Innovative Lakewood BlueClaws provide another template for creating value with networking seminars

BY JOE FAVORITO

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

ON N.J. SPORTS MARKETING

The are few teams in minor league baseball that are as innovative in their promotions than the Lakewood BlueClaws. From "all you can eat nights" for families in challenging times to hosting "tweet up's," the BlueClaws have always looked to go beyond the traditional to give fans not just a fun experience, but an experience that is meaningful well beyond the game.

Thursday night was another example, as the BlueClaws hosted their first-ever Sports Management and Networking Seminar. The event was a sellout with close to 100 young people, from recent grads to college and high school students, coming in prior to the game to hear from and meet with people whose real life experience in all aspects of the sports and entertainment business may actually help them find jobs and internships down the line.

The two-hour event featured roundtable discussions and really effective question and answer sessions as well as a chance to talk to everyone in attendance about their varied backgrounds.

Whether you had an interest in education, front office management, journalism, sales, marketing, social media, or wanted to find out a little about everything there was something for everyone in an atmosphere that was laid back and very informative.

Why host such an event, other than sell some extra tickets on a Thursday night? Simple. It was yet another way for the team to be a community resource rather than just an attraction. It was also a great test to host other type of networking events ... entertainment, broadcasting, law, sales, if the team chose to do so. General Manager Geoff Brown and the BlueClaws' Josh Feinberg created yet another template that can easily be replicated — not just by other teams but for other industries, and in this economy that is a very smart move.

It is true that many teams host "career days" with people from various industries coming in and collecting resumes. Those, too, are very effective. However, to host targeted industry seminars is a bit different and may be a little more work, but the payoff can be very worthwhile for the team, the attendees and even the speakers.

It's yet another example of how New jersey's minor league teams provide major league value.

Joe Favorito has over 23 years of strategic communications/marketing, business development and public relations expertise in sports, entertainment, brand building, media training, television, athletic administration and business. Visit him at JoeFavorito.com.