So, last Saturday my husband and I as well as Deborah, and other account executive at CEA, went to our first roller derby bout. It happened to be a Valentine-themed exhibition match, so they took the players from the Derby Darlins league and mixed them up.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect to be honest. I had met Stephanie during our initial interview; she was in what I would consider very business professional clothing, and I knew that the dress code for the roller derby girls was pretty drastically different. There was the home team, wearing black and red, and the visiting team wearing silver and pink! Hot pants, fish net stockings, low cut shirts galore – it was crazy!!! And, they all looked great! The best part really were the names – very creative. My favorite was Lunch Lady – she was an amazing skater. I also met the President, Jessica recently, and her name is Annetagonize. Some other crowd favorites were Roxy, Betty Kruger and Ninja Monkey. When the girls are in skates, their names ARE their skate names!
I arrived at 8pm at the Temple Terrace skate arena, and seriously, there was a line that was literally the length of the building. There was such a great energy there. Old, young, couples – there was truly a very diverse crowd and it felt very alive!
The girls were so awesome! They set up a special section for us – caution tape all over the place. There were not major crashes though in our area, but the WARNING signs were all around us 
I happened to sit next to a regular, so he helped fill me in on the rules. The place was packed and it was definitely a fun night.
Can’t wait to start putting the marketing plan into action. We are going to focus on:
- Driving ticket sales and attendance at the home bouts
- Creating ways for fans to stay engaged with Derby Darlins between bouts, heightening loyalty and ongoing enthusiasm for the league
- To educate the public on what roller derby is
- To convey the true love and passion the skaters have for their high-intensity, adrenaline-pumping sport, as well as the camaraderie and relationships of the players and fans
I’ll break down the rules in my next blog as I get to know them all
Derby Darlins – Winner of the CEA Marketing Makeover 2010
www.ceamarketing.com
http://www.tampabayderbydarlins.com/
