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August 12, 2015 | Volume 13, Issue 13
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MLB.COM AND EXPERIENCE PARTNER WITH THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS TO IMPLEMENT BALLPARK PASS SYSTEM
The Oakland Athletics increase membership with first Major League Baseball mobile ticketing subscription.
By: Alby Abalos
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Click the image above to check out the Oakland Athletics website!
Dear Faithful Readers,
Living in San Diego has a lot of positives. One of my favorite things to do is go to a San Diego Padres game with my buddies, especially during the summer time. Whether they are winning or losing experiencing a game at Petco Park is always a great time. I’ve talked a lot with a couple of my friends about whether we should purchase season tickets or not and we have always decided to go with the single game tickets based on the ability to choose what games and the cost.
This program that the Oakland A’s just finished doing solves both those problems. Being able to attend any game I want and for a low cost would be perfect. I’m 24, so I guess I fall under the “Millennial” title. Last year at the Forum every panel and breakout session seemed to touch on how to reach millennial fans. Mobile is a great way and the A’s worked that into this program as well.
Overall, this is one of my favorite programs that we have featured and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more teams adopt a program similar to this.
Hope you enjoy the read!
Ryan Heidrich
Director of Communications
PROGRAM TITLE
Oakland Athletics: "Ballpark Pass"
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OBJECTIVES
One area of focus for the Oakland Athletics is enhancing the fan experience to increase fan membership. Season tickets have been around for many years, but only now are teams making a concerted effort to shift towards membership programs. The Athletics were looking to present a unique product offering through a mobile exclusive channel. Their goal was to capture a different audience and test the market for this concept of membership vs. assigned season seats. With this idea in mind, the Athletics Ballpark Pass came to be.
Oakland Athletics’ Executive Director of Ticket Sales & Operations, Steve Fanelli, states, “Focusing on growth in the mobile space to give fans a better overall experience is one of our top priorities as an organization. Having products offered through mobile that are complimentary and attractive to a mobile-savvy audience will not only increase the overall fan experience at the ballpark, but allow us to engage a very attractive group and expose them to some exciting products.”
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
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For the month of July, the Athletics promoted their Ballpark Pass for $89. The Ballpark Pass was available through the MLB.com Ballpark app and was delivered exclusively via mobile. Athletics’ fans were allowed to enter the ballpark during the thirteen home games of July without a physical ticket. Upon purchasing, a mobile ticket was delivered to the fan a few hours prior to each home game based on availability.
The Ballpark Pass guarantees a standing-room-only pass. However, if there happened to be available seats left, the Ballpark Pass holders were allowed to sit in assigned seats a few hours prior to first pitch. The seating sections included the Plaza Reserved, Plaza Outfield, Plaza Infield, and Field Reserved.
Through the MLB.com Ballpark app, members were able to purchase up to four Ballpark Passes in one transaction to sit with family and friends. The Athletics’ Ballpark Pass was a positive program to turn their fans into members.
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Click above to check out the Oakland Athletics ticket page!
PARTNERSHIP
The Oakland Athletics partnered with Experience (www.expapp.com) to develop the Ballpark Pass and with MLB.com to provide the platform for the app.
Experience is a fan experience technology company dedicated to making sure fans enjoy live events to the fullest extent. With Experience, fans are able to personalize their live event experience by participating in unique opportunities all from their mobile device. Experience has recently worked with Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
RESULTS
The Athletics’ Ballpark Pass reached expectations and they felt the program provided good value for the buyers. Nearly every Ballpark Pass available to the thirteen July home games were sold out. Oakland Fans provided plenty of positive feedback to the Ballpark Pass mobile platform approach, which generated a significant amount of buzz on social media. The Athletics also saw a shift of fans to members with this program.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Ballpark Pass is not scheduled as an on-going program. However, the Athletics are hopeful the offer will be available in the future. Using mobile to enhance the fan experience is one of the Athletics primary objectives, which is why the Athletics suspect they will continue to develop unique programs aimed at utilizing the platform. They are looking forward to rolling out a similar program in the future.
CONTACT
For more information, contact:
Steve Fanelli, Executive Director, Ticket Sales & Operation, Oakland Athletics
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL SPORTS FORUM
The National Sports Forum is the largest annual cross-gathering of the top team sports marketing, sales, promotions, and event entertainment executives from throughout the broad spectrum of teams and leagues in North America. The 2016 NSF Conference and Trade Show will be held on February 14 - 16, 2016 in Portland, OR. Visit www.sports-forum.com.
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