Volume 1, Issue 2
July 29, 2002

June 8th & 9th Sleepover At Comiskey A 'Hit' Among Fans

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White Sox Raise $75,000 For CWS Charities

PROMOTION: Sleepover Night at Comiskey Park 

CONTACT NAME/TITLE: Rob Gallas, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Broadcasting

TEAM/ORGANIZATION:  Chicago White Sox

OBJECTIVE:  To raise money for Chicago White Sox Charities and provide fans with a unique baseball experience---the chance to sleep in sleeping bags on the Comiskey Park outfield overnight.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM: For $250.00 per person White Sox fans received game tickets to Saturday night's June 8th game, cocktails and a post-game pizza party with White Sox executives, a Midnight movie viewing of "The Natural" on the Jumbotron Screen, a dawn workout and autograph session with ex-Sox players, breakfast, the opportunity to shower in the left field "Bill Veeck" shower, and game tickets to the June 9th day game.  Event limited to 250 people, age 6 and up. 

Ticket Program:
Five hundred game tickets sold at half-price to two games as part of this program.  Tickets were ordered by phone through the clubs Community Relations and White Sox Charities offices and delivered via mail or UPS.

Most tickets (210) were sold after local newspapers printed information regarding the sleepover.  The White Sox then sold the remaining 40 tickets by having a club spokesman on their Radio and TV broadcasts promoting the event.

Media Campaign:
While this highly successful promotion didn't require an inordinate amount of White Sox advertising, the Sleepover did gain significant National Exposure through a number of media outlets.  Overall the White Sox did approximately 32 million impressions through the media.  Some of these media outlets included:

TV:
1. The Today Show did separate pieces on its Saturday  and Sunday Morning Shows.
Radio:
1. The White Sox did a post-event interview for Fox Radio
2. Rob Gallas did six sports talk radio interviews prior to the event across the country
Newspapers:
1. The Associated Press did a story for national distribution.
2. USA Today did an advance piece on the front page of the sports section.

Game Operations:
1. Special parking stickers/passes provided .
2. Custom Media Credential badge created for each sleepparticipant.

SPONSOR:  This season the White Sox did not have a corporate partner tied to the event. 

RESULTS:  
1. Sold 500 half-price game tickets.
2. Raised approx. $75,000 (net) for CWS Charities. 
3. Gained national media exposure.

CONTACT INFORMATION:  [email protected]
         312/674-5387.