Improve Student Engagement at School Activities with Digital Ticketing

School events are exciting and fun for students - if only they would show up and feel engaged!

Many schools are looking for ways to improve student engagement beyond the classroom. 92% of educators believe that engagement is crucial for learning success, according to Infrastructure’s The State of Teaching and Learning in K-12 Education report, 2021.

High school activities offer opportunities for students to learn, get more involved in their community, and socialize with their peers. To encourage student participation, activity directors nationwide are seeking effective ways to engage more students in events.

Activity directors and event staff can use insights from digital ticketing to offer rewards to students to foster engagement and create meaningful experiences.

What Rewards Can Drive Student Engagement?

Rewards serve as incentives for students to attend and participate in school activities like athletic events, performing arts productions, formal dances, summer camps, and more.

Schools can offer various rewards to students, including free tickets to future events, priority seating, discounts on school merchandise and concessions, gift cards, team apparel, and special recognition at school assemblies.

With a digital ticketing platform, an activity director could easily view ticket purchases and select a student for a reward. Offering a prize to the 100^th purchaser, for example, is a great way to encourage students to get tickets early and add another element of excitement about an upcoming event.

Why Offer Rewards for Attending School Events?

Schools offer rewards to encourage students to support their school's teams, fellow students, and programs. These rewards foster a sense of school spirit and community among students, resulting in increased attendance. Rewards also contribute to building school pride and creating lasting memories for attending students.

When Should Rewards Be Given?

The optimal time to give rewards is when most students are paying attention. For example, schools can offer rewards to students during high school games, like an apparel giveaway at halftime for the 50th, 100th, 150th, and 200th student ticket purchasers. By presenting rewards when a large audience is present, schools maximize awareness and generate interest in future opportunities.

Schools can also reward students who attend a certain number of games throughout the season by hosting a pep rally and recognizing those who showed the most support.

For dances, establishing a reward system for early ticket purchases can boost operational efficiency and student excitement.

What Benefits Do Schools Gain from Offering Rewards?

Schools benefit in several ways by providing rewards to students who attend games. Rewards can build school spirit and promote a healthier school culture. They can also lead to more significant audience turnout, increased student volunteerism, and higher sales of concessions and school merchandise.

How to Set Up a Rewards Program with GoFan

Step 1: Identify Your Target Market

Determine the specific groups of students you want to incentivize. Think about the different teams, clubs, and other student initiatives on campus. What can you offer them? Understand their preferences and create rewards that align with their interests.

Step 2: Determine Suitable Rewards

Choose rewards that will be exciting and appealing to students. Consider prizes like concessions or apparel, preferred seating access, or recognition through signage or social media posts.

Step 3: Create a Theme

Get creative with themes to drive attendance and engagement. Encourage fans to wear one of your school colors or have a dress-up theme and offer a prize to the most spirited. Offer rewards to certain milestones of ticket purchasers (like the 50^th ticket purchased for a single event, or the 10^th ticket bought by the same fan) to incentivize early and repeat sales. Honor different teams and organizations on campus to foster cross-campus support.

Inspiration: University of Nevada Reno offers a sports team recognition night during football season, where they highlight the different athletic teams that are on campus at halftime. They give away school apparel and free concessions as well. This special event encourages athletes in different sports to support each other while driving attendance and building awareness of other teams and activities on campus.

Step 4: Develop a Plan

Document your rewards program, including the target audience, offered rewards, and the process for delivering rewards. Set objectives to track your success. With a digital ticketing and event management platform, you can easily track attendance and monitor engagement at activities. These insights will help you identify what’s working well and pinpoint any areas for improvement.

Step 5: Launch the Program

Execute the tasks outlined in your plan to bring the rewards program to life! Be sure to promote your themes and rewards to your students and fans on your school website, social media, newsletter, school announcements, and other communication channels.

Rewarding students for attending school activities and events fosters participation, engagement, and classroom involvement. With GoFan, school activity directors can easily access event information and ticket sales data to implement effective rewards programs.

To learn more, visit our Activities Director resource hub linked below or contact us for more information.