Some of the content I really love on Gameops.com are the definition pages.  When I worked at Nike in the sports entertainment department I was throw into the deep water on some production elements I knew nothing about.  Pyro and lighting were just two such areas.

I was really lucky to have a local production house owner spend an hour over lunch to “take me to school” on various topics.  It wasn’t enough so that I would be able to actually light a stage or build a pryo show, but I would be able to accurately describe what I wanted from my vendors.  He was priming me to be able to speak the language of the vendor.

It also can help you not get taken to the cleaners from unscrupulous vendors.  Show a vendor that you have a working knowledge of their service and they are less likely to try to sell you something you don’t need.

Finally, the more you know….the more you know what’s possible.  Expand your knowledge and you know more about what you can reasonably ask for.  It’s just good business.

As I started to build content on the site, I always love to talk to vendors who can share some of their insight to event producers.  Help us “speak the language”.  Vendors like this are also helped when you have a working knowledge, since you are more likely to ask for the possible and you cut through that difficult layer of asking for everything in child-like terms like “big pow” over “concussion”.

Two such vendors are Zenith Pyrotechnics and Pyritz Pyrotechnices.  Steve Dobo with Zenith joined us for an early interview on Gameops.com and Terry Ritz at Pyrtiz helped with a vocab list of pyro.  That list has since grown to include video clips so you can see the effects.

I highly recommend that interview, our Pyro Terms page, and checking out this video of the evolution of Pyro. The pyro shown here shows an amazing progression of pyro used over the years by the WWE.  The WWE uses Zenith Pyro, so you can see a lot of the work of Steve Dobo and see how much they have grown and evolved over the years.

–Cudo

• Pyro Terms Page
• Interview with Steve Dobo
• Interview with Terry Ritz

The Minnesota Wild made an interesting addition to their team this week, adding a mascot.  While most teams would find adding a mascot to be “normal”, it’s a twist for the Wild who have built their in-game presentation around the old-school traditions of Minnesota hockey and have been adverse to having a mascot since they launched their team.  You can read more about the Wild’s game presentation in this Gameops.com Interview with John Maher.

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Minnesota Wild today unveiled the team’s new mascot, Nordy, this afternoon at a public event on the Xcel Energy Center ice. Nordy, the newest member of the Team of 18,000, hails from way up yonder and is a lifelong resident of The State of Hockey. Born in Eveleth, Minn. he was raised with a stick and a pair of blades and cut his teeth on the ponds and lakes throughout the Iron Range. He now resides at Xcel Energy Center and calls the Capital City home.

Actually it sounds like the mascot came about as much for community relations as for game entertainment.  “There are many community events and appearances that we would like to have a presence at, but because of the demands of the NHL schedule and the sheer number of appearance requests we receive during the season, we haven’t been able to participate,” said Director of Community Partnerships Brad Bombardir.

I usually catch a Wild game once a year, so I will be looking forward to seeing Nordy in action and seeing how the Wild integrate him into their presentation at the best venue in sports (Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul).

–Cudo

PS:  I love that the Wild have their goal horn on their site as an .mp3….and thanks to Swanny for keeping me abreast of the mascot count in MN.

Best Touring Act

The touring act or halftime show that excels in providing quality entertainment for your fans. Consider drawing power, quality, cooperation of the act, media, and value. All touring acts and non-team affiliated shows and performers are considered.

The Red Panda Act has dominated this award as the the only winner in every year of the Gameops.om awards. Named Best Act in 2004, 2006, and honorable mention in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005.

We are accepting Nominations now for Best Act, you can comment in this post or email us.

We also encourage you to send YouTube links to video of the acts to help our panel.

–Cudo

Sorry for the up and down blog schedule this week. I am in Austin Texas enjoying some line-dancing, BBQ and a seminar with about 300 minor league baseball executives.  It’s been a great couple days filled with tips and tricks on filling the stands and entertaining those fans.

The trip is holding up some of the monthly update, but that will be wrapped up this weekend with more from Pat Walker, Prize Wheels in the Promotion Spotlight, and more.  If you want to know when the update is live, you can be the first kid on your block to know if you sign up for our monthly email alert.

This week has also been fun to see a lot of the teams and people I talk to via email, including a couple VIP’s like Promotional Scribe Benjamin Hill (who was featured in this Gameops.com Interview) and the master of promotional ceremonies Dan Migala (August 2008 interview).

For more information on the seminar, see this page.  And it’s not just for minor league baseball.  This is a seminar for anyone trying to do more and better promotions.

–Cudo

Best Team Operations
Which team is doing the best job in their game operations and game presentation. We level the playing field by considering budget constraints to minor league teams. Consider creativity, value to fans, overcoming sport and budget limitations, quality of presentation, and attention to detail.

You can submit nominations for Best Team Operations here (in the comments)or via email.

Last year’s winners included the New Orleans Hornets, Fresno Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns.  2006 winners included the Miami Heat, Hagerstown Suns, and San Jose Sharks.

Nominations this year already include the Lowell Spinners and Minnesota Twins.

Nominations are open.

-Cudo

Us and our rival hockey team are preparing for a home and home mascot boxing intermission where their mascot wins in their building and ours wins in our building etc… Anyway, I am looking to purchase inflatable boxing gloves. Do you sell or can you point me in the right direction?

Barry R.

Thanks for your question Barry.

We are proud to offer over 100 items in our store, many related to promotions, contests and mascots.  In cases, like this one, where we do not offer a product to fit your needs we are always happy to try to locate a product or service for you.

Contact us anytime from our site and we will do what we can to help.

The best way to reach us is the Contact Us link at the top our home page.
And in case you have the same plans as Barry…here is one option for you:

Inflatable Boxing Gloves on Amazon.com

–Cudo