Birdland Caravan back this season

[Frobby]

A few years ago, the O’s ditched Fanfest and had several caravan events at various Maryland locations.   Then that got scuttled during the COVID-impacted years.  But at this point, are they really doing no PR events to energize the fan base going into 2023?  It really seems like a pretty foolish lack of marketing.   

I recall they had some event for season ticket holders back in October or so, but that doesn’t substitute for getting the fans excited for a new season.  

Edit: the Caravan events were in 2020, several weeks before Covid-lockdowns started.   

 

 

Edited January 5, 2023 by Frobby

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, Frobby said:

A few years ago, the O’s ditched Fanfest and had several caravan events at various Maryland locations.   Then that got scuttled during the COVID-impacted years.  But at this point, are they really doing no PR events to energize the fan base going into 2023?  It really seems like a pretty foolish lack of marketing.   

I recall they had some event for season ticket holders back in October or so, but that doesn’t substitute for getting the fans excited for a new season.  
 

 

Maybe if the fans came out to some more games the O's could afford to bring Fanfest back.

It's really on the fans to step up.

 

It's shortsighted and kinda embarrassing.

[Yossarian]

Maybe ownership didn't want to be reminded of how little they did to get fans excited this off-season.

[linedrive]

I've been lamenting the loss of FanFest myself and was hoping they'd bring it back last season. I haven't really heard anyone else bring it up. Hopefully, if 2023 is successful, and the fans come out, maybe they'll bring it back. But I'm glad we're talking about it, and if we keep doing so, then maybe it'll gain traction.

[SteveA]

1 hour ago, linedrive said:

I've been lamenting the loss of FanFest myself and was hoping they'd bring it back last season. I haven't really heard anyone else bring it up. Hopefully, if 2023 is successful, and the fans come out, maybe they'll bring it back. But I'm glad we're talking about it, and if we keep doing so, then maybe it'll gain traction.

It wasn't going to happen last season as baseball was shut down in Dec/Jan/Feb with a lockout.

And of course the year before was COVID.

This is their first real chance to bring Fanfest or some sort of 2020 style caravan of appearances back.  And we haven't heard a peep.  It's probably already too late for Fanfest, but if there was something like 2020 in the works I suppose it's possible it just hadn't been finalized and announced yet.  If we don't hear something real soon, I'd say it ain't happening.

[ShoelesJoe]

8 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Maybe if the fans came out to some more games the O's could afford to bring Fanfest back.

Maybe if the team hosted events like FanFest then more fans would show up for the games. Pretty sure they'd get tons of people to show up for a 2023 FanFest if management really cared. 

[webbrick2010]

Do the O's make a profit on fanfest

If not they won't have it.

Pretty easy to see how decisions are made for this organization.

[Going Underground]

6 hours ago, SteveA said:

It wasn't going to happen last season as baseball was shut down in Dec/Jan/Feb with a lockout.

And of course the year before was COVID.

This is their first real chance to bring Fanfest or some sort of 2020 style caravan of appearances back.  And we haven't heard a peep.  It's probably already too late for Fanfest, but if there was something like 2020 in the works I suppose it's possible it just hadn't been finalized and announced yet.  If we don't hear something real soon, I'd say it ain't happening.

Fanfest is probably not happening this year even though the Padres just announced theirs on January 4th for February 4th. The Brewers announced something called " Hot Stove and Cold Brews" yesterday. It is not a Fanfest but a few players,manager and a coach and broadcasters,seems like a big downgrade from a Fanfest.

The Orioles cannot hold it when they get back from Spring Training  Last game is on a Monday and Opening Day is Thursday. I remember once when they did hold it before Opening Day at Camden Yards. Kevin Millar,Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff wearing a "I Love Baltimore T-Shirt. The autograph seekers would sit in the seats and the players would be on the field and they would announce when to get up and it was by order of where you sat. Brian Roberts had the biggest line with woman and teen girls.

Reds had their Fanfest in December. Red Sox do it at a casino in Springfield, Massachusetts. Cardinals do a Fanfest and also a caravan to six states this month. Twins do a Fanfest and a smaller caravan but go to Fargo but no wood chipper. 

White Sox said no Fanfest and a few teams have not announced anything yet.Phillies and Mets usually do something during the season .

Saw an article about the KC Royals that people were complaining on social media that they have not said they are going to have a Fanfest. I will see if I can find the article. 

Teams that are definitely having a Fanfest or something similar:

Red Sox

Rays: at least planning something 

Twins

Guardians

Astros

Rangers

Braves

Marlins

Cubs

Reds

Brewers: not really a Fanfest

Cardinals

Padres

Giants

Dodgers :some announcement soon ???

Some other teams are unclear but looks like it is getting late to announce one.May have missed a team or two.

 

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by Going Underground

[Sports Guy]

It tells you all you need to know about this organization when they won’t even have a fan fest, an event that is largely for kids.

Kind of sums up the organization perfectly to be honest.

[Going Underground]

5 minutes ago, Going Underground said:

Fanfest is probably not happening this year even though the Padres just announced theirs on January 4th for February 4th. The Brewers announced something called " Hot Stove and Cold Brews" yesterday. It is not a Fanfest but a few players,manager and a coach and broadcasters,seems like a big downgrade from a Fanfest.

