Varied exhibitors use Cashman concourse to promote their products

It’s 90 minutes before a recent Las Vegas 51s ball game and art teacher Marion Doble wheels in her suitcase of face paints and sponge brushes.

The 34-year-old woman wearing a pink 51s short-sleeve shirt, baggy pants and pink shoes sets up shop at a Cashman Field concourse table. She lays out a tie-died table cloth, sets out her paints and prepares for dozens of kids who will sit politely as Doble applies a rainbow of colors to their cheeks.

“It’s an opportunity to get my artwork on as many kids as possible,” said Doble, who teaches at Kitty Ward Elementary School and runs her Amazing Star Girl face-painting business as a part-time job. “And I network with parents for future events.”

Doble is among more than the 50 exhibitors who use the Cashman concourse throughout the 51s season to promote products, hand out freebies with brand logos and network with locals in hopes of snagging new customers by tapping into the Triple A team’s broad fan base.

There’s no single category of exhibitor at 51s games. They range from Access Health Dental promoting its dental services and Sit Means Sit peddling dog training classes to American Family Insurance and Kees health food doling out protein water samples. Other businesses and groups include a charter school, a horse-riding organization, apartment rentals and a variety of nonprofit organizations such as Shade Tree, which provides housing for women and children caught in difficult domestic situations.

Some exhibitors are 51s sponsors such as Access Health, while others pay for the table space, said Mike Graham, 51s sponsorship services manager.

“Some exhibitors, like our face painter, are not sponsors,” Graham said. “Some are charities (that) want to get their message across, so they partner with us. Some have small businesses who may not want a big package or have the budget for one but want to get their brand out, so we take care of them as well.”

FREE STUFF

On a recent Friday night game, there was not one but two dental companies promoting their services. Joining Access Health, which has six offices and a seventh mobile office, was the Smile Generators, a national dental chain.

Kristen Simmons, Access Health marketing and sales manager, said 51s games give her dental company a platform to connect with potential customers who they otherwise would not reach. She hands out 300 to 500 lip balms a game and informs fans of the dental service. Access Health is the official dentist of the 51s.

“People love free stuff,” Simmons said. “We have an extra challenge, so we give something that they would use that gets our name in their hands.”

Several tables down from Simmons are three women doling out 3-ounce samples of Kees protein water. Valerie Cano, a Kees representative, said they’re looking to make the public aware of the protein water while also gauging reactions. They go through three to six 12-bottle cases at the table. The product is also sold at 51s concessions stands.

Doble paints the faces of 20 to 80 kids a game. Every child who takes a seat at her table means there’s a few minutes to talk with a parent and sell her service. Doble even networks with fellow exhibitors. You never know if they might need a face painter for an event, she said.

Doble does not charge for face painting, but a sign noted, “I am painting for tips. Thank you.”

The 51s take pride in drawing fans who represent a wide variety of families seeking affordable entertainment such as a Triple A ball game. So, the exhibitors are shooting to hit that demographic.

“The value of exhibiting at 51s games are the exhibitors get to reach the same fan base that we do — kids who are in preschool, their parents and retirees taking their grandkids to a game. You get to reach a wide variety of families,” Graham said.

“There is a diverse group of exhibitors because we have a diverse fan base, not only agewise, but ethnic groups and nationalities that serve what they are trying to sell,” he said.

Kurt Ouchida, co-owner of BRAINtrust marketing and communications in Las Vegas, said if you are trying to target an audience that is in the 18-49 age range; has at least one child at home; and is predominantly male, “then exhibiting at a sporting event like a 51s game makes perfect sense.”

And two features about baseball games are also good for exhibitors — games are about three hours long and the audience is captive, Ouchida said.

THAT CAPTIVE AUDIENCE

“The best case scenario for any marketer is having their brand in front of a captive audience, one that will, in the case of a baseball game, be immersed in a branded proposition for approximately three hours. Capturing their attention and engaging them in the brand is key,” he said.

Ouchida said the exhibitor should aim at capturing attention; generating trial and engagement; capturing contact data and even create brand loyalty during the three-hour span.

“The great thing about a game, whether it’s a family or corporate outing, is that the audience is immersed in an infotainment setting,” he said.

“Namely, they are being entertained by the game on the field while also being informed by consumer messaging between innings, or, if you are within consumer sight-lines, on the scoreboard, video marquee or on the outfield fence during the game itself.”

There are several ways exhibitors can create brand messaging or a call-to action.

Ouchida listed these examples: Online registration “enter to wins,” digital and print versions of buy-one-get-one-free coupons, and promotional giveaways with redemptions.

They “are all popular tools to reaching the stadium or arena crowd. If sponsored booths, interactive venues, or pregame, between-inning or postgame opportunities exist then that provides yet another chance to capture and convert,” he said.

Promotional freebies were the strategy-of-choice for American Family Insurance, where agents Matthew Baker and Barbara Nielson handed out free water bottles, small bags, oversized paper pointer finger and chap sticks.

“Our goal is to get people to contact us at a later time,” Nielson said. “No one wants to buy insurance at a ball game.”

Contact reporter Alan Snel at asnel@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273. Follow @BicycleManSnel on Twitter.