How the Jets Build Their Promotional Calendar

WINNIPEG – Giveaways are part of what makes a night at the rink memorable. This season, the Jets are mixing in a little nostalgia, a lot of community and some familiar faces to give fans plenty of reasons to circle dates on the calendar.

But before the jerseys, bobbleheads and other giveaways make their way into the stands, there’s a lot of work happening behind the scenes. The promotional schedule released Monday is the result of months of conversations, planning and, in some cases, plenty of back-and-forth over the smallest details.

It’s a process that starts much earlier than most fans might realize.

“I would say the bulk of it is probably starting in March or April of the year before. That's when discussions are being had about, again, what went well that season, what did people like? What have we seen across the NHL and other leagues that other teams are doing? If there's anything relevant in pop culture that we could implement,” said Raquel Payne, True North’s Manager, Ticket Marketing.

“That's really when that planning process begins, especially if we're looking at any kind of giveaway item, those timelines can be three, four, plus months. We want to make sure that we're not rushing the process so that we can get samples, we can review materials, and colours, and fabrics, and make sure that the item is perfect for when that game happens.”

By the time the NHL schedule arrives, the Jets have already played a little fantasy scheduling of their own. Most of the promotional nights are in place — now it’s about finding the right night, the right opponent and, ideally, a morning after that doesn’t involve dragging yourself to work.

“We're trying to align different theme nights to what the targeted audience is, what kind of day or game or opponent might play into that. Country Night or Hoser Night, those end up being on weekend games because we know that maybe fans are travelling in for it or if we're looking at something that's more youth focussed, we're trying to get an afternoon game or at least a weekend game where families are more likely to bring children out. Um, so there's a little bit of a process of figuring out where those games are gonna go, but there's strategy behind it.

“We have our 90’s Night this year is on a Tuesday night, but the Wednesday is a holiday and that one can become a little bit of a party atmosphere. So, making sure that it's on a night where people aren't going to work the next day is important to us.”

The cultural nights are about as close to a sure thing as you can get on the promotional calendar. Ukrainian Night, Black History Night, South Asian Night, Filipino Night and WASAC Night have all developed strong followings, with fans showing up not only for the hockey but to celebrate and connect with their communities. But every once in a while, something comes along and catches even the promotional team by surprise. Hoser Night was one of those — a theme that might have seemed like a bit of a gamble on paper, only to become one of the surprise hits of the season, proving there are still plenty of people willing to channel their inner Bob and Doug McKenzie and say, “Take off, eh?”

We weren't really sure how that was gonna go over my fans. We kind of took a risk. We had tried something the year before. And that game, we had some of our longest lines for people before doors even opened because they were so excited about the theme. They were excited about the giveaway item,” said Payne.

“That was the trapper hat. Then we take that and we look at it and we look at the reception we get on social media. These are all things that we're doing last season as these games are happening that inform our summer planning and our giveaway sourcing and all of that.”

Back to cultural nights, True North has made it clear that giving back to the community is a big part of the promotional calendar, and this season they’re adding another celebration to the list: Lunar New Year Night. One of the most widely celebrated festivals in the world, Lunar New Year is observed by billions of people and will welcome the Year of the Goat in 2027.

For the Jets, it’s another opportunity to shine a spotlight on one of Manitoba’s thriving communities — and, judging by the possibilities, this one comes with plenty of ways to make the night memorable. There’s food, music, art, youth, elders and, hopefully, a few things that will make everyone hungry before the first puck is even dropped.

True North’s Director of Community Relations, Barrett Paulsen, says the time was right to add Lunar New Year to the calendar.

“It was just time for us to kind of take a step forward and realizing that how vibrant the community is and how awesome it is. When you celebrate communities, you do it through youth and elders and through food and through music and through art,” said Paulsen.

“And they have a plethora of options for us to have an amazing night. So, we just thought this was the year to do it.”

Let’s not forget about the Jets players themselves, Adam Lowry will once again be the face for Child Advocacy Night which raises awareness for children and families affected by child abuse. Lowry has partnered with the Toba Centre. Another initiative ambassador, Kyle Connor and the Jets will raise funds for U-Turn Parkinson’s and the Movement Disorder Clinic at Parkinson’s Awareness Night, and it doesn’t stop there with the players work in the community.

“Kudos to our captain Adam Lowry on getting involved early on with Toba Centre and being part of Child Advocacy Month, which is the month of October. Kyle Connor has a personal connection to Parkinson's, and making sure Parkinson's awareness is raised,” said Paulsen.

"Our True North Youth Foundation—whether it's through the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy or Project 11—is something we always rally behind. Over the years, our players have also done incredible work behind the scenes with organizations like Ronald McDonald House, Cancer Care Manitoba, Special Olympics Manitoba, and various other charities. That commitment extends to our AHL team as well; the guys on the Manitoba Moose do amazing community work, like Tyrel Bauer, who connects with foster kids and families almost every single game. When our players are that passionate about being advocates and allies, we want to back them up and support them as much as we can"

From celebrating culture and community to giving back, raising awareness and having a little fun along the way, this season’s promotional calendar really does have a little bit of everything — another way the Winnipeg Jets are making sure there’s plenty of reasons to come to the rink long before the puck drops.