Regina Pats' manager of game day and fan experience, Bryce Bunz shared his thought process behind creating experiences for fans at the Brandt Centre.
"Trial and error," Bunz joked on The SportsCage's Pats Chat segment. "I've gotten the reins to try and do different things. My executive team supports me with being authentic and being myself."
Bunz explained the origin of one intermission entertainment where people played volleyball on the ice with a pair of balloons.
"As a kid growing up, my brother and I always played this dumb game, we made sure the balloon never fell on the ground. So I was like, 'What if you did that on the ice surface? What if you had more people doing it? How do we add more to it?'" Bunz reflected on his idea.
"Eric is running lights, and he's going crazy with the lights. How can you build something that was as simple as a childhood staple to me and to be entertaining for fans to think about?"
When it comes to prepping for the games, Bunz knows sometimes you need to be ready to change on the fly.
"I try to relate to all of our staff and team members what's happening at each game and what can we all expect. It's live entertainment; things are going to change. We're going to have to pivot. People can't make it or stuff comes up or whatever happens. The more I can communicate, and that's what this job has really helped me out with, is communicating everything," Bunz said.
"The best part of my job is the people I get to work with at the rink that day. We all care so much. We all go in, we put in our best efforts, the wins and losses, they matter. But how people left the building, what they felt that night, that's really important for us, and we take that very seriously."
Tuesday night the Pats host their skills competition at the Brandt Centre. There will be seven events as the doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the event starts at 6 p.m.
"We're excited for it. It's a great way for us to give back to our fans and for them to come out and see the talent that's on the ice this year. It's a great way for people to come out and take in some fun, light activity. Our schedule is pretty heavy, so it fits something like this. Our biggest goal is always community involvement and getting them to be out there, be present in the community," Bunz explained.
"For season ticket members, they get in for free for their commitment and support that they give us year after year. We will have admission as well, it's $10 to get in. But if you bring in a donation for the Sofia House, you get in for $5."
The next Regina Pats game will be on Friday when the team travels to Swift Current to take on the Broncos. Dante De Caria will have the pre-game show at 6:30 p.m. and puck drop will be at 7 p.m.
