Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
The 7th Annual Awards
- Best Event or Experiential Campaign
- Best TV or Streaming Experience
- Best Use of Live Video
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
On June 12, 2024 the New England Patriots inducted Tom Brady into their Hall of Fame. For the first time ever, this induction was held as a full stadium, ticketed event. A live red carpet arrival show kicked off the night with 6 hosts and 4 different interview locations. The show itself was structured as a cross between an induction, an awards show, and a Kennedy Centers honors. It ran for just over 3 hours and featured top tier talent like Mike Tirico, Bill Burr, Peyton Manning, Jay Z, Kenney Chesney and more it was certainly a night to remember. The night capped off with Tom Brady officially receiving his red jacket and giving a speech for the ages.
How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?
Shortly after our Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the US Tennis Association reached out to us to discuss our best practices as they begin planning their own induction for Serena Williams. It is clear that our event has set a high bar for other organizations seeking to honor their greatest athletes. There has never before in the history of sports in the United States been a team Hall of Fame induction as a stand alone ticketed event in an NFL stadium. That over 60k fans purchases tickets to be there stands as a testament to the level of success we achieved.
Objective
How do you possibly begin to pay tribute to the greatest athlete of all time? You go big, and that’s what we did. The Patriots Hall of Fame inductions typically consist of a 45 minute ceremony on Saturday and a tribute during halftime at a home game the next day. We knew that there was no way to cover the breadth and success of Tom Brady’s career in this way. The goal was to plan an event worthy of a full stadium ticketed event. We knew that we would need to bring in A list talent and artists to make the night special. We began using our connections and were able to book musical performances from Jay Z and Kenny Chesney and 2 comedic performances from Bill Burr. We brought in concert style staging and created a luxury center seating area for the alumni and celebrities in attendance.
Strategy & Execution
The modern sports fan was top of mind throughout our planning process. We knew that in today’s fast paced social media world a fan doesn’t want to sit through the typical HOF ceremony. We needed to create an event that would spur viral moments and attract the online attention of sports fans nationwide. We accomplished that right at the top of our show with a surprise performance of “PSA” (Tom’s longtime intro song) by Jay Z. A video of the moment posted by Barstool Sports gained 960k views. We also knew we needed to bring in all of the fan favorite alumni from Tom’s 20 year Patriots career. Over 100 former teammates flew in for the event and over 30 of them participated in the show, leading to memorable moments such as Randy Moss’s unexpected 5 minute standing ovation. We invited many influencers and non-sports celebrities, such as Dave Portnoy and Jon Bon Jovi, to bring another level of excitement to the event as well.
Organizations
- New England Patriots
- Thistle Communications
- E2K
- Peak
Credits
Abigail Thistle
Senior Director of Fan Engagement and Event Presentation (Senior Producer)
New England Patriots
Jennifer Gahan
Event Presentation senior Manager (Producer)
New England Patriots
Ali Towle
VP of Customer Marketing and Branding (Co-Executive Producer)
New England Patriots
Jen Ferron
Chief Marketing Officer (Co-Executive Producer)
New England Patriots
Walter Franco
Director
Chris Black
Event Presentation and Control Room Manager (Technical Director)
New England Patriots
Robert Kraft
Chairman and CEO (Executive Producer)
New England Patriots
Matt Smith
Executive Producer KSP (Producer)
New England Patriots
Stacey James
VP of Communications (Producer)
New England Patriots
Fred Kirsch
VP of Content (Producer)
New England Patriots
Ashok Moore
Senior Director - Digital/Social Content & Strategy (Producer)
New England Patriots
Michael Dussault
Content Manager (Producer)
New England Patriots
Veronica Behonick
Social Media Manager (Producer)
New England Patriots
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 7th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 24, 2025 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
