The St. Louis Blues are altering their practice schedule just a bit. While it closes the doors on one day, it opens up another opportunity for fans to see the team later this week.
The St. Louis Blues are nothing if not opportunists. When something presents itself as a good opportunity to market the team and also to better serve the fans, the Blues usually jump at that chance.
That is exactly what they are doing with their current practice schedule. Instead of leaving things as they were and having a small crowd show up to a midweek morning practice session at the Icezone, the Blues are going to open up the doors to the Scottrade Center over the weekend.
The Blues will still practice today, but they are going to do it at the Scottrade instead of in the mall rink. It will be a closed door practice, with only members of the media allowed in.
Fans hoping to see the Blues don’t need to be disappointed though. The team is going to be holding an open house on Saturday, September 23 instead.
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According to the team website, the doors to the arena will open at 9:30 and practice will begin around 10:30. That is a tiny bit later than the sessions have been starting for those of you who have been attending regularly.
Fans will have special prizes given away, including a chance to win tickets to opening night on October 7. Darren Pang and Kelly Chase are going to make an appearance to meet fans in attendance.
There will also be a post-practice question-and-answer session. That will only be for season ticket holders and fans who purchase any sort of season ticket package that day though.
The Blues are being very smart with this little schedule change. It’s a great way to get fans more engaged with the team in the preseason and also show off some of the upgrades that have happened in the arena.
One of the other things the team touted during this session was a chance to see the new food and beverage options available. That’s not just allowing fans to eat, it’s good marketing and good PR.
Additionally, you’re letting fans know they can see an actual game later that night. Not everyone knows the preseason schedule by heart.
Some might wander down out of curiosity and end up buying a ticket to that night’s game against Dallas. Chances are slimmer of that, but even if you get a few dozen, that’s a few dozen more butts in the seats.
All options are good for the team right now. Sometimes you need a closed practice where you can just focus and coaches can say what they want without fear of repercussion or fan backlash.
It is also a good move to let more fans attend such a venture. The team has already had to turn fans away when they packed the Icezone for last Sunday’s scrimmage.
It should be a good time for those who can attend. The Blues, if nothing else, have learned that marketing the team is not always such a dirty idea. You can serve the team and the fans at the same time.