The Woes of Sports Marketing in Richmond

Richmond Renegades President/GM Allan B. Harvie Jr. made the rounds of the room, talking to everyone personally. That morning the Times-Dispatch had announced that Harvie was requesting permission to suspend hockey operations next season. No money. But by the time of the PRSA luncheon, just a few hours later, he was saying he had calls from possible benefactors. Plus, if we all could convince everyone we knew to sell out the last three Renegade games, with everyone sitting in the lower level $10 seats, that alone would save the team for another season.

(Just a few days later, Harvie announced the possible benefactors had backed out.)

The we’re-outta-here press conference and the pitch for sell-outs were both good evangelical telethon marketing techniques. That in itself was a lesson to be learned by the public relations practitioners in the room: how to put on the desperation appeal.

The lunch panel also included Matthew Becherer, RIR Guy, and Scott Schricker, Sportsbacker Guy. RIR Guy said they were marketing northward since the Southern market for NASCAR was oversaturated with events to attend. RIR has only a year-to-year agreement with NASCAR. They can be cut out of the loop anytime! There’s a desperation appeal for you. The economic impact of NASCAR on Richmond is “huge, and yet the community doesn’t always cooperate.” They jack up $80 rooms to $350 and limit length of stays. Track survival means getting a variety of races in there that appeal to locals and families.

Sportsbacker Guy said they started as a lunch club in ’92, selling tickets for guest speakers to raise money for scholarships. Then they started bidding on bringing sporting events to Richmond before realizing it’s better to operate your own event because then you always win the bid! They picked up the Richmond Marathon when the Times-Dispatch dropped it, invented the Monument Avenue 10K, and it was onward from there. Yet the lack of good sports facilities in Richmond is hampering them. The Coliseum (1971) is old and there’s still the perception that Downtown is not safe. (Especially if you’re not good at dodging spit. Downtown people are the spitting-est bunch I’ve ever seen, and they don’t even turn their heads.) Why, there’s only been one fatal shooting after a Coliseum event! And it was a domestic quarrel!

(I beg to differ on crime. My son’s camera bag was stolen right off the sidewalk while he was unloading his car at the Coliseum, and this was the circus crowd! You’d think they’d behave with their children right there watching them steal. Although the last time I went to the Coliseum it was for a KISS concert and nothing bad happened except it took a very long time getting out of the parking deck. The smart rednecks just partied on top of their cars until the deck cleared out.)

The Coliseum also notoriously banned the Grateful Dead because their fans liked to camp out around the building for days and left a lot of garbage. Now John Paul Jones Arena is eating the Coliseum's lunch.