Who goes to see orchestras performing videogame music? Hardcore gamers – just the demo that Burnaby, B.C.-based Future Shop wants to reach.

The retailer has signed on as presenting sponsor for the Canadian dates of Video Games Live, a San Juan Capistrano, CA-based concert series showcasing live performances of music from games like Mario, Tron and Final Fantasy.

‘We’re always looking for unique ways to reach hardcore gamers,’ explains Mary Ann McKenzie, Future Shop’s entertainment marketing manager. In exchange for promoting the concert dates in its flyers, emails and in-store collateral, Future Shop gets a category-exclusive presence at the events. Aside from handing out coupons, the chain is also doing on-site home theatre demos to show gamers how much better their gaming experiences can be with HD TVs and surround-sound systems.

Future Shop sponsored the two Edmonton concert dates last year, and McKenzie was so impressed by the quality of the show and the enthusiasm of the 4,000 attendees that she opted to sign on as presenting sponsor of all the Canadian dates this year, which include Montreal, Toronto and Edmonton last month, as well as a Winnipeg date in June.

McKenzie says activation efforts at the Calgary stop last November have proven to be a big success: ‘hot’ coupons, valid just the week after the concert, had redemption rates of 12%, and overall sales at the Calgary stores were up. ‘[Gamers] obviously came in and bought other stuff, too,’ says McKenzie.