The global sports industry is massive, with the sports events tickets market size alone reaching $15.47 billion in 2022 — and it’s expected to grow at 13.9% from 2023 to 2030.

As an event organizer, how can you tap into this massive market? 

That’s where we come in. 

Whether you’re organizing a 5K run, an obstacle race, or a community soccer tournament, your event can tap into fitness enthusiasm and reach a wide audience.

At Eventbrite, thousands of successful creators host live events all over the world, and we’ve learned a lot from our talented event organizers. So, today, we’ll share sporting event promotion ideas to drive fan engagement and boost game attendance. We’ve also included some strategies to keep attendees coming back for more.

Ready to level up your sports event marketing? 

Table of Contents

Understand your audience to increase sports event attendance

Sports event marketing: 11 ways to increase attendance in 2024

How to engage fans and secure repeat attendance

Creating your sports event marketing plan

Understand your audience to increase sports event attendance 

To attract more people to your events and learn how to source more fans to sporting events, you first need to understand your target audience

Focusing only on fans of that particular sport as your audience can limit your potential reach. 

Try to identify unique audiences who may not be the “obvious” ones, to expand your reach. For example, college students might be interested in baseball games for budget-friendly entertainment and cheap drinks — even if they’re not huge baseball fans. Or perhaps families would be interested in group fitness events that provide childcare or a supervised play area. 

Once you’ve identified potential audience segments, what would attract them to your event? People consider several factors when scoping out events, such as:

  • How fun it looks
  • Where it’s located
  • The date and time
  • Parking convenience 
  • Ticket prices
  • Availability (and costs) of food and drinks

By putting yourself in your audience’s shoes, you can improve your event marketing strategy. You can also spice up your events with creative event ideas that could help you stand out from the crowd.

Next, utilize the sporting event promotion ideas listed below to master your sports event marketing efforts.

Download Free 5K Race Marketing Plan

Sports event marketing: 11 ways to increase attendance in 2024 

The global sports industry is massive, with the events tickets market size alone reaching $15.47 billion in 2022 — and it’s expected to grow at 13.9% from 2023 to 2030. To tap into this market, utilize these proven sports event marketing ideas. 

1. Target fans where they spend time 

Once you know the type of fans you’re trying to reach, think about where those people spend time. Effective sports event marketing can include advertisements in both physical locations and online communities/social media channels. First, identify where your target audience hangs out — then consider how you can use paid and free advertising to reach those people directly. 

Online advertising provides ample opportunity for targeted ads. With Eventbrite Ads, you can reach fans who are already actively looking for events in their area — Eventbrite is home to 90 million unique event-goers. With social media advertising (more on this later), you can target those who have already interacted with relevant pages and content (like a local sports team). 

For local events, don’t underestimate the power of more traditional physical ads. While print advertising can be trickier to target, hanging posters in relevant places — like sports bars and community bulletin boards — can yield results. 

💡Pro Tip: Wherever possible, track the performance of your sports events marketing ads to see what works and what doesn’t. Online advertising platforms like Meta Ads and Google Ads offer built-in analytics. For posters and TV or radio ads, you can consider using a unique event promo code to track ticket sales that originate from that particular ad. 

2. Secure event sponsors

Ask any sports marketing pro in event management, and they’re likely to tell you how sponsorship benefits your events. Not only does it help lower costs and increase your event’s revenue but sponsors can also help with event promotion. Many event sponsors have their own marketing budgets, so when negotiating, discuss combining promotional efforts to increase event reach.

To land sponsors, highlight the benefits that your sponsors can enjoy in a detailed sponsorship pitch deck. Then, reach out to companies that may have a common audience or market segment — for instance, a local tutoring company or a local pizza joint may be interested in sponsoring a Little League tournament.  

Sponsors can also be nonprofit organizations or community groups. For instance, this Youth Self Defense Class was co-sponsored by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, the Community Youth Center of San Francisco, and the San Francisco Youth Commission.

Whenever you’re working on finding sponsors, remember that you want to create a genuine partnership between you and the sponsoring company. For the best results, make sure it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. 

