Georgia Tech-Savannah’s April Learners & Leaders session, “Going Bananas! How Fans First Entertainment Saved Baseball in Savannah,” was led by Jared Orton, president of the Savannah Bananas.
 
“We were told that Savannah has 90 years of history with baseball, and we were the next in line to fail. If professional baseball couldn’t do it, how did we expect to?,” said Jared Orton, president of the Savannah Bananas. “Because baseball fans can find it all throughout our region, we had to reinvent the sport’s experience. We can’t control whether we win or lose, but we can control whether people have fun at games. It’s a circus in the middle of a baseball game.”

The 2017 Savannah Bananas season marked the highest attendance at Grayson Stadium ever. The team and parent company, Fans First Entertainment, have revolutionized the sport and the community’s relationship with baseball, donating more than $150,000 to local non-profits last year. Orton’s discussion focused on the philosophies behind the Savannah Bananas experience, understanding the role of social media in business, and the brand’s strategic progression from non-existent to internet sensation.
 
To register or learn more about upcoming programs, go to pe.gatech.edu/Sav-Learners or email [email protected] for details.