Braves gear up for SunTrust Park ticket sales
A weekly update on the business of the Braves:
Marketing: The Braves have retained New York-based agency SME to help create a branding and marketing campaign for premium and general ticket sales in the team's new Cobb County stadium. Season tickets for 2017 — SunTrust Park's inaugural season — will go on sale soon to current Braves season-ticket holders.
“(SME’s) role for the time-being is really to develop the brand identity of SunTrust Park … to tell the story of SunTrust Park to ticket buyers,” said Derek Schiller, Braves executive vice president of sales and marketing.
That includes developing marketing materials for use in direct mail, email and the stadium preview center, Schiller said, but doesn’t entail radio, TV or print-media advertising. The Braves’ advertising agency of record remains Atlanta-based Blue Sky.
SME, founded in 1989, has much experience in sports. Current or former clients include the ACC, Pac-12, NHL, MLS, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins, Detroit Pistons and (once upon a time) Atlanta Thrashers.
Preview center: The Braves are preparing to officially open the SunTrust Park preview and sales center, located in a Circle 75 Parkway office building overlooking the stadium construction site. A focal point will be a model of the stadium.
The Braves originally said the preview center would open and season-ticket sales would begin in late March, but that was delayed by building and equipping the space. Schiller wouldn’t disclose a new launch date other than “soon.”
“We’re perfecting some of the fly-through (computer animations) and renderings and other things that we’ll be using to help us sell,” Schiller said. “You want to make sure you put your best foot forward, and we feel very confident we’re about to do that.”
Season-ticket prices for SunTrust Park haven’t been announced, but that also should come soon.
The Braves plan to focus initially on selling premium seats, which are defined as seats that come with an added amenity, such as access to a lounge.
About the Author
Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.
