Learn the Secrets of Game Day Entertainment with Buffalo Bison’s Amanda Ballestero

1Tell us about your role as Game Day Entertainment Coordinator for the Buffalo Bisons.

As the Game Day Entertainment Coordinator for the Buffalo Bisons, I plan and execute all promotional aspects of Bisons home games.

I direct video, sound, PA, Videoboard, mascots, and promotions interns during Bisons home games.

I work with the marketing and sales teams to ensure we meet sponsorship requirements and fulfill any fan entertainment requests (birthdays, special welcomes, first pitches, national anthem singers, etc.)

When there are home games, I typically come into the office about 3 hours before game time to print out the “script” for the day which is essentially the schedule of what promotions will run throughout the game.

I also write PA reads for our PA announcer for that day. I am in charge of turning on the sound system for the stadium and I put on music for the players to listen to during batting practice.

I meet with the video department to make sure everyone is on the same page with fan cams and any video components of the game script. I meet with my promotions interns to go over what their duties are for the day, and make sure mascots are ready to go for the game.

Gates open an hour before first pitch, and the PA announcer goes through welcome PAs, first pitches, National Anthems, and any pregame ceremonies. During games, I make sure everything runs smoothly on the video board, sound system, and PA.

When the Bisons hit a home run at night, we have special lights that flash, and I have the controls for that. When games are over, and there is not a post game performance or fireworks show, I make sure the sound system and video board are turned off. If there is a post game performance, I direct that as needed.

For fireworks shows, I am in contact with the fireworks company to cue them for fireworks.

When the Bisons are away, I work regular 9 to 5 hours and plan the entertainment for the next homestand.

The marketing department has weekly meetings to discuss different marketing objectives for the organization.

3The baseball season is a grind. What are the challenges in trying to consistently create a fulfilling and unique experience when games are played every day? Does your team try to take it day by day or do you plan for the weeks ahead?

With the way minor league baseball schedules having home games every other week, I tend to plan ahead during weeks the Bisons are away. There are bigger events like Star Wars Night, July 4th, Marvel Night, etc.

That needs more planning than just one week, but smaller theme nights and different promotional events are prepared for in weeks the Bisons are on the road.

I started working for the Bisons less than a month before Opening Day, so I had to begin planning for an entire season, especially opening day, in about two and a half weeks.

Luckily, it paid off, but I will have the off-season to be able to plan for the entire promotional schedule for the 2023 season.

4How often does the results/outcomes of Bisons games affect the way your team presents the game day experience? Are there ever instances where you need to change your gameplan because the game is progressing in a totally unexpected way?

Results/outcomes of Bisons games don’t greatly impact the way we present the game day experience, however, there are some instances where I might have to come up with something on the fly if the Bisons are losing, and we have to play the bottom on the 9th inning because I typically do not put anything important for the middle of the 9th inning in case the Bisons win and we do not play the bottom of the 9th inning.

There have also been times when, a game starts at 6:05 pm, and there are fireworks scheduled for after the game and the game goes by quickly with the new MLB pace of play rules.

With summer days being longer, it has been too light outside for fireworks to happen, so we fill in time post-game to keep fans in their seats until it is dark enough to have a firework show. I coordinate with the video director to play videos, and I have PA reads and fan cams ready to fill in time.

We have fun animations that play when the Bisons hit a home run, and we have sponsors who sponsor the first run of the game and stolen bases and we put graphics up on the video board. We also flash the lights for homeruns and wins.