How Explore Branson connects visiting athletes to the local community and proves their value with data

"I'd say the majority of our participating businesses are longtime partners. Once they experience the program and see the results, it's usually an easy decision to come back year after year".

Kristina Hagey

Director of Sports Sales & Development

Q1: Tell us about the Explore Branson Athlete Program - what were you originally trying to accomplish?

We were trying to accomplish multiple things through this program. One was giving back to the organizations that are choosing our destination, by helping them easily experience everything our area has to offer. Because Branson has so many things to do, it can be a little overwhelming when you first visit. First and foremost, you're here to play games and compete at a high level. But when you have downtime, we want to assist sports visitors with options at their fingertips. And then the other piece was giving them access to those options as a way of saying thank you for choosing Branson.

This began years ago, before it was so easy to Google and find everything you needed. It started as a backpack program where partners put their offers into the backpack. I'm a mom with athletic girls, and I tested it myself. Piecemealing coupons was difficult. Families would leave them in their hotel room or lose them.

So we streamlined it over the years to what it is today — the wristband. The wristband is simple because it has a QR code they can carry with them throughout their stay, and it’s something they can wear and keep during their visit and beyond. And that’s really the heart of it - it’s about bringing our community together to give something valuable to the athletes that are coming to our area for sports.

Q2: Walk us through how it actually works on the ground – from setting up the promotions, to educating the event organizers, to distributing the wristbands.

It does take some work, and we actually build it into our daily checklist. Before the year even starts, we promote the program to partners in our area. There’s a small cost associated with it that helps cover the wristbands and some of our internal costs.

The Explore Branson Sports team works intentionally to avoid oversaturating the offers, focusing instead on a strong mix of attractions, theaters, restaurants, and a variety of things to do across multiple categories and experiences. All content is then uploaded into Playeasy, which hosts the QR code and supports partner promotional offers. We also add in all of the events we have scheduled for the year so we have a strong foundation to work from.

Then our sports coordinator and assistant director of sports sales (it's a very mighty team of three in our department) reaches out to the event organizers in advance to get the number of athletes for their event. About one to two months out, we send an email that the organizer can share out to families with the program's QR code so they can start planning ahead. Maybe they want to come in early, turn it into a vacation, or stay an extra night, so getting that information early is important. Organizers can then share it on social media or through whatever channels they use to communicate with coaches and families.

Once they’re in market, wristband distribution depends on the event. They might pick them up directly, we might deliver them, they might be placed in welcome packets, or for larger events we’ll have a booth set up where we hand them out and walk families through the program.

Most of our venues will honor the QR code in advance through online purchase or at admission. And if something comes up last minute (a rain delay, a game delay) families can still just pop in and use it.

Q3: How did you get local businesses on board, and how has that evolved?

In the beginning, we reached out to local businesses and shared the number of sporting events we host along with the volume of athletes and families visiting our destination. It gave them an opportunity to put their promotions directly in front of visitors who were already here and looking for things to do.

Once partners join the program, they're able to track the results in whatever way works best for their business—whether that's through a specific QR code, a promotional code, or another tracking method.

Over time, the program has really become a staple for many of our partners. I'd say the majority of our participating businesses are longtime partners. Once they experience the program and see the results, it's usually an easy decision to come back year after year.

We also make it a point to keep the program current. If there's a new attraction, theater, or experience that opens in Branson, we'll reach out and invite them to participate. We want the program to continue reflecting what's new and exciting in the destination while giving our visitors even more ways to experience Branson during their stay.

Jake's Take

Whenever someone asks me which destinations are a good example for who is doing promotions the right way, Explore Branson comes up.

Every time. They get more engagement on their promotions than any of our other partners, so clearly they're doing something right.

The Branson team has been running an Athlete Promotions program for years with sports tourism being a big market they focus on. Today it consists of a wristband with a QR code that gives visiting families discounts at local restaurants, attractions, and theaters, all hosted on Playeasy. Families get the link weeks before the event so they can plan ahead or maybe even book an extra night to make a real trip out of it.

It didn't always look like this. It started as a backpack full of paper coupons. Families lost them, left them in hotel rooms, and sometimes didn't even get them if businesses only had a handful to offer. So the team went from a backpack of coupons to a booklet to a wristband. They host the whole promotions and perks program on Playeasy so every partner can track redemptions themselves and see how many athletes Branson is sending their way.

About three-fourths of business partners renew every year because they can see it working and are getting real value from the partnership.

For any destination thinking about building something like this: it's easy to set up and track, but you do need dedicated staff and you have to use the tools. "If you aren't utilizing the tools and expecting great outcomes, it's not going to happen."

Kristina was recently in a tax board meeting, presented their numbers, and a board member said they were seeing athletes in their theater and gave a shout out to the sports team. That's what a program that's been refined for years looks like in practice.

Q4: What does it look like to prove that value to partners and city stakeholders?

I think ten years ago we were still educating our community and telling the story of how sports positively impact our destination. Today, because we've spent years laying that foundation, people are much more aware of the role sports tourism plays in our local economy. They see hotels filling up, attractions and theaters staying busy, and restaurants serving more guests, and they're starting to connect those dots.

Sports tourism has been a major industry in the U.S. for a long time, but it wasn't always something people talked about. Now, communities are becoming much more aware of the impact visitors have and the value sporting events bring to a destination.

We also do a great job sharing that story. Through our community, county, and city partners, we regularly provide updates on the sporting events coming to Branson and the economic impact they generate. We share those updates through presentations, reports, and social media, so people understand what's happening and why there may be an influx of athletes and families in our area.

One of the most rewarding moments for me happened during a tax board meeting. After we presented our numbers, one of the board members commented that they were definitely seeing athletes attending performances at their theater and specifically complimented our sports team for what we were bringing into the area. For me, that's when you know people are seeing the impact firsthand. It's no longer just numbers on a report. Our community is experiencing the benefits of sports tourism in real time.

Q5: What advice would you give to another DMO that wants to start something like this?

You have to make sure you have somebody within your organization who is dedicated to fulfilling what you're offering. It's not something that just runs itself. You need staff who can communicate with partners, input information into Playeasy, and manage the day-to-day details of the program. If you aren't utilizing the tools available and investing the time to keep everything updated, you're not going to see the results you're hoping for.

You also have to be willing to invest time in relationships. One thing people might not expect is how much communication goes into it. When you're calling a baseball organization or a cheer and dance event and trying to offer something complimentary, it takes time to explain the program and get their attention. That's where relationship-building happens. They begin to understand that it's legitimate and that it's something you genuinely want to provide as a thank-you for choosing your destination.

Technology is important, but relationships are what make the program successful.

Q6: Where do you want to take the program next?

We're constantly rethinking the wristband itself and looking for ways to improve the experience. This year, with America’s 250th anniversary, we went with a patriotic theme and included our hashtag so that when athletes and families post about their experience, they’re helping promote both their event and their experience in Branson.

We're always looking at what's next. Consumers' habits continue to change, and you don't see people thumbing through coupons anymore. It's about finding a new way to connect visitors with experiences in Branson while making it easy and seamless as possible.

We've evolved from backpacks filled with paper offers to booklets and now digital wristbands. I don't know exactly what the next version will look like, but we're constantly exploring new ideas and working with Playeasy to create even more streamlined ways to deliver a positive experience. At the end of the day, our goal is simple: make it easy for athletes and their families to enjoy everything Branson has to offer while thanking them for choosing our destination.