Savannah Bananas Event Schedule:
- Early Merchandise Sales: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
- Pre-Game Party & Player Appearances: 2:00 PM
- "Before the Peel" Show: 3:00 PM
- Gates Open: 4:30 PM
- Show Starts: 6:30 PM
- First Pitch: 7:00
PM (ET)
As I had written a few months ago, my family had the
“privilege” of buying tickets to the Savannah Bananas baseball game in
Charlotte earlier this month. We had
never been and the Charlotte community was whipped into a frenzy for this event
at Bank of America Stadium. It was sold
out for both nights in the 74,000-capacity stadium! Local social media was ablaze:
Were you one of the lucky ones who were able to buy
tickets in the lottery that started 6 months prior???
Oh, you’ve never been??
It’s such an amazing experience!
So funny! Fun for the whole
family! Better get there early! The Pre-Game Party is not to be missed!
Now that my family had the “golden tickets”, logistics had
to be sorted out. Real life things such
as: how are we getting there (traffic will be a nightmare in Uptown), what time
should we actually show up (2 PM is the start of the vaunted “Pre-Game Party”,
but the game itself didn’t start until 7 PM), how long could the family with
younger children last at this event (is 2 PM – 10 PM realistic?), and what and
when were we eating?
Complicating the situation was a small disclosure at the
bottom of the hype material:
The
Pre-Game Plaza is a ticketed space, fans must have tickets to the game to
access the Plaza. Re-entry after exiting the venue is prohibited.
I thought we had a chance of success if we could float in
and out of the 5-hour pre-game activities.
But reentry was apparently not an option. The “Pre-Game Plaza” was held on the closed
down roads and area directly outside of Bank of America Stadium. We would have to go through security (bringing
in no outside food and drink) and then stay on premises once admitted. Once we were in, we were in, until we
were out for good.
After some serious thought, the executive decision was made
that we would take the marketing at its word and get the fullest Savannah
Bananas experience we could. We were
going to go early by light rail and take it all in!
We made it to the stadium around 3 PM. Initially, there was much fanfare and
excitement! Yellow everywhere, buzzing
children, ear-to-ear smiles all around!
Then real life set in.
It was really hot, the Pre-Game Plaza was mostly in the sun (unless you packed
in where the stadium’s shadow offered some shade), the pre-game show on the
stage was not visible for shorter folk (re: my kids), and it was not overly
interesting to us. I looked at my watch
showing 3:45 PM and wondered how we were going to make it until 6:30 PM. At least we were being paid to be there (wait
a sec…).
It turns out the way one kills three disinterested hours in
the hot sun is deflecting complaints and taking down multiple $15.00 drinks and
burgers. With a captive audience (no pun
intended), the only other choice was to leave and cut losses. In hindsight, I wish I had shown a little
more discipline and did some research deeper than soaking in Savannah Banana
marketing e-mails. Once we got there
early and had our ticket scanned, we were stuck and needed to stick it out.
In a way (with my Charlotte property
manager hat on), it reminded me of the importance of placing quality rental
tenants.
Landlords have these nice houses that they spend a good
amount of money preparing for tenants.
Then the rental home goes on the market and prospective tenants fill out
applications highlighting what good candidates they would be. If one cares to listen, tenants will tell you
how they will pay on time and meticulously care for the home. And they proclaim they have the first month’s
rent and security deposit in hand and are ready to move in ASAP once they get
the go-ahead! Their marketing pitches
can be very convincing as landlords have rental properties that are costing
them money each vacant day.
But once the lease is signed and the tenants move in, there
is “no reentry” until their tenancy is complete; once they are in, they are in. The landlord is stuck with them until lease expiration
or they are forced out by eviction. The
house could be taking heavy wear, misuse, and late/missing payments. For an investment in which the landlord
should be making money, it can turn into one that is costs them even more. A rushed decision based on emotion and fear
can turn out to be financially and mentally draining.
Much like prospective tenants, the Savannah Bananas proclaim
they are the greatest show on Earth and will be one you never want to forget! But things do not always turn out as well as advertised. Smart landlords will make sure to do the
requisite research and ensure it is a game with tenants they want to be stuck with!
Happy Landlording!
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