Post-Jet-Gate morality is sweeping through the RenCen unabated, as a new spirit of (perceived) austerity has General Motors ditching its corporate pastime: luxury boxes. I mean baseball. GM “may be trying to exit or renegotiate the lease for its luxury suite at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers,” reports CNN Money. Tigers suites rent for $120,000 to $130,000 a year, and include seating for 18 people, free parking, a private restroom, interior and exterior television sets, a computer with Internet access, pre-game batting practice sessions with ex-Tigers pitchers, and a full catering menu (highlights: market fresh crudite, chilled king prawns, and black pepper and garlic-crusted beef tenderloin). In short, it’s understandable that GM is “carefully evaluating all sponsorships – sports and other – as we look for opportunities to reduce costs during this economic recession,” as spokeswoman Kelly Cusinato puts it. And while the Tigers “try to be as flexible with (GM) as possible,” the General is definitely ditching its sponsorship of the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to the AP. That deal included another luxury box (available for five-year leases at $150k-$275k annually) with undisclosed amenities and menu items. GM spokesman Pete Ternes said the company “is looking at” other Major League Baseball sponsorship contracts that expire at the end of the year, as part of an effort to cut the company’s promotional and advertising budget 20 percent.
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74-88 last year. Sounds like a good move to me. Hold on to those Lions boxes though, maybe they’ll get some good picks this draft…..or maybe they can try for a bailout, too.
I wonder if we’ll still get to see the “Pontiac Game Changing Performance” every football weekend?
GM are pikers – AIG spends 3 times that in one week at a luxury resort in California for a few of their sales executives.
Apparently the U.S. auto industry doesn’t have the same friends in high places.
GM only has one luxury box? Huh?!?!? Most OEMs and Suppliers have two…One for the senior executives to use at their leisure and the other one to give the use of as an occasional reward for hard working teams and also for entertaining corporate guests, suppliers, business partners, civic groups, interns, community outreach programs etc.
The Grosse Pointe Myopians may actually have to purchase their own tickets this year…and sit amongst ‘The Great Unwashed’ ?!?!? How uncivilized.
Pontiac Game Changing Performance is only on ABC, correct? I watch ESPN – Acura and Nissan are there.
GM and old line MSM, sitting in a tree …
yep. cost cutting continues at the Tech Center, too.
No more “pool” vehicles.
Elimination of Voicemail for some people before the end of this month.
Quote” nevets248: “ Elimination of Voicemail for some people before the end of this month”
For what it’s worth, GM stopped putting desk-phones on all new hire’s desks years ago. Instead, they have been giving the new employees cell phones…One phone, one contact point-makes sense to me.
Personally, I hope the “Pontiac Game Changing Performance” dies screaming after repeatedly choosing to air highlights embarrassing to a particularly large college fanbase in Detroit’s backyard that has lots of money to spend and large social networks to influence.
NSFW-holes.