• by Tanya Gazdik , December 28, 2023

More than a dozen NHL partners and licensees are activating around the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic fan festival. 

The event serves as a preview of the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic, an outdoor game between the Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Park on Jan. 1.

A game ticket is not required for entry into Enterprise NHL Fan Village, but all fans will be required to enroll for free at NHL.com/FanVillage before entering.

The event “offers a tremendous marketing platform for our incredibly loyal and creative partners to activate around to generate memorable moments for our fans,” says Evin Dobson, NHL senior vice president, partnership marketing.

“This year, we have many blue-chip partners activating,” Dobson tells Marketing Daily. “Our job at the League from a partnership marketing perspective is to help create unique fan engagement activation ideas, such as the Enterprise NHL Fan Village, so that our partners can reach our fans in meaningful ways that leave a major impact on them."

Brands with activations include Discover, Enterprise, Honda, Fanatics, Great Clips, Jersey Mike's,  New Amsterdam Vodka and Verizon. 

Discover has been NHL Winter Classic title sponsor for the past three years and an official U.S. NHL partner since 2010. Discover is the official credit card and official bank of the NHL in the U.S. 

The event is one of the league’s most highly anticipated events of the season, says Jennifer Murillo, chief marketing officer at Discover.

“This year, the Discover Starting Lineup Experience will feature a photo opportunity allowing fans to place their face on a custom digital Discover collectable, as well as our oversized Air Hockey Table where fans can challenge their friends and family to a unique version of the classic game,” Murillo tells Marketing Daily. “We’re also looking forward to engaging with the NHL’s passionate fan base, with our new co-branded commercial with Warner Brothers Discovery which captures the excitement that comes with being a fan of the league.”

WBD Sports produced a custom spot in-house in partnership with Discover and the NHL, featuring NHL on TNT talent Jackie Redmond and Wayne Gretzky.

The event attracts NHL fans from across the country, says Kyle Sanborn, vice president of global brand strategy and marketing activation at Enterprise Mobility. 

Last year, one family’s trip to the Winter Classic in Boston was in jeopardy due to a series of airline cancellations. Enterprise provided the Maher family with a vehicle, and the family embarked on an epic 3,000-mile road trip from Phoenix to Boston.·  

Enterprise stayed in touch with the family over the past year and provided tickets for them to attend the 2024 Winter Classic in Seattle. Enterprise was surprised to hear that the Mahers intended to repeat their road trip rather than flying to Seattle. 

The rental car company once again provided the family a vehicle and will be sharing highlights from the drive and experience.