The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCRC 2019 AAW Event RecapEvent Recap: Vail Mountaineer’s Avalanche Alumni Weekend Cultural, Recreational & Community Category February 5, 2020 Trista Sutter Fundraising Director, VMHC fundraising@vailmountaineers.org Overall Event Highlights & Successes 2 🏒🏒Joe Sakic was in attendance and plans to attend in 2020! He was joined by new attendees, Cody McLeod, and Peter Budaj, as well as favorites including Pierre Turgeon, Stephane Yelle, and Vail resident John-Michael Liles. 🏒🏒Raised the “bar” in terms of the quality of the experience for the Avalanche players, families, staff, and guests as we received over $15,000 in in-kind donations from alcohol and food sponsors and were able to provide them with free drinks the entire weekend. 🏒🏒Partnered with Vail’s own men’s apparel store, Grey Salt, in Solaris, to provide an additional meet and greet opportunity that was free to the community. 🏒🏒Increased attendance to the Avalanche Alumni vs Vail Yeti hockey game by at least 350 people and filled Dobson with super excited hockey fans! 🏒🏒Raised $2000 more in our silent auction than the previous year, and over $53,000 in total. Estimated Attendance Results 3 Top Shelf Casino Night 🏒🏒2019: 402 tickets purchased/comped 🏒🏒2018: 354 tickets purchased/comped Youth Hockey Clinics and Meet and Greet 🏒🏒2019: 62 kids & 40 adults (Clinics) + 200 at Meet and Greet 🏒🏒2018: 77 Avalanche Alumni vs Vail Yeti Hockey Game 🏒🏒Numbers provided by Dobson Staff 🏒🏒2019: 1000 (ish) 🏒🏒2018: 650 (ish) Happy Attendee Spotlight 4 “I am so happy we made it to the meet and greet! Thanks so much for putting this together! I got to meet my semi- celebrity crush (Marc Moser) & my son got to meet his favorite goalie! Today was MAGIC!” Estimated Attendee Profile Results 5 •As a local event, most attendees reside in the Vail Valley, but we had fans and guests come from Denver and Greeley as well •The Avalanche Alumni Association brought 61 attendees from the Front Range, Arizona, Tennessee, Florida, and Montana including: 🏒🏒17 Players 🏒🏒38 Family Members and Guests 🏒🏒7 Staff Members 🏒🏒10 Commentators and their guests Estimated Spending Results 6 •Dining: Guests visited Yeti’s Grind, Garfinkel’s, Vendetta’s, Shakedown, Chophouse, Bridge Street Bar, Red Lion, Antlers, Little Diner, Starbucks, City Market, Tavern on the Square, and Dobson. •Lodging: We spent $6760.40 at the Antlers, $1687.50 at the Evergreen Lodge, and $510.57 at the Four Seasons. Kroenke Sports paid $953.08 at the Antlers and $506.25 at the Evergreen Lodge. Total: $10,417.80 •Other Activities: We spent $3700 to rent out Dobson, paid $1312.01 for guests and VIPs to golf at the Vail Golf Club while Kroeke paid $244.40, and we bought $1200 worth of hats from East Vail-based Ski Town All Stars. Total: $6456.41 •Total average spending per person: $200 •Town of Vail spending generated at: Casino Night: 400 people x $200 = $80,000 Youth Hockey Clinics/Meet & Greet: 300 x $200 = $60,000 Avalanche Alumni vs Vail Yeti: 1000 x $200 = $200,000 Total for weekend: $340,000 Event Strengths & Weaknesses 7 •How did the event exceed expectations? 🏒🏒Attracted higher level talent, thereby increasing attendance 🏒🏒Attracted higher level sponsors •What are areas for event improvement? 🏒🏒Find hotel sponsor(s) to cushion lodging costs 🏒🏒Replace Casino Night with VIP Cocktail Party to maximize fundraising dollars and make time spent more efficient •How did this year’s event compare to last year? 🏒🏒Level of quality was raised 🏒🏒Expanded reach and increased numbers Vail Brand Compatibility The Premier International Mountain Resort Community 8 Your brand is defined by your mission. Your mission is to “grow a vibrant, diverse economy and community and preserve our surrounding natural environment, providing our citizens and guests with exceptional services and an abundance of recreational, cultural and educational opportunities”. VMHC supports this mission by: 🏒🏒Offering recreational opportunities to almost 200 local families through youth hockey, while providing scholarships for those who are unable to afford the associated costs. 🏒🏒Dedicating ourselves to educating hockey players, coaches, parents and families about the life skills of sportsmanship, mutual respect, responsibility, teamwork and friendship. 🏒🏒Hosting local events, including Avalanche Alumni Weekend that encourage citizens and guests to get out and enjoy the vibrant Town of Vail. 🏒🏒Partnering with well-known brands and athletes to provide exceptional, once in a lifetime experiences with beloved Colorado athletes. Topline Marketing Efforts 9 🏒🏒Radio Spots and Interviews on Altitude and KZYR and Vail Daily Ads Trista and John Michael Liles were guests for interviews Ads were recorded and put on the air daily 🏒🏒@ColoradoAvalanche Shared Event Flyer on Twitter 516.6K Followers 🏒🏒Partnership with Grey Salt for Meet and Greet They created flyers for the counters at Grey Salt, Perch Vail, Perch Denver, and Skipper & Scout They shared flyers with 1400 newsletter subscribers They posted flyers with 1638 followers on @greysaltvail Instagram 🏒🏒Facebook Fan Page Outreach Colorado Avalanche Fans –19,859 members Colorado Avalanche Territory –1117 members Avs Family –1639 members Colorado Avalanche Avs Fan Forum –430 members Colorado Avalanche Markteplace –1055 members 10 Potential for Growth & Sponsorships/Media Exposure 11 •How do you see the event evolving next year? 🏒🏒Increased outreach via Denver contacts and satisfied Avalanche Alumni 🏒🏒Improve quality of experience instead of continuing specific events that waste time and lose money •What sponsors do you plan to target next year? 🏒🏒Past sponsors who have consistently shown their support 🏒🏒Past sponsors who were unable to offer support in 2019 🏒🏒New families and their corporate/local company ties Sustainability Efforts 12 •What measures were taken at your event/program to support the environmentally-friendly goals of the Town of Vail? 🏒🏒Youth and adult skaters were encouraged to fill up water bottles at Dobson’s fill stations during the clinics and game. •What waste reduction methods were used during your event/program? 🏒🏒Separated trash and recycling dispensers were utilized for all events including Casino Night, the youth clinics and the Avalanche vs Yeti game. •How could you improve on sustainability efforts for next year’s event? 🏒🏒The number of Sponsorship Packets that are printed will be limited. It has become clear that the communication between most of our sponsors is digital. Additional Information/Appendix 13 •With the exception of an Administrative Director and a Hockey Operations Director, our club is run entirely by parent volunteers…including the Fundraising Director. Because we know our applications can’t compete with companies who have a budget to cover grant writing, your support means even more! •Plans for next year are already underway: 🏒🏒Avalanche Alumni are confirmed as continued partners 🏒🏒Marketing Outreach has begun on the Front Range 🏒🏒Location scouting has begun for a kickoff Cocktail Party that will replace Casino Night