The Calgary Surge of the CEBL (Canadian Elite Basketball League) has opened a pop-up location, selling tickets and merchandise, at CF Chinook Centre, the city’s most popular shopping centre.
The location on the second level of the mall, near the former Nordstrom space, and across from SportChek and Sunrise Records, opened February 1.
“For the past few weeks and maybe for another two it really is to just get situated within the community that comes to Chinook Centre,” said Jason Ribeiro, Vice Chairman and President of the team.
“I think you’re starting to see us figure out and keep adding to the space. So we’ve almost recreated a mini basketball court on the floor. It’s got our decals now. We’re able to sell apparel. We’re able to draw attention to the Surge 2 The Dome, one night only event, season opener that will be nationally broadcast on TSN.
“But through the engagement with the other surrounding stores, our partners at Chinook, now we’re starting to discover what’s really valuable to the community and the patrons of the store and how we can drive traffic to the broader shopping centre itself. So you’re going to see us start to experiment with the space and have it be a place not just for apparel and ticket sales but contesting, performance, surprises, player appearances as we get closer to the season start.
“It’s really just trying to figure out the space for the next few weeks here and then really ramp up that activation aspect in the months ahead.”
The first game of the 2024 season will take place Tuesday May 21 against provincial rival, the Edmonton Stingers, at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The team’s normal home court is the WinSport Event Centre.
Darren Milne, General Manager of CF Chinook Centre, said the shopping centre continues to partner with organizations who share similar values.
“Like us, the Calgary Surge are interested in creating vibrant communities. The Surge Experience Hub is the first step in our partnership; and we look forward to our continued relationship with them,” he said.
Ribeiro said the pop-up is new both for the sports team and for the mall.
“This is something that could be temporary. This is something that could be longer standing. And I think as we get in through the season, it certainly is really busy from our end, and so I know the arrangement we have is to carry this through to season start and then I think in that four month period we’ll really know what the space affords both parties and then I think have a really good foundation to continue to build and continue to experiment,” he said.
“We didn’t know what the space would do and the response for us has been overwhelming . . . People are coming from the Surge fan base and really re-discovering Chinook as a result of the affiliation with the Surge because we haven’t had a retail offering. For us, this is a three to four month playground for both sides to really understand what is the value of having a professional sports team activating but activating in a really unique way that’s not just sales driven but really experience driven. That’s at the core of why we named it the Surge Experience Hub because we are going to bring the best of the game day experience, the best of the community engagement side of the Surge, to CF Chinook Centre.”
Ribeiro said the pop-up’s location is an interesting spot and it’s a test. It’s not a heavily populated area of the mall. But with the Surge’s presence there now and the Mirror Mirror immersive art experience right below it will draw people to that end of the mall.
The space the Surge has allows for a lot of functionality with different experiences, he said.
“When we are in season, we’ve had initial discussions about what does the rest of the mall look like when we’re up and running and we do have our players. While we’re starting with this one dedicated space beside the entrance where Boston Pizza is, I think we’re starting to figure out the right formula for when we do need to do a bigger activation on the main floor or with a larger space. I’m imagining a full size or half size basketball court,” said Ribeiro.
“What can we take from the learnings of the next few months and apply it and then bring out all of our players, introduce ourselves to a larger mass audience, than the space currently provides.”
For now, the pop-up location is what Ribeiro describes as the “dream intersection” for the Surge with sport, music, arts and culture.
“We find ourselves at the intersection between I think two really distinct and related partners but then right over top of that Mirror Mirror art exhibition. I couldn’t think of a better place for us to be in terms of the partners we’re next to,” he said.
