The New York Mets baseball season kicked off with a Welcome Home Dinner, bringing together coaches, players, fans, and other stakeholders. The event raised funds for the Amazin’ Mets, the New York Mets philanthropic arm, which promotes various educational, social, and athletic programs and other charitable causes.

The idea behind this event was to have a stage that mimicked a late-night talk show while guests sat at tables and enjoyed a culinary experience. To create a late-night talk show, the Amazin’ Mets turned to Stretch Shapes as the experts in stage design. Our unique shapes of aerial rigged Flat Panel Sails first inspired the Mets. Due to the staging environment, aerial rigging was not an option, but Stretch Shapes was determined to create a solution that would work and still give the look they desired. As a solution, the creative team at Stretch Shapes designed a custom 2D Form that replicated the Flat Panel Sail designs the Mets were first inspired by.

The design consisted of two custom 2D Forms, each covered in custom-printed stretch fabric. The smaller 2D Form was 8′ wide x 8′ high, and the larger 2D Form was 16′ wide x 8′ high. The smaller 2D Form was slightly layered behind the larger 2D Form, creating depth to the stage set design. Each 2D Form was ground-supported for stability, and as with all our 2D Forms, they can be used again and again for future events.

During the event, Jerry Blevins assumed the late-night talk show host role with “Dinner with Friends,” where he interviewed and played games with his bullpen mates Anthony Swarzack, AJ Ramos, and Paul Sewald. After the fundraising dinner, guests were treated to a “Victory Lap” around the field and into the newly redesigned Mets Clubhouse.

The event was a success, raising almost $800,000 for the Amazin’ Mets. It was a home run!