Picture courtesy of Tim Ryder/MMO
The Mets held their first ever Fan Fest at Citi Field on Saturday, Jan. 25. MetsMerized’s own Tim Ryder was covering the event (sorry friends, I wasn’t there due to prior obligations!) and can attest to how they hit it out of the park.
Reading this and seeing tweets from fans got me thinking though, what did the fans really think of Fan Fest overall? I wanted to know the good, the bad, the ugly and the fun so I reached out to some people to get their (anonymous) feedback.
The Good & Fun
Access to Players
Almost every fan I spoke to was in agreement that the access to the players was the best part of the event. Having the players just walking around, with the ability to simply go up to them and chat with them, made all the difference. No autographs were allowed at these times (which was made known before the event) but photographs were welcomed, and if you were on Twitter at all on Saturday, it was nearly impossible to scroll down your feed without seeing a photo of a fan and a player. It was a level of accessibility to the players that some fans never get the chance to experience.
The Kindness of Players
It may seem like common sense that the players had to be kind to the fans, but from everyone I spoke to, it sounds like this Mets team took it to the next level. Every player in attendance was willing to chat and take pictures with fans, and especially when it came to interacting with children. The energy and attitude of the players was noticed by fans and very much appreciated. Even if you were not close to the players, the players would happily wave at you from afar. And even if the player could not stop and chat with you at that moment due to having to get to a panel they would still say hi and give you a high-five.
The Bad & Ugly
Being Informed of Main Stage Activities
One thing I heard from a few people is the information regarding who is on the main stage, and at what time, could have been more descriptive. Some fans had a difficult time knowing who at what time was on the stage and what activities were going on. Better signage at the event stating where things were could have helped this. Announcing when a new panel was starting to inform all fans to proceed there, if interested, would also have helped.
More Information On How Time Slots Worked
From speaking to a few people who purchased later time slots, one thing they wished they had known was that if they had purchased an earlier time slot, they would have had the ability to stay at the event longer and seen more players.
More Transparency With The Autograph Schedule
Things were noted to get a bit tricky for fans who purchased an autograph with their package. Autographs happened on a schedule and it was a bit hard to follow it. It was noted that the price paid for packages that include autographs were not worth the price paid. Additionally, knowing which players would be attending the autograph sessions (and even Fan Fest in general) would have made a difference.
***
Overall, every fan I spoke to was highly impressed with the inaugural Mets Fan Fest and are already looking forward to next year’s. All seemed to have similar (and minimal) “negatives” and they did not ruin the day at all for them. Whereas most wished the sessions were longer so they would be able to meet more players, the ability to even meet ten players and be close with even more was something they cherished. It is safe to say that Mets Fan Fest was a success — the perfect hype for baseball season coming soon.