💡Pro Tip: Identify companies that have already sponsored similar events. From there, craft a compelling sponsorship email to send to marketing teams at those companies. You can use LinkedIn to identify the right contacts. 

Rider at a rodeo event
Revenge Roughstock Company / Jackson Pro Rodeo / Jackson, OH

3. Work around the community calendar

You’ll want to check out local community calendars to make sure you’re not competing with too many other related events. Most leagues create their own schedules, but if your event is more flexible or involves attendee participation, choose a date when the community calendar is relatively clear. 

Consider scheduling your event alongside a holiday to catch people when they’re off work. And for family-friendly events, align your events with weekends and school breaks. 

💡Pro Tip: When planning your event, all the relevant calendars you know of for events in your area. You can start with local publications, then check out Eventbrite, league-specific websites, and Facebook Events. 

4. Increase the value to sports fans

Who doesn’t love a deal? Increasing the value of your event will make attendance that much more attractive. Try these sports marketing ideas:

  • Offer (budget-friendly) food and drink. If your attendees are hungry and without options, they won’t stay long. Some venues have built-in concessions, such as food kiosks and drink stands. 

If not, source outside vendors or caterers to provide food. Food trucks can also be a cost-effective solution. Drink deals can be popular, too, like the all-you-can-drink special at this Super Bowl Watch Party hosted by Sister Sweets.

  • Provide coaching and trainer access. If your event is a competition or involves attendee participation, give competitors access to coaching or training specialists to bring special value.

    It shows investment in and commitment to the participants by helping them improve their performance. This can lead to increased interest in sports and greater brand loyalty.
  • Offer multiple ticket tiers: By offering multiple types of tickets, you can reach attendees at different budget levels — and boost your revenue. Consider offering VIP tickets with free drinks included or bundle admission and a basic meal for a bargain price point. 

💡Pro Tip: Experiment with your ticket pricing strategy and track attendance metrics from game to game using Eventbrite Analytics to see what works and what doesn’t. If you have multiple sources of revenue beyond ticket sales (merch, refreshments, etc.), it may make sense to lower your ticket price to attract a wider audience. Just make sure to track your metrics closely. 

5. Make your event listing comprehensive

Your event listing serves as a first impression of your event — it’s where people first get an idea of your event’s tone, atmosphere, and details. Make sure it’s straightforward yet comprehensive to give a clear sense of the value your attendees will see.

How do you achieve this? Make your event listing visually appealing; it should look attractive without being overwhelming. Use graphics to personalize it and break up the text. Include information about sponsors and other vendors attendees may find at the event.

💡Pro Tip: Utilize generative artificial intelligence (AI) to spruce up your event listing. At Eventbrite, event organizers have access to a variety of AI-powered tools to help you write your event listing, optimize social campaigns, and even write marketing emails. 

Event attendees celebrating on a roof
Acme Feed + Seed / Acme’s 4th of July Rooftop Party / Nashville, TN

6. Give attendees a sense of ownership and community 

Event creators can inspire greater loyalty and improved value by giving event-goers a sense of ownership. That can mean involving them in the event, such as with competitive events like races or active events like 5K runs. 

It can also mean giving them inside information, like attendance figures or the amount of money donated at a 5K fundraiser. If your event is competitive, provide statistics indicating attendees’ performance levels to see how they compare.

Add community-building elements to your event, as well. This could be a shout-out to fans on their birthdays or anniversaries or encouraging fans to wear team merch on game day. 

💡Pro Tip: Tap into existing communities in your area to sell group ticket packages at a discount. Many groups — like churches or large businesses — may be interested in sending their members to group activities. By proactively reaching out with a compelling discount, you can potentially attract a big chunk of attendees from a local community group. 

Enhance community engagement at your events

Group sitting and having picnic

7. Send sports event marketing emails

Emails are an efficient way to reach a large number of people directly. Consider using Eventbrite’s email marketing tools. When event-goers register for an event on Eventbrite, they include their email address so you can contact past event-goers about current events in line with their interests.

