Local organizers of the Big 12 baseball tournament are trying to drum up early interest in the event.
Organizers unveiled ONEOK Fan Fest, a sponsored, daily celebration at Guthrie Green during the tournament. Sports commission director Vince Trinidad said it will give visitors a new impression of Tulsa.
"My family, we live in Jenks, but we come down to Guthrie Green to go to activities and stuff," Trinidad said. "It's a great asset for us as community. Quite frankly, it defines us, as one of the differentiating factors in what we do as a community. Nobody else can boast an area like that right in proximity to a baseball stadium."
Fan Fest will be open 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. May 20–24, the same days as the tournament.
Trinidad said this tournament is a chance to try out for future events.
"It's extremely important for us to have the right amenities for people to go to," he said. "So you have the buildup of the Blue Dome, the Greenwood District, the Brady District, the Stadium District. All those areas add up, and so, for us, when we market Tulsa as a destination, it's extremely important to have those."
Drillers President Mike Melega said there will be a national spotlight on the city.
"So you're going to have people talking about Tulsa, you're going to see Tulsa on television, they're going to be doing stories around town," Melega said. "But, outside of that, you've got people coming in from as far as West Virginia and from the Texas schools and the Kansas schools all converging on the city of Tulsa. It's a great opportunity for our city to shine."
Visit Tulsa estimates the tournament will have an economic impact of $5.6 million.
