Bandits A Finalist For Promotion Of The Year
Published on October 8, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release
Over the past two seasons, the Quad Cities River Bandits have established themselves as one of the industry leaders in promotional entertainment. As a result, more and more accolades have begun pouring in.
The latest honor is inclusion in MinorLeagueBaseball.com's annual vote for the best promotion of the season. Benjamin Hill, the website's business writer, selects the season's ten best promotions and leaves it up to the fans to vote for the winner. Now, the River Bandits are asking fans far and wide to help vote the team's entry - the inaugural Mega-Candy Drop - to the top of the list.
"This is the second straight season we have had a promotion make Minor League Baseball's top 10, and that alone is a huge honor," said River Bandits' owner Dave Heller. "We're always striving to come up with unique, attention-getting promotions that bring fans out to the ballpark to see what we will do next. Not only was the Mega-Candy Drop a first-of-its-kind event, but it was wildly successful in boosting attendance, creating memories and making kids smile - three things we love to do!"
To vote for the 2009 season's best promotion, fans can log on to RiverBandits.com and click directly to Hill's article where the votes are casted.
The Mega-Candy Drop took place on July 26 after a Sunday evening win against the Great Lakes Loons. Following the game, nearly 1,000 excited kids were brought onto the infield and divided by age. As the youngsters anxiously waited, pilot Jay Brent of Rotor View Helicopters circled over Modern Woodmen Park and dropped more than 100 pounds of candy onto the outfield. The children were then released within their respective areas to scoop up as much candy as they could hold. But the fun was not over. As they happily collected their bounty, the helicopter did another series of passes to drop 100 pounds of small marshmallows - literally raining puffy white goodness over the candy-crazed kids!
In addition to representing an event that was the first of its kind, the Mega-Candy Drop effectively boosted attendance to nearly double a typical Sunday crowd. Due to its success in giving fans a great time, drawing additional fans to the ballpark and garnering positive national and local publicity, the Mega-Candy Drop is truly a worthy candidate for Minor League Baseball's Promotion of the Year.
"The 2009 season was another great one for the River Bandits, and the awards and recognition that have followed have shown us that the organization is earning a national reputation for creativity and success," said Vice President and General Manager Kirk Goodman. "Fans in the Quad Cities are proud of their baseball team again. We are going to continue to provide promotions that are unique and fun for our fans. Just wait and see what we've got in store for 2010!"
In addition to landing a promotion in Minor League Baseball's top 10 for the second consecutive season, the River Bandits also earned a prestigious "Veeckie Award" from ESPN: The Magazine for the second year in a row, receiving honors for Tattoo Night as one of Minor League Baseball's best. The unique "Van Down by the River" promotion was one of five finalists at Minor League Baseball's annual promotional seminar. Most significant, however, was a Quad-City Times Reader's Choice award for "Best Family Entertainment" in the Quad Cities.
Midwest League Stories from October 8, 2009
- TinCaps' Front Office Wins Awards - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Midwest League announces 2009 Executive Award Winners - MWL1
- High School Football at Fifth Third Ballpark - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Bandits A Finalist For Promotion Of The Year - Quad Cities River Bandits
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
