The ball game on the field is the primary driver for bringing in tens of thousands of people to Nats Park 81 times this year, but some of them might be playing some of their own games in the stands.
Major League Baseball has high hopes that the Ballpark App is going to become a key piece to the in-game experience for fans at every ballpark. But the experience in D.C. is being tailored specifically to Nats fans with interactive features that can lead to big prizes.
For instance, you can try to guess the winner of the racing presidents before they zip out along the warning track. You can also go on an augmented reality scavenger hunt that takes you all around the ballpark.
“When you complete the scavenger hunt you can win great prizes,” said Mike Shane, senior vice president in charge of marketing for the app. “We’re going to be mixing it up every month so that it changes throughout the season.”
Shane said the app has been completely redesigned ahead of this season. You can also use it to manage tickets — either uploading yours into the app so you can just scan through the gates on your phone, or you can transfer a ticket to your friend who is running late and going to miss the first pitch.
Fans who use the Ballpark App can also sign up for the Red Carpet Rewards, the Nationals loyalty program similar to the rewards offered by many food and beverage retailers.
“The more games you come to, the more points you earn,” said Shane. “You can also earn points for watching games at home and getting secret codes, listening on the radio and getting codes, and then you can redeem those for tickets, for suites, for autographed merchandise, for cool giveaways. All of that is accessible right there in the app.”
The Ballpark App is available for both Apple and Android users and can be used while visiting other ballparks too.
