top of page
NO GEAR? NO PROBLEM
20190721_180132.jpg
EQUIPMENT & PRODUCTION
    Don't think you have the means to add music & announcing to your event? Think again. 
It seems like a simple proposition: To have a PA announcer and music at a sporting event, the venue needs to have
a sound system, right? 
​
Not necessarily. 
​
You don't need a permanent system for a one-off single event, and most places don't have tens of thousands of
dollars lying around to install one. So why not rent? 
​
If all you're looking for is a couple of speakers for a few hours or a few days, Pfeifer can help. His personal arsenal
of gear includes: 
​
  • A 2021 upgrade, shown at right, from two 12-inch speakers to two Mackie Thump 15A powered speakers,
    capable of projecting sound 800 feet each
  • A Mackie 1202V mixer, able to handle four XLR/microphone inputs and four two-channel stereo inputs
  • Three wired and one limited-range wireless XLR microphone
  • All necessary cables, including over 500 feet of XLR cable​
​
For the non-audiophiles, this means that if you have a single power outlet at least reasonably close to your
audience, Pfeifer can set up a professional audio experience for them. If his own gear doesn't do the trick, he can
reach out to other pros and to help acquire necessary rental gear. And if you don't have an announcer handy
or someone who wants to play music, he can handle that part, too. 
​
Not just at the venue
​
Pfeifer doesn't have all this gear because it looks good in his house. He also uses it to help build
productions for teams. 
​
It's one thing to simply have a good announcer or well-timed music at an event. You can even take things further,
though, with pre-produced elements at games: 
​
  • An informational, pre-recorded, pre-game fan read, set to music, can help: 
    • Establish your team's brand by starting and finishing with messaging about what sets your organization apart
    • Inform fans about safety guidelines, smoking restrictions, restroom locations, responsible alcohol consumption and emergency procedures
    • Drive sales by encouraging fans to visit concession or souvenir areas
    • Promote sponsors by attaching their message to any of the above
  • It'll be perfect every time because it's pre-recorded​
    • Just hit play at the right time
    • You'll know exactly when it starts and ends
    • There'll never be a misstep or stumble
  • Why stop pre-game? Production elements can be useful throughout an event. 
    • Many bands use pre-recorded intros for halftime shows
    • Advertisers appreciate a solid, consistent message for advertisements
    • Even Senior Nights and special event ceremonies can benefit from pre-produced elements
 
Pfeifer can put all of these things together and more, on a budget that works for you. 
​
Open your mind as to what your game's production can sound like — then contact Dan Pfeifer to help make your vision a reality. 
image.png
CASE STUDY • camp shutout

Coordinating over 400 youth goalkeepers, 100 staff members and the many parents and guests at America's largest youth goalkeeper camp is no easy task, especially when they're splayed over a million square feet of land in a massive complext of soccer fields. Nonetheless, that's what Dan Pfeifer is tasked with for six days every year at the Portage County Youth Soccer Complex and Camp Shutout in Stevens Point, Wis. 

​

The residential camp welcomes keepers ages 10 through 18 from around the country, while staff and staff assistants include some of the nation's best pro and college keepers and coaches. Most days involve three training sessions that begin with all campers engaging in an active warmup together. The week includes competitions such as soccer tennis and Stan's Game, named for camp founder Stan Anderson, and culminates with an intense team keeper wars tournament, followed by an awards ceremony. 

 

Pfeifer's job starts the moment camp begins, ensuring the sound system he and the camp co-own are always in the right place for whatever's needed. That may mean positioning one speaker and a wireless mic for active warmup and the other speaker with a mixer for general music & atmosphere for the complex, then moving both speakers during the session for demonstrations on the stadium field. Not only does Pfeifer handle this, he also adds his music and announcing, keeping the event feeling lively and on schedule. When tourney time comes, Pfeifer even adds play-by-play, while finding at least one moment during the week to engage in a camp tradition of his own creation — leading the entire camp in a rousing version of the Cupid Shuffle dance. 

​

Anderson and Pfeifer have been longtime friends, dating back to when the two both worked for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's consistently nationally ranked men's soccer team from 2001-04. Anderson considers Pfeifer an important enough piece of the camp to room with him annually. The camp routinely sells out, predominantly to returning campers, within hours of registration opening, with many campers citing the positive energy and atmosphere Pfeifer helps create to be why they want to return. 

image.png
image.png
bottom of page