Burnham hosts customer events as MLB ballparks

BY  MARY JO MARTIN

Editorial director

This year, Burnham held a series of major customer events with a theme of “Step Up to the Big Leagues with Burnham Hydronics.” The four events were designed to provide Burnham an opportunity to meet with and share hospitality with their contractor/dealer customers as well as with wholesalers in each area.

Each event -- held at a Major League Baseball park -- was scheduled for a “non-game day,” which allowed customers to see areas of the ballparks that would normally be off-limits to visitors, including tours of the locker rooms and dugouts, along with being able to walk on the fields. The tour guides at each venue were very knowledgeable and great storytellers about their teams and the facilities.

The four events were held at:

• The home of the Chicago White Sox, U.S. Cellular field in Chicago, on June 28
• The “Green Monster”, Fenway Park in Boston, home of the Boston Red Sox,
  on August 23 and August 29
• Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, home of the New York Yankees, September 7.

The ballparks were selected based on Burnham’s major hydronic markets, and the fact that the teams involved and Burnham are in the “American” league (Burnham’s cast iron sections are 100% American made at its foundry in Zanesville, Ohio). Especially significant was the choice of historical Yankee Stadium, which is scheduled to be torn down soon. It was one of the last opportunities people will have to walk the halls where Babe Ruth and other incredible greats of baseball have been.

Burnham customers enjoy a day at U.S. Celllular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox.

Nearly 500 customers attended each event, in addition to Burnham personnel, sales representatives, co-sponsors and distributors. Attending all the events were Dan Kelbaugh, vice president-sales and marketing; Ken Niemi, marketing/advertising manager; Matt Kozak, inside sales and product manager; and regional sales managers  Jim McKenna, Chris Massey, Jim Shnorr and Randy Fisher.  There were a variety of other Burnham personal at each event, as well as key people from each of the participating distributors and manufacturers’ rep organizations.

All Burnham distributors in each of the market areas involved were able to participate and purchase tickets from Burnham for their customers. The biggest challenge was that there were many more requests for tickets than were available for each venue, so tickets were in high demand. Contractors were encouraged to bring their spouses and children, which lent a “family feel” to the events.

According to Burnham’s Niemi, the customers’ reactions were amazing.  “Most had been to their respective parks to see a game, but had never been able to venture into the ‘other’ areas of the parks,” he explained. “To be able to see and walk through the very same areas that some of the greatest of baseball players had walked was fantastic for many. They often commented that it was an opportunity of a lifetime. They also very much enjoyed the continuous food, beverages and hospitality of all the Burnham people and the co-sponsors, along with their Burnham distributors and sales representatives.”

Burnham's "Step Up to the Big Leagues with Burnham Hydronics' events, held at Major League Baseball parks, gave customers inside looks at the parks and introduced them to Burnham hydronics products.

In addition to the ballpark tours, Burnham and its event co-sponsors had product displays and information available throughout the hospitality area.  The co-sponsors included Taco, Honeywell, Beckett, Hydrolevel and Heat-Fab. Burnham displayed its complete line of residential products and several commercial products. In fact, at the Boston and New York events, Burnham showed for the first time ever its soon-to-be-released MegaSteam oil-fired steam boiler. Customers were treated to the fact that they were the first to be able to see this new product prior to its launch. Contractors and dealers were also excited to see the many other new products that Burnham and the co-sponsors had on-site.

Co-sponsors included Honeywell, Taco, Beckett, Hydrolevel and Heat-Fab. Everyone had great product displays and all the co-sponsors were dressed in official baseball jerseys, with each proudly displaying their company “team” name.

Burnham elected to go with typical ballpark food in the hospitality area.  A wide variety of great appetizers, salads, hot dogs, hamburgers, brats and desserts were offered. In fact in Chicago, ice cream sundaes were served in miniature batting helmets. 

When participants arrived at each ballpark, they were presented with a unique baseball jersey-looking backpack that included a miniature baseball bat with the logos of all the sponsors, an official baseball with every sponsor’s logo debossed in color, a great looking Burnham baseball cap, a welcome letter and product literature.  In addition, each person received door prize tickets. 

Throughout the events -- each of which ran from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. -- Burnham drew winning door prize numbers. There were approximately 75 door prizes for each event, including portable sports chairs, logoed clothing, packpacks, executive poker sets, BBQ sets and a host of memorabilia for each team.  Memorabilia included autographed baseballs, limited edition plaques from great moments of each of the teams, incredible framed pictures of teams and players, World Series banners and baseball books. The grand prizes at each of the events were tickets to an upcoming ballgame. A minimum of two sets of four tickets were awarded for the White Sox, the Red Sox and the Yankees.

“Events like this give us an opportunity to visit with our customers face-to-face, be able to share some hospitality, and also be able to share some incredible events/venues and become better friends,” said Niemi. “We look for every opportunity to spend time with our customers, to get to know them better, for them to get to know us better, and to continue to open and maintain great lines of communications. Together we are just not vendors and customers, but truly great partners helping each other grow and prosper in our businesses.”

The company is currently considering other great possibilities to get together with its customers and share some great experiences. However, no definitive plans as to the location and types of events have been made for 2007 at this point.

For more information, visit www.burnham.com.