With an official count of more than 100,000 visitors at this year’s Major League Baseball Roadshow, ITMS can look back on a highly successful event.
In a total of nine events across eight cities, the roadshow gave sports enthusiasts the opportunity to try their hand at classic baseball disciplines such as pitching, batting and running the bases.
The key ingredient, developed by ITMS, was the concept of an interactive Fun Park which offers visitors numerous hands-on activities and challenges. In the Power Pitcher pitching tunnel, participants had the opportunity to prove their accuracy and throwing power, to test their impact resistance in the Home Run Hitter batting cage, and to feel like a major league star as they step into a scaled-down version of a baseball stadium. The individual stations, co-sponsored by MLB apparel brands New Era and Majestic, made sure that everyone had the chance to immerse themselves in the American sporting pastime and baseball culture. Each event packed a variety of entertainments over a seven hour schedule, including live music, a green screen photo booth and numerous surprises and competitions.
Building on their successful hosting of the event in recent years, ITMS was responsible for the planning, organization and implementation of the German and Dutch version of the MLB Roadshow from the ground up, and took care of all media communications and marketing for the two week tour. The roadshow has increased awareness of Major League Baseball and baseball as a sport in general across these markets, and at the same time provided a great attraction for young and old.
Regional baseball clubs also had the opportunity to participate in the roadshow and were enthusiastically integrated into the events. Interested youth players were able to gain hands on experience of baseball and get better acquainted with the clubs and teams in their area. Overall more than 100,000 people attended the event series and more than 15,000 participants having checked in at the different stations to showcase their talents. With attendance up from last year and an increased number of attractions, the Roadshow is now assuredly an annual fixture not to be missed by any baseball fan.
Crowds were not only delighted by the booths and family entertainment, but a number of sporting names made an appearance. Visiting celebrities included “Hertinho”, the mascot of Bundesliga club Hertha BSC Berlin, who threw out the first pitch at the Berlin event, former Canadian National Hockey player Chris Stanley, and first chairman of the Leipzig Youth Sport Association Sebastian Pilz. Also not to be missed at the roadshow was German national team and MLB hopeful Pascal Amon, who dropped in to sample the challenges and meet and greet baseball fans. The promising young German will be joining the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in the upcoming season.
In keeping with the start of the MLB postseason and World Series, the roadshow was a perfect appetizer for the major sporting event in the United States. With the end of the regular season, the ten best teams reached the postseason. At the end of October, the winners of each league meet for the finals of the World Series. Winners in 2014 and thus for the eighth time winner of the most important title in baseball were the San Francisco Giants.
Following its resounding success, it is already confirmed that the Major League Baseball Roadshow will return next year. Sports fans from all over can look forward to even more attractions, diversions, competitions and celebrities from the sports scene.
