January 14, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets When most Comets fans attend a game here at The AUD, they come to watch the team play. But what a lot of people don't realize is how much work goes into the making of a game day here possible. This week, I sat down with our director of Game Operations, Gina Nassivera, our Graphic Designer and Production Assistant, Eric Kowiatek and our Director of Communications, Mark Caswell Jr., to give you a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes here at the The AUD.

Gina, the Comets Director of Game Operations, is the one responsible for making Comets games happen. She directs everything that goes on during pregame and game time, including commercials, in-game promotions and music. "My priority is making sure that I'm creating a fun, entertaining atmosphere to keep the fans coming back for more than just the product on the ice," Gina said. She also wants to keep a healthy balance between current songs, movie clips, dances and old-time traditions, since The AUD is such a historical hockey building. Most people do not notice just how much time and effort goes into planning what song to play at what time or what in-game promotion will get the crowd the most pumped.

Pregame National Anthem is one part of Gina's gameday

For Gina, a typical game day consists of a lot of planning, coordinating and communication. "Pregame is planned to the minutes and seconds," she explained. "It's especially challenging when we add a pregame ceremony. We have to make sure we abide by American Hockey League guidelines to ensure that we drop the puck on time." Gina also works closely with Eric, our graphic designer, the video board director, camera crew, PA announcer and in-game host to make sure everyone knows the script and game plan for the night. The script, which is unique to each and every Comets game, includes exactly when each PA read, commercial, video or promo will air during the game. Since no whistle is planned out, Gina and her team need to constantly think on their feet to pick appropriate and exciting content for the video boards. "Those video boards are a huge part of our game experience here," Gina stated. "We want to make sure we use those to the best of our ability and show the fans in Utica things they've never seen at hockey games before."

Working in close contact with Gina is the Comets graphic designer, Eric Kowiatek. Eric is in charge of creating all graphics that appear on the video board throughout the game. "A typical game day requires me going through my e-mail and spreadsheets to find the necessary information to set up graphics for that game," Eric explained. "After everything gets loaded into Click Effects, our computer program, we have a pregame meeting to review the script and make sure we're all on the same page." In terms of pregame responsibilities, Eric designs a custom downtime playlist for the videoboards that rotates when people are entering and exiting the building.

Eric's graphics dress up the videoboard

Eric also has to think on his feet, as graphics often need to be created on the spot. "During the game, I have to set up miscellaneous graphics for scores, 50/50 winners and impromptu graphics that will entertain the crowd," he stated. Birthday announcements, upcoming games, Hawaiian Holiday Utica Comettes, and group night graphics are all created by Eric prior to the game and placed on the video board during times specified in the script, created by Gina. Other graphics, such as the 50/50 winning number, and Out of Town AHL Scoreboard, are created on the spot in-game. Gina and Eric work side-by-side to make sure that corporate sponsors are pleased, as well as Comets fans looking for an entertaining evening.

Finally, the inner workings of the game would not be possible without Mark Caswell Jr., the Comets Director of Communications. Mark's responsibilities are endless, ranging from Community Relations to Public Relations to working closely with the players and coaches, as well as the media and press. But game days are the busiest for Mark, as he has to balance numerous tasks throughout the long workday. "Typically, I get to the rink by 7:30 in the morning in order to prepare league paperwork for coaches, players and media," Mark explained. "It's a long, but fun day." Mark also described how things never go exactly according to plan, and he has to make sure the spontaneous problems and issues that pop up are dealt with accordingly.

As Director of Communications, Mark is in constant contact with the press, media, and other members of the Comets game day staff, such as Gina and Eric. Mark usually roams the concourse, making sure everything is running smoothly and that people are complaint-free. He also works in close contact with the voice of the Comets, broadcaster Brendan Burke, to make sure the visiting team has a hassle-free experience at The AUD. Mark is the man behind social media and the with the Comets, so he has detailed plans of what needs to go on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram during pregame, game time and postgame.

Without Gina, Eric, Mark and countless other members of the Comets staff, Comets fans would not have the full fan experience here at the Utica Auditorium. Next time you come down to The AUD for a Comets game, pay close attention to the little things you may not have noticed, and think of Gina in the press box, Eric in the production suite and Mark somewhere in the building, making sure your fan experience is a memory that will last a lifetime.

Go here to see the original:

Comets Corner: the Secret Workings of a Game Day