Joliet Route 66 Stadium

Update on 2018 Events

September 17, 2018 Presentation to Stadium Committee The Stadium has had a significant increase in use in 2018

Number of Days Stadium Utilized April 27 * - September 16, 2018

120 109

100 138 Total Events, up 73% vs. 2017 78 80 40% Growth - 27 dates with multiple events 60 - 76% of available days used, up from 55% 40

20 2017 2018 0

2018 – Even though Slammers missed out on prime booking season (October-February) with uncertainty of turf completion date, still increased the number of dates booked by 40%, and number of events by 73%. Estimated attendance over 10,000 (excludes IHSA and USF)

2019 – Events will increase due to a) better certainty on availability dates, b) ability to expand with new partners signed in 2018, and c) ability for our new Director of Special Events to leverage last 8 months of building relationships with youth sports organizations, concert promoters, and more * First available date after construction completion 1 The Stadium has hosted , , soccer, a concert, and even Zumba in 2018 New events in 2018

High School Baseball: Oak Park River Forest Joliet United Soccer Joliet Catholic Marist IHSA Summer League Joliet Central Sandburg IHSA State Tournament Joliet West Andrean (Indiana) Little League TF North Joliet Dirtbags Baseball Youth Baseball Camps Reed-Custer Softball Camp Family Events Coal City Slammers Baseball Tournament University of St. Francis Baseball Aurora Central Catholic SWILA All-Star Games Zumba West Aurora SWILA Championships Latin Festival East Aurora Do It Stevie’s Way Tournament Baseball Brother Rice Prep Baseball Report College Lincoln Way Prospects Lockport Showcase Perfect Game Montini Prep Baseball Report Procase Oswego Summer Baseball St. Rita Five Tool Sports Tournament Exposure Tournaments St Laurence Pastime Sports Tournament Marian Catholic The Our Patriot Charity Softball

"The JCA experience dealing with the has been nothing but first class. The communication and hospitality dealing with their front office in regards to field time or hosting events has been second to none. athletics is truly appreciative and thankful to have this beautiful and accommodating facility as part of our Joliet community. " - Jared Voss, JCA Head Baseball Coach 2 Pastime Tournaments is exactly the kind of group we want in the Stadium for long-term success

- New to Joliet in 2018, booked two tournaments, 4 total dates, 1 weekend in September and 1 weekend in October.

- Pastime hosts over 150 tournaments a year involving over 3,000+ teams

- Utilize more college and professional fields than any other tournament company in the country, hosts include: Notre Dame, Kansas, Xavier, Northwestern

- Draw out of state teams, creating demand for local hotel rooms and dining

- Over 350 participants have been drafted by MLB in last 8 years

- Currently working with Pastime on more and larger tournaments for 2019 and beyond that would also utilize college and high school fields in Joliet, keeping entire tournaments in the city limits instead of being spread around Chicago market, thus keeping additional tourism dollars within the City of Joliet.

- Prime example of the Sports Tourism strategy presented to City Council in 2016

3 Pastime operates large scale tournaments that we can bring to Joliet Example – Pastime All Prospect Select Showcase at Texas Christian University

- 14U, 15U/16U, 17U/18U

- 41 Total teams

- Total visitors of 1,000 per day for each day of scheduled tournament games (Players, Coaches, Parents)

- 5 days of games 6/27-7/1/18

- 5 fields in use, including area high schools and colleges, up to 28 games per day

- Over $630,000 in local spending by visitors and over $30,000 in direct tax revenue for the City – from one event

4 Do It Stevie’s Way is a premier local tournament that we also hosted at the Stadium in 2018

- Premier High School Tournament honoring the life of Stevie Bajenski, a 17 year old Mt. Carmel High School baseball player who passed away from complications from heart surgery in 2009.

- Included teams from Mount Carmel, St. Laurence, St. Rita, Marian Catholic, Providence, Lockport, Lemont & More

- The tournament has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to players and organizations.

- Slammers hosted 6 games in 2018, seeking to host more in the future

5 "Cori, on behalf of the Do it Stevie's Way Tournament, I would like to extend our sincere thanks for hosting the event. Joliet Route 66 Stadium is a perfect venue and the playing surface and atmosphere are absolutely first-class. Please pass along our thanks to your entire staff for making us feel welcome. We definitely want to return in 2019. Regards, Dave Payton“ - CEO Atlas Putty Products, proud sponsor of Do It Stevie’s Way Tournament & Volunteer Tournament Site Coordinator

6 We also brought the Prep Baseball Report to Joliet in 2018

- One of the biggest independent scouting services with a presence in 33 states & Canada, mission is to scout and promote high school baseball and to prep athletes to play baseball at the next level - has more full-time scouts than any other independent amateur scouting company in the country, and a national scouting staff that focuses on the top prospects in all prep classes.

- Events draw athletes and their families from across the Midwest

- Over 1000 players drafted by MLB in last 10 years, including current MLB players Ian Krol, Tucker Barnhart, Mike Foltynewicz, & Ian Happ

- Held 2 events in Joliet in 2018, hope to hold more in the future

7 We partnered with 4 The Fallen – a veteran’s support organization - to raise funds for our military veterans through a softball tournament

- Softball home run derby and tournament to raise funds for 4 The Fallen (4TF) and Our Patriot, a non-profit that assists local Will County veterans who may be experiencing hard times financially after returning home from service

- Worked with Gold Star Mothers

- Had local teams, as well as teams that traveled from out of state and used Joliet hotel rooms

8 We also hosted our first music festival in August

- Worked with DRN Entertainment, promoter with experience in creating events tailored to the Latino community

- Booked major names from Mexico

- 500 attendees over 2 days

9 Finally, we have a number of events still to come in 2018 and a number of new events planned for 2019 Still to Come in 2018

- Family Fun Fest In Planning for 2019 - K9 Event - Tryouts - Slammers Softball League - Additional tournaments that will bring out - DSP Tournaments of state teams and additional visitors

- More Soccer-youth, high school, college, semi-pro

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10 In summary, the Slammers have had a strong first 4 ½ months in terms of utilizing the Stadium

- Overall growth of 40% in terms of days utilized vs. 2017

- Brought in new events (e.g., Joliet United Soccer, Little League, Latin Fest concert, Slammers Softball League), new partners (e.g., Pastime Tournaments), and new events with old partners (e.g., IHSA Summer Showcase)

- Hosted premier charity events that supported local causes and brought new visitors to the Stadium and Downtown, including the Do It Stevie’s Way Tournament and the 4 The Fallen softball tournament

- Most importantly, these new relationships can be expanded in the future to utilize the Stadium more days and increase economic impact for the City through an increase in the number of out of town visitors

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