For every Golden Knights home playoff game, approximately 20,000 rally towels are designed, manufactured, and placed on each seat at T-Mobile Arena. The process, from concept to arena floor, takes just 48 hours.
The towels are double-sided, requiring double the printing time, and are produced in Los Angeles before being trucked to Las Vegas. Once the boxes arrive, crews of 40 to 50 people, often youth hockey teams or first responders, spend about two hours distributing towels to every seat.
“They come out, they support, we’re lucky to be in such a hockey market out here in Vegas and a lot of teams are excited,” said Ryan Smolen, Knights experiential marketing manager. “So, we get youth hockey teams to come out and help with the distribution process.”
Before each playoff round, the Knights marketing team meets to decide which players will be featured on the towels for each home game. The design inspiration sometimes comes from fan conversations. “See what our fans talk about, which I feel like we’ve gotten some inspiration from them, but really just kind of get together and see what makes sense for each game and then go from there,” said Bailey Allen, Knights brand marketing manager.
Once the player selections are made, the graphics are designed and sent to one of two vendors: BDA or Coyote Promotions. Both are national global brands that work with many sports teams. “We have good relationships with them and kind of game plan. We’ve worked with both throughout the playoffs, so both have produced some of our towels both in-game and for our other events,” Allen added.
The Knights also tease fans with hints about which player will be on the towel each game day. “We have Easter eggs before that our fans have caught on (to),” Allen said. “Our game day graphics that are posted each morning have that player on them.”
With the Knights trailing the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final and Game 6 scheduled for Sunday, the organization will produce one more towel for the season. The free promotional items are a staple of the home playoff atmosphere, and the Knights have no plans to eliminate them, unlike the Portland Trail Blazers who cut playoff T-shirts this season. “We think one of the most important things is creating one of the best home ice advantages in the NHL,” Smolen said. “By having these items, we try to add and create an environment that’s tough to play in. So yeah, we don’t want to get rid of them.”
Fans like William Palmer appreciate the towels. “I came one game and mine was missing, so I was kind of frustrated and somebody was like, ‘Oh, it just fell on the ground.’ We look forward to them. My kids collect them, so it’s a good time. It gives everybody something uniform to toss in the air and that definitely plays into the spirit of the game.”
