BEST NON-GAME DAY EVENT
Total Nonstop Action at MCU Park
Friday July 2, 2010
On Friday July 2nd, MCU Park and the Brooklyn Cyclones hosted Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. Over 5,500 fans packed the stadium for TNA’s biggest U.S. show ever! Stars like Jeff Hardy, Team 3D, and Kurt Angle all thrilled the crowd with exciting wins and in the main event of the night, TNA Heavyweight Champ Ron Van Dam retained his title with an action- packed win over AJ Styles.
After the main event, Heavyweight Champ Ron Van Dam, stayed in the ring for over two hours, posing with his championship belt and his loyal fans.
"I've wrestled all over the world," said Jeff Jarrett, a wrestling legend and the founder of TNA. "From Australia, to India, to Japan, and everywhere in between. I can honestly say that there's nowhere in the world that has fans like New York!"
Prior to July 2nd, the Cyclones had TNA star Velvet Sky to the ballpark to throw out a first pitch and sign autographs on the main concourse for fans.
The Cyclones also had Team 3D visit MCU Park to promote the wrestling event. Brother Devon is a Coney Island native, which added to the event's buzz and excitement. Team 3D threw out a first pitch, signed autographs on the concourse and interacted with the players before the game.
Furthur Concert
Saturday June 25th and Sunday June 26th
Two of the founding members of Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, brought their new band, Furthur, to MCU Park for a two-day sold-out concert on June 25th and 26th. Over 25,000 fans packed the ballpark for two four-hour shows that literally had fans dancing in the aisles as well as on the field. A spectacular pyrotechnics and fireworks display followed each show.
On June 21st the Cyclones also incorporated Furthur Night into the promotional schedule, and the team wore special tie-die jerseys to honor the Grateful Dead style. The jerseys were among the most popular of the year!
1st Annual Craft Beer Festival
Saturday June 12th
On June 12th, MCU Park and Aramark Food Services hosted the first-ever Craft Beer Festival. Over 300 people attended the event and enjoyed samplings from over 40 breweries, live music and food! In addition, the event introduced the Cyclones brand and ballpark to a new non-sports-related market.
The people in attendance were able to walk around the concourse while tasting beers from all over the world, sit in the picnic area and listen to live music, including the U2 Tribute Band Unforgettable Fire, or were able to sit back in the stands and watch the final stadium preparations, we were seven days away from Opening Day!
BEST THEME NIGHT
"Jersey? Sure!" Night
Wednesday July 21st
The Cyclones capitalized on the pop-culture phenomenon of MTV's Jersey Shore with one of the most publicized promotions of the year. The show is extremely popular among Cyclones staffers, with some even giving themselves JS nicknames or trying to imitate the cast of the show -- General Manager Steve Cohen also goes by the names "Stevie Sweetheart," "DJ Stevie C," "Co-Co," and "The Perspiration".
The Cyclones used a play on words to create "Jersey? Sure!" Night, based around a replica jersey giveaway, featuring a fist-pumping Sandy the Seagull, the team's mascot. Staffers and players got in on the fun by dressing up as, or styling their hair in honor of the Jersey Shore style.
The Cyclones gave away 2,500 limited edition fist-pumping Sandy the Seagull jerseys. During the game, the team also ran between-inning promotions themed around the Jersey Shore and GTL (Gym, Tan and Laundry) lifestyle. The Cyclones partnered with Equinox Gym and Brooklyn Tan to give out prize packs to the winners of the promotions during the game as well as for lucky seat drop-ins.
- Dugout Dance Battles – Contestants “battled” to techno beats on top of the dugouts between innings for a chance to win prizes (and fame).
- GTL Giveaways – In honor of the GTL lifestyle ("gym, tan, laundry") the Cyclones partnered with a local gym, tanning salon, and Laundromats and gave away GTL gift certificates throughout the night.
- Baseball Blowouts – A special station on the ballpark’s concourse level allowed fans to have their hair styled like a good fastball – high and hard. Stylists from a local salon were on hand to give the hair-raising transformations a professional touch.
All throughout the game the Cyclones played techno, fist pumping music to keep the energy pumpin’.
The Office Olympics Night
Wednesday August 4th
On Wednesday, August 4th the Cyclones hosted Office Olympics Night. The Cyclones' front office members found ourselves discussing last night's episode of The Office, or the “Tuesday night marathon” way too often, and we realized that many of our fans could probably relate to similar situations. Wth that in mind, we decided to host an “Office Olympics Night” which included the following activities.
