Hit a Home Run with These Small-Town Baseball Venues

By Kristine Hansen | Photo ©Fond du Lac Dock Spiders

Could hosting an event at a baseball stadium lead to a home run in your team’s synergy?

Whether treating employees on game day, renting out a ballpark for a holiday party or company-wide event, or using the facilities to host a meeting or awards ceremony, these unexpected venues provide a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces. They also cater to a range of group sizes, from 10 people to a few thousand people.

“We’ve been really fortunate to have support from the corporate community in the Madison area. People turn to us now to host client outings and employee appreciation events,” says Monica Wagner, vice president of corporate ticket sales for the Madison Mallards, a team that plays in the Northwoods League. Its home field is in Warner Park, on Madison’s Northeast side.

Among the options on tap during a non-game-day event at these stadiums are a private fireworks show, batting practice and lawn games on the field, and usage of the Jumbotron or videoboard, while groups can also lock in the best game-day views from an open-air spot or VIP suite. With most stadiums, it’s a one-stop-shop as they can also handle food and beverage, and their meeting rooms are stocked with audio-visual equipment, avoiding any third-party vendors.

“The atmosphere is very inviting,” says Lynn Sukow, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers’ banquet sales and event manager, who books groups for non-game-day events at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, where the Minor League Baseball team that’s an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers plays their home games. “It really helps with morale. People don’t like to get pulled away and are forced to attend meetings. It’s not your typical meeting space.”

New Stadiums Around the State

“We wanted to create a gathering place year-round,” says Maria Valentyn, vice president of entertainment for Beloit Sky Carp, the Midwest League Affiliate team for the Miami Marlins whose home field is ABC Supply Stadium in Beloit. “We specifically built our clubs and suites to be meeting spaces. When you’re in them, it doesn’t feel like you’re in a baseball stadium.”

Completed in 2021, the stadium replaced Pohlman Field just outside of Beloit and is in the heart of downtown Beloit. “You’re a five-minute walk from all the shops and restaurants downtown,” says Valentyn. “We offer so many things in one location where you’re not bussing people from place to place.”

Another new stadium is the 17-acre Wisconsin Brewing Company Park, home to the Lake Country DockHounds, a team that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball. In 2021, the DockHounds debuted their home-field stadium in Oconomowoc, and played their first season in 2022. Suites include a food buffet, drink tickets, big-screen televisions and couch seating, and can hold between 20 and 70 people.

Stadiums around the state have also undergone renovations. In 2022, Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium added a 360-degree concourse where you can now walk around the ballpark with ease. Also, “2023 was the first season we added on two more group areas. The Fox Club is behind home plate,” says Samantha Hartman, senior account manager for Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, which was named Ballpark of the Year by Ballpark Digest in 2023.

Madison Mallards renovated its stadium to feature club levels, private areas and party decks. “Companies are looking for places to engage with their clients in a social setting,” says Wagner.

Diversity in Venues

Whether it’s a group of 10 or 1,000, and if an indoor or outdoor setting is preferred, these stadiums can accommodate.

That said, the reason baseball season spans late spring through early fall is because that’s during the nicest weather. At Herr-Baker Field, home field for the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, a team in the Northwoods League, the rooftop deck is popular. Food and beverage packages are available and there’s a view of the game.

Recently, a non-profit group reserved this space. “We opened the gates a little early for their group,” says General Manager Jim Misudek. “They used the rooftop for a meeting to have presentations from community members to help decide what they were going to fund, and they stayed for the game.”

Alternatively, there’s a pre-game picnic area. “It’s kind of like a tailgate before the game,” says Misudek, “but it’s inside the park. It could be a meeting space to entertain clients or have a group gathering.” The park also hosts small groups in private suites.

In addition to helping entertain clients on game day, Madison Mallards has set up town halls for groups, which might mean renting out the stadium on a non-game day and making use of the video board to give an address. “People get out on the field and play kickball or softball,” says Wagner. “We have a bunch of yard games.”

At Beloit Sky Carps’ ABC Supply Stadium, groups can also play yard games on the field, as well as engage in batting practice. A fireworks show can also be arranged. Another way Valentyn worked with a group to make the stadium their own is to host an awards ceremony and plated dinner at an indoor space with a stage. Smaller suites can accommodate between 10 and 50 people. There’s also enough room for a trade show: a landscaping company will soon host their biannual conference at the stadium where vendors can promote products and services to attendees.

Groups of between 20 and 300 people can find an ideal spot at Wisconsin Timber Rattlers’ Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton. Wednesday afternoon games are popular as they fall during business hours and “lately Thursday nights have been the most popular, so people aren’t taking away weekends for their employees,” says Hartman. VIP suites for between 14 and 20 people are booked in such a way that a meeting might take place before the first pitch and employees stick around to watch the game.

The Fox Club is a popular indoor venue on the upper deck and can hold between 20 and 130 guests. A view of the game is the allure, although a full bar and food menus are also available. “We customize based on each event,” says Sukow. “We try to make the space fit the group — we utilize floorplan tweaking and different furnishings. We don’t just use a cookie-cutter floorplan.”

Two other spaces at the stadium that are seasonal are the Leinie Lodge, with catered food and drinks; and Brews on Third, an outdoor beer garden.

Beyond Burgers and Brats

Offering more than typical game-day fare such as popcorn and hot dogs, stadiums up their game when courting private events. They also aim to make the selection process easy.

“All of our packages are all-inclusive,” says Wagner. “Everything is included in the ticket price — their ticket to the game, rental of the suite, limited food and beverage, taxes, gratuities and fees.”

The same is true for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Group pricing includes game tickets, a 90-minute, all-you-can-eat buffet and two beverages per person. Each venue has its own food menu.

“Once you get everything reserved, you don’t have to worry about handling food. Our most classic option is our Leadoff Hitter menu that includes hot dogs, brats, hamburgers,” says Hartman, while others fold in ribs, chicken breasts and pulled pork. “All, for the most part, have cowboy baked beans, pasta salad, assorted potato chips and an assorted dessert tray.”

Some groups, she says, will tailgate before the game and organize their own food that way.

“We have an extremely robust menu,” says Valentyn. “A lot of people, when they think baseball, they think all we do is hot dogs, burgers and brats. (Our catering company) does everything from a pig roast to paella making and a prime rib carving station. They’re extremely creative and their food is high quality.”

Company picnics either incorporate game-day fare or offer tasty alternatives. ABC Supply hosts an annual picnic for its 3,000 employees at ABC Supply Stadium, bringing in food trucks as the group size is so large. Similarly, for a group that’s between 400 people and a few thousand people at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium, a tent can be set up in the parking lot with the food catered.

Small-town baseball stadiums are unique, flexible event venues that combine fun and productivity for client outings, team building or corporate events. With so many customizable options available, these venues can help planners knock their next event out of the park.