How Baseball is Driving One Local Economy

It’s that time of the year when we begin to trade in those winter coats and mittens for t-shirts and baseball gloves. As Spring Training gets rolling for teams across Major League Baseball, we take a look at the impact that Spring Training has on the hospitality industry in communities that host these teams. Kendra Pettis, Sports & Tourism Director for the city of Surprise, Arizona, joins the podcast to give us an in-depth look.

Also included in this episode is an interview with Brad Grimes, Senior Communications Manager at Avixa, who joins the show to preview InfoComm 2019 and explain why it’s relevant to the hospitality industry. Get all the insight and answers on this week’s episode of the MarketScale Hospitality Podcast!

What Spring Training Means to Surprise, AZ

Surprise, Arizona boasts an estimated population of about 134,000 people, but each year thousands of baseball fans descend upon the city at the end of February with the promise of another spring right around the corner. Spring Training has increasingly become a favorite time for fans to see their favorite players up close and in less formal settings.

This influx of visitors has a large influence on the local economy, boosting restaurants and hotels on a yearly basis. “We typically get 200,000 fans each year during Spring Training and usually about 60% of them are out of state visitors,” says Kendra Pettis, Sports and Tourism Director for the City of Surprise, Arizona. She joins the podcast to explain the impact that Spring Training has on the city and the rest of the area.

InfoComm 2019 Will Pay Special Attention to Hospitality

The intersection of pro AV and hospitality has been exploding over the last several years. As the industry looks to create one of a kind personalized experiences for guests, solutions provided by pro AV have grown to become a huge focus for hotels and restaurants.

As a result of the increased cooperation between these two industries, InfoComm 2019, the largest technology exhibition and conference in North America focused on the pro-AV industry, will pay special attention to the hospitality industry. Brad Grimes is the Senior Director of Communications for Avixa, the company that puts on InfoComm every year. He joins the podcast this week to explain why they made the decision to zero in on hospitality

“Hospitality companies, whether they’re hotels, restaurants, or bars, are using technology to draw customers in and make their locations memorable,” says Grimes.