On Tuesday evening, June 19, Chelsea Piers Connecticut scheduled a job fair as it continues to sort through its roster for everything from a water polo coach to a payroll coordinator.
As for the position of vice president of corporate sponsorships? That post is already functional.
In just over a year”™s time under co-developers Clayton Fowler, Steven Wise and Kevin Segalla, one of the largest, abandoned industrial sites in Connecticut has been converted into the state”™s most comprehensive athletic facility ”“ not to mention the new home of NBC Sports and the NHL Network ”“ with an anticipated July 9 opening date.
Chelsea Piers is not the only game in town, so to speak, for companies and organizations wanting to schedule an event at an athletic venue, but none have the buzz and broad options of Chelsea Piers, with soccer legend Kristine Lilly and tennis champion Gigi Fernandez ”“ not to mention its enviable location in the heart of Connecticut”™s “gold coast.”
Chelsea Piers estimates its facility, programs and stars will result in 1 million visits annually ”“ largely people who are active, affluent, early adopters and influencers. Chelsea Piers”™ cha-ching factor is not lost on the local business scene ”“ most recently illustrated by the Sheraton Stamford Hotel”™s deal to be the “official hotel” of the new Chelsea Piers Connecticut sports facility.
Expect a lot of that kind of thing in the coming months. Chelsea Piers is actively trolling for such corporate sponsorships. At its flagship New York City facility it boasts deals with Coca-Cola, Capital One Bank and Under Armour, among others.
In its sponsorship brochure, the company offers sponsors access to its database for email and direct mail purposes; use of Chelsea Piers passes for gift-with-purchase programs; sponsor customer discounts; and perks as simple as interior signs.
In addition to hosting year-round tournaments for hockey, lacrosse, swimming, squash, gymnastics, tennis, basketball and volleyball, Chelsea Piers will also offer corporate leagues and opportunities for company events and says it will partner with Sheraton to host off-site company getaways with team-building options.
On site, Chelsea Piers will have its own space for meetings and receptions, both for corporate events as well as social gatherings ranging from birthday parties and bar mitzvahs to bachelor parties. The venue offers the services of an event-planning team as well.
Chelsea Piers touts its value for “experiential marketing events” where companies get potential customers to try out products hands-on.
There is no shortage of ways to get one”™s hands dirty at Chelsea Piers, which totals 400,000 square feet of space on three levels. The facility will consist of seven core sports facilities encompassing more than 20 sports, including:
Ӣ dual ice rinks for ice hockey and figure skating;
Ӣ an aquatics center equipped with an Olympic-size pool, warm-water instructional and exercise pool, and a 6,000-square-foot water play area featuring three giant slides;
Ӣ a 14,000-square-foot gymnastics and cheerleading training center;
Ӣ an indoor turf baseball and softball infield and five batting cages;
Ӣ a field house featuring a turf field for soccer, lacrosse, football, field hockey; hardwood courts for basketball and volleyball; and a one-fifth-mile track.
Ӣ a squash center with a dozen courts; with 11 singles and one hardwood doubles court
Ӣ a tennis center with seven indoor tennis courts; and
”¢ a 12,000-square-foot “adventure center” with a recreational trampoline center, a 24-foot-high rock wall and a gym for children up to five years old.
Chelsea Piers will also have a child care facility and preschool with access to the sports facilities. The Overlook Bar and Grill restaurant will look out on an ice rink, with the ChelseaӪs Table caf̩ serving natural and organic foods. BlueStreak Sports Training and FlyWheel Sports are opening fitness and training centers and Stamford Hospital will have an 18,500-square-foot branch focusing on orthopedic and sports medicine physicians, physical therapy services, a laboratory draw station and imaging services.
