Here are some strategies to boost your numbers, which also essentially translate to building a thriving play community:
Run Events Regularly and Diversify Offerings
The simplest way to get more Tickets is to host more play opportunities. Look at your weekly schedule – are there days without any events that you could add something? If you only run Friday Night Magic and occasional weekends, consider adding a weeknight draft league, a Commander night, or a Standard/Modern tournament. Even casual play meetups that you report (you can report casual sessions in EventLink as play list only events) count. The more sessions you have, the more entries you’ll accumulate. Diversifying formats can attract different segments of players: Limited enthusiasts, competitive constructed players, Commander casuals, etc. Each of those groups can contribute to your metrics. Just ensure you actually report everything – if folks gather at your store to play Magic in any organized way, put it into EventLink as an event (even if it’s just casual). Those Tickets will count and also it signals to us that your store is active.
Encourage Repeat Attendance (Engagement)
To turn one-time players into engaged players, focus on player retention. Some practical ways: Start a loyalty program or achievement card for attending events. For example, give out a “play punch card” where after 6 events, the player gets a small prize or discount – that aligns nicely with the 6 needed to be engaged! Or simply make sure new players feel welcome: greet them, introduce them to regulars, perhaps have a staff or volunteer offer to play a casual game with newcomers outside of the main event to break the ice. Running consistent weekly events that people can rely on helps a lot – if someone knows every Tuesday is Commander Night, they may make it a habit. Consistency breeds engagement. Also, when someone misses a couple weeks, there’s no harm in a gentle nudge – if you have a Discord or Facebook group, tag absent regulars with “We missed you last week, hope to see you this Friday!” (if done in a friendly way, it can pull people back in).
Leverage Big Releases and Follow Up
Prerelease is often your biggest event of the season – you might see many faces, new and old. Don’t let those be one-and-done visits. After Prerelease, encourage those players to return for events like a Launch Party, Friday Night Magic the next week, or a new set draft league. Have a flyer or announcement ready that “the fun continues next week.” Perhaps run a special “New Set League” where players use their Prerelease cards or new booster packs to play casually over a few weeks; this can convert Prerelease excitement into sustained play (which translates into more events to report). The idea is to capitalize on spikes in interest and convert them to long-term engagement.
Community Building
A strong, welcoming community tends to grow organically. Be active on social media and local groups to promote your events. Encourage players to bring friends. New players through referrals help both metrics: new tickets and if they stick around, new engaged players. Host beginner-friendly sessions or formats like Commander where the environment is less intimidating. A comfortable newcomer is likely to become a regular.
Track Your Progress
Keep an eye on your reported numbers periodically. Some stores maintain their own internal count to predict where they stand. For instance, you might set goals like “We’re at ~800 Tickets for the year, let’s aim for 1000 by year’s end” or “We have 15 engaged players; which customers are at 4 or 5 events? Let’s invite them personally to the next events to get them over the hump.” We can’t provide individual player counts directly to stores, but you can often infer from your event data who your near-engaged folks are. If you spot someone who’s at, say, 5 events attended in the last months, giving them an extra nudge to attend one more could convert them into an engaged player for your metrics. Obviously, do this in a genuine way – the goal is players have fun and want to come back, not just to tick a box.
Use EventLink and Companion App fully
Make event reporting seamless by encouraging players to use the Companion App to join events and report results. This not only makes your life easier but ensures every player gets logged with their Wizards Account. Having players sign up via their Wizards Accounts is crucial because that’s how unique players are tracked. If someone just walks in and you don’t add them properly or they play casually off-record, you miss an engaged player opportunity. So always register everyone, even casual participants, in EventLink (you can use the Casual Event type if needed). The Companion app adoption can help – that’s why Wizards even suggests rewarding it with promos. When players are accustomed to joining via the app, they’ll check in themselves and you won’t accidentally miss adding Joe who came late, etc.
Quality Events = More Players
Remember, metrics ultimately reflect real human behavior. If your events are fun, fair, and well-run, people will return and bring others. Prizing structure, entry fees, and atmosphere all matter. For instance, having an affordable or free casual night can lower the barrier for new folks to show up (boosting headcount). On competitive nights, ensure the prizes are enticing but also that the event doesn’t feel intimidating for casual players, or have separate casual brackets. A positive vibe in your store – inclusive, friendly, organized – will do more for metrics than any scheme. Word of mouth is powerful; people will drive an extra 30 minutes to the store that has a great community versus one that doesn’t, and those players will count towards your metrics.
Communicate with WPN Reps
Wizards has WPN community manager and support reps who can sometimes advise you, especially if you’re aiming for higher goals like WPN Premium.