The La Crosse Loggers of the Northwoods Baseball League opened their 2011 season by introducing a whole new way to experience an event at the ballpark as well as a unique way of allowing sponsors, and the team, to bring value to loyal fans all year long.

The team announced the new Loggers Mobile Application at their first game on June 4th. The application was created by the Austin, Texas based software firm Venue Valet.

“The Loggers Mobile Application will change the game of baseball for the better,” said Chris Goodell, General Manager of the La Crosse Loggers. “This is state-of-the-art technology that will enhance the fan experience like never before and keep them interacting not only throughout the game, but throughout the year if they wish.”

“While there are a few mobile applications on the market that enhance the fan experience,” said Venue Valet’s CEO Matt Mader, “we believe we are embracing the opportunity that resides in venues across the country in avery unique way that will set us apart from everyone else. The foundation for our system is loyalty – between the teams and the fans. It’s really as simple as giving people what they want, when they want it – at the venue and all year round. In return, the venue gets more from each fan and is able to provide more to each sponsor.”

Several features were available to fans for the Loggers June 4th opener including : – A stored value payment system that is available to any fan, with or without a smartphone, which allows people to pay at any concession stand in the ballpark. – The ability for the ballpark to present offers for food, beverage and merchandise at a significant discount because it is purchased in advance and can be redeemed at any time throughout the season. – The ability for sponsors (local and nation-wide merchants) to sell products and services to fans that can be redeemed or picked-up at the merchant at a later date. – Promotions (games) that reward the fans for correctly participating with food, beverage or merchandise.

Ben Kapanke, Assistant General Manager of the Loggers, added, “Opening Day of our 2011 season was extra special this year with the addition of our new software.” Kapanke continued, “Our fans now have the ability to pay for concessions from their phones, interact with the game itself and, on the flipside, we have the ability monitor their game day tendencies which will aid us in bettering our operation in the long run which will lead to significant benefits to the fans.”

Mader noted that “The system that was available for the Loggers opening day provided tremendous value to the fans, the sponsors and the venue and this is just one step of many we will be taking over the next few months to roll out the complete solution. The great thing about this system is how it generated value during game one to everyone. It more than met our expectations and it proved that we’re headed in the right direction.”

“We know that baseball and other professional sports are extremely successful businesses and entertainment sources. Combining today’s technology with existing fan loyalty in order to provide measurable value to each fan and sponsor during the game and all year long, as well as tailoring the experience for each fan over time as they use the system, is going to change the way successful venues interact with their loyal patrons.”

Mader added that building a system that learns about what each fans prefers, dislikes and appreciates is the key differentiator for Venue Valet as the company changes the way any venue in the country is able to interact with the people that visit it as well as allowing teams, businesses and organizations to leverage loyalty 365 days a year to build a successful business, drive value to sponsors and satisfy the fans .

“Building a system that adds bells and whistles to an event isn’t a compelling solution in today’s market. But building a system that does what each fan wants it to do in order to make the most ideal experience a reality is very special and something that will make us unique in this space. The La Crosse Loggers are the first venue in the country to treat their fans to this type of experience and we’re very happy they have partnered with us to make it happen. We are looking forward to working together this summer to perfect the system and roll it out to the entire Northwoods League as well as others.”

Future releases are planned for later during the season and will include many new features – including: – The capability to donate to charity when certain game events occur, such as a player hitting a home run. – The ability for fans to create their own in-game contests, offer them to other fans, and use their own redeemable food, beverage and merchandise vouchers as rewards for those that compete in their contest. – Full end-to-end concessions and inventory management to allow the ballpark to track sales throughout the game and allow real-time offers and price changes to help control the consumption and waste.

The La Crosse Loggers Mobile Application can be downloaded for any Android smartphone and a fully functional mobile web interface is available for any other mobile device. A native iPhone application will be available at a later date. The links to download the application or use the web version are available on the La Crosse Loggers home page at www.lacrosseloggers.com.