Experience

Cleveland Indians Progressive Field

Reinventing a source of city pride

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Attendance was at an all-time low.

So low, in fact (and painfully visible on TV), that the team was prepared to spend millions to remove a significant portion of upper-deck seating. But rather than craft some PR spin on this big announcement, we saw an opportunity to swing for the fences.

Ask the neighbors.

Our discovery revealed some key insights about the fans and their relationship to the team and the ballpark itself. The rich and proud heritage of Cleveland neighborhoods proved the perfect inspiration for the new experience.

Seats are just a home base.

We’ve got to take a hard look at fans' behavior at games. While some of them stay glued to their seats for all nine innings, a growing group of them like sitting for a couple innings at a time and then go exploring for food, drinks, and new views of the game. Impressive though it was, the old Progressive Field didn't invite this well enough.

Little fans pay big dividends.

Young kids want to feel a part of the game, too, and they’re yearning for the kind of interactions that make them lifelong fans in their own rights. By developing the kinds of experiences and activities that make them want to return, game after game, we knew we’d need to create a place where both kids and their parents could cultivate their love of Cleveland baseball.

Eat, drink, and think local.

What good is a neighborhood ballpark without local flavor? We’ll need to bring the main concourse to life by filling it with the food, beverages, and culture of Cleveland's neighborhoods. With a rotating selection of local fare and happenings, there's no question where the heart of Progressive Field lies: with its fans and their home.

Invite the whole city.

When you remake the ballpark experience for the sake of its city, you want to make sure they feel welcome. With an open courtyard that invites downtown Cleveland in, the new Progressive Field beckons fans, in space and in spirit.

The proof is in the park attendance.

Rather than accepting a declining ballpark experience, Progressive Field reinstated an incredible source of pride—and revenue. The end result? Only the best attendance in the park’s history. And we can’t take credit for the fact that the Indians went to the World Series the following year, but…