When it comes to baseball, young entrepreneurs and networking, the New Britain Rock Cats are batting a thousand with fans, community leaders and business professionals.
The Rock Cats have launched a Young Professionals Networking Series, a 10-game package that connects entrepreneurs and up-and-coming workers with successful business leaders at the stadium.
“Everyone wants to hear how other people achieve success,” said John Willi, Rock Cats vice president and general manager.
“They want to know how they can do the same thing and this gives them a chance to learn. The relationships and access we have to so many businesses combined with the unique backdrop the stadium and baseball games this provides gives this program great potential,” he said.
The program is designed to include 10 events: five speaker sessions and five focused on networking. For the networking sessions, the ballpark provides exclusive food and drink discounts to the members in a dedicated area.
Willi said the team is trying to alternate between speaker and non-speaker events throughout the schedule and continue to add and revise the event as the summer progresses. “When it is all said and done, I envision we will have seven to eight of the 10 events include speakers.”
The New Britain Rock Cats is the Double A minor league affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins and one of 12 teams in the highly competitive Eastern League. The team worked closely with Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs (HYPE) to coordinate the speaker series. HYPE is a volunteer group that promotes cross collaboration among agencies and organizations that offer programs and activities for young workers.
“We organized our first event in early May and it was a hit,” said Willi. “We see this program continuing to build momentum as the season moves on and as we announce specific dates for our speakers.”
Willi says the program appeals to young workers from a myriad of industries who want to learn about important business issues and gain networking skills that will allow them to develop a competitive edge in the workplace.
The team set aside 30 first-come, first-serve seats and expects a sell-out soon, said Willi. The $100 series price is being prorated for those joining in mid-season.
He added that the team is still working to secure more speakers for later this summer. The networking series met May 11, May 26 and June 3. Upcoming sessions include June 29, July 7 and 15 and August 5, 17 and 26.
Norby Williamson, ESPN’s executive vice president of production in Bristol, spoke earlier this month. Scott Bannell, vice president of corporate brand management and licensing at Stanley Black & Decker, is scheduled for July 7. Walter Harrison, president of the University of Hartford, is scheduled for July 15 and John Patrick, president and CEO of Farmington Savings Bank, is scheduled for August 15.
Rock Cats President and CEO William Dowling; Suzanne McDonald, general manager of CBS Radio in Hartford, and Victoria Hughes of AdmorEyes LLC , also have served as speakers this summer.
Willi said the speakers are not paid. The sessions generally last 60 to 90 minutes.
“We are graced with a variety of wonderful hospitality and event areas within the stadium,” said Willi. “Rotating the Young Professionals Networking events throughout these areas offers us an opportunity to showcase all that the stadium has to offer the business community.”
The areas include Heineken Stadium Club, an indoor area on the luxury suite level overlooking the field, Samuel Adams Rooftop Bar & Grill and three different patio-style corporate picnic areas.
University of Hartford’s Harrison says he is looking forward to connecting with fledgling entrepreneurs July 15.
Harrison, an avid baseball fan who did his doctoral dissertation on the sport, plans to talk about his role as a business leader, his passion for baseball and his work with the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Harrison, who enjoys mentoring and advising young workers on better ways to achieve success, has been a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Board of Directors since 2002 and currently serves as chair of the Committee on Academic Performance.
Young Professionals Networking Series
Description: Combines networking seminar with weekday games; the team provides an opportunity for young professionals to network, share ideas and collaborate.
Networking/Game Schedule: various Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 26
Cost: Package includes one ticket for each game, each seminar event featuring guest speakers, plus food specials and team gift. $100 prorated.
Website: http://www.rockcats.com