- Morning Coffee Race
- Flonkerton (When you race with paper boxes on your feet)
- Blind Folded Egg on a spoon race
- Wastepaper Basketball
- The Office Trivia question game
On the same night as The Office Olympics Night the Cyclones were part of a Minor League Stadium Crawl, done by New York Magazine. Being judged on the Facility itself, Quality of play, Promotions, Adorability and miscellaneous the Cyclones scored a total of 32 points -- the highest rating given to any local team.
FDNY Night
Friday, July 23
Every year, the Cyclones host FDNY night, to honor New York’s Bravest. With the new naming rights partner of our ballpark being Municipal Credit Union, which serves over 350,000 civil servants in the New York area, we decided each year to create a bobblehead of our mascot, Sandy, dressed as a “Civil Servant Worker” (FDNY, NYPD, EMS, and Dept. of Sanitation).
In 2010 we chose to go with Probie FDNY Sandy. The bobblehead was the first time that we ever put Sandy in another costume and portrayed him as anything but the Cyclones Seagull. Fans of all ages loved this bobblehead, and they are already looking forward to next years Civil Servant Sandy Bobblehead.
We also had the team in special jerseys that night, further honoring those men and women that help to keep the community safe. The jersey was created with the help of the Cyclones staff and the FDNY Captain in order to ensure authenticity. At the end of the game we raffled off 15 of the jerseys, with a portion of the proceeds going to the FDNY.
This season, the Cyclones produced and gave away one of the most unique collector's items ever -- an upside-down Ike Davis bobblehead!
Davis made his pro debut with the Brooklyn Cyclones on June 26, 2008. The highly-touted first-round pick out of ASU doubled in his first at-bat, and proceeded to notch at least one hit in his first 15 straight games. Less than two years later, Davis is now starring at first base for the New York Mets, and has become something of a cult hero, thanks in part to three specific catches he's made that have all had a similar stuntmanesque theme. Each time, he has flipped over the dugout railing to catch a foul ball in spectacular fashion.
The high-demand Cyclones' bobblehead depicts the Brooklyn alum making just such a catch, and stands 7" tall.
BEST IN-GAME PROMOTION
In 2010 we chose to go with Probie FDNY Sandy. The bobblehead was the first time that we ever put Sandy in another costume and portrayed him as anything but the Cyclones Seagull. Fans of all ages loved this bobblehead, and they are already looking forward to next years Civil Servant Sandy Bobblehead.
We also had the team in special jerseys that night, further honoring those men and women that help to keep the community safe. The jersey was created with the help of the Cyclones staff and the FDNY Captain in order to ensure authenticity. At the end of the game we raffled off 15 of the jerseys, with a portion of the proceeds going to the FDNY.
Upside Down Ike Davis Bobblehead Giveaway
Monday, August 2
This season, the Cyclones produced and gave away one of the most unique collector's items ever -- an upside-down Ike Davis bobblehead!
Davis made his pro debut with the Brooklyn Cyclones on June 26, 2008. The highly-touted first-round pick out of ASU doubled in his first at-bat, and proceeded to notch at least one hit in his first 15 straight games. Less than two years later, Davis is now starring at first base for the New York Mets, and has become something of a cult hero, thanks in part to three specific catches he's made that have all had a similar stuntmanesque theme. Each time, he has flipped over the dugout railing to catch a foul ball in spectacular fashion.
The high-demand Cyclones' bobblehead depicts the Brooklyn alum making just such a catch, and stands 7" tall.
BEST IN-GAME PROMOTION
Step Up To the Plate
Every home game
This year, the Cyclones created a successful new element to our sponsorship packages called Step up To the Plate, which is sponsored by New York Community Bank (NYCB). NYCB was looking for a different avenue of publicity here at MCU Park for the 2010 season, and Step up To the Plate fit their needs perfectly.
Step Up To the Plate allows the Cyclones and NYCB to give four free tickets to fans, and the opportunity to bring the lineup card to home plate with Cyclones Manager Wally Backman (or another coach, depending on the night), the opportunity to say “Play Ball” after the National Anthem, and the chance to get the line-up card autographed by Manager Wally Backman at the end of the game. On most nights NYCB provides us with a child from either Autism Speaks, Boys and Girls Club or Tuesday’s Children. Otherwise, we are able to pick a child from the crowd at random and give them a once in a lifetime experience.
We are 27 games into the season and all participating families and children have all enjoyed this promotion and the experience of being on the field and able to interact with the players and coaches. Not only do the fans love it, but so does our coaching staff. Before each game either Wally or Coach Fuentes are excited to meet "the kid" who will accompany them to the plate. This promotion has been a great success for the Cyclones as well as New York Community Bank and the participating charitable organizations involved.
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