Military Appreciation Night 101: A Lesson in Verification and Data Capture From the Savannah Ghost Pirates

The Challenge

More than 32,000 active and retired US servicemen and women call Savannah, Georgia, home. With such a large military presence, it only makes sense that the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates allocate significant marketing effort toward reaching those populations. One of those efforts is a Military Appreciation night complete with tiered sponsorship levels that pay for tickets for qualifying military personnel and veterans. However, scaling the campaign proved difficult. Direct distribution of comped tickets to so many individuals is labor-intensive, not to mention the need for verifying military status to ensure every ticket ends up in the right hands. If only there were technology available that could provide some much-needed shortcuts…

The Solution

Using FEVO’s ID.me integration, the Ghost Pirates were able to provide secure, fast and efficient military status verification directly within the checkout flow. That allowed the Ghost Pirates’ sales and marketing team to spend more time on outreach via networks, groups and sponsors to ensure that more servicepeople could learn about — and attend — the game. With FEVO, fans who received comped tickets were also able to purchase additional tickets for friends and family, with all of them located together on game day. Finally, the FEVO platform provided enhanced data-capture abilities: using our offer question feature, the Ghost Pirates gave fans the opportunity to opt in to receiving information on future ticketing packages.

In Conclusion…

• The strategic use of ID.me for verification and FEVO for data management proved highly effective in overcoming the initial challenges and significant manpower required to execute this initiative
• The approach not only ensured that comped tickets reached the intended recipients, but also improved overall event participation and engagement, as evidenced by higher scan rates than usual for comped tickets
• The successful implementation of this model showcased its potential scalability for future events, emphasizing the importance of targeted outreach and technological integration in event management
• The initiative had a significant positive impact on the military community, strengthening their relationship with the Savannah Ghost Pirates and setting a precedent for future military appreciation events!

"The integration of ID.me with FEVO’s platform simplified the verification process and enhanced outreach capabilities on our Military Appreciation Night. This technology ensured that every comped ticket reached its intended recipient efficiently and increased overall event engagement. We're thrilled with the success of this initiative, which not only honored our local service members with a well-deserved night out, but also paves a new standard for future events!"
– Jordan Atkins, Box Office and Service Manager at the Savannah Ghost Pirates

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