Challenge

Indianapolis Indians Charities, the nonprofit of Indianapolis’ Minor League Baseball team, aimed to establish a distinctive local premium event in Indianapolis to support their charities. Hamilton was asked to collaborate with the Indianapolis Indians for the theming, stylization, creative, visualizations, graphic design, and some fabrication for the event. With Hamilton’s experiential design support, the concept of SWING was created and developed to become the Indianapolis Indians’ annual signature charity event.

Approach

SWING was inspired by the Bygone Era of Baseball in the 1930s when the sport gained immense popularity among Americans. Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians, needed to be completely transformed into a red-carped experience for SWING, a one-night event. Every aspect of SWING had to reflect a premium event and embody the Bygone Era of Baseball theme. The project required creative development to reimagine spaces as a jazz club, speakeasy, cigar bar, and on-field event space. Each of the spaces had to be themed and designed to fully adopt the Bygone Era of Baseball theme. The dugout was transformed into a secret speakeasy, the batting cages were converted into a VIP Jazz Club with live music, and the third base terrace became a VIP Cigar Bar. The field featured a stage for live performances, photo booths, artist sketches, and a home run derby experience. Guests were served upscale food and drinks from various local restaurants and bars. Anyone who entered Victory Field for SWING would be instantly transported back to the 1930s.

Results

Hamilton helped bring the Indianapolis Indians and their partners’ vision to life. SWING raised $400,000 for the Indianapolis Indians Charities. The inaugural SWING event was a resounding success with a glamorous red carpet, live entertainment, exclusive VIP experiences, and more. Hamilton looks forward to SWING next year.