By Suzanne Flodin and Rachel Hedstrom

Dallas Pride is forty and fabulous! The non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening, supporting and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community returns to Fair Park June 3-4, 2023, with a celebration four decades in the making.

“The many steps we have taken in 40 years are something to celebrate, even as we see more journey ahead,” noted Jaron Turnbow, executive director of Dallas Pride. “While we celebrate, we keep working toward a future of equality and equity for the LGBTQ+ community. The way we get there is by linking arms and moving forward in unity. Dallas Pride is committed to producing inclusive events that our community members and our allies — friends and families alike — can come together and enjoy.”

Pride weekend kicks off with the Dallas Pride Music Festival on Saturday, June 3, followed by the Dallas Pride Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade in Fair Park on Sunday, June 4.

In 1972, just three weeks after the Stonewall riots in New York City, a festive group of hundreds of men and women gathered in Dallas to show their pride. They marched through downtown, waving signs and chanting gay rights slogans before a crowd that grew to about 3,000. There were a few floats, but nothing elaborate; most of the participants walked the route or rode in gaily decorated vehicles. In 1983, the parade was branded the Texas Freedom Parade in commemoration of Judge Jerry L. Buchmeyer’s 1982 ruling that first negated the Texas sodomy law (in a decision that was later overturned by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals). Also in 1983, Dallas Pride was born.

Those humble beginnings helped to galvanize a community that in coming years would celebrate Texas sodomy laws being found unconstitutional and same-sex marriage legal. As the LGBTQ+ community and its number of allies grew – and the families of LGBTQ+ individuals grew, too – Dallas Pride made a historic move in 2019 to Fair Park to a larger footprint that would comfortably accommodate the community’s growing numbers, as well as attendees who are differently abled, as well as those of all ages.

Dallas Pride’s 40th festivities begin on Saturday, June 3, in Fair Park with the Dallas Pride Music Festival, a family-friendly event featuring a variety of musical and dance performances on both the outdoor main stage and on an indoor community stage. More than 200 vendors will have booths to see and shop at the festival. Family Pride Zone, an area designed for families, will feature several bounce houses, face painting, entertainment for the kids and the Pride Train ride in the Automobile Building at Fair Park. The festival also features Teen Pride, which fosters a safe environment for LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 to 19 and their friends to enjoy live entertainment from artists and DJs, and other age-appropriate activities. Local animal rescue groups will also be on-site for guests to meet a possible new furry family member.

Suzanne Flodin and Rachel Hedstrom are with Gentry Agency.

By Blair Cardinal

Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH), which owns and operates select Minor League Baseball clubs, announced a partnership with global sports and entertainment company Oak View Group (OVG) to upgrade hospitality functions at select home stadiums across the DBH portfolio.

Working together with front office staffs and stadium facilities managers, OVG Hospitality, the food and beverage division of OVG, will rebrand, refresh and optimize the food and beverage operations across the DBH portfolio, beginning with five stadiums from the east coast to the west coast:

Mississippi Braves (Pearl, MS) / Trustmark Park
Midland Rockhounds (Midland, TX) / Momentum Bank Ballpark
Rome Braves (Rome, GA) / AdventHealth Stadium
San Jose Giants (San Jose, CA) / Excite Ballpark
Wichita Wind Surge (Wichita, KS) / Riverfront Stadium

The OVG Hospitality teams have already implemented technology solutions to bring faster service and a more seamless fan experience. Additionally, from fresh California flavors to Southern BBQ to soul food favorites, OVGH will infuse creativity, fun, and familiar regional favorites across menus and concepts.

“These five MiLB stadiums mark the start of what we expect will be a productive, long-term relationship with Oak View Group,” said Rick Barakat, SVP Business Strategy & Development, Diamond Baseball Holdings. “In the last year and a half, DBH has acquired more than a dozen MiLB clubs, and we’re just getting started. We brought in OVG Hospitality, with their expertise and best-in-class service, as a partner because they understand the opportunity to highlight and cultivate local traditions in each community while improving the fan experience and investing in growing the league as a whole.”

OVG Hospitality manages food and beverage services at more than 350 venues globally, including the spring training home of the Oakland Athletics (HoHoKam Park in Mesa, AZ), Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies (Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, AZ), and Triple-A ballparks in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Albuquerque Isotopes), Omaha, Nebraska (Omaha Storm Chasers), Norfolk, Virginia (Norfolk Tides) and Syracuse, New York (Syracuse Mets). OVG also handles the concessions operations for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers (Biloxi, MS) and the High Point Rockers (High Point, NC) of the Independent Atlantic League.

“Fans will have an entirely renewed and refreshed hospitality experience in each of the five stadiums,” Ken Gaber, president, OVG Hospitality, said. “Through everything from new hospitality staff uniforms to delicious new food and beverage options, OVG Hospitality is bringing new energy and service-oriented professionalism to concessions. And, drawing from our deep experience in sports and entertainment, specifically from our F&B operations at other baseball stadiums across North America, we’re re-engineering menus to blend fresh new concepts with favorite traditions that are unique to each stadium and club. With our shared commitment to and belief in nurturing the MiLB ecosystem and each community within it, it was clear from the onset that Diamond Baseball Holdings and OVG would be partnering for a long time to come.”

Blair Cardinal is VP, Communications for OVG360.

Photo: Momentum Bank Ballpark, Midland, Texas.

From Associated Press

Thanks to the pitch clock, the action is moving much faster at Major League Baseball games.

