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Re: 2018 NC NOT in KC??
I think this is way to complex for the NCAA, but you need to look at this game and the attendance around it as a series of small bites. There is no silver bullet solution that is going to "fix" attendance in one fell swoop so you have to do/pick things/locations that move the needle in small increments and hope that at the end of the day you do enough of those things to the point the needle has moved significantly. Things I would think would cater to pockets of potential fans:
Must haves:
1. Location - You need a location that is easily accessible to most of the country. Interstates are a must and all major and discount airlines need to fly there from multiple locations.
2. The Game Outside the Game - A destination location that gives attendees something to do outside of the game. The more things the area has, the better. Need to give fans an excuse to attend outside of the game itself.
3. Weather - Some football diehards love football in the rain, sleet and snow...But you are playing to a larger audience if the game is played were the weather is warm and sunny.
4. Experienced Tourist Board - An experienced and engaged tourist board can be incredibly helpful in marketing the game and enlisting local sponsors. Tourist locations live on "discounts" and the tourist board can/will market your event to the local community which will result in all manner of cost saving discounts on everything from hotel rooms to tourist attractions to dining.
I know it is outside of the NCAA's way of doing business, but they need to approach this whole process differently. Instead of simply asking all interested locations to bid on the game and picking the highest bidder, they need to select several locations were they think the game should be, do site visits to meet with local officials, view the venues and get a gauge of what the city can do for the NCAA. It can be argued that this game draws over 10,000 out of towners to a particular city. That's not small potatoes even to the most seasoned tourist location. Cities like Orlando, Vagas and San Antonio (Etc) would probably do quite a bit to get the event and the $'s that the fans bring. NCAA is approaching this like they are asking people to bid on a porta potty contract when they should be approaching it as we have this MILLION DOLLAR plus nugget of gold we want to give to the city that can do the most for us and our fans.
I think this is way to complex for the NCAA, but you need to look at this game and the attendance around it as a series of small bites. There is no silver bullet solution that is going to "fix" attendance in one fell swoop so you have to do/pick things/locations that move the needle in small increments and hope that at the end of the day you do enough of those things to the point the needle has moved significantly. Things I would think would cater to pockets of potential fans:
Must haves:
1. Location - You need a location that is easily accessible to most of the country. Interstates are a must and all major and discount airlines need to fly there from multiple locations.
2. The Game Outside the Game - A destination location that gives attendees something to do outside of the game. The more things the area has, the better. Need to give fans an excuse to attend outside of the game itself.
3. Weather - Some football diehards love football in the rain, sleet and snow...But you are playing to a larger audience if the game is played were the weather is warm and sunny.
4. Experienced Tourist Board - An experienced and engaged tourist board can be incredibly helpful in marketing the game and enlisting local sponsors. Tourist locations live on "discounts" and the tourist board can/will market your event to the local community which will result in all manner of cost saving discounts on everything from hotel rooms to tourist attractions to dining.
I know it is outside of the NCAA's way of doing business, but they need to approach this whole process differently. Instead of simply asking all interested locations to bid on the game and picking the highest bidder, they need to select several locations were they think the game should be, do site visits to meet with local officials, view the venues and get a gauge of what the city can do for the NCAA. It can be argued that this game draws over 10,000 out of towners to a particular city. That's not small potatoes even to the most seasoned tourist location. Cities like Orlando, Vagas and San Antonio (Etc) would probably do quite a bit to get the event and the $'s that the fans bring. NCAA is approaching this like they are asking people to bid on a porta potty contract when they should be approaching it as we have this MILLION DOLLAR plus nugget of gold we want to give to the city that can do the most for us and our fans.
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