The stands are empty. The dugouts are barren. And more than one baseball fan is sitting and staring out the window waiting for spring.
While players and coaches of the Midwest League Lansing Lugnuts have departed for sunnier climes, many franchise staff remain on-site to do the groundwork for year-round activities that benefit the community.
"Just because the baseball season is over doesn't mean we shut our doors completely," says Stephanie Moon, special events manager for the Lansing Lugnuts, the Class A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. "We see the stadium as another venue for the downtown community."
Hired to fill a newly created post in June 2013, Moon will be recruiting prospects for community groups, businesses and individuals interested in using the friendly confines of the Cooley Law School Stadium for their next special event or meeting.
Moon's colleague Michaela Vryhof will also be engaged in the off-season as she strengthens corporate sponsorships and charitable giving for the team.
"We like to remain focused on the community even though the baseball season has ended," says Vryhof, Lugnuts corporate partnerships manager. "Just like our players are continuing to develop during the off-season, we're here, making sure we're developing new ideas that will get everyone excited for the next year."
Party at the house
Moon started with the Lugnuts after making a move from Indianapolis. She came with nearly a dozen years of experience in the hotel industry, as well as core knowledge of markets and cities in the southeastern United States. "I love sports and I love event planning," says Moon, fessing up to a now tenuous allegiance to the Cincinnati Reds. "This is the best of two worlds in a structured, but laid-back environment."
Moon says Lansing is smaller than the bigger cities she's used to, but still has all many of the amenities, infrastructure and community that enable her to build a cohesive network for events. "Anyone can be a client here," says Moon of Cooley stadium. "The space really sells itself."
Moon says that up until this year, franchise owners would winterize the stadium and close the doors for the season. This year, she says, things will be different. Owners want to stretch out stadium availability through the fall, with events and rentals welcome at least through Halloween.
Stadium renovations are in the planning stages to make the facility suitable for use year-round beginning in 2014. "Not a lot of people know we do special events here," says Moon. "We're working hard to get the word out. We're also planting the seeds to open up the doors and get events running all year."
Currently, suites and outdoor areas at Cooley Law School Stadium can be rented during the fall off-season as well as during the season when the Lugnuts aren't in town.
Stadium amenities include unique spaces that overlook Jackson Field and the Lansing skyline, as well as modern audio-visual equipment, wireless high-speed Internet access and full-service catering. Rentable spaces include several luxury suites that can be opened up to accommodate up to 100 people for classroom style, roundtable or social gatherings.
Evening groups of up to 60 people, Moon says, may also find The Clubhouse suitable for receptions or other formal or semi-formal events. Other popular venues include the Bullpen Bar & Grille as well as the field itself.
Groups can leverage full service on-site catering for most any event hosted at the stadium. "You can actually do dinner on the diamond," Moon says. "That's something new we're offering and we can accommodate up to 1,000 people."
Examples of private parties held at the stadium include luncheons and dinners, corporate meetings and seminars, employee picnics, sales training, wedding ceremonies and receptions, rehearsal dinners, cocktail receptions, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, bar/bat mitzvahs and family and class reunions. Field events to date have included festivals, concerts, company picnics, fitness challenges, collegiate and high school sporting events, fundraisers, post-parties for races and marathons, and kickball, field hockey and lacrosse competitions.
"We're definitely a ball park and that's our number one focus," says Moon. "But if you can't get your group here for a game or if you're looking for a special experience, we'll work with you to make that event happen."
Mike Price can attest to the Lugnuts' ability to host home run events. In August, the executive director of the Greater Lansing Sports Authority brought members of Pure Michigan Sports to the stadium for a one-day meeting examining the economic impact of sports.
Price's group rented luxury suite accommodations for 45 participants who came from all reaches of Michigan. The suite overlooked the field and members had the opportunity to observe a high school all-star event in progress. The entire menu was catered, with choices far surpassing the hotdog and hamburger fare of traditional ballparks.
"The food was first-rate," says Price. "I'm not a food guy and just eat what's put in front of me. But I can say that what the Lugnuts provided could have been served in a great restaurant. It was a very nice meal."
Building for community
Staying top-of-mind in the off-season doesn't end with special events and facility rentals. Activities, promotions and charitable giving arrangements are in perpetual motion, with Lugnuts staff reviewing and devising strategies throughout the fall and winter for the upcoming baseball season.
"Our goal is to apply the abilities we have here in the ballpark to help them make the most of their messaging and efforts in mid-Michigan," says Vryhof of Lugnuts corporate sponsors and charities. "Our owners have a strong desire to give back to the community and to keep people thinking about baseball."
In the 18 years since the Lugnuts have played in Lansing, Lugnuts Charities has contributed more than $230,000 to programs and projects that support and create new opportunities for Lansing area youth. Each year, Lugnuts Charities partners with five local charitable organizations, with each receiving a customized package that leverages the abilities of minor league baseball to promote the charity. Promotional packages include scoreboard messaging, couponing, on-field promotions, social media and special appearances by players and the Big Lug—the team mascot.
"The biggest thing to remember is baseball doesn't end once the season is over," Vryhof says. "We use the off-season to review what we do during the season and to see what's most impactful. Our goal is to maximize the brand of our sponsors and charities in the stadium so it translates into community awareness as well."
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Ann Kammerer is a freelance writer living in the Greater Lansing Area.
Photos ©
Dave Trumpie
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of
Trumpie Photography.