To celebrate the passion and love that fans have for the sport, one-of-a-kind historical artifacts from the vast collections of the museum in Cooperstown, New York, will be curated and exhibited in unprecedented ways. This dynamic state-of-the-art exhibit will allow fans to "experience" baseball like never before. Ensuring it reaches as many baseball fans as possible, the tour will visit Major League cities and Spring Training camps as well.

Central to the fan experience is a mobile IMAX theater showcasing an original IMAX film highlighting the past, present and future of baseball. The film will feature never-before-seen new content as well as historical footage.

The tour will consist of interactive exhibits representing different facets of the game of baseball. The latest technologies will be used to provide an engaging experience and literally "bring the game to life." The exhibit will showcase Hall of Fame artifacts from the past through the present and into the future through a complete sensory immersion designed to entertain, inform and delight. Baseball historians will serve as curators for the exhibit.

Some cutting-edge features in development include:

•  Putting fans in the batter's box through digital imaging. Imagine staring down a 90+ mph fastball from Clayton Kershaw.
•  Letting fans take "virtual batting practice" in the ballparks of their choice with their favorite Hall-of-Fame pitchers. Face Nolan Ryan's fastball? Check. A knuckleball from Phil Niekro? Check that, too.
•  Giving fans the chance to play Rickey Henderson, trying to steal a base and beat a throw to second base by Johnny Bench.
•  A 3-D virtual experience to break down the sciences behind a slider, a knuckle ball and a curve ball.
•  Providing fans the opportunity to meet the stars of the exhibit--through a Hall of Fame bullpen of players, team owners, managers and scouts.
•  A digital scoreboard on mobile devices that will provide information about the exhibits, guest celebrities and daily events.
•  Digital photo opportunities where consumers can make their own baseball cards and share them across social media platforms.

Phase 1 - First 3 Years

•  Visit 10 major league cities per year (all major league cities in 3 years)

Phase 2 - Years 4-6

•  Repeating cities of high demand
•  Visit large Minor League markets

"We are so excited to bring selected Cooperstown treasures to baseball fans across the country," said Hall of Fame Chairman Jane Forbes Clark. "Fans visiting this experience will be completely immersed in the game's history, thanks to the creative influence of MLBAM and IMAX, two leaders in technology and entertainment."

"By marrying the best of baseball with an immersive, state-of-the-art experience, we have an opportunity to expand the fan experience beyond the ballpark and into the communities in which our fans live, as well as ignite a passion for the game with a new generation," said Tom Werner.

"IMAX is proud to partner with CAA, MLBAM, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, GSP and Tom Werner to provide this incredible, cutting-edge experience to fans of the National Pastime throughout the country. Baseball has always been about breaking new ground while honoring the past and we could not be happier to have IMAX's innovative technology immerse fans into the game and give them an opportunity to relive their dreams while building new ones," said Greg Foster, Sr. EVP IMAX Corp. and CEO IMAX Entertainment.

"As someone who grew up nearly 1,000 miles from Cooperstown, I commend the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for conceiving of and implementing this fan-focused tour," said Bob Bowman, President & CEO, MLBAM. "We are excited to support such a prestigious partnership, providing new technologies, along with IMAX, to help deliver interactive experiences featuring the game's greatest players, narratives and traditions."

Twitter: @HallofFameTour, Instagram: Halloffametour

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Source: PR Newswire