GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins’ front office staff earned several honors from the American Hockey League this week at its annual Marketing Meeting in Rochester, N.Y. Most notably, the team’s Community for a Cure “Purple Game” was selected as the most unique game operations promotion or theme night.

The Griffins partnered with the Van Andel Institute (VAI) for the Feb. 18 contest, donning special purple jerseys that were autographed and auctioned to the public following the game, with proceeds benefiting cancer research at the VAI. Other purple elements at Van Andel Arena included 10,000 purple t-shirts and 2,500 white and purple rally towels that were given away to fans; purple shirts worn by the Griffins staff; purple concession items such as cotton candy, sno cones, and cupcakes; purple logos embedded in the arena’s ice surface; purple game production elements, including songs, videos and LED graphics; and a “purpled out” web site and social media presence leading up to the game.

The Griffins ranked sixth in the AHL in attendance in 2011-12 – celebrating an attendance increase (average per game) for the fifth time in the last six seasons – and several members of the team’s ticket sales department were recognized for their achievements during the season:

• Social media sales and marketing manager John VanderHaagen finished first overall in the AHL in full-season equivalent (FSE) ticket sales;

• Group ticket sales manager John Hoffa finished first in the Western Conference in group ticket sales;

• And season ticket sales and customer service executive Bill Hook ranked second in the Western Conference in FSE ticket sales.

The team was also presented with certificates for achieving a full-season ticket renewal rate of 90 percent, selling an average of 1,500 group tickets per game, and realizing a 5 percent increase in total FSE tickets sold.

The awards continued a streak of league recognition for the Griffins, who captured the AHL’s Ticket Sales Department of the Year award in 2010-11, and the Western Conference awards for fan experience in 2009-10 and both community service and overall ticket sales growth in 2008-09.