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Fan Experience: Video games, kid spaces and monster scoreboards

In the new Outfield District at the recently renovated Rogers Centre in Toronto, fans can catch live music. They can grab food truck-style bites at a park within the ballpark. They can play retro arcade games.

And, yes, they can also watch a Major League Baseball game if they’d like.

That’s almost secondary, though — at least for the fans whom the Blue Jays are targeting with their newest ticketing campaign.

For $20 per game this season, fans can purchase a general admission ticket to Rogers Centre, including access to all five new outfield neighborhoods that each offer a different experience: In right field there is the Corona Rooftop Patio and, above the visitors bullpen, The Catch; in left field there is Park Social, which features games and food trucks; and in center field there is The Stop, which features a bar, and the WestJet Flight Deck, where group tickets will be available for the first two rows and the remaining space dedicated to general admission. The ticket is “perfect for fans who want more than a baseball game,” said Anuk Karunaratne, Blue Jays executive vice president of business operations. Many of the social spaces were conceptualized with the thought of “building Instagrammable moments and places that people are going to want to share with their friends” while also being cognizant of the fact that “it’s going to have to feel authentic for those people for it to be successful,” Karunaratne said.

That philosophy has been at the center of the first phase of the $300 million revamping of Rogers Centre, the first large-scale renovation in the venue’s 34-year history. The Corona Rooftop Patio, in a prime example, is “now the coolest rooftop patio in Toronto,” Karunaratne said. “There’s a certain vibe we’re going for in there in terms of the decor, the theming, the food and beverage, the live music and the atmosphere.

“Fans have so many other options for what they can do with their time. So our approach is, let’s try to think about the types of experiences that resonate most with both baseball fans and non-baseball fans and how we can bring that to life in the building and deliver consistently compelling experiences.”

Another example can be found in Atlanta, where the Braves this offseason designed a new space dedicated to kids. At Blooper’s Clubhouse on the 100-level concourse at Truist Park, the space will allow fans to meet and interact with the Braves mascot, make signs, write letters, and explore their imagination during each home game. Blooper’s scheduled appearance times will be posted each game inside the clubhouse.

While the Blue Jays’ general admission ticketing campaign is a nod to Toronto’s non-baseball fans, there’s also plenty of additions in the newly enhanced ballpark for the diehards. Bleacher seating in the 100-level bowl offers fans the chance to watch opposing pitchers in retro-style bleachers directly behind the visitors’ bullpen, and the new left and right field balconies also provide prime bullpen views.

So while a clear focus on social spaces and experiences for the casual fan are top of mind for every franchise, they haven’t lost sight of their biggest fans and what they’re clamoring for.

Case in point: scoreboards. They were all the rage this offseason as the Mets, Phillies, Twins and Pirates unveiled new ones, all bigger and flashier than their predecessors. The Mets’ new scoreboard — measuring 17,400 square feet, more than three times larger than the old Citi Field scoreboard — is reflective of the club’s oversized ambitions as it pursues its first World Series title since 1986.

“We’re building a brand up,” said Andy Goldberg, Mets executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “If you were a fan of the Mets before, you should feel even more pride in us. If you weren’t a fan before, you can become a fan of us now. And if you have no interest in baseball, we’re creating an experience here that you don’t have to love watching a baseball game. There’s enough going on here to keep you very entertained.”

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