COLUMBUS, OHIO ? The Columbus Blue Jackets and Cleveland Indians have joined forces to form a marketing alliance to engage sports fans across Ohio with the opportunity to experience the excitement of the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball, the clubs announced August 18.
The basis of the partnership includes:
- Shared advertising and hospitality elements
- Special ticket offers to each team?s fan base
- In-arena and stadium entertainment presence for select games at each team's venue
- Media exposure across broadcast partner channels
"The Cleveland Indians are a storied franchise and we are very excited to partner with them in this initiative," said Blue Jackets Vice President of Marketing Marc Gregory. "Working together will allow us to pool our unique resources and provide a platform for both of our clubs to reach sports fans across the region with special offers and opportunities to enjoy Blue Jackets hockey and Indians baseball."
As part of the alliance, Blue Jackets Hockey to Go, presented by Medical Mutual of Ohio, will visit Progressive Field as part of the Tribe?s Kids Fun Day this Sunday, August 23, prior to the Indians game vs. the Seattle Mariners at 1:05 p.m. The exhibit will include an inflatable slap shot cage, team ticket and promotional information and special giveaways.
On Sunday, September 6, Blue Jackets goaltender
Steve Mason, the 2009 Calder Memorial Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year and Second Team NHL All-Star, will be on hand to throw out the first pitch prior to the game vs. the Minnesota Twins.at 1:05 p.m. Mason will also take part in the Indians Signature Sunday autograph session with High Achievers Kids Club members before the game and visit the WKYC-3/SportsTime Ohio TV and Indians Radio Network broadcast booths during the game. The Indians will also have a presence at Nationwide Arena during the Blue Jackets season prior to the Tribe's 2010 campaign.
"Our new partnership with the Blue Jackets is just another example of two organizations taking a creative approach in marketing the product of professional sports entertainment within the same region," said Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Vic Gregovits. "We hope to take advantage of the marketing channels we each possess to regionalize our respective products. We are excited about expanding our alliances among professional sports teams to include the Columbus Blue Jackets and thank them for their participation."
Single game tickets for 2009 PRESEASON home games will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 21. Tickets will be on sale at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, the FOX Sports Ohio Blue Line team store at The Mall at Tuttle Crossing, ticket outlets at Chiller Easton, Chiller Dublin, Chiller North, as well as all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers. Fans can also purchase tickets by phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at BlueJackets.com and ticketmaster.com. Single game tickets for the 2009-10 regular season will go on sale in early-September.
Columbus Blue Jackets season tickets for 2009-10 are on sale now with prices starting at $18 per game. In addition, six-, 10- and 20-game packages for 2009-10 are also on sale. For information, call (800) NHL-COLS or visit BlueJackets.com.
The Blue Jackets open the 2009-10 regular season on Saturday, October 3, against the Minnesota Wild. Game time from Nationwide Arena is 7 p.m. Live coverage on FOX Sports Ohio will begin with the Blue Jackets Live pre-game show starting at 6:30 p.m. The game will also broadcast live on the Blue Jackets Radio Network and flagship stations WBNS-AM, Sports Radio 1460 The Fan and WWCD-FM, CD101.
