About a million dollars in improvements are on the agenda for Dr Pepper Ballpark, home of the Frisco RoughRiders (Class AA; Texas League), as the team works to bring in more events in the offseason.
The improvements come in the food-service area, and it’s part of an effort to bring off-season business to the ballpark. Of course, RoughRiders fans will benefit from improved concessions and upgraded good offerings, but the effort to improve the facilities is tied to an effort to bring in other events.
“Even on game days, it’s the best in family entertainment, affordable business entertainment – and oh yeah, baseball is the backdrop,” said RoughRidgers President Scott Sonju.
Sonju says the philosophy behind managing the operations for Rangers’ AA-affiliate is to combine the sport with entertainment. That’s part of the reason he’s spearheading the marketing of the ballpark to host other events, from private parties, weddings and corporate events, to concerts and tournaments.
“We have a lot of great events at Dr Pepper Ballpark outside of RoughRiders games,” he said. “We have this beautiful facility, beautiful ballpark, and we want to make sure we maximize its use.”
Many teams have the goal of bringing in events to a ballpark in the offseason, but it requires a slightly different setup and mindset to pull it off. For instrance, Dow Diamond, the home of the Great Lakes Loons (Low Class A; Midwest League) was designed to have an enclosable, climate-controlled concourse in order to host events in wintertime, and an open-air patio at Modern Woodmen Park, home of the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League), was enclosed and upgraded to allow for wintertime events.
RELATED STORIES: Dr Pepper Ballpark / Frisco RoughRiders
Image by Mike Overall, via flickr.com.
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