Shinsegae Group, which is currently building the Cheongna Dome Stadium, has an organization to look up to. We’re talking about the SoftBank Hawks, who serve as a landmark in the Fukuoka area of Japan and are beloved by baseball fans.
In July 2020, SoftBank opened an entertainment facility called “Boss Izo” next to its home stadium, the PayPal Dome. The facility features spaces, amenities, and restaurants for a variety of activities, including extreme sports, exhibitions, and virtual reality (VR) experiences. In addition, there is a museum dedicated to the team’s history and a baseball experience that can be enjoyed by young and old alike.
Although the facility experienced economic difficulties due to the spread of COVID-19 shortly after its opening, it has recently begun to recover as quarantine measures have been eased, and baseball fans have begun to flock to the stadium one by one.
However, Boss Izo, located next to the PayPal Dome, has a lot of other things to do besides watching baseball, and tourists from all over the world are flocking to the area. When there is a baseball game, people naturally visit the stadium, killing two birds with one stone. It’s a great way to bring people who aren’t interested in baseball into the fold.
This year, SoftBank is celebrating the 85th anniversary of the club’s founding and the 30th anniversary of the dome’s opening, and is looking to expand 안전놀이터 its market through Boss Izzo. In particular, it is planning various strategies to target the Asian market, with Korea as its main base.
To attract the attention of Korean baseball fans and tourists, SoftBank invited Lee Dae-ho (41), the former No. 4 hitter of the DPRK, to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Although it is rare to invite a foreign player to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, SoftBank believed that Lee, who ended his playing career last year with the second retirement tour in KBO history, would be able to attract enough interest from Korean fans.
It was also good news for fans in Korea, as Lee’s past performances with SoftBank have been nothing short of spectacular. During his two-year stint with SoftBank in 2014 and 2015, Lee helped the team win back-to-back championships, and in 2015, he became the first Korean to be named MVP of the Japan Series.
At the invitation of SoftBank, Lee attended the 2023 NPB Chiba Lotte Marines home game at Pepsi Dome on July 27. “I’ve never been in a stadium before, and I’m very nervous,” said Lee, who had been playing for more than 20 years.
Lee Dae-ho will throw out the ceremonial first pitch against Chiba Lotte at the same venue the next day (Aug. 28). Before that, he will visit Boss Izo and experience various activities firsthand.
If SoftBank can capitalize on the publicity Lee Dae-ho will generate, it will be able to build a landmark that can be used for both baseball and tourism.
A club official said, “We hope that not only baseball fans but also many Korean tourists will visit. We are also selling Korean-only fun tickets and preparing various privileges.” “We want to make more efforts to make it a favorite spot for Korean tourists so that they can say, ‘I’m glad I came here, I like this place,'” he said.
For Shinsegae Group, which is currently planning to build a Cheongna Starfield alongside the Cheongna Dome Stadium, it is necessary to benchmark it. SSG Chairman Chung Yong-jin is so enthusiastic about the project that he traveled to a U.S. Major League Baseball stadium for a personal tour.
In his New Year’s speech this year, Chung said, “We need to focus on customers like crazy. We must create products and services that can make our customers’ hearts tremble.” “We must change the perspective of decision-making in response to crises. When we are most faithful to the basics and essence, risks and crises will become assets for our leap forward.” It remains to be seen if Shinsegae Group can build a landmark comparable to SoftBank.