4. By Invitation Only
It's Out Partry, We'll Invite Who We Want To
The typical collegiate Midnight Madness involves the men's, and perhaps, the women's teams from the college or university. A high school has several options to consider when inviting teams to participate.
At the very least, I recommend both the men's and women's teams share the spotlight at the Tip-Off. Although the men's team often enjoys the most support, this is about more than popularity. In the name of fairness, provide the girls an opportunity to shine as well. From a purely business perspective--more players equal more fans-- and therefore, more revenue.
You may be from a school with limited fan support or have different goals for your Tip-Off. When we started the K-Town Tip-Off, we wanted to create an event that would signal the high school basketball season's start in the entire community. That goal and the fact that we had a large arena resulted in invitations being extended to our crosstown rival and an area private school.
Another contributing factor was our fan support. While we had some true "hardcore" fans, there were not enough to generate the enthusiasm and excitement we wanted for the Tip-Off. By inviting more schools, you get their fan base and a better chance of attracting the more "casual" fan.
The willingness of corporate partners to get involved is based, at least partially, on sponsorship's effectiveness as a promotional tool. Having more than one school represented enabled us to deliver a larger audience for the sponsors.
After all parties accepted invitations, the Tip-Off became an event that showcased six high school basketball teams (men's and women's teams from three different schools). Again, a significant benefit was financial—more teams mean more fans.
No single arrangement is better than any other. It simply depends upon your situation. For instance, one school had a separate event for each team. The guys had their Tip-Off one night and the girls the next. Unless you have exceptional fan support, I would recommend having only one event rather than one for each team.
Decide on the Location
Although the Tip-Off will typically be held in your school field house/ gymnasium/arena, this is not necessarily the case. Suppose you are going to showcase more than your school. In that case, it might be a good idea to select a neutral venue such as a college or community arena.
Although we involved multiple schools, we still hosted the event. We were far more familiar with our arena than any other possible location. This is important when dealing with such things as lights (for introductions), ticket sales, security (preventing entry by those who feel admission is optional), and a sound system.
Perhaps the only reason I would recommend holding the event at another location would be a need for more seating. If your event outgrows your facility, you may consider relocating.