It also means a little less time for fans to enjoy a frosty adult beverage.

To combat that time crunch, at least four teams — the Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers — have extended alcohol sales through the eighth inning this season. Others, like the Miami Marlins and New York Mets, still stop after the seventh inning, the usual cutoff, but haven’t ruled out changes.

The Baltimore Orioles already sold alcohol through the eighth inning, or until 3½ hours after first pitch, whichever came first.

MLB games have been considerably shorter this season, largely thanks to a series of rule changes, particularly the pitch clock. Through the first week and a half of the season, the average game time was down 31 minutes, on track to be the sport’s lowest since 1984.

The minor leagues played with the pitch clock last season. One minor league general manager, Kevin Mahoney of the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones, said there was no drop-off in concession sales even with shorter games.

Still, some big league teams have felt the need to make adjustments.

The Rangers allowed some alcohol sales in the eighth inning last season but have made that option more widely available in 2023. The team said the move to offer in-seat service to everyone — fans can order on their phones — was done partly in reaction to the pitch clock and the potential of shorter game times so fans would not have to miss extended action waiting in lines at concession stands.

Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger told MLB.com that their move to extend alcohol sales through the eighth was an experiment.

“If it turns out that this is causing an issue or we feel that it might cause an issue, then we’ll revert to what we have done previously,” Schlesinger said.

MLB said it does not regulate when teams sell alcohol. Most franchises have used the seventh inning as a cutoff, at least partly to avoid overserving customers who could then get in their cars and drive home.

But in reality, most teams already had areas around the ballpark where fans could get alcohol after the seventh, even if the concession stands stopped serving. Many parks are connected to restaurants or have VIP areas where the booze still flows.

“If it cuts off sales in the seventh inning, the eighth inning or the ninth inning, that really doesn’t affect our stance because, regardless, we just don’t want people to drink alcohol and then drive home from the game,” said Erin Payton, regional executive director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

The NFL New Orleans Saints and NBA New Orleans Pelicans announced a three-year partnership with EngageRM.

Under the agreement, both teams will employ the EngageRM platform to drive day-to-day operations, strengthen fan engagement, and attract new audiences for the teams. Both the NFL’s Saints and NBA’s Pelicans will drive sales, ticketing, partnerships, event, and customer services management capabilities through the EngageRM platform, deepening the relationship with their global fanbase.

The partnership with the Saints, who play at Caesars Superdome, represents EngageRM’s first move into the NFL. The Pelicans, whose home is Smoothie King Center, joins a growing list of NBA clients including the Milwaukee Bucks, LA Lakers, and LA Clippers.

The EngageRM solution, native to Microsoft Dynamics 365, will work within the New Orleans organizations’ technology ecosystems to enhance capability and connect datapoints across their businesses.

Rich Barbier, vice president consumer insights and analytics at the Saints and Pelicans, said: “We’re proud to partner with the team from EngageRM. Their platform is a leader in sports technology and will strengthen connections with our passionate fans and partners.

“The capability and power of the platform is significant, and we look forward to leveraging EngageRM to create experiences that boost the quality of our engagement.”

EngageRM’s partners include major US sports franchises including the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers and LA Lakers, in addition to teams and venues across the US, UK, and Australia, including the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and Co-op Live in Manchester.

“The Saints and Pelicans are a dominant force in their respective leagues, with both organizations boasting an exceptional global fanbase,” said Tim Barber, chief commercial officer at EngageRM.

“It is thrilling to join forces with Rich and his team to deliver amazing digital experiences and help them connect with their supporters in new ways.”

From LiveNationEntertainment.com

Ticketmaster, the global leader in live event ticketing, continues its strategic expansion in Latin America with the launch of Ticketmaster in Brazil and Peru. Ticketmaster has a strong presence in Latin America, bringing its advanced technologies and services most recently to Chile and Mexico, alongside Argentina.

“Brazil and Peru’s national expression of music and culture has made them an international destination for live entertainment and an obvious choice for our continued Latin America expansion efforts,” said Mark Yovich, Ticketmaster President. “On the ground, we’ll bring innovation and global expertise to elevate the fan experience and support both countries’ rich history of hosting world-class events.”

From industry-leading insights and unrivaled products, Ticketmaster offers the most advanced technology in the world to connect artists and event organizers with their fans. With a mobile-first approach, fans have ease, security, and flexibility when using Ticketmaster’s digital ticketing tools and products.

Donovan Ferreti, an internationally recognized executive with extensive experience in the ticketing industry, will serve as the Managing Director of Ticketmaster Brazil. “We’re thrilled to have Donovan leading operations in Brazil,” said Adam Newsam, Ticketmaster Executive Vice President of Latin America. “Donovan’s unparalleled knowledge of the local market combined with his experience on the global stage makes him the perfect fit for Ticketmaster Brazil.”

Ticketmaster Brazil operations began at the end of 2022 supporting smaller niche events to better understand and customize the platform for the Brazilian market. This work quickly led Ticketmaster Brazil to be named the official ticket sales platform for the most anticipated music festival in the country, Rock World’s The Town, which sold out in just three hours in a hugely successful on-sale last month.

Hippie Gonzalez Orellana, a ticketing industry veteran, will serve as the Managing Director of Ticketmaster Peru. “Hippie’s deep roots in Peru’s ticketing industry made him the clear choice to lead the team,” Newsam said. “He will be joined by a group of like-minded local ticketing experts to oversee the rollout of our leading technology across concerts, sports, arts, and attractions around the country.”