Effect of Game Day Promotions on Consumer Behavior in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL)

Factors associated with attendance at sporting events has been well documented in recent literature. Numerous studies have been conducted in college and professional sports, yet little work to date has examined factors associated with attendance in the minor leagues. Very few studies have specifically investigated special game day promotions at the minor league level. Based on the absence of some of the potential drawing factors associated with college and professional sports, these promotional activities at the minor league level become of greater interest. Specifically, game day promotions utilized in minor league hockey were of interest in the current study. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with attendance in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) in the 2001-2002 season and specifically the game day promotions and their affect on attendance. Data was collected using the feedback from a survey of fourteen marketing personnel of ECHL franchises during the summer of 2002. The survey was adapted from a previous questionnaire (Branvold & Bowers, 1992) utilized to assess factors related to attendance. Other questions were added to the Branvold and Bowers tool in order to address other factors of interest. Results indicated that several factors including promotions were correlated with attendance. Those factors contributed more than 45% of the variance in predicting attendance. Specific promotions such as "Puck Night", "Scouts Night" and "Fan Appreciation Night" were identified as the most successful in increasing attendance. Weekend promotions were more related to an increase in attendance than weekday promotions and children were the most popular target group. Attendance based on promotional games versus non-promotional games varied greatly among the fourteen teams of interest. The findings are similar to previous research on promotions and attendance. Promotions have been associated with a discernible increase in attendance for most markets.