it attract more fans?
“Being able to collect this real data can be vital for both the league and our partners, really showing us what our fans like and what we can do better,” he said.
The vast majority of the activations at this year’s Fan Fair saw long lines, as fans seemed to enjoy the breadth of activities that were offered. Beyond the typically crowded showcases, such as the competitive hockey challenges and those that gave fans the chance to interact with players, three in particular stood out: two that featured virtual reality technology, and a third that subtlety highlighted the NHL’s licensees.
THE NUMBERS
■ 250,000: Square footage used for the NHL Fan Fair in the Music City Center convention hall, the largest footprint the league has had for the event.
■ 40: Number of activations at Fan Fair.
■ 200,000: Dollar amount pledged by the league to support NWHL player Denna Laing in her rehabilitation from a severe spinal cord injury suffered during the inaugural Women’s Outdoor Classic. A video tribute was shown during the All-Star Game, which included a message from Laing. Members of her family attended the game in Nashville, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.
■ 575,000: John Scott’s current average annual salary, the lowest among all players who participated in the All-Star Game. For leading his team to victory — in a weekend-long, show-stealing MVP performance — Scott received a cut of a $1 million prize awarded by the league (about $91,000 per player) as well as a 2016 Honda Pilot.
Samsung and Reebok both presented VR experiences, but in vastly different ways. At Samsung’s GearVR booth, the company presented a cinematic virtual reality experience drawn from footage shot by the league at this year’s Jan. 1 Winter Classic. Reebok, meanwhile, at its booth worked with U.K.-based marketing agency Savvy to create a computer-generated imagery experience of what it might be like to be on the ice with some of the league’s all-stars.
For Jennings, one of the more intriguing activations was a section of the Fan Fair styled as a rec room in a home, complete with pool tables, bean bag toss, bar stools and tables. The activation site was quite popular with fans, too, as many seemed to enjoy a little bit of a break from the rest of the activities — and that was just the plan for the league. Every item featured in the area was from one of the NHL’s licensees.
“It’s often hard to showcase a pool table within the context of the Fan Fair, but we think this sort of thing gives fans the opportunity to really interact with some of the high-end products that feature team marks that are available for sale as well,” Jennings said.
■ ON TO 2017: The NHL made its first formal addition to the 2017 calendar during All-Star Weekend, as Commissioner Gary Bettman announced in Nashville that Staples Center in Los Angeles would host next year’s midseason event. The L.A. showcase also stands as an early prime event for the NHL’s centennial celebration that will play out across the 2017 calendar year. The league will work with each of its 30 teams to create in-market events celebrating the league’s milestone as well as individual team milestones, such as the four teams celebrating 50th anniversaries next year (Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St. Louis).
While all of the NHL’s executives will be working on building out this celebration, Steve Mayer, the league’s newly minted executive vice president and executive producer, programming and creative development, will play a key role. Mayer, who joined the league in December after 20 years at league partner IMG Productions, where he produced a number of NHL events, oversaw the on-site coordination of the league’s events in Nashville.
VOICES FROM ALL-STAR WEEKEND
■ “After every event we do, we like to sit down and say, ‘Well, what could we do differently?’ That’s going to be a short meeting on this one. If you came down here and you didn’t fall in love with the NHL a little bit, there’s something wrong with you, not this.”
— Nashville Predators CEO Sean Henry, about the city’s execution of All-Star Weekend
■ “There’s still lots of things from a variety of constituents that have to be dealt with before we even get to a serious consideration of that issue.”
— NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, on possible NHL player participation
in the next Winter Olympics
■ “Nashville did a great job of a centralized event in their downtown core that really showcased Nashville, and the fans seemed to really enjoy that. We look forward to building on that in downtown L.A. at L.A. Live.”
— Los Angeles Kings COO Kelly Cheeseman, looking ahead to next year’s All-Star Game