Additional benefits of email marketing include:

  • Building excitement: An email marketing campaign is an effective way to build excitement around your event. Initiate interest with an announcement about your event and continually build upon that interest with reminders and updates about new features, participants, and more.
  • Organizing your contacts: Create email groups for those who’ve attended events, registered but didn’t attend, attended one event, attended multiple events, and so on. This allows you to tailor your email messages more effectively.

💡Pro Tip: Two of the most important components of a marketing email are a concise and eye-catching subject line and a clear call-to-action (CTA). Keep your subject line under 60 characters, and include clear CTAs within your email.

Event attendees doing yoga
Grace Cathedral / Yoga on the Labyrinth / San Francisco, CA

8. Highlight the health and fitness benefits 

Six in 10 eventgoers favor events that empower them to improve their well-being, health, and longevity. The health event segment is growing fast: Attendance at health and wellness events grew by 21% globally on the Eventbrite platform between January and September 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.

To capitalize on this wellness trend, highlight the health benefits of active events you’re promoting. For example, CBRC Health & Fitness hosted a Yoga for Runners Workshop. The event’s description highlighted the ways that yoga could benefit the target audience (runners).

For events where attendees participate directly, provide activities that are accessible to a wide range of ability levels. For spectator sports, highlight that these events can help get attendees outside and inspire them to be more active. 

💡Pro Tip: There’s often substantial overlap in groups interested in various active hobbies. For instance, a local yoga studio’s customer base may be interested in a 5K run. Consider partnering with local active businesses that aren’t direct competitors to promote each other’s offerings. 

9. Use social media marketing for sports event promotion

Who doesn’t love scrolling through social media to see what their friends and colleagues have been up to? Promoting your event on social media is a great way to get your details in front of a lot of eyes. Here are some ways to achieve that:

  • Create and maintain relationships with interaction. Use storytelling to draw on followers’ love of sports by highlighting participants’ achievements, finishes, medals, and trophies earned.
  • Create an online community for the sport or event. Engage with your followers through comments and messages before and during events. 
  • Produce content related to the sport. This will interest followers without directly marketing an event. It also helps to establish your brand as an authority and minimizes the sales aspect of event promotion, which creates greater authenticity.
  • Partner with local fitness influencers. Social media influencers like personal trainers, runners, and coaches are experts at promotion. Ask them to give tips and advice to participants through cross-promoting with their own brands.
  • Provide behind-the-scenes content. People love to see what goes on behind the scenes. Quick clips, such as team practice or warmups, help build anticipation.
  • Post photos and videos. Spur engagement through visual content by highlighting your participants. This helps promote your event and create interest for those who have not yet registered for your events.
  • Show off on TikTok. The snack-sized format of TikTok is perfect for highlighting competitions, athletic achievements, and similar action-oriented clips.
People playing basketball
Image Source
  • Promote the goodwill activities of the event. Don’t be shy about showing your charitable side! Remind everyone about the free tickets to charity, athletes’ volunteer work, and similar activities.
  • Use social media ads. If your budget allows, run targeted social ads on popular platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Target users who have expressed interest in your event type/sport or who fit your target demographics. 
  • Cross-promote with partners and athletes. Use your network to drive more excitement for your next event. Encourage athletes, sponsors, and other partners to share your social posts with their own followers to increase reach. You can even create social media stories on your main page, and then tag partners, athletes, and special guests. 

💡Pro Tip: Draw inspiration from event social media post examples for ideas on how to structure your posts. Remember to include a mix of promotional, informational, and just plain fun content to keep your audience engaged. 

Event attendees exercising together
Outdoor Yoga SF / Spring Equinox Yoga + Dance Celebration / San Francisco, CA

10. Find community partners 

Partner with local community groups and businesses to expand your reach and build connections. This could mean partnering with a new venue to expand seating capacity, securing a food vendor with a profit-sharing agreement, or even connecting with organizers of other sporting events in your area. 

Such partnerships can yield results in event promotion (by cross-promoting on social media, for instance) and in actual business operations. 

💡Pro Tip: Approach potential partners with an open mind — then explore how each partnership can benefit both parties. By reaching out to start a conversation, you can develop meaningful connections that may evolve into productive working relationships.

