There was a lot to celebrate at TD Garden in Boston this year. To commemorate the arena’s 20th birthday, their recent completion of a two-year, $70-million renovation and in conjunction with parent company Delaware North’s 100th anniversary, the Banner Moments campaign was launched as an integrated digital/social fan engagement effort. For heading up the celebratory campaign, Venues Today readers have recognized Amy Latimer, president, TD Garden, with the 2015 Hall of Headlines award for Marketing.
“The idea of banner moments is something we’ve been talking about for awhile because we have so many championship banners, the most in the country,” said Latimer. “Banner moments evoke championship memories that we’re proud of, so we really like that campaign and couldn’t think of a better way to kick it off.”
From the start, the team at TD Garden decided on a birthday concept over anniversary, as it provided a better platform and fit better with the arena’s feel. The social media piece of the campaign was launched leading up to the birthday event by asking fans to share their favorite banner moments from over the years with #BannerMoments. In its first week of promotion alone, the arena generated more than 8 million social media impressions for the hashtag.
The event was set for Sept. 30.
“It was everything we hoped it would be,” said Jen Compton, vice president of Marketing. “There is great content flowing from our fans, and people are still continuing to use it. The day of the event was the most active day around it, but it’s a theme we’re hoping to continue in the social space and as a fan experience commitment.”
Photos flooded in through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and Compton said the initiative is something they hope to continue.
“It was a good opportunity for us as a recommitment to a deeper dive into brand exploration, what we’re all about, what our values are and creating banner moments for fans,” said Compton. “It was a great platform to be able to launch that initiative.”
For the birthday bash itself, they had 5,000 tickets available, and the event sold out only days after announcing it. The arena was opened up for a backstage experience as fans were treated to a half-ice, half-court arena floor setup, including the chance to take a slap shot on the Bruins ice and shoot a three-pointer on the historic Celtics parquet and a surprise performance from Dropkick Murphys.
“It was great to evoke the memories of the past by collecting everything and then that day create new memories for people,” said Latimer.
In addition to the event, the team also created extra special banner moments for three deserving fans in partnership with the Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins and Feld’s Disney on Ice. A local police officer, who was shot in the line of duty, was given the chance to suit up in the Bruins locker room and skate on the ice with his hockey team. A young leukemia survivor was made princess for a day, including etiquette lessons, dress up and a surprise visit from Princess Belle. And a young Celtics fan had the chance to watch a game from courtside seats with personalized jerseys.
“I have been there all 20 years, and it was one of the best days of working there,” said Latimer.
As people shared their own banner moments, Latimer was surprised at how different each person’s was. From Celtics and Bruins games to concerts, Olympic Trials and NCAA events, the memories ran the gamut, solidifying TD Garden’s role in the community for Latimer.
“We’re not saving lives, we’re just trying to make them a little better,” said Latimer. “This isn’t a hospital or anything, but we give them a distraction and a place to go. And these moments just epitomize everything we want to do and our role in the community.”