Ruth Museum seeks boost from hotel gala

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Oct 21, 2008 by Liz Farmer

This is what he's been waiting for.

When the Babe Ruth Museum holds its annual gala on Nov. 1, the celebration -- this year honoring the career of legendary sportscaster Jim McKay -- will mark more than just an influx of Maryland's Olympic heroes and one of the biggest fundraising events for the nonprofit. The night is the first collaboration between the museum and the Hilton Convention Center Hotel, a date that the museum's executive director hopes marks the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

"I think that the Hilton understands, as do we, that just by our location and our proximity to each other, to Geppi's [Entertainment Museum] and to Oriole Park, that we are partners," said Michael L. Gibbons.

Ever since 2005, when the museum opened its affiliate Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards, Gibbons has said he wanted to develop a business relationship with the Hilton that involved using the museum as a reception site for hotel events. Traditionally the museum and its affiliated Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum on nearby Emory Street have relied heavily on gate revenues.

But with attendance at Camden Yards on the decline -- this year marked the lowest in the park's history with 1,950,075 fans in 78 games -- the museums have had to look to more than just foot traffic from games to drive revenue. With the Hilton opening in August, it's finally time for Gibbons to test his theory.

This year's Babe Ruth Museum's annual gala, a tradition which started in 1989 and last year netted $100,000, will begin with a VIP reception for sponsors and athletes at the Sports Legends Museum, then move across the street to the Hilton for the main event honoring the life of McKay, best known for hosting ABC's Wide World of Sports and 12 Olympic Games. Athletes in attendance will include swimmer Michael Phelps, figure skaters Kimmie Meissner and Dorothy Hamill, gymnast Dominique Dawes and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.

"Hopefully this will be the beginning of a great relationship for them," said John Maroon, president of the museum's marketing firm. "It's really important because these events go toward stabilizing the museum financially. And if it goes off well, this will be a springboard to bigger things."

This year's gala has sold more than 700 tickets and will take place in the Hilton's 25,000-square-foot Key Ballroom. The hotel is also a presenting sponsor for the night.

There are no other collaborations in the works yet, but Gibbons said he sees opportunity in the future as he hopes the hotel draws more business to the area.

"Just to look at Camden Street as a finished, manicured thoroughfare, it's terrific after looking at something that's been under construction with chain link fence everywhere," Gibbons said of the Hilton opening. "We hope that as time goes by we can really develop Camden Street into a really festive walkway."

The hotel's Director of Sales Matt Dykstra said he expects the Hilton to do for Baltimore's West side what the Marriott Waterfront Hotel did for Harbor East.

"I think it's reasonably optimistic to assume the Hilton would anchor growth on this side of town," he said. "And I think if we [do well] everybody wins --with the rising tide, everybody's boat rises."