11. Run a contest or giveaway 

Contests and giveaways can be a fun way to build excitement for an event and are effective for generating FOMO (fear of missing out) if you run them during your live event. For instance, you could run a social media giveaway for free tickets to your event. This encourages fans to tag friends for extra giveaway entries to help boost engagement on your posts. 

Contests can also be used during your event, with prizes like free branded merch or ticket vouchers for a future event. 

💡Pro Tip: Social media contest tools can help drive better engagement. Tools like ShortStack and Woobox are popular options that can help you customize the giveaway experience for fans. 

Fans holding up branded cups
Cannonball Productions / Bacon and Beer Classic / San Francisco, CA

How to engage fans and secure repeat attendance

Developing repeat attendance can be the foundation for growing your events. Make sure your events inspire repeat attendance with these tips:

Improve the entertainment factor — and highlight excitement in your marketing

While your athletes catch their breath at halftime, provide entertainment, such as a marching band, local gymnasts, or cheerleading squads, or open up a competition to the public to make your event stand out.

The way you design your events and entertainment opportunities can also influence your event marketing strategies. It’s important to highlight the experience that attendees can expect at your event. You want to leverage the uniqueness provided by your event to market it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience eventgoers won’t be able to resist. 

It’s best to follow a good event planning checklist so that you can think strategically about your marketing approach — and break the prevent promotion process down into actionable bite-size chunks.

Promote fun theme nights

Theme nights are a fun way to encourage audience participation and engagement. And they’re quite popular: Forty-one percent of 21- to 35-year-olds enjoyed wearing themed outfits with friends to events. 

Host a ‘Salute to Service’ by providing free admission to first responders and veterans. For an event around Halloween, ask guests to dress up in costume or participate in a costume contest. Or host a fun throwback night with a theme around the ‘70s or ‘80s. These kinds of promotions are especially effective at viewing events like football games, basketball games, and baseball games.

Use downtime to your advantage

Along with increased entertainment, halftime, and similar breaks during a sporting event offer you a chance to promote future events. In your sports marketing strategy, think about ways to optimize scheduled breaks at your event. 

Offering free tickets to the next event is a great way to let everyone know about it and creates extra fun. T-shirts and other merchandise promoting your brand and events are also effective. You can then promote food sponsorships by shouting out specials on drinks and snacks.

Make it interactive

Apps and smartphones make engaging with your attendees easy. Create polls and get everyone to vote for their favorite team or player. Turn a camera towards the audience so the crowd can catch themselves on the scoreboard screen. Ask attendees to share their favorite event photos on social media, and add an event hashtag to build your presence on social. 

Attendees at a boxing event
Legacy Boxing Club / End of Summer Club Brawls / Wayne, NJ

Creating your sports event marketing plan 

For the most effective event promotion, you should create a sports event marketing plan that lays out who you want to reach and how you’ll do it. Don’t know where to begin? We’ve got you covered.

It’s a good idea to do a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) of your event. This will help you identify strengths to lean into (strong community support, for instance) and weaknesses to address (a higher ticket price than competing events, for example). 

Next, get to work on a detailed marketing plan. Reach those most likely to respond favorably to your event by following a series of promotional efforts. Your marketing plan should have:

  • A mission statement. What’s your event’s goal? Why are you creating this event?
  • A situational analysis. Has this event been run before? What were the results?
  • A market analysis. Who’s your target audience? What are the local demographics?
  • Marketing strategies. What marketing and promotional activities will you use?

We’ve put together a sample marketing plan below as a starting point for you to expand upon.

Sports event marketing plan sample

Use this free resource to conceptualize how you can build an actionable marketing plan for your next sports event.

Download 5K race marketing plan

Optimize your sports events marketing for better attendance

Use these sporting event promotion ideas to boost your event’s attendance and see more money come your way. From event design to digital marketing strategies, the tactics discussed in this article can help you level up your events business. 

Whether you’re a new event organizer or a seasoned veteran, having the right tools on your side is crucial. With Eventbrite, you can centralize your entire event planning, marketing, and ticketing workflow for better efficiency and powerful results.