The Orioles cannot hold it when they get back from Spring Training  Last game is on a Monday and Opening Day is Thursday. I remember once when they did hold it before Opening Day at Camden Yards. Kevin Millar,Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff wearing a "I Love Baltimore T-Shirt. The autograph seekers would sit in the seats and the players would be on the field and they would announce when to get up and it was by order of where you sat. Brian Roberts had the biggest line with woman and twenty girls.

Reds had their Fanfest in December. Red Sox do it at a casino in Springfield, Massachusetts. Cardinals do a Fanfest and also a caravan to six states this month. Twins do a Fanfest and a smaller caravan but go to Fargo but no wood chipper. 

White Sox said no Fanfest and a few teams have not announced anything yet.Phillies and Mets usually do something during the season .

Saw an article about the KC Royals that people were complaining on social media that they have not said they are going to have a Fanfest. I will see if I can find the article. 

Teams that are definitely having a Fanfest or something similar:

Red Sox

Rays: at least planning something 

Twins

Guardians

Astros

Rangers

Braves

Marlins

Cubs

Reds

Brewers: not really a Fanfest

Cardinals

Padres

Giants

Dodgers :some announcement soon ???

Some other teams are unclear but looks like it is getting late to announce one.May have missed a team or two.

 

 

Fans Frustrated With Inexplicable Lack of Royals FanFest | Sports Illustrated Kansas City Royals News, Analysis and More
https://www.si.com/mlb/royals/opinion/kansas-city-royals-fans-frustrated-with-inexplicable-lack-of-fanfest

[Sports Guy]

Teams are just so stupid. It’s truly amazing to me that people can reach a certain status in life and yet be this dumb.

Baseball has a marketing problem. They have a “likability” problem. You have an average age of fans problem. 
 

So what do teams do to help with that?  Nothing…absolutely nothing.  The stupidity is off the charts and their inability to see it is astounding. 

[SemperFi]

35 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Teams are just so stupid. It’s truly amazing to me that people can reach a certain status in life and yet be this dumb.

Baseball has a marketing problem. They have a “likability” problem. You have an average age of fans problem. 
 

So what do teams do to help with that?  Nothing…absolutely nothing.  The stupidity is off the charts and their inability to see it is astounding. 

Baseball has an acknowledged demographic problem, they are trying to address certain things through marketing (let the kids play) and improved watchability (legnth of game, the shift, putting the ball in play more often) through but I'm not sure how well it is working.  What scares me is that they have the least desirable demographic, older folk like me-the most recent median age I saw was 57, their competition skews much younger.  I love the game and don't want it to go the way of Sears and KMart who were unable to adjust and saw their base consumers spending power diminish and eventually die off.  Sorry to be so gloomy!!

[Sports Guy]

15 minutes ago, SemperFi said:

Baseball has an acknowledged demographic problem, they are trying to address certain things through marketing (let the kids play) and improved watchability (legnth of game, the shift, putting the ball in play more often) through but I'm not sure how well it is working.  What scares me is that they have the least desirable demographic, older folk like me-the most recent median age I saw was 57, their competition skews much younger.  I love the game and don't want it to go the way of Sears and KMart who were unable to adjust and saw their base consumers spending power diminish and eventually die off.  Sorry to be so gloomy!!

No, you are right. That’s why doing things like fanfest is important.

That is mostly a kids event. You have to keep the younger generation engaged in the sport. And when you are a team that has been as pathetic as the Os have been for the better part of the last 25 years, you have to do even more.

Having something like the dugout club(or whatever they call it now) is nice but it’s not enough. 
 

Making the game more exciting would be helpful too. Kids just aren’t interested when they have so much other stuff to do nowadays.

[HakunaSakata]

1 hour ago, webbrick2010 said:

Do the O's make a profit on fanfest

If not they won't have it.

Pretty easy to see how decisions are made for this organization.

I may be mistaken, but I think there may have been a thread discussing this years ago. My gut tells me the team would at least come close to breaking even when you factor in concession and merchandise sales, but even if they end up in the red a bit it seems like a small investment to make to generate buzz / fan interest heading into the season. Especially coming off the season they had last year. Fanfest would be a great opportunity to build off of that positive buzz and to promote the new faces of the franchise. The only downside I see to the event is leadership potentially having to answer unfiltered questions from the fans, but that could be easily managed by just having someone like Elias give a speech, but not take questions. I think they've held it at the Convention Center in the past right? It would pretty cool if they could find a way to hold the event at OPACY and make it a bit less formal. 

[HakunaSakata]

11 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

No, you are right. That’s why doing things like fanfest is important.

That is mostly a kids event. You have to keep the younger generation engaged in the sport. And when you are a team that has been as pathetic as the Os have been for the better part of the last 25 years, you have to do even more.

Having something like the dugout club(or whatever they call it now) is nice but it’s not enough. 
 

Making the game more exciting would be helpful too. Kids just aren’t interested when they have so much other stuff to do nowadays.

Agree 100%. Find a way to make it work at OPACY and give the kids a chance to run the bases. Set up Oriole themed backdrops/stations for social media pics/posts and come up with a creative hashtag for them to use. Hold an Oriole-themed Pokemon hunt/contest at the stadium. Create team NFTs. I know a lot of things wouldn't appeal to most of us, but like you said they have to find a way to engage the younger generation.