PRESS RELEASE – The Fort Wayne TinCaps’ Opening Night in 3D promotion won Golden Bobblehead Awards for the Best Theme Night and the Best Overall Promotion of the 2011 season at the 34th annual Minor League Baseball Promotional Seminar, which concluded today in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The Golden Bobblehead Awards, formerly known as the “Best of” Promotional Awards the past two years, are given to clubs who have been selected by MiLB Promotional Seminar attendees in four categories. Five finalists are chosen in each category from the list of clubs who have been nominated during the regular season. After presentations by nominated teams, attendees vote for their favorite in each category, as well as an overall winner.
Fort Wayne fans received a pair of 3D glasses when they entered Parkview Field on April 7 for Opening Night. The TinCaps were able to develop and create visually dynamic 3-dimensional live video features and animations through a partnership with a Fort Wayne based video production company. Several 3D video board features and animations occurred throughout the game and the Midwest League club’s free gameday program featured a 3D cover with a 3D poster. Local television anchors and field reporters put on the club’s specially produced 3D glasses on-air in the weeks leading up to Opening Night to discuss the event. A sellout crowd of more than 7,000 fans attended the TinCaps’ opener, despite a cold evening and light rain.
The Eugene Emeralds Levi’s Day: Cut-Offs for a Cause was selected as the Best Charity Promotion or Event. Cut-Offs for a Cause revolved around donations of denim that Levi’s would use to produce housing insulation for a local Habitat for Humanity build. All fans who donated a pair of jeans in the days leading up to the game and at the game, as well as fans wearing jeans to the game, received a free ticket. If they wore Levi’s jeans they also received either a free hot dog or ice cream. A raffle and a donation to a local elementary school for each person wearing Levi’s were also part of the promotion.
The Best Non-Game Day Event was awarded to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs for their Nite Lites event. In conjunction with a local hospital network, the IronPigs hosted Nite Lites in their Coca-Cola Park’s Main Entrance Plaza, as well as throughout the concourse. The night included a cocktail reception that was held on the baseball field, dinner, live auction, live band and dancing.
The Lake Elsinore Storm’s Groundscrew Gorilla was named Best In-Game Promotion. In the bottom of the 6th inning of each home game, the Groundscrew Gorilla goes nuts for 80 seconds performing a variety of antics including dancing; getting hit by water balloons or with pool noodles by the visiting team; bike tricks; and skits such as Katy Hairy, where the character dresses up like pop music star Katy Perry and brings out mini gorillas to dance to Perry’s hit song “Firework.” The dance is capped off by fireworks during the final 10 seconds of the routine.
The second annual Golden Bobblehead Award winners will be chosen at the MiLB Promotional Seminar next year in Reno, Nev. The event will take place at The Atlantis Casino Resort Spa ¡ñ Reno from October 2-5, 2012.
ballparkbiz.wordpress.com 