Joetown has taken on a red hue as the Kansas City Chiefs have arrived for training camp. Missouri Western State University was primed and ready by the middle of last week and signs at area businesses made their appearance before Friday’s kick-off. While the arrival of our favorite football team is great news for local businesses – what does it mean for the consumer?

This is one area where the Chiefs, Missouri Western and Training Camp sponsors have collaborated with the fans in mind. Your fee for attendance to their outdoor practices? A $5 parking fee. Sure, you’ll have to purchase any food or souvenir items that catch your fancy, but the sheer entertainment of watching the practice is included in your parking cost.

For a list of scheduled practices – check this MWSU link.

The move to St. Joseph for the Chiefs not only kept the team closer to home, it also allowed for the opportunity to build a strong community around their efforts. Yes, St. Joseph has long been a Chiefs football town, but now businesses owners and fans alike can strengthen their dedication. Businesses owners enjoy the added revenue from two weeks of training camp promotions and added consumers and citizens enjoy the opportunity to get up close and personal with their favorite players.

Plus, for those who have made it a point to get to Training Camp in the past two years, the rumors are true – the players are good guys with personable skills. They talk to the fans, the kids and consumers who purchase tickets to the games. They understand why it’s important to interact and what it means for the team as a whole.

It’s all about public relations. Even in this day of online marketing power and a focus on social networking, face-to-face interactions are still valuable. Organizations vying for the consumer dollar are competing with everything from music to electronic devices to instant entertainment.

Without that personal connection, the one with the loudest message and the most money to spend on advertising is more likely to win. For Chiefs football, the budget is there for the advertising, the licensing of gear is in place and viewing opportunities have been secured for more money than most of us manage in a lifetime. But our attention spans are short and without that personal connection, we just may turn to Green Bay or worse – the Raiders.

For those profiting from Chiefs Training Camp this week, it’s a boost for business and another opportunity to make that personal connection. It really doesn’t matter if you’re a professional football player or an insurance company – show the customer you care with personal attention and the loyalty will follow.