Brentford Football Club picked up a prestigious prize at TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2013, which were held last week.
The Club was shortlisted for the Sponsorship, Sales and Marketing prize at the awards, held in Manchester last Thursday.
The ‘Pay What You Can’ scheme, which the Club ran for the npower League One game against Stevenage last December – and then carried forward for the rearranged game in February after the first match was postponed, attracted the attention of the judging panel.
Under the ‘Pay What You Can’ initiative advance match tickets for Brentford fans were sold at the price the supporter was able to pay.
The minimum price for a ticket was £1 and every ticket, whether for adult, senior, student or junior, was up for sale.
Money was also raised for charity at the same time as when more than £5 was paid for a ticket, 50 per cent of the excess, excluding VAT, was set aside to donate to the charity Sport Relief.
The judges chose it as the winner of the Sponsorship, Sales and Marketing prize ahead of schemes including Cardiff City’s stadium-wide demand-based pricing and the Stade de France’s live Tweet campaign.
When announcing Brentford as the winner, the judges said: “In challenging financial times, if we want to move things forward we need to engage with the public at a level they appreciate.
“Brentford’s ‘Pay What You Can’ campaign was high risk, but highly creative and ultimately generated more money.
“It is a cut-down, no-frills version of ʻdynamic pricingʼ which the industry is now embracing globally.”
Mark Devlin, Brentford FC Chief executive, said: “Everyone at Brentford Football Club is delighted to have received this award.
“It is recognition of an idea that was first discussed once the fixtures had been announced and one that came about because the club is very aware that it needs to everything it can to keep attracting fans of today and tomorrow.
“What better way than offering a top of the table game, just before Christmas for as little as £1?
“The promotion has allowed us to substantially increase our database, and we can already see real interest from fans of this promotion in purchasing season tickets for 2013/14.”
Ian Nuttall, founder of TheStadiumBusiness Awards, said: “Congratulations to everyone who reached the podium.
“Winners included our industry’s leaders, achievers and stand-out venues, who should all be very proud of their achievements.”
Paul Holliday – Communications Manager at Lancashire County Cricket Club, who hosted the awards at their historic Emirates Old Trafford home – added: “New levels of innovation, professionalism and best practice were evident across all categories this year, helping to create world-class venues and thrilling experiences for fans.
“Yet again, TheStadiumBusiness Awards delivered, proving that these really are the Oscars and reputation ‘must-haves’ for our industry.”