Rays To Open Sales Center In Tampa's Downtown
By RUSSELL RAY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 18, 2007

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are coming to downtown Tampa.

Rays Senior Vice President Mark Fernandez said the team plans to open a ticket and merchandise sales center on the first floor of the Park Tower building, 400 N. Tampa St., on Aug. 2.

With more than 3,200 square feet, the location will feature leather couches, a flat-screen television and a replica of a stadium suite at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg. The location also will host pregame and postgame radio shows, Fernandez said. The center will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

Said Fernandez: 'It's a way for us to put our flag in the ground in the heart of the downtown business corridor.'

Most of the Rays' season-ticket holders live in Pinellas County, he said. The Rays hope the new location will help the team boost ticket sales and connect with fans in Tampa.

The goal, Fernandez said, is to 'develop a direct relationship with those people in the downtown Tampa corridor. We're their team.'

About 40 percent of the new business center will be dedicated to retail and ticket sales. The rest will replicate various seating areas at Tropicana Field or be used for special events.

The Rays said the downtown business center will be managed by Chris Lahey, who led sports sales and marketing efforts at the University of South Florida for the past eight years.

Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870 or rray@tampatrib.com.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/jul/18/bz-rays-to-open-sales-center-in-tampas-downtown/?news-money

Devil Rays get a base in Tampa

The team hopes to profit by reaching across the bay.

By CHRISTINA REXRODE
Published July 18, 2007

Still eager to romance Tampa and Hillsborough County, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will open a new office in the heart of downtown Tampa.

On Aug. 2, they'll hold the ribbon cutting for their street-level digs in Park Tower, 400 N Tampa St. They plan to use the space - 3,200 square feet, with vaulted ceilings and wooden floors - to sell tickets, peddle T-shirts and, perhaps most important, court cross-bay executives.

"A lot of business decisions get made in downtown Tampa," said Rays senior vice president Mark Fernandez.

So it behooves the Rays, he pointed out, to be close by.

The Park Tower space will include offices and presentation areas for St. Petersburg-based staffers, so they can be on home turf even when they travel across the Howard Frankland Bridge. A mock suite, which will include a digital image of the view of the field, will show executives what they could enjoy at the Trop without having to actually go there.

"When they're thinking, 'Gosh, maybe I want to go to a game, maybe I want to buy a suite, maybe I want to partner with the Rays,' " said Fernandez, "we want to be easily accessible to them."

The Rays will also hold community events, like hot dog lunches, in nearby Lykes Gaslight Park, he said.

The 36-story Park Tower, also known as the Lykes building, is a downtown landmark. Other tenants include Lykes Bros., the U.S. Attorney's Office and Colonial Bank. It also happens to be owned by the owner of the New York Mets, Fred Wilpon.

Chris Lahey, who was just hired away from the University of South Florida's athletic department, will head the Rays' Tampa office.

The Rays will donate some display space to the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, which helps oversee the area's bids for national sporting events. The commission is housed on the 21st floor of the SunTrust building a few blocks away, so it currently has no street presence.

"They've been a great supporter of ours," Rob Higgins, the commission's executive director, said of the Devil Rays.

Paul Ayres, director of marketing for the Tampa Downtown Partnership, said the Rays' new office only makes sense, considering the large number of residents, vacationers and conventioneers in downtown Tampa who are interested in professional baseball.

It also fits with the spirit of togetherness now being pushed by many economic developers in the multicounty bay area. For example, the Tampa Bay Partnership, a regional economic development marketing group, just launched a new campaign called One Bay.

"It's no different than someone who works in downtown St. Petersburg who wants to come to a Lightning game," Ayres said. "We're all one big community, and it's a smart move on the Devil Rays' part to recognize that."

Christina Rexrode can be reached at crexrode@sptimes.com">href="mailto:crexrode@sptimes.com" mce_href="mailto:crexrode@sptimes.com">crexrode@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8318.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/18/Business/Devil_Rays_get_a_base.shtml

I think that is a smart move and will be a welcome addition to downtown Tampa.

Maybe if this center is successful enough they'll consider just moving the whole team to DT Tampa. ;)

Maybe if this center is successful enough they'll consider just moving the whole team to DT Tampa. ;)

Where would they put them??

In the old Courthouse

I wish they had LATER HOURS!!!! For Christ sake I get off of work at 5 everyday and there is no way I can make it downtown in like an hour and find a spot to park. Then get to the place.

^ well I think the idea is to market to downtown workers who would stop by on a lunch break or after work before going home. If you're going to drive somewhere they probably want you to go to the Trop.

Rays to open downtown Tampa office and retail store
Tampa Bay Business Journal - 5:17 PM EDT Tuesday, July 17, 2007
by Larry Halstead

It doesn't show up in the standings, but the Tampa Bay Devil Rays continue to expand its marketing efforts. The team's latest venture will be the opening of a new office and retail store in downtown Tampa at 400 N. Tampa St.

No financial details of the build-out were available.


The office will include a luxury box mock-up, as well as visuals that explain the Whitney Bank Club and other Tropicana Field specialty areas.

"This will be a way for us to talk to decision makers in a Tampa office, minutes from their offices, and show who we are in a first-class situation," said Mark Fernandez, vice president and chief sales officer of the Rays.

Chris Lahey, who has spent the past eight years as general manager of ESPN Regional and marketing University of South Florida, will man the office. Lahey brings market knowledge and marketing experience to the job, Fernandez said.

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission will also share space in the office, courtesy of the Rays. It will give the commission an innovative way to brand its various sports events to pedestrian traffic in the downtown, said Rob Higgins, executive director.

Since the Rays' changed ownership after the 2005 season, the team has been mending fences and establishing relationships with the business community.

"This is one more way for us to stick our flag in the ground and say we're Tampa Bay's team," Fernandez said. "It also gives us a chance to use our Tampa office as a staging area for Tampa events."

Recently the team closed its retail shop in Westshore Plaza and struck a deal at International Plaza to create a children's play area, as well as have a retail kiosk to sell merchandise and tickets.

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2007/07/16/daily28.html

Maybe if this center is successful enough they'll consider just moving the whole team to DT Tampa. ;)

I doubt that will happen now. I heard a report from Bay News 9 a few nights ago on their sports show and the reporter mentioned something about the Rays continuing their contract with St. Pete after the Trop. So in short, the team would remain in St. Pete.

Recently the team closed its retail shop in Westshore Plaza and struck a deal at International Plaza to create a children's play area, as well as have a retail kiosk to sell merchandise and tickets.

I guess Int'l Plaza steals the competition...again. It is always interesting to me to see WestShore and International battle each other for tenants.