Hi Everyone,
I hope everybody is having a great project! Mr. Clark came and visited me today and I got a chance to show him around the Q a bit. I hope he enjoyed it-he got a thorough tour of the control room for the tv screens during the game and he got to see the offices and where the court used to be.
I thought I'd tell you about one project that I have been working on this and last week. It's for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lake Erie Monsters. For this project I am composing a binder with print outs and some Microsoft Word pages of what different sporting teams are doing to sell tickets. I have been researching MLB, NBA, MLL, MLS, and NFL teams. Another intern (who is actuley working with the Monsters) has already completed the Hockey portions. I am doing this so that the group ticket sales departments can have insight on what other teams are doing to sell more tickets. I am not done yet but I have found that MlLL is suprizingly built up considering there are only 5 US teams. Also, within each league, teams offer very similar benefits (on basketball teams youth fans can high five the players as they come onto the court if they sell a certain amount of tickets). These promotions help draw more fans and provide a goal for a group to sell more tickets. Other benefits include honoring of individuals or teams and some may even have the opportunity to sing the National Anthem. Football does very little with group events but they work with a lot of charities in schools and other environments. Soccer tends to donate a lot of money rather then have group events. Baseball is probably the most similar to the basketball group events but many times their groups aren't given the benefits of high fiving players but rather are engaged in the advertising games during the baseball games.
Wednesday I give a presentation on a hypothetical group that I would have come down to the Q and why. It's not very intense and the binder I have been working on has been more tedious but this project is more analytical. I am going to explain the benefits that the groups, individuals, and team (Cavs) would see from them coming down to the Q for the game and ways in which they could be honored. I will let you know more about what I choose and why next week. I actuley composed a report and an additonal list of groups and charities that could come down because there are so many different programs that could exist. There is the potential for one or more every night and Cleveland is a bigger place then it looks that draws fans and groups from not just Ohio but from other boardering states and there are so many programs that already exist in Cleveland that would love the opportunity to come to the Q.
If you have any ideas for a group that you think should be honored or participate in a program at the Q or with the Cavs and/or Monsters let me know and I will add it to my list. I can't wait to hear more about your projects!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Hey Everyone,
So for this week's post I thought I would write about the game Tuesday. I shadowed Game Operations which is pretty much the production side of the game. They are in charge of what appears during the time outs, quarters, and the half-time show on screen, audio, and the advertisements.
Before the game started a lot went on. I helped out some interns set up the face-painting, hair-spraying, and sign making tables. We also set up signs and those big life-size cut outs of the players and Moondog. After that I was introduced to the production staff and we had a meeting with everyone that was helping out so we knew what was going on. Every event was mapped out onto a timed chart sheet that described the video, audio, and advertisements for that time period and explained who was doing what--the sheet was nicknamed the bible. Everybody at the meeting got a sheet including the production staff, interns, video recording men, Ahmaad & Nicole, members of the Scream Team, the Cavs Crew, and the head, Amanda (not me, ha, but she has an awesome name). We went over the timed sheet and any changes that might happen during the game. We're supposed to incorporate advertisements in the breaks so there will be events where fans are chosen to run an obstacle course with lawnmowers or throw basketballs in huge McDonalds cups of coffee to win prizes but sometimes, especially during playoffs, the fans are really excited and we don't want to ruin that excitement so we can "go hot" aka ditch the script and send the Cavs Girls (I can't believe they can dance in those boots!!) out or Scream Team.
Anyways, after the meeting we ate dinner and started to work on the game. We were on the court for a bit while the players were warming up and so I got to be literally on the court while they were playing! I got to meet Taylor Hicks (he was on American Idol and is singing in Grease in Cleveland, I didn't know that either, ha) who sang the national anthem and I went in his dressing room with another member of Production and we gave him a signed LeBron jersey. He was really happy and was really into Twittering. Also in the dressing room was a bike crew--I'm not sure exactly what to call them but they did jumps off a ramp and tricks on little children's bikes during half-time. Meanwhile Ahmaad and Nicole were passing out gift cards to fans who were "banning together" a promotion that was sponsored by KeyBank where everybody who went to the game received free wrist and head sweat bands.
Once the game started everybody in the Production crew was wearing head sets that we could speak through (I got a headset but I didn't talk though because I was more shadowing during the game). Amanda made all the calls and would say things like "dissolve this add into Ahmaad and Nicole in 10, 9, 8..." however once it was into the 4th quarter the comments changed a bit. During the game I was on the floor in the hallway to the VIP Club across from the Celtics bench so I got a great view of the game and I got to hang out with the Scream Team who I learned are really funny. I got a chance to look into the room where a group of tech guys control the big overhead video screen. They have about 20 mini TVs that show what each camera is taping and they pick what they want to play, or if they want an add to play, music, or if they want text to appear on the screen.
