Group Sales
The Simple Hacks That Allow Air Force Athletics to Grow Parents Weekend Each Year
August 2, 2024
Let's explore the FEVO tools that Air Force Academy football used to simplify the purchase process of their annual Parents Weekends. Added bonus? Those same tools make for easy retargeting and increased returns year over year.
The Challenge
Air Force Academy is a storied institution with an athletic legacy to match. During fall football season, campus runs over with spirited student fans and alumni, making Parents Weekends a big deal for the university. However, ticketing Parents Weekend the old-fashioned way — using promo codes alone — caused quite a few headaches for the ticketing office. Marketing to more than 65 parent groups annually, Air Force Athletics Director of Tickets Sales and Service Hailee Mahan says that “the seat maps can start to look like a complex puzzle,” causing suboptimal selling conditions and inventory management — not to mention a sometimes confusing purchase process for fans.
The Solution
In an effort to streamline their Parents Weekend operations, Air Force decided to implement FEVO's Hold Codes feature, which allows the team to organize parent groups by state, region and city. Each group gets a personalized offer page with a shareable link for group leaders; from that page, tickets can be purchased in just a few clicks. Last year, all groups received a 20% discount compared to regular single-game ticket prices, leading to increased conversions. On top of that, the Falcons were able to capture more buyer data than ever before, allowing them to retarget purchasers based on where they live, which has in turn allowed for groups to expand and order quantities to grow year over year.
Other Key Takeaways
- Using data captured each year at checkout, Air Force Athletics is able to automate the process of sending buyers come-back offers or retargeting campaigns the following year
- Retargeting also extends to upsells: the team sends an email each game week offering a single-game chairback rental for $12
- Since many parent groups buy in bulk, purchasers can also sign up for a Know Before You Go email that ensures everyone in a group receives important game-day information
“FEVO has been great for our Parents Weekend initiatives! The parent group leaders enjoy having a link with their club name on it with additional information regarding the game (clear bag policy, how to get on base, etc.). They also enjoy the quick purchase flow in only a few clicks.”
–Hailee Mahan, Director of Ticket Sales and Service
