Your Brand, Your Fans—Let’s Create an Unbeatable Stadium Experience

Sports fans today expect more than just a seat and a bag of cracker jacks—they want an experience that makes them feel connected to the team and the community around them. If you’re focused on boosting ticket sales, encouraging season ticket holders to renew, or managing an NFL stadium’s engagement strategies, the real challenge is delivering an experience fans want to come back for time and time again.

But don’t worry, you’re in the right spot.

In this blog, we’ll cover:

• What fans really expect when they visit your stadium for a home game.
• Fan experiences that allow you to meet and even exceed those expectations.
• CUE’s digital platform designed to keep fans engaged in unique and creative ways.

The Fan Experience is Everything

While so much goes into creating a memorable stadium experience for fans who attend live sporting events, studies show there are 4 core expectations that lay the foundation for whether or not fans will rate their experience as favorable:

1. The stadium is safe, comfortable and clean.
2. The view from their seat matches what they expected when they purchased their ticket.
3. The game itself is high quality. In the words of Al Davis, "just win baby".
4. The atmosphere in the stadium is exciting.

We can’t really help you with #1-3, but we are here to offer some suggestions for how you can infuse your home games with excitement to keep your fans coming back for more because, as one San Antonio Brahmas fan so aptly put it, “Investing in experiences is how you’ll grow the league longterm as early fans will do lots of your marketing, for better or worse.”

Let’s take a look at how digital tools can help you knock it out of the park as you curate a unique stadium experience.

Keep Your Fans Engaged on Game Day and Beyond With These Creative Strategies

Bringing season ticket holders and casual fans alike closer to the action is no longer just about what happens on the field. Digital tools engagement strategies are reshaping how fans interact, engage, and enjoy the live stadium experience, making them feel part of the event rather than a spectator of it. Here’s a look at how you can use these tools to take your stadium atmosphere to the next level.

Pre-Game and In-Game Entertainment

Pre-game entertainment doesn’t just fill time—it builds anticipation and sets the mood for what’s to come. Start early with live music or a high-energy DJ set during pre-game warmups to build excitement and draw fans into the stadium long before kickoff.

During the game, people love a good videoboard moment. Filters like the "Dance Cam," "Kiss Cam," or even themed segments like "Superhero Cam" keep the energy flowing and give everyone a chance to get involved.

CUE’s digital activations make this even more interactive and personal:

FanSee: With a simple QR code scan, fans can start livestreaming their perspective, and your team can select the best ones to feature on the big screen.

Fanatic Filters: With these live augmented reality (AR) filters, fans on the jumbotron can activate filters with their facial expressions. With a huge catalog of emojis and effects as well as customizable filters to match your team’s brand, it adds a creative twist that fans of all ages will find fun.

Interactive Game-Day Apps

Keeping fans engaged throughout the game is all about creating opportunities for fans to interact and feel like they’re part of the action. Use your stadium app to run live polls, trivia, and prediction games that let fans participate in real time. You can even sweeten the deal by offering rewards like exclusive content, discounts, or loyalty points for those who join in.

CUE’s digital activations provide some tools to ramp up this kind of engagement:

PrizeIt: Make your game an endless prize giveaway by integrating interactive games that distribute coupons, freebies, and other prizes directly to fans via SMS, email, or added directly to their mobile wallets. PrizeIt keeps fans engaged while offering a great way to boost your brand partners’ visibility and on-site sales.

Trivia Mania: Trivia Mania lets fans test their knowledge with live or on-demand trivia games that are displayed on both the video board and mobile devices. It’s fully customizable and can be played anywhere, making it a fun way to get fans involved no matter where they’re at in the stadium—or even tuning in from home.

Themed Game Days and Celebrations

Home games are a great chance to mix things up and give fans something to look forward to beyond just the game itself. Hosting special theme nights like “Throwback Jersey Night,” “Star Wars Night,” or “Fan Appreciation Day” gets fans and stadium staff involved in a fun new way. Theme nights also turn your live event into a highly “Instagrammable” moment for fans which can play a big role in increasing your brand awareness through organic channels and word of mouth.

And don’t forget the younger fans! Kid-themed nights with junior announcers, mini mascots, or on-field challenges can be a great way to incentivize families to make it out to the game and participate in ways unique to those with littles.

Social Media Participation

Speaking of Instagram, we all know fans have one eye on the game and the other on their constantly updating social feeds. Let’s capture some of that attention and bring it back to the stadium! Encourage fans to post using a game-specific hashtag to show off their reactions, game-day outfits, or celebrations.

CUE’s PostUp takes this idea to the next level by making it even easier for fans to get involved:

PostUp: With PostUp, fans can upload photos directly to the video boards, web, or mobile with a simple QR code scan. This feature works pre-game, during the event, and even post-game. Plus, the content is moderated to make sure everything runs smoothly for operators. By sharing the QR code across platforms like social media, your website, and emails, you can build up a library of fan-generated content even before the game begins.

Coordinated Light Shows

There’s something about a well-timed light show that can completely light up the energy in a stadium. Using mobile app activations, you can sync light shows to pretty much any significant moment during your live event like music for pre-game hype or post-game celebrations. These moments can also be tied directly to big plays like a goal or touchdown.

Cue the Lights with CUE’s light show digital activation:

Light Show: With this digital application, fans' phones become part of the show, using their screens, flashlights, speakers, and cameras to create coordinated, immersive visuals.

This platform also lets you customize the on-screen content during these light shows so you can add things like graphics that reinforce the event or messages from brand partners to add even more value to the activation. These interactive light displays turn a regular game into a one-of-a-kind experience that fans will talk about long after they leave the stadium.

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Player and Mascot Engagement

Giving fans a chance to interact with players can make a big difference in their game-day experience. You can do this by setting up designated areas where players can toss balls into the stands, sign autographs, or just chat with fans before or after the game. These personal moments leave a lasting impression and make fans feel more connected to the team.

Mascots are also such a classic way to keep the energy up throughout the game. Make sure they make their rounds and visit different sections so that fans all over the stadium get a chance to interact. You can even have them interact with some of your digital activations like jumbotron AR filters and CUE’s AR Prize Drop which takes the place of the traditional t-shirt cannon to show people how they work and also encourage others to join in on the fun.

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On-Site Activations and Fan Zones

On-site activations change the stadium experience by giving fans more to do than just watch the game. Set up interactive zones inside or outside the stadium where fans can play mini-games, meet players or team legends, and win team-branded merchandise. These activities help build excitement and keep the energy high before and during the event.

Offering game-day-only merchandise or inviting local food vendors also provides some incentive for people to show up to the game rather than head to their local sports bar to catch the live coverage.
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Bring Your Stadium Experience to Life with CUE

CUE’s digital activations can help you create unforgettable moments that keep fans coming back for more. From interactive games and live polls to mobile light shows and real-time social media displays, CUE has helped stadiums of all sizes across the U.S. exceed their fans’ expectations and create a thriving crowd atmosphere. Learn more about how we can help you do the same with our digital fan engagement platform.

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