Win The Event?

[cjr3888]

Congrats on your work and it helps to actually identify what "groups" you were referring to. So you're saying that those groups think it's a bad idea to get in business with a University that brands itself as Ragin Cajuns? Please explain this to me.

Grand Reveil Acadien doesn’t care about sports and promoting at football games. They’re actually not a very well run group.
La Commission De L'Odyssee Acadienne is very well run out of Canada but once again football is not even in their train of thought.
Louisiana Travel does partner with UL.
We even have Dr Rees on campus and I’ve worked with him through the New Acadia Project. He sets up a booth at our events & will talk to a tree to get the word out about our history. However, put him at a UL football game and many people will ignore him.

Many of these cultural groups are full of great ideas but don’t have any “doers” that will make the ideas a reality. UL has taken many of the ideas brought up on this board & tried them. They just haven’t gained traction.

[RedTails]

What we do well: Nothing. Anything that is being done properly is at the fan level. We tailgate like no other.

What we need to address: Every freaking thing.

Small issues that can be changed immediately: Rip up the Sodexo contract. Hire experienced event staff and stop trying to train on the job. Spend money on marketing and promotion, especially within the Acadiana outskirts area. Fill the RCAF roles that are open and STOP chasing white collar donors. Blue collar folks fill you stadiums and support your teams with passion. Get RCAF separated from the Foundation. Hire more event staff people so that we can efficiently usher people into our events. Leave the damn students alone. Stop blaring music over the band. Teach people about the game of football. Teach the band when and what to play. Spruce up the stale halftime same ole - same ole. Fix the tailgating structure. Lower the costs in the RV area until you return to the wait list. Add another band stand and make the tailgate spots a long the Betrand/Congress fences free, first come / first served basis. Add tents to both band stands to keep people out of the sun. Bring Festivals to CF parking lot. Promote the music acts in the tailgate WAY more. Bring back and prop up local vendors. Stop pricing them out of the market by trying to take too big of a cut. (They already operate on razor thing margins. Bring the food tracks back to CF and create a food truck alley at Gate C. Teach the cops how to handle traffic control. Consistency with game day schedule from beginning to end. SELL MERCHANDISE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO BUY. Stay consistent with the branding and make what we wear a fun thing again. Stop telling the customer that they are the problem. Get back to making the students feel like a big part of the equation and teach them game etiquette. Get a damn mascot. Put a cap on corporate season tickets so that the tickets we actually sell have butts in those seats. (Thats how you create atmosphere.) Bring back cocktail hour before the games. Let people tailgate inside the stadium.

That would be a decent start. There you go, Vic.

Create a numbered list of these things and go nail it to the doors of Martin Hall. Call it the Cajun Reformation.

[ULvictory]

Grand Reveil Acadien doesn’t care about sports and promoting at football games. They’re actually not a very well run group.
La Commission De L'Odyssee Acadienne is very well run out of Canada but once again football is not even in their train of thought.
Louisiana Travel does partner with UL.
We even have Dr Rees on campus and I’ve worked with him through the New Acadia Project. He sets up a booth at our events & will talk to a tree to get the word out about our history. However, put him at a UL football game and many people will ignore him.

Many of these cultural groups are full of great ideas but don’t have any “doers” that will make the ideas a reality. UL has taken many of the ideas brought up on this board & tried them. They just haven’t gained traction.

The last paragraph sums it up. Not as many "doers," and some of these ideas have not gained traction. The next thing to ask is why haven't gained traction. Better yet, what exactly did we do that didn't allow it to gain traction. Those questions need to be asked.

Time to switch gears. UL sporting events need to be treated as a tourist attraction. What kind of marketing does it take to get people into these events such as festivals? What kind of ads do they use to promote them? This is where UL can benefit by getting people through the gates. We have already established many times that the school to the east brands itself which is why people naturally go there. We have to put more of an effort than we are doing now.

[ManAboutTown]

Grand Reveil Acadien doesn’t care about sports and promoting at football games. They’re actually not a very well run group.
La Commission De L'Odyssee Acadienne is very well run out of Canada but once again football is not even in their train of thought.
Louisiana Travel does partner with UL.
We even have Dr Rees on campus and I’ve worked with him through the New Acadia Project. He sets up a booth at our events & will talk to a tree to get the word out about our history. However, put him at a UL football game and many people will ignore him.

Many of these cultural groups are full of great ideas but don’t have any “doers” that will make the ideas a reality. UL has taken many of the ideas brought up on this board & tried them. They just haven’t gained traction.

Just as a negotiating exercise, if I were in the position to try and make this happen:

Wouldn't waste my time with a poorly run organization, so Reviel Acadien is out.

