MLB corporate sponsors and licensees are finalizing preparations for activations around next week’s All-Star Game in Cleveland. The fan fest running concurrent to the All-Star festivities has been rechristened as “Play Ball Park” and will open Friday at the Huntington Convention Center. Around 20 MLB sponsors are activating within those confines. T-Mobile is sponsoring a zipline off of a 120-foot tower outside of Play Ball Park, but those thrills will not come cheap: tickets are $25 in advance or $35 for same-day purchases.
YOU WEAR IT WELL: Fanatics’ extensive retail footprint for licensed merchandise centers on the 20,000-square-foot MLBshop.com store within Play Ball Park. On-site customization will be offered for New Era’s on-field caps and official jerseys from Fanatics-owned Majestic. A better brands section will highlight licensed products from DKNY, Vineyard Vines, Columbia, Tommy Bahama and Herschel. New Era’s human crane, which generated queues of multiple hours last year in DC, will again be inside the store. Fanatics also will have retail locations at four downtown hotels and two merchandise trailers servicing crowds for the weekend concerts at the convention center.
PUT IT IN PARK: Chevy will again allow fans to sample its vehicles, with a free ride “Catch-A-Chevy” program. The automaker is also sponsoring the pregame Red Carpet parade show on MLB Network, in which its cars and the All-Star players share the spotlight. Chevy will again present a vehicle to the All-Star Game MVP on-field after the the game. At the downtown Gateway Plaza, sponsor activation will include appearances by the Budweiser Clydesdales and a Chevy display.
OTHER PRESENCE: Supercuts will be stenciling and dyeing fan’s hair with their favorite team’s logo, while licensees Mitchell & Ness, Stance, and Louisville Slugger are teaming for a “retailtainment” display at Cleveland's Public Square that includes live music and a collection of MLB-themed bats and guitars. Corporate sponsors with ad inventory on ESPN telecast of Monday's Home Run Derby and Fox' telecast of Tuesday's All-Star Game include Amazon Web Services, A-B InBev, Amazon Web Services, Bank of America, Chevy, Coca-Cola, Gatorade, Geico, The Hartford, Mastercard, Snapple, Supercuts, T-Mobile and Taco Bell.
