Rickwood Field - Spring 2014

Built in 1910, with input from famed Connie Mack, for use by the Birmingham Barons and the Birmingham Black Barons (of the Negro National League), Rickwood Field is considered the oldest surviving baseball park in the country. Today it serves city schools and traveling teams in addition to its role as a "working museum" of baseball history.  The Spring 2014 UA Sales Team met with the Friends of Rickwood Field for a new design of the current website and development of a social media strategy.  As a result the board formed a small to committee to implement the recommendations.
  • Recommend specific measures for new website design addressing weakness of current effort
  • Create template-driven web server for volunteer web masters
  • Share examples of how other entities of a similar size, and limited budget use social media
  • Use social media to post potential festivals and events to engage the public
  • Generate list of advertising prospect

Historic Alabama Theatre - Fall 2014
Built in 1927, the  Moorish-style Alabama The Alabama Theatre with 2,173 seats, was noted for its Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ, film series, concerts, dance events and plays. It was the first air-conditioned theater in Birmingham. The Fall 2014 UA Sales team was tasked with increasing summer attendance and general revenue through sponsorships and memberships. The team was able to provide recommendations such as:
  • A series of themed films for summer--among them Girls Night Out, Christmas in July, Bollywood, or Back in Time (accompanied by a list of film titles for each plus selling materials). 
  • Compiled a list of 60 area summer camps and contacts for possible field trips or a theater tour and movie. Another list of 275 area schools/contacts along with 135 film ideas, divided into age-appropriate groups. 
  • Identified 200 potential corporate or business sponsors in Jefferson County and a tiered funding approach (from $2,500 to $10,000 packages) created. 
  • Various concepts for a membership strategy

 Mahler Farm / City of Montevallo - Fall 2014

In 2013, Elizabeth A. Mahler donated her family’s historic farm in Montevallo, Alabama to the City of Montevallo for use as a public park.  The 167 acres of scenic farmland lie along the banks of Shoal Creek and contain the original 1830s era farmhouse along with numerous outbuildings. Since the donation, Montevallo has undertaken an evaluation of possible uses of the property that would be consistent with its public purposes and preserve its historic and scenic character, while generating revenue that will support the city’s management of the site’s important resources and future recreational improvements.   During the fall 2014 semester, students in the University’s Landmark Program conducted extensive research into the capital and operating requirements of a folk art school and demonstration/learning farm, both of which Montevallo is particularly interested in pursuing.  Information obtained through the student’s research is helping to inform the city’s master plan for the site and will provide a significant framework for the city’s business planning and project phasing in the months to come.
Perry Hall, Mahler Farm, City of Montevallo, Shelby County
Perry Hall c. 1830 photo Brian Rushing

Monroe County Museum - Fall 2014

Monroe County MuseumMonroe County Museum photo by Stephanie Rogers
The Fall 2014 UA Sales team developed a comprehensive property usage strategy along with a membership strategy to gain continued support from museum visitors and enthusiasts.  The students also developed an entire digital marketing strategy to help cultivate its digital footprint as well as a crowd funding strategy to help raise funds to implement all of the great ideas that need the extra push to get off the ground. Monroe County will implement and digest the strategies that the group developed.