No Fanfest in 2020?

[mdbdotcom]

Quote

 

 The changes that are rippling through the organization have reached the annual FanFest event.

I’m hearing that the Orioles won’t hold the event next year - it’s usually done in January - and are considering other ways for players to interact with fans. Nothing is planned at the moment.

 

Roch

[Moose Milligan]

What fans?

[Legend_Of_Joey]

I...Wha...

WHAT THE EFF!?

[Frobby]

5 minutes ago, Legend_Of_Joey said:

I...Wha...

WHAT THE EFF!?

Attendance was way down last year and figures to drop further this year.   Perhaps it makes sense to give it a rest for a year.   But I do like the event, personally.    
 

Would love to see some demos of the high tech equipment.    That would be cool adult fun.   Take a few swings with a K-vest on and get a read-out.    Or get a spin-rate in the booth where they clock your velocity.   

[weams]

I am not surprised. I would have gone. 

[weams]

Just now, Frobby said:

Attendance was way down last year and figures to drop further this year.   Perhaps it makes sense to give it a rest for a year.   But I do like the event, personally.    
 

Would love to see some demos of the high tech equipment.    That would be cool adult fun.   Take a few swings with a K-vest on and get a read-out.    Or get a spin-rate in the booth where they clock your velocity.   

I would have enjoyed the information from Mejdal and Holt. 

[weams]

Quote

There have been multiple changes on the business side that might have influenced the decision, with people evaluating ways to present a fresher approach, improve the experience and modernize the operation

Similar to how the new front office is implementing its own vision. See what works, what’s ineffective and redirect the resources.

I wouldn’t be surprised to find some other events set up that allow players and coaches to engage fans, but as I said, nothing has been set up on this date.

FanFest routinely has been held at the Baltimore Convention Center. The club announced last year’s attendance as 8,000, with the expectation that more people trickled into a facility later in the day.

There was controversy in 2018 with Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop skipping the event. Machado had an excused absence, according to former manager Buck Showalter. Schoop apparently took the advice of his agent and stayed home.

https://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2019/10/orioles-expect-the-unexpected-at-spring-training.html

[ReclaimTheCrown]

Even if it hasn’t been highly successful in recent years, I think it’s a bad look to skip it, especially in the midst of a rebuild. Just don’t love the message it sends to the fan base. I’d hope they reconsider.

[Can_of_corn]

This move will save them hundreds, nay thousands of dollars.

[Luke-OH]

I doubt it's a 1 to 0 type of thing. I'm sure there will be something with a different name and format. Maybe something like this...

https://www.milb.com/round-rock/tickets/astros-futures-weekend

or like this

https://www.mlb.com/padres/tickets/specials/on-deck-game

[ShoelesJoe]

Extremely disappointing.

Fanfest is a great way for the team and players to interact with regular fans one on one. We've traveled to FF from West Virginia the last eight years, and it's always been a fantastic time, especially for my young son. Sure, the team's performance over the last two years has stripped away the fair weather fans, but those that are left -- especially the kids -- are the future of Oriole fandom. The team should value and take care of those fans, not punish them for their loyalty to the team because the bandwagon fans have lost interest. 

[weams]

I really think a day of Jim Hunter and Tom Davis telling folks who the new guys are and ramping up hopes for the 2020 team would be disingenuous for the executive staff that was hired to change everything. I don't see how this will hurt the fans. They would have gotten nothing out of seeing Hunter Harvey and Chris Davis. 

[weams]

I also believe that this foreshadows Mancini and Villar departing. 

[Just Regular]

Just seeing this news a moment ago, it feels like an NFL bye week, or giving a starter an extra day between starts.

[Luke-OH]

I really think you can't read anything into this until we know whether it's an elimination, a replacement, or a re-branding. I don't think anyone here knows which it's going to be.