Well it’s very obvious that summer is long gone and that college athletics are now in full swing. With every new season, month and day there are always takeaways to be had and lessons to be learned.
Here at Utah State we might’ve had and hosted four athletic events prior to last Thursday’s football home opener, but I’ve noticed in my short time in the industry that no matter the amount of preparation, rehearsals, run throughs, etc., something minor or major will go wrong. Instead of focusing and wasting your energy on the fact something went wrong, I know easier said than done, use it as a learning opportunity. I wish I could say we had nothing go wrong and everything went according to plan but that’s not being honest or realistic.
Before I get into the problems I faced and lessons learned here’s my background when it comes to working football game days. While everywhere I’ve worked has had football (Power 5, FCS and mid-major), this game had several firsts for me. As a student marketing intern at Michigan I had experience doing pre-game related assignments, at McNeese I was the marketing person in the media shed running music, pump up videos etc. My game day responsibilities at Utah State are very different. I’m the marketing person in charge of our pre-game tailgate. This entails confirming our inflatables order the Monday of game week, renting a generator for the band/DJ, assigning different teams to be present for Meet and Greet and playing tailgate games with our fans. Once the tailgate ends I’m the lead marketing person on the field and coordinating and assigning the interns to different time out promotions, in addition to cueing the color guard, helping with any in game recognitions and manning one of the two flame towers with a fire extinguisher.
Problem: Inflatable company brought the dunk tank instead of the softball pitching inflatable.
Why it was a Problem: Tailgate area had no water source & softball team was assigned to be at tailgate.
Solution: Softball players play tailgate games with XC/track student-athletes and fans. Also, sign the autograph sheets for fans.
Lesson: Be adaptable. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Problem: Miscommunication with rental company about generator size.
Why it was a Problem: DJ wasn’t sure if the extremely smaller sized generator would work/last the two hours for the tailgate.
Solution: Called rental company got a larger generator, but turned out to be dead & small generator worked fine.
Lesson: Try things out before panicking and sometimes things work out for the best (smaller/cheaper generator works so we’ll save money)
Problem: Freshmen stampede ended up running through the tunnel and onto the field about 3 minutes before planned.
Why it was a Problem: During that time we were honoring our special spectator of the game, which is also a sponsorship element.
Solution: It couldn’t be stopped (1,000+ freshmen running) when myself, and the marketing interns saw what was happening. Next time we do it make sure a marketing intern/staff member is stationed with them in the holding/waiting area and another person is stationed to open the gates.
Lesson: You can’t control everything. Not everything has an immediate fix.
Problem: Three on field walkie-talkies were partially working.
Why it was a Problem: We needed to be able to communicate with the press box, cheer, band etc.
Solution: Test out walkie-talkies day of game.
Lesson: Technology acts up from time to time, test before hand if possible but even with testing there’s a possibility for things to act up. Also, we’re lucky and fairly good cell reception in stadium so have people’s phone numbers to text as back up.
Problem: Mascot couldn’t be found for a promotion.
Why it was a Problem: The mascot was supposed to ride an ATV down part of the sidelines to showcase what a lucky fan was about to win.
Solution: We had a cheerleader ride it.
Lesson: For promotions/contests etc., have a back up plan, especially if it involves a mascot or specific person.
Problems, minor and or major are going to happen. Honestly most fans don’t even notice it. Is it great? No, but you can learn from the mistake(s) and grow from it. You learn a lot about yourself in these types of situations, control what’s controllable and don’t let things out of your control stress you out. I know that’s easier said than done, but trust me.