Client
An independent committee, commissioned by the City of Champaign, was formed specifically to address bringing a Minor League Baseball team to Champaign, IL.
Problem
The committee formed for this project asked IBC to investigate the possibility of building a $10-30 million facility to act as a home for a Minor League Baseball team and, in turn, determine what type/size of facility should be built in order to be financially successful for a long period of time.
Results
The IBC team focused their research on 35 comparable stadiums in order to learn how current stadiums and teams become and remain successful. Based on the research, the team identified factors that affect attendance, what goes into creating a positive fan experience and how to make a stadium and baseball team financially sustainable. The team also created scenario-based financial models to help their client make projects on sales and profit. Ultimately, the IBC team made the recommendation that the City bring a minor league team to Champaign.
Since the presentation, approximately 2 dozen city leaders made the decision to explore more and continue to look forward to potentially acquiring a facility.
Tony Johnson, Chairperson of the Committee, said the following about working with IBC,
“I was thoroughly impressed; I thought they did a fantastic job. I thought the group was not only energetic, but beyond that, the presentation was done extremely professionally and done exactly the way and within the scope that was necessary and asked for. They answered the question directly and fully, and all information given was valuable and pertinent. I presented the project to both the City and to a potential owner of the team and I also got the same response. I couldn’t score them less than 5 stars.”
Media highlights about IBC’s work: The Daily Illini, Smile Politely, City of Champaign City Council
Read Other Case Studies:
Allstate, Dow AgroSciences, Flexco, Landlock, City of Champaign