To boost luxury suite sales, NFL’s Browns and MLB’s Indians form joint venture in Cleveland

Cleveland Browns, Indians team up for suite sales

CLEVELAND — The city’s pro baseball and football franchises are teaming up to jointly sell luxury suite packages, a new sales tactic in a tough economy.

The Indians and Browns on Wednesday said they had formed a sales alliance to provide fans what they believe is a unique opportunity to buy into Major League Baseball and National Football League events simultaneously. They will offer certain games in combined packages of two baseball games at Progressive Field and one football game at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Greg Aiello, an NFL spokesman, said he wasn’t aware of any other baseball-football luxury suites sales arrangement.

Bill Dorsey, executive director of the Cincinnati-based Association of Luxury Suite Directors, said he has been a proponent of creative marketing in an economy that should make luxury suites at stadiums more available.

“Professional sports teams tend to believe they are competing for the same entertainment dollar,” he said. “In this case it looks like there’s a solid relationship, and that’s great. They’re just dipping their toes in the water right now and offering some limited packages, but I think it could certainly expand.”

A buyer could get the Touchdown Package: Indians games against the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers and a Browns game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is priced at $15,000, because the Steelers are the Browns’ biggest rival.

For $10,000, a buyer could get the Home Run package: Indians games against the Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds and a Browns game against the Green Bay Packers.

Vic Gregovits, Indians senior vice president of sales and marketing, said the arrangement isn’t based on any similar arrangement elsewhere.

“We get to tap into each other’s fan base and we get to extend the sales force, because we are both selling it,” he said.

He said the typical customer would be a corporate client which might be attracted by getting a luxury suite at two stadiums without have to buy two season packages at much greater expense.

“I definitely think that in a tough economy you’ve got to be flexible,” said Dave Jenkins, Browns vice president of finance and administration.