May 28, 2020 / News The podcast partnership: A new watch party model
It's late Sunday afternoon at Guildford Hotel and the front bar is buzzing with anticipation.
Kids in Bulldogs jerseys are sprawled across the carpet floor, parents are settled in with a drink and meal, and every eye in the room is locked on the big screen.
The pre-game sounds from Fox League echo around the room as NRL podcaster Josh Mansour adeptly handles the microphone, explaining to fans what to expect and what this clash means.
"These watch parties are bringing in people that have never been here before," explains General Manager of the venue, Sharlie Rapsiardi, in between pouring schooners for thirsty guests.
"We had about 50 people [for the first one we did] and more than half of those were new faces,”
Tonight Mansour is chatting to injured Bulldogs star, Jacob Kiraz, who’s giving more than usual away from bright television studio lights and instead standing inside comfortable pub surrounds.
REAL MARKETING BENEFITS
A brainchild of Rapsiardi, the venue's new podcaster led watch parties have impressed head office, who have confirmed increases in foot-fall and F&B turnover.
"We're seeing that the people coming to these; they're not just the local base," said Sonnel Hospitality Marketing Manager Paul Fear.
"Fans are traveling from surrounding suburbs and [even] wider than that."
Perhaps driving the success if the fact that promotion of the watch party is being super charged through the podcaster's network in the days and weeks before the event.
In addition to attracting new faces, watch parties also heighten venue visibility across social media as attendees instantly share content and take selfies with podcasters and guests.
"There doesn't need to be that fancy editing or the expensive video shoot," he said.
"That's really not the point of it, it's just capturing exactly what's happening in real time and then sharing that and saying, if this is what you're looking to be a part of, come be a part of it. Everyone's welcome.'
WHY THE PODCASTER PARTNERSHIP IS A WIN-WIN
Importantly for Mansour, a former NRL star and rising sports podcaster, these watch party events are also valuable to his own podcast.
In the hyper competitive world of sports podcasting, fragmenting audiences are far more likely to become a regular subscriber if they have had a personal experience with the host.
The Bulldogs watch parties at The Guildford Hotel provide opportunities for Mansour to strengthen his ties to listeners and promote his media business.
"I love it because it gets me close to fans and the community," he said.
"For me to see the parents with their kids, honestly, it's like I'm going back in time,”
SPORTSYEAR IS BUILT TO SUPPORT
For venues wanting to run their own watch parties, Sportsyear's Bella Shepherd says the trickiest part is usually just knowing where to start.
"Watch parties can be a great way for venues to bring people together and increasing organic social content, but planning them can get pretty overwhelming,”
"Sportsyear has a range of watch party tools in our service to help Venue Managers and marketers quickly identify the teams and games that matter most to their local audience and promote the events well in advance,"
Fear says Rapsiardi’s passion for sport and her ability to leverage Sportsyear for planning, has helped make the watch parties a success.
“She'll work with us in the marketing department and she'll say, ‘These are the events I wanna do’. ‘These are the events that my customers want’. ‘Can I give away some jerseys?’ ‘Here are the dates.’
Rapsiardi agrees planning is key to pulling off a successful watch party.
"If we show them what this venue is and what we're about, we're hoping that they come to a game and go, 'How good was lunch?’ ‘How friendly were the staff?’ ‘Let's go back.”
