By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
The Vegas Golden Knights have scored high praise for their unconventional, over-the-top pregame show, the Vegas Strip acts that entertain T-Mobile Arena fans between periods and off-beat promotional videos that include everyone from owner Bill Foley to the team’s top corporate sales executive who simply goes by “Phil.”
The Knights have no problem going the non-conformist route when it comes to marketing its National Hockey League product. And in season two, the Golden Knights have done away with a pro sports tradition that might be small in size but very large in the hearts of some memorabilia collectors.
The VGK has cut the pocket schedule from its marketing campaign in 2018-19.
In the inaugural season, the folding schedule that easily fit in your pockets was found on the City National Arena counters.
But this season, those schedules are no where to be found.
What happened? LVSportsBiz.com asked VGK Chief Marketing Officer Brian Killingsworth Wednesday why the pocket skeds got nixed. The answer is that it’s a digital sports world these days.
“We decided to focus on efforts this season on digital for the schedule delivery for our fans,” Killingsworth explained.
“We have encouraged our fans to download the Golden Knights Official App as their primary source of VGK news, information and updates,” he said.
“Most people have their phones with them at all times, so the VGK schedule can be easily accessible at any time,” Killingsworth said. “Also, you can easily synch the VGK schedule into your personal calender on Google, Outlook or Apple on our official website.”
As our world moves away from paper products in favor of digital and online platforms, some sports traditions are dying deaths, too.
Sports reporters used to have a meaty team media guide tucked into their backpacks and laptop carrying cases. But many pro teams have media guides online these days.
Such was the fate with the Golden Knights schedule, which — like everything bearing a VGK trademark in season one — became a money-making commodity. LVSportsBiz.com recalls fans gobbling up those pocket schedules and re-selling them on eBay during the inaugural season. In fact, they’re still on eBay selling for $2.49 a pop, plus two bucks for shipping.
Like anything bearing a pro sports team logo, the pocket schedule had its collectors. Here’s a sports blog dedicated to pocket team schedules.
And the new Las Vegas Aviators — the newly re-branded Triple A ballclub building a new ballyard next to the VGK training center in Downtown Summelin — have rolled out their pocket schedules.
VGK season ticket holder Barbara Landes, who attends every home game with hubby Pete “The Old Dude” Landes, said she misses the Golden Knights pocket schedule.
“I have trouble reading the schedule that was on the back of the preseason poster,” Barbara Landes said. “I always have to look it up on the NHL app if my calendar is not nearby.”
Golden Knights season ticketholder Joey Totaro noted, “Teams of all sports have been putting out pocket schedules since the dawn of time pre 1930s.”
Totaro said, “People are genuinely interested in collecting sports pocket schedules from all sports teams. You can find many websites on the internet dedicated to collecting pocket schedules.”
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But he added, “I’m sure the Golden Knights team has other things to focus on other than pocket schedules. Maybe they thought what they spent last year was a little too much money out of the marketing budget on pocket schedules and they found a better use of those allowed funds for this year going digital they saved a little and maybe used the other funds towards something else.”
But these being digital times, another Golden Knights season ticketholder, Norm Nusbaum, said he didn’t miss the pocket sked.
“It’s no bother to me,” Nusbaum said Wednesday. “I have the NHL app on my phone and look there when I need to know the next Knights game. Games are also in my calendar in my phone.”
The Golden Knights are not alone at dropping the pocket schedule from the marketing line-up. Killingsworth offered some observations on the trend: “It is mixed, but there are other teams that are going this direction.”
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LVSportsBiz.com will be reporting at the Golden Knights-New York Islanders game at T-Mobile Arena Thursday night. Look for Facebook Live reports at 5:15 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. and between period interviews. Also, if you’re interested in buying our new book — Long Road Back to Las Vegas — contact Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com.
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Follow LVSportsBiz.com on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Contact LVSportsBiz.com publisher/writer Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com