Carmax Park x Flying Squirrels
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Background:
In collaboration with Carmax, the Richmond-founded business, the city of Richmond is introducing a new stadium for its historic minor league baseball team, the Flying Squirrels. AKA they are getting a big facelift.
Objective:
Discover what events make Richmond, Richmond.
Research methods:
Findings:
Develop recommendations for utilizing Carmax Park for special events beyond baseball games.
To go beyond baseball, we decided to take a step out of the ballpark & into Richmond. To understand our audience and environment better, we split up our research into three key areas:
Motivation & Barriers
Community & Connection
Traditions & legacy
Our methods included:
100 survey respondents
30 interviews (1-on-1 & man on the street)
10 + non traditional experiences (sticky note polling & experience mapping local events)
Social listening & engagement (Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok)
As an RVA transplant, I learned a LOT about Richmond & more importantly, what makes it special.
We broke up our findings into 3 key themes:
Thoughts on events
Thoughts on Richmond
Thoughts on Carmax
Thoughts on events
What makes Richmonders want to attend events?
01. Crowd Magnets
02. Deadzones
Time after time, annual tradition-based events thrive.
Especially in areas with a strong community and small-town charm like Richmond.
Our survey found that events like Folk Fest or Riverrock foster familiarity, tradition, and community, making them dependable crowd magnets. Similar events include weekly farmers' markets, monthly first Fridays, and seasonal get-togethers.
88%
78%
of respondents said price is the biggest factor when deciding whether or not to attend an event.
of respondents consider logistics the second most important factor (parking, schedule, etc).
Interviews provided insight into family factors that could drive baseball fans away.
The biggest barriers are price, logistics, & family appeal.
I mean who wants to wait 2 hours to park their car…
Richmonders are intentionally non-mainstream.
If you haven’t followed Francine on Instagram yet, what are you doing??!
Richmonders eat, sleep, and breathe local.
No seriously they don’t play around here with mom & pops.
When asked to name their favorite restaurant 100% of respondents named a local rva restaurant.
Thoughts on Richmond
It’s the people who make the place.
03. RVA Identity
There’s a unique identity that can only be decribed as Richmond.
We asked, Richmonders to
‘Describe RVA in one word?’
our top survey responses included…
04. Long live local
Richmonders need more active avenues.
When asked, ‘What do you want to see more of in RVA?’ our survey responses overwhelmingly included… Sports, bikes, or green spaces.
Which can be seen online as they take steps in that direction. From biker gangs to hot girl walks.
05.What’s missing?
Right now, people are unsure how to feel about the new park.
The flying squirrels have built a powerful legacy of fun, family, and community within Richmond. People are upset that the stadium they grew up in is being torn down and replaced. This adds to growing frustrations about gentrification in the surrounding area.
Richmonders aren’t entirely sold on the park itself.
We found that 20% of respondents remain frustrated with the broader gentrification in Scotts Addition (where the stadium is located), which is shaping their reaction to the park’s development.
Thoughts on Carmax:
How does carmax fit in?
06. Growing pains
Strategy:
Event recommendations:
Carmax Park, Richmond’s backyard; Not just a ballpark.
Make the park an oasis that gives back to the community, be the neighbor they desperately need.
