The MAAC Announces the 2013-14 Swishing for Springfield Details
MAAC Sports
Event Name: Swishing for Springfield
Theme: “This is the Moment”
Event Date: A men’s, women’s, or double header basketball home game scheduled between February and March prior to the championships in Springfield.
Event Purpose: To generate excitement and awareness within MAAC member school publics, and increase student attendance and promote general ticket sales to MAAC fans for the 2014 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships in Springfield, Mass.
Official Sponsor: CRONS
The t-shirts for the contest will be purchased from Crons and will be branded with their logo. Their logo will appear on all material pertaining to the event. Crons will supply the MAAC with prize packs.
T-shirt Contest:
All schools will conduct an on campus t-shirt contest for students to compete for the opportunity to design a tournament themed t-shirt for Swishing for Springfield with the theme “This is the Moment”. The winner will receive a recognition certificate from the MAAC which will be awarded at halftime of the Swishing for Springfield event on their campus. The winners from all 11 MAAC institutions name and artwork will be included in a PA read and displayed on the jumbo LED video board at the MAAC tournament in Springfield. Schools are also encouraged to conduct their own incentives for the contest winner. The winners can use the design to build his/her resume. Please note there is one winner on each campus.
§ Start of 2013-14 fall term: Campuses roll out design contest and market it..
§ December 6: Submission deadline from students to athletics.
§ December 13: Winning t-shirt design due to the MAAC by each school. This gives institutions one full week to get the artwork in the roper format and to choose a winning design.
§ Mid December: Winning design artwork will be finalized by printing company and proofs will be sent to each schools marketing contact for approval before creation begins.
§ January: Schools will start receiving the t-shirts for the event.
- The t-shirt designs will be placed on t-shirts that are the primary color of the school. Please make sure the design uses no more than two colors (preferably school’s colors) and is placed on the solid color background which will be the color of the shirt. Schools can opt to use a two-color design on a white shirt, but the solid school colored shirt is preferred.
- The MAAC will purchase 150 t-shirts per school for the Swishing for Springfield promotion. If schools would like to purchase additional t-shirts at their own expense, please notify the MAAC prior to final order for shirts being placed.
- Please make sure the winning submission is in EPS format with all fonts outlined.
Free-throw Contest:
Schools in conjunction with the conference office will select a men’s, women’s, or double header home game date for the Swishing for Springfield contest. The contest should be scheduled between February and March leading up to the basketball championships.
- Students at each school will compete in the free throw shooting contest on a 7 foot tall toy basketball rim setup 10 feet away from the shooters.
- Each student will get one shot after they register and receive their free t-shirt.
- The school with the best shooting percentage (minimum 50 students participating) will win a student VIP experience room at the MassMutual Center on a select day of the MAAC championships. The VIP room will be stocked with pizza/subs, soft drinks, TVs, Xbox, wifi and other comforts for a pregame reception/rally. *VIP room accessories subject to change.
- Once dates are confirmed by all the institutions, a finalized schedule will go out to membership with dates, times, and the MAAC staff member that will work the event.
- Schools should start promoting the event/date with marketing collateral and on social media outlets once the dates are confirmed.
Registration/ Raffle:
All students that participate in the free throw contest will be given the opportunity to register and be entered into a raffle. Students that register into the raffle will then have to attend the basketball championships in Springfield and re-register to have the chance to win prizes. The raffle will take place in Springfield, Mass. at the MassMutual Center during the 2014 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. The students do not need to be present at the time of the raffle drawing. Prizes:
- IPad
- Five $100 WalMart gift cards
- Five $100 Barnes and Noble gift cards
- 20 Crons prize packs
In-game elements:
Schools will include PA announcements throughout the season promoting the date that Swishing for Springfield will be on their campus. The announcement must be directed at students, promoting the free t-shirts and encouraging them to participate and to register for the raffle.
Promotion of the event
- Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter should be used during the event. On Twitter, students, administrators, and MAAC must use the hash tag #SWISH413 when talking about the event and promoting it.
- Pictures should be taken and posted to Facebook in an album strictly for the event and tweeted during the event.