The Fan Experience at the 2020 Horizon League Basketball Championships
By David Song
Sports Capital Journalism Program, IUPUI
The city of Indianapolis will host the Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships on March 9 and 10 when four women’s teams and four men’s teams will battle in Monday’s semifinal games with championship games on Tuesday at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
Since Indianapolis was announced as the host on January 24, 2019, the Horizon League has worked with the Indiana State Fair Commission to prepare for the tournament. According to Cam Fuller, the Horizon League’s Assistant Commissioner for Competition, Branding and Sponsorship, geographical location and reputation played a key role in the League’s decision to move its basketball tournament to Indiana’s capital. Eight of ten Horizon members are within a five-hour drive of the city.
“Indianapolis is really the center point of the Horizon League membership,” Fuller said. “When you think of a destination city, there’s really not a better city in the country to host an event than Indianapolis. [The city] is littered with big events and we’re really excited for our event to play a part in the Indianapolis sports landscape.”
The Horizon League tournament overlaps with the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, held from March 4-8 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Thanks to a ticket promotion between the two conferences, fans who will be in Indianapolis for the weekend can receive $5 off each ticket to a Big Ten Women’s semifinal or championship game using their Horizon League ticket stubs.
Also on March 8, the Horizon League, Indiana Sports Corp and Big Ten Conference will be putting on a free sports officials symposium at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. This event, which runs from 3-5:00 PM, will feature speakers from the Indiana High School Athletic Association, National Federation of State High School Associations and Officially Human, an organization with the goal of restoring respect for game officials. Symposium attendees will learn about the recruitment and treatment of officials, the shortage of officials at all levels of sport, and career development for officials within youth and collegiate sports alike.
During the tournament itself, basketball lovers will be treated to a free Fan Zone that will be open on March 9 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and March 10 from 2 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., between the women’s and men’s games on both days.
Located just a few steps away from Indiana Farmers Coliseum, the Fan Zone will feature tailgate games, photo opportunities, televisions showing basketball games, and food and beverage favorites from the Indiana State Fair.
“We are creating a zone where friends and family, administrators and the like can go in between the women’s and men’s games on both days,” explained Jackie Lewis, Director of Sales for the Indiana State Fair Commission. “Having that really close experience for everybody, so they don’t have to leave or go off the campus, will be a really nice touch for those that are coming.”
Lewis and her colleague Sharon Smith, Director of Communications for the Indiana State Fair Commission, also believe that the Farmers Coliseum itself will be a big draw for fans. “We’re a really intimate venue,” Lewis said. “The venue in Detroit was a little grand. We’re making sure that everything’s going to pop inside the [Coliseum] so that everyone knows why they’re here.”
“The [Coliseum] has such a rich history,” Smith added. “So many people associate it with the ABA Pacers…We’ve hosted so many iconic high school regional and state tournaments. We’re happy to add the Horizon League Championship to the portfolio of events that have occurred at the Coliseum.”
Cooperating with Visit Indy, the Indiana State Fair Commission has established various promotions to add to the fan experience. Visitors can stay at the Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Hotel, Hampton Inn Indianapolis Circle Centre, or Holiday Inn Express & Suites Indianapolis North for discounted rates. The Show Us Your Badge program sends fans a list of deals at various restaurants around town. To get around, fans can use the promo code REACHtheHORIZON to save 15% off two rides with Lyft.
In addition to what they’ve done for fans, the Horizon League will roll out the red carpet for student-athletes playing in the tournament. Each team will be greeted by a team host, a knowledgeable volunteer who will assist them and address their needs throughout their stay. Players will receive police escorts from their hotels to the Coliseum for each game, where they will compete on a unique, neutrally branded court.
Additionally, extensive signage around the team hotels, Coliseum and downtown area will help the athletes navigate Indianapolis. Each will receive a gift from the Indiana State Fair Commission at their first practice. Student-athletes will even be offered a tour of the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on March 8, before the semifinals.
The Horizon League Basketball Championship will remain in Indianapolis through the year 2022, with league executives hoping to commit to the city long term. For that to happen, Fuller explained that the groundwork needed to be laid early.
“The local community is really important because for [our event] to be sustainable, we really believe that there needs to be a strong community interest,” he said. “So one of the first things we did was develop a local organizing committee, comprised of 40 individuals from our community who volunteer their time to help us sell tickets and sell sponsorships. Most importantly, they’ve helped us ensure that when our student-athletes, our coaches and our fans come to Indianapolis, they have a great experience.”