Jared Orton Keynote Speaker

President of The Savannah Bananas
Business Coach
Known for "Fans First" Mindset

Jared Orton's Biography

Jared Orton has been the President of the Savannah Bananas since day one, and originally began working with Fans First Entertainment in Gastonia, NC while he completed his degree in Sport Management at Belmont Abbey College. Jared learned the ropes of the sports and entertainment industry first with the Gastonia Grizzlies and then with the Burlington Royals where the focus on the fan experience led attendance to reach new heights each season.

Building on that experience, Jared took on the challenge of leading the resurgence of baseball in Savannah, Georgia beginning in 2015. He regularly speaks to organizations and business leaders around the world to help them create their own Fans First Experiences.

The Savannah Bananas had a record-setting inaugural season welcoming over 91,000 fans to their home games in 2016 and breaking the Coastal Plain League Attendance Record. 17 of the 24 home games were played in front of sold-out crowds during that first season. From there, every single Savannah Bananas game has been a sellout. The popularity of the Savannah Bananas has reached every corner of the United States and around the world with stories being covered by Good Morning America, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, MSNBC, and Entrepreneur magazine. In 2021, the team embarked on a One City World Tour to Mobile, Alabama with their brand new game – Banana Ball – the fastest and most entertaining game in sports.

In 2022 and 2023, the Bananas toured to more cities and in 2024 will play in front of one million fans from coast to coast. Every year, hundreds of thousands of fans join the Bananas Tickets Lottery list with the hopes of attending a sold-out game. With the rapid growth and popularity of Banana Ball, the league has now expanded to host a total of 6 teams— the Savannah Bananas, the Party Animals, the Firefighters, the Texas Tailgaters, the Loco Beach Coconuts, and the Indianapolis Clowns. Jared and the Banana Ball team believe this is exclusively due to creating a Fans First Experience.

Jared currently lives in Savannah with his wife, Kelsey, and their daughter.

Creating a Fans First Experience for Your Organization

Jared will share how The Savannah Bananas—the most fun team in sports—have built a culture that focuses on loving people and building fans no matter who you serve, what you do, or what role you’re in. Get ready to laugh, cry, and Go Bananas.

Seven Steps to a Reimagined Customer Journey — How the Bananas developed a Fans First mentality that turned fans into their biggest marketers.
Why creating a remarkable Fans First Experience matters and the measurable impact it can have on your business.
How to start implementing Fans First moments throughout your customer journey to get people talking.
How to get your customers to say, “You wouldn’t believe…” about your business.
Why hosting an Ideapalooza should be your next step to activate your people and unlock new ideas.

Creating An Experience & Putting Fans First – Savannah Bananas President – Jared Orton (Ep. 199)

Comments & Testimonials

“I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to speak to our group. I learned so much and had so many great takeaways that I hope to implement... You and the Savannah Bananas team do an amazing job. You inspired me to want to do more for our fans and you showed me that anything is possible, we just have to want it. I came there a fan of the Savannah Bananas, but I left there a fanatic.”

Danielle Lockemy Manager of Event Marketing, NASCAR Mid-Atlantic