• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Tuned In is Almost Sold Out! Limited Tickets Remain!

Oakland A’s Focus on Group Sales Paying Dividends

A's

For the past month, the Oakland A’s have been one of the hottest teams on the field. Off it, their group sales team might be just as scorching.

Led by Josh Feinberg, director of group sales for the club, the team has been able to pull off initiatives that range from a Greek Heritage Night to a multi-game educational series that featured a Science of Baseball Day and a Career Education Day.

Ashwin Puri, the A’s vice president of sales and strategy, noted that a shift in organizational strategy that led to more of a focus on group sales has proved to be fruitful.

“We saw a lot of value he (Feinberg) could provide the organization. So, we brought him back after two stints in the NBA and we hired a staff of dedicated group sales folks, which we never had before.”

The reason behind the move? Good business.

“We thought this was an opportunity to help us grow our business and help engage the community in ways that were creative and approachable,” said Puri when discussing the impact Feinberg and his team have made.

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

To make sure they were firing on all cylinders, Puri and the other A’s executives made sure that the group sales team felt empowered to come up with unique ideas within the categories of consumers most impacted by fans.

“The top six categories in sports for group sales, and these are really general, are corporations, nonprofit groups, school, religious groups, performance groups and youth sports,” Puri said. “We have empowered them to work with all the different departments internally to come up with various programs that would cater to different audiences with schools and education being one of them and a huge opportunity for us.”

Their most successful days surrounding schools and education was the two aforementioned days that featured science and careers. Across both days, the A’s saw more than 6,000 attendees and a whole lot of value according to Puri.

“The Science of Baseball Day was aimed towards a younger demographic. Together with Science of Sport, we held a demonstration to show how science is used in the game of baseball, and after that, there was a science fair at the ballpark before the game. It was a full day of activities. The career day was similar, but it was mostly geared toward an older demo of middle and high schoolers. There were a couple different speaker panels from the front office talking about their career path in sports and then there was a college fair following that before the game. So both were full days worth of activities and we thought provided a lot of value to each segment.”

While fun for the students, these initiatives serve as a conduit for the larger overall strategy for the A’s when it comes to bringing value to the community.

“Connecting with local schools is super important for us as group sales opportunity for two reasons,” Puri said. “One, group sales is a great way to fill up the stands, but also a big part of our community relations efforts are reaching out to youth in the area and connecting with them.”

Another aspect that Puri lauded was how collaborative the ticket sales team is with the marketing team and vice versa.

“It (the A’s record-breaking 56,000-plus attendance night) started with a really strong group sales effort. We coupled that with a really strong digital advertising campaign. It takes a lot of factors to kind of come together to make them have a weekend that successful. We have an awesome marketing team.”

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

“We collaborate in the form of determining what are the most important campaigns we want to run, what games and homestands we need support from them and they have a number of tactics that they employ to support that. I’m just thrilled with the level of collaboration support they give us on a daily basis.”

Just like on the field, success is a team effort.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.

Ryder Cup Boost Hitting This Week’s PGA, European Tour Events

The Procore Championship and BMW PGA Championship are benefiting.
Jan 25, 2023; Langley, British Columbia, CAN; Highlights from the CHL Kubota Top Prospects game at the Langley Events Centre

NCAA Hockey Scouts Denied Passes for Crucial Recruiting League

The CHL won’t welcome scouts on passes: “It comes across as petty.”
Feb 17, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs guard Jalen Weaver (5) during the first half against the Boise State Broncos at ExtraMile Arena.

NCAA Bans 3 Basketball Players for Violating Betting Rules Last Season

The former San Jose State and Fresno State players have lost eligibility.

Featured Today

Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
opinion
September 9, 2025

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from NFL’s Week 1 Broadcasts

Many viewers decried the addition of ads to “NFL RedZone.”
Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) leads the team onto the field for warm ups before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
September 7, 2025

Slow Burn: The NFL’s Private-Equity Era So Far

Three deals have been struck to date. But the league is bullish.
Tennis
September 5, 2025

The US Open Is Groaning Under the Weight of Its Own Success

New York’s tennis major is more popular than ever.
Sponsored

Game the Green: Transforming Fan Experiences at TPC Sawgrass

As fans gather at THE PLAYERS Championship, Comcast Business will be keeping spectators and the PGA TOUR connected like never before.
Sponsored

How Sportradar and the NBA Are Shaping the Future of Immersive Fan..

By transforming raw data into tailored, interactive content, Sportradar helps turn the NBA’s enormous fanbase into active participants.
February 3, 2025

Super Bowl Ticket Prices Crash As Hotel Rooms See Historic Rate Hike

Prices sink by about 30%, due in part to a lodging crunch.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
October 8, 2024

NBA GMs Rank Salary-Cap Apron As Rule That Needs to Change Most

Schedule changes finished second with 17% of the vote.
Sponsored

Trend Report: Chiefs-Chargers, Tobacco Road Rivalry, Nebraska Sellout Streak

According to data from TickPick, some games this week will prove to be wallet-busters, climbing into the four figures.
September 8, 2024

US Open Breaks Attendance Record

Top-seeded Jannik Sinner beat No. 12 Taylor Fritz in straight sets Sunday.
Sponsored

Mastercard’s Foodies & Fairways: Where Golf Meets Gourmet at the TOUR Championship

This year’s TOUR Championship in Atlanta isn’t just about world-class golf—it’s also a celebration of local flavors.