The S.T.E.P. activity for the month of March took place at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona, home of the Oakland for spring training. The objective was to demonstrate the immense economic impact of sporting and events from the tourism perspective.
We began the morning with a VIP tour of the stadium conducted by college students at Grand Canyon University. They took the students throughout the stadium pointing out features of the facility, including those for visitor experience, particularly the children’s play area. They spoke about the effect of the spring training seasons being canceled and modified due to Covid, and the impact of the delay of the season for 2022 due to the MLB lockout.
After the tour, the students participated in a mixer event hosted by Visit Mesa. They had the opportunity to meet Visit Mesa partner businesses, board members, and staff. One of the partners, Fat Cats spoke with several students regarding open positions with their company and asked them to apply. The students were also able to practice the etiquette skills they learned earlier in the year including firm handshakes, making eye contact, and smiling.
Finally, the students were able to take in a few innings of the baseball game as an experience from the visitor’s point of view.