Once the game was over I was waiting in the tunnel near where the video crew is and I saw some cops walking a fan down the hallway holding him by the back belt-loops of his pants--his feet were barely touching the ground. There's a mini-jail for fans who get really drunk or inappropriate, so don't try anything and think you will get away with it or you will end up like him. Anyways, I was waiting to walk over to the media conference with another Cavs member. There I sat among the interviewers from ESPN ect. who asked the coaches and LeBron questions. It was really cool to be that close to them and hear directly their responses to the questions.
So I didn't really do a lot but observe during the game and help out a little but I learned a lot! I thought it would be really stressful for the production crew but everything was so well organized and put together that it ran really nicely. It was a great experience even though we lost and it was really cool to be behind the scenes during the game and be so close to the players.
Wow, so I wrote A LOT but there was just so much I saw and wanted to share. I still left some stuff out too but if there's anything you want me to elaborate more on let me know! I also didn't mention any of the stuff I did that morning or in the office this week so if you want more on that let me know too but I've been basically supplementing other Group Event projects and helping out with those. Any random questions are welcome too. Let's go Cavs--game 6 here we come!
So for this week's post I thought I would write about the game Tuesday. I shadowed Game Operations which is pretty much the production side of the game. They are in charge of what appears during the time outs, quarters, and the half-time show on screen, audio, and the advertisements.
Before the game started a lot went on. I helped out some interns set up the face-painting, hair-spraying, and sign making tables. We also set up signs and those big life-size cut outs of the players and Moondog. After that I was introduced to the production staff and we had a meeting with everyone that was helping out so we knew what was going on. Every event was mapped out onto a timed chart sheet that described the video, audio, and advertisements for that time period and explained who was doing what--the sheet was nicknamed the bible. Everybody at the meeting got a sheet including the production staff, interns, video recording men, Ahmaad & Nicole, members of the Scream Team, the Cavs Crew, and the head, Amanda (not me, ha, but she has an awesome name). We went over the timed sheet and any changes that might happen during the game. We're supposed to incorporate advertisements in the breaks so there will be events where fans are chosen to run an obstacle course with lawnmowers or throw basketballs in huge McDonalds cups of coffee to win prizes but sometimes, especially during playoffs, the fans are really excited and we don't want to ruin that excitement so we can "go hot" aka ditch the script and send the Cavs Girls (I can't believe they can dance in those boots!!) out or Scream Team.
Anyways, after the meeting we ate dinner and started to work on the game. We were on the court for a bit while the players were warming up and so I got to be literally on the court while they were playing! I got to meet Taylor Hicks (he was on American Idol and is singing in Grease in Cleveland, I didn't know that either, ha) who sang the national anthem and I went in his dressing room with another member of Production and we gave him a signed LeBron jersey. He was really happy and was really into Twittering. Also in the dressing room was a bike crew--I'm not sure exactly what to call them but they did jumps off a ramp and tricks on little children's bikes during half-time. Meanwhile Ahmaad and Nicole were passing out gift cards to fans who were "banning together" a promotion that was sponsored by KeyBank where everybody who went to the game received free wrist and head sweat bands.
Once the game started everybody in the Production crew was wearing head sets that we could speak through (I got a headset but I didn't talk though because I was more shadowing during the game). Amanda made all the calls and would say things like "dissolve this add into Ahmaad and Nicole in 10, 9, 8..." however once it was into the 4th quarter the comments changed a bit. During the game I was on the floor in the hallway to the VIP Club across from the Celtics bench so I got a great view of the game and I got to hang out with the Scream Team who I learned are really funny. I got a chance to look into the room where a group of tech guys control the big overhead video screen. They have about 20 mini TVs that show what each camera is taping and they pick what they want to play, or if they want an add to play, music, or if they want text to appear on the screen.
Once the game was over I was waiting in the tunnel near where the video crew is and I saw some cops walking a fan down the hallway holding him by the back belt-loops of his pants--his feet were barely touching the ground. There's a mini-jail for fans who get really drunk or inappropriate, so don't try anything and think you will get away with it or you will end up like him. Anyways, I was waiting to walk over to the media conference with another Cavs member. There I sat among the interviewers from ESPN ect. who asked the coaches and LeBron questions. It was really cool to be that close to them and hear directly their responses to the questions.
