According to multiple sources, the average zipline is around 40-60 feet high. But standing at the top of a zipline platform at the Finley Center in Hoover, Alabama, it might as well be 100 feet high, or 1,000 feet high. As your guide gently nudges you off the platform (and you scream quite audibly), you descend towards a raucous mix of live music, arcade games and rabid baseball fans.
Once on solid ground, you breathe a sigh of relief and think about your next move. A cocktail? Some of Alabama’s best barbecue? Nah. Instead, you head out the door and off to cheer on the Tennessee Vols as they take on the LSU Tigers, just steps away at the Hoover Met Stadium.
That’s the experience guests enjoyed during the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Baseball Championships and its accompanying SEC Fan Fest. It’s a trend that’s becoming increasingly prominent at sporting events large and small.
Event rights holders of sporting events, large and small, are including trade shows, expos and talent showcases to what they offer guests.
“Our guests are here for six days so we look to provide an experience for the whole fan,” said Shannon Ealy, general manager of the Hoover Met Complex. “We often see the parents at our seating area watching the games on the big screen while the kids run around and play in the arcade area.”
The keyword for the SEC Fan Fest and the other events we highlight in this article is “experience.” As the landscape of events and venues becomes increasingly crowded, creating moments at your event that have a greater impact than what happens on the field or court is critical. It’s not every year that a fan favorite can hit a two-out bases-loaded home run to win the game. However, a vacation in which each family member has a chance to do something they love has a way of creating memories that will remain long after the last out.
Supporting events need not be limited to great food, good times and gliding through the sky at speeds above 30 miles per hour. Supporting events can drive the mission of the host organization. They can even provide great opportunities for the athletes involved. The following supporting events not only enhance the service, amenities and fun offered to guests, but they are stars in their own right providing as much value as their larger counterparts.
SEC Fan Fest at The SEC Baseball Championships, Hoover Met Complex, Hoover, Alabama
Prior to the Memorial Day weekend, collegiate baseball teams battle it out during the SEC Baseball Tournament. While the games are going on at Hoover Met Stadium, a different set of games takes place at the Finley Center, just a few blocks away.
The SEC Fan Fest is a carnival for guests with an arcade area featuring a variety of activities including video games, batting cages, cornhole, skeeball, foosball, table tennis, billiards and driving simulators. Fan Fest has a large seating area for fans who want to enjoy that games, a bar, and new to this year’s event, a food hall serving delicious bites from seven local restaurants.
Past Fan Fests featured a Ferris wheel and a traveling exhibit from the Negro League Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Above it all is that exhilarating zipline. And while these features make the SEC Fan Fest a winner for the whole family, there’s one additional feature that makes the games more enjoyable for everyone.
“The other popular attraction is the air conditioning. When you’re averaging about 90 degrees each day, it’s just kind of nice to take a break between games and sneak up there to cool down,” said Ealy.
Lessons Learned: The SEC Fan Fest and similar events, like the Super Bowl Experience, provide activities that engage the non-sports fan. Not everyone loves baseball. But by having an area where kids and adults can play and enjoy activities off the field, the SEC Fan Fest becomes an event from which the whole family gains value.
The addition of the food court serving dishes from local restaurants is critical as well. “We wanted to have brick-and-mortar Hoover restaurants represented at the Fan Fest to give them some exposure to all of the fans,” said Ealy.
Attendance for the SEC Championship and Fan Fest has been on the rise. This year, they broke their attendance record with over 180,000 people coming through the gates.
The Coaches Fair at the NHSCA High School Nationals, Virginia Beach Sports Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Once a year, the nation’s best high school wrestlers come to Virginia Beach to compete for the top spots at the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) High School Nationals. The event is the largest high school wrestling event in the nation with 5,400 athletes from all 50 states.
On the second day of the event, athletes have opportunities to connect with over 200 college coaches during their Coaches Fair. “On that day, rosters are being filled around the country and lives are being changed,” said Eric Hess, executive director of the NHSCA and the event’s organizer. “Hundreds of scholarships are being given out that day and we are particularly proud to be able to do that.”
Lessons Learned: Over the last 35 years, the NHSCA Championships have grown to become the heart of amateur wrestling nationally. Focusing on elevating the profile of the sport, the event is not only about recognizing its best high school athletes but also presenting opportunities for them to pursue the sport in college. By doing so, the NHSCA Championships not only celebrate wrestling and highlight great achievements but also support the careers of to generation of the sport’s athletes.
Peachtree Health & Fitness Expo, presented by Publix, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Each year, over 60,000 runners of all skill levels take to the streets of Atlanta to participate in the Peachtree Road Race. The race is the world’s largest 10K and has been a tradition in Peachtree City for 55 years. In the days leading up to the big race, another event has grown into an important and notable event on its own.
The Peachtree Health & Fitness Expo, presented by Publix, is an interactive health fair open to the public (not just participants). And while this is the official location for picking up race numbers, participants are treated to myriad health-related exhibits from a who’s who of Atlanta-based companies, including Delta Airlines, Coca-Cola and the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Giveaways include sunscreen, resistance strength training bands and beer samples (non-alcoholic, of course). Attendees can also receive a recovery massage, training tips and swag from the city’s professional sports teams.
Lessons Learned: Part of the vision statement of the Atlanta Track Club, organizers of the Peachtree Road Race and Peachtree Health & Fitness Expo, is to create an active and healthy Atlanta. While not everybody can run the race itself, everyone can participate in the health and fitness expo. The event is the embodiment of the organization’s mission. Additionally, by featuring so many local companies in the event, not all of which are health-focused (Delta Airlines, for example), the event takes on a community feel, especially among runners.
What’s also impressive about the Peachtree Health & Fitness Expo is that it takes an essential but mundane task for race participants, picking up race packets, and elevates it to a showcase event.
As sporting events evolve, so too does the focus on creating memorable experiences beyond the game. By offering diverse activities, engaging non-sports fans and supporting athletes’ futures, events like the SEC Fan Fest and NHSCA Championships ensure everyone finds something to enjoy. This holistic approach transforms fleeting moments into lasting memories. SDM
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