I'd invite everyone from La Commission De L'Odyssee Acadienne to a homecoming game, let them experience it for themselves, sell them on the fact that in America, football is King, and the South is it's Royal Grounds. I'd invite all of our UL Football players that played in Canada to HC or to a private event and let everyone mingle.

I understand LA Travel has been a good partner, but I'd encourage them to do more and I don't know what the contact is like with them currently, but I'd make sure we have constant two way communication with them pretty much year round.

Dr. Rees is an asset. I'd love to have him on RR, actually. But I wonder if placement and timing is the reason his booth at games aren't getting attention. I'd like to see some promotion of his booth as well.

I agree that in general, we lack doers. I still think that if done correctly, we can bring a taste of festival life to CajunField to create the culture that we all talk about, but rarely experience at the football field. Like Dan said, there's nothing Ragin or Cajun about gameday experience, especially once you get into the stadium. We have to change that. In my view, getting the most culture-minded folks among us to be part of the solution is a no-brainer. I'm sure it will be a challenge. There are several moving parts with all involved. But I feel like it can get done.

[fanof71]

Conflicts with the next home game on 10/22.The Boudin and Bacon Cookoff, downtown Lafayette, 10a-4p and the Rice Festival in Crowley

While in BR, nothing but Tiger Football is planned for their next home game, Oct.8th.https://www.visitbatonrouge.com/even.%5D=2022-11-03

[ManAboutTown]

Create a numbered list of these things and go nail it to the doors of Martin Hall. Call it the Cajun Reformation.

oh. my god

I have to do this.

[ManAboutTown]

Conflicts with the next home game on 10/22.The Boudin and Bacon Cookoff, downtown Lafayette, 10a-4p and the Rice Festival in Crowley

Simple solution? Call them up, pitch the annex idea, both parties benefit.

Hell, give me the contact info. I'll do it.

[fanof71]

Simple solution? Call them up, pitch the annex idea, both parties benefit.

Hell, give me the contact info. I'll do it.

https://www.facebook.com/BoudinCookOff/
(337) 993-2207

[BeauCajun]

Conflicts with the next home game on 10/22.The Boudin and Bacon Cookoff, downtown Lafayette, 10a-4p and the Rice Festival in Crowley

While in BR, nothing but Tiger Football is planned for their next home game, Oct.8th.https://www.visitbatonrouge.com/even.%5D=2022-11-03

We plan on doing the Boudin Cookoff in the AM and then tailgate in the PM. Easy, peasy.

[Cajunrunner]

Simple solution? Call them up, pitch the annex idea, both parties benefit.

Hell, give me the contact info. I'll do it.

99.9264% certain Rice Festival ain't moving from Crowley to Lafayette. It's an Acadia Parish thing (compare the rice to sugar cane ratio between Acadia and Lafayette Parishes), and Crowley is the Parish seat.

Now the Boudin and Bacon cookoff already in Lafayette, that could be an opportunity.

[Turbine]

Grand Reveil Acadien doesn’t care about sports and promoting at football games. They’re actually not a very well run group.
La Commission De L'Odyssee Acadienne is very well run out of Canada but once again football is not even in their train of thought.
Louisiana Travel does partner with UL.
We even have Dr Rees on campus and I’ve worked with him through the New Acadia Project. He sets up a booth at our events & will talk to a tree to get the word out about our history. However, put him at a UL football game and many people will ignore him.

Many of these cultural groups are full of great ideas but don’t have any “doers” that will make the ideas a reality. UL has taken many of the ideas brought up on this board & tried them. They just haven’t gained traction.

What if Louisiana offered a French broadcast stream for sporting events? Would their interest level increase?

[JamesTheJeweler]

Our current situation with this administration is like playing the old board game, OPERATION. You try to focus on one problem that needs "surgery", but you inevitably get SHOCKED by what surrounds it.

[cjr3888]

What if Louisiana offered a French broadcast stream for sporting events? Would their interest level increase?

That is one thing I thought of after seeing another school having a Spanish broadcast. However, is that an option with the current ESPN contract?

[ManAboutTown]

That is one thing I thought of after seeing another school having a Spanish broadcast. However, is that an option with the current ESPN contract?

Seems like something that stream team could handle independently. I'm sure we can find a french speaking Cajuns fan to do PxP. Doesn't Bobby N speak french?

[CajunNation]

What if Louisiana offered a French broadcast stream for sporting events? Would their interest level increase?

This should have been done decades ago.

Y'know, Acadiana was Spanish property when the Acadiens were sent here. Hence, the Gold Castle for the Kingdom of Castile, Spain on the Acadiana Flag. We should have a Spanish broadcast, a French broadcast and an English broadcast.

Louisiana is a Gumbo of nationalities. Acadiana is the home of Festivale. UL should already have this in place.