So I didn't really do a lot but observe during the game and help out a little but I learned a lot! I thought it would be really stressful for the production crew but everything was so well organized and put together that it ran really nicely. It was a great experience even though we lost and it was really cool to be behind the scenes during the game and be so close to the players.
Wow, so I wrote A LOT but there was just so much I saw and wanted to share. I still left some stuff out too but if there's anything you want me to elaborate more on let me know! I also didn't mention any of the stuff I did that morning or in the office this week so if you want more on that let me know too but I've been basically supplementing other Group Event projects and helping out with those. Any random questions are welcome too. Let's go Cavs--game 6 here we come!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
What am I doing?
So for my first post I figured I'd explain a bit what I am doing. For my project I'm working with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the ticket sales department. Most people when they hear CAVS they think Lebron James, Mo Williams, Danny Ferry ect. but there is a lot more that goes on behind the court that most people aren't really aware of which is what I am helping out with.
So somewhere in the Q in the mix of the court and the 20,562 seats there are offices that deal with selling tickets, planning the game events, and attracting more fans. I'm helping out my sponsor CJ Marshall and the ticket sales department that she works in with their projects that they are working. So far I have been doing a lot of the back-work that makes their projects possible such as the 3.0 club (a discount that some schools offer to their students for good grades, attendance records, or other good deeds), boy-scout events (boy-scouts are rewarded with discounted CAVS tickets if they sell a certain amount of popcorn), and more group events. I have been helping out in various different ways including making phone calls, sending out mailings, inputing information into data basing, confirming addresses for schools, and passing out tickets to CAVS events.
Next week I will be helping out the division in more of the same ways but I will get an opportunity to work with Game Operations on Tuesday during Game 5 and I will also get the opportunity to help out the Lake Erie Monsters. So far, I love it! It's a blast to work with everyone at the CAVS--everyone is extremely nice and helpful. A lot of times different divisions help each other out especially when there is a big mailing or a lot of data-basing to be done. Even though I have paper-cuts from stuffing envelopes with boy-scout letters I know that these mailings that get sent out generate a lot of response and revenue for the CAVS and are necessary for these events to happen. The fan response is so encouraging--one lady even hugged a CAVS intern when she received free watch party tickets-- it's more than just a game to many, but it provides a way for our whole city to join together and support one team.
p.s. Some more great things I forgot to mention: the first Friday of every month is cake day so we celebrated the May birthdays last Friday with cake only we were all too stuffed because we went to Hard Rock Cafe (as a goodbye to the interns who left Friday) courtesy of the Cleveland Cavilers and I found out Thursday that I get employee discount at the CAVS store, so you might want to buy some stock there =)
Let's go CAVS!
So somewhere in the Q in the mix of the court and the 20,562 seats there are offices that deal with selling tickets, planning the game events, and attracting more fans. I'm helping out my sponsor CJ Marshall and the ticket sales department that she works in with their projects that they are working. So far I have been doing a lot of the back-work that makes their projects possible such as the 3.0 club (a discount that some schools offer to their students for good grades, attendance records, or other good deeds), boy-scout events (boy-scouts are rewarded with discounted CAVS tickets if they sell a certain amount of popcorn), and more group events. I have been helping out in various different ways including making phone calls, sending out mailings, inputing information into data basing, confirming addresses for schools, and passing out tickets to CAVS events.
Next week I will be helping out the division in more of the same ways but I will get an opportunity to work with Game Operations on Tuesday during Game 5 and I will also get the opportunity to help out the Lake Erie Monsters. So far, I love it! It's a blast to work with everyone at the CAVS--everyone is extremely nice and helpful. A lot of times different divisions help each other out especially when there is a big mailing or a lot of data-basing to be done. Even though I have paper-cuts from stuffing envelopes with boy-scout letters I know that these mailings that get sent out generate a lot of response and revenue for the CAVS and are necessary for these events to happen. The fan response is so encouraging--one lady even hugged a CAVS intern when she received free watch party tickets-- it's more than just a game to many, but it provides a way for our whole city to join together and support one team.
p.s. Some more great things I forgot to mention: the first Friday of every month is cake day so we celebrated the May birthdays last Friday with cake only we were all too stuffed because we went to Hard Rock Cafe (as a goodbye to the interns who left Friday) courtesy of the Cleveland Cavilers and I found out Thursday that I get employee discount at the CAVS store, so you might want to buy some stock there =)
Let's go CAVS!
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