Lower Ticket Prices

[Jeff O Rocks]

I was just reading Shell's post about the new owner of the Sabres and I saw where folks were not happy with him talking about lowering ticket prices. Many games this past season at the arena, I was amazed at how many empty seats were available...and I was thinking, why don't they lower the price and try to fill it up a little bit more...wouldn't you think that they would rather have $25 for a $47 seat rather than no money at all??? I know that is simple thinking and maybe I am not a good business person, but it makes since to get something for the seat!! :roll: :roll:

I just thought of something else, maybe give special deals for the day of a game...make lower level seats available at a discount?? :roll:

Any thoughts on this my friends??

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Except for the fact that I would imagine the full STH who paid $47 for his seat will raise total hell when he realizes the guy next to him only had to pay $25 for the same seat, I'd think it was a great idea. I've often thought the same thing myself but I guess what they would end up with is a bunch of people who waited until game day to buy their tickets and get the discounts. We'd probably have no STH at all.

[Shell]

I definitely agree Mona. We're in the $12 section so our ticket cost is nothing.. however, add in the $7 for parking, $32 for beer, $6 for dinner and you're talking much more money. Someone gave me a choice of $0 or $50, I'd take $50 :beatup:

[Shell]

good points SHC, and I have always wondered how the airlines get away with charging everyone a different price. It would have to be a relatively small amount of seats so that there wouldn't be any guarantee that they would be available, and none for the big games. That or they could give us STH's in the upper bowl a deal every now and again! :D

[SouthernHockeyChick]

That or they could give us STH's in the upper bowl a deal every now and again! :D

That's what I think should happen. I mean, when the lower bowl is embarassingly empty why not make an announcement to the upper bowls that they can move down and fill in. I mean, some people would choose to stay in upper level anyway ( I would as soon as Kat and Opuntia got out of their seats ;) ) and that would fill in the lower bowl and get some better crowd involvement going!

They should just hire me as a consultant. :spin:

[Jeff O Rocks]

good points SHC, and I have always wondered how the airlines get away with charging everyone a different price. It would have to be a relatively small amount of seats so that there wouldn't be any guarantee that they would be available, and none for the big games. That or they could give us STH's in the upper bowl a deal every now and again! :D

To add to the twist, how about they give the 3rd level STH a chance to trade "up" for certain games for 1st level and club level and sell their 3rd level seats for those games ONLY (to the public)...that way they would be at least making more money on the 3rd level seats... :roll:

[Jeff O Rocks]

They should just hire me as a consultant. :spin:

Wanna start our own business?? :D

[Cool Hand Luke]

Hate to look on the other side of your proposal, but what would the benefit be of being a season ticket holder if you knew the seats that you pay in advance for would eventually be sold at cut rate prices? I think that the franchise makes a lot of money and needs the cashflow generated by selling and getting paid for season tickets even before the season starts.

Also, if you allowed people to come down to the lower level if it looks empty, it's not fair to the people who paid $85.00 for their seat to sit next to someone who paid $12. (I doubt they would pay that much again) Everyone would just pay the upper level prices and wait to see if they could move down. Also, imagine the fights ensuing after multiple people want to move down to the same seats, or someone gets up to get a beer and comes back and someone is in their seats. Lot's of headaches with your plan, but it's a nice thought..*S*

[nccanes]

I agree with CHL on this one. I think the Canes have done a great job in moving away from the deep discount tickets as the STH have increased. Not that I want to pay more, but you are going to piss of the STH if you get too "creative" in trying to get butts in seats.

I read the Tampa Boards now and then and they are ALWAYS complaining about the discounts that "anybody" can get. Something about buy a full priced ticket and get one for a $1. There isn't STH price that can touch that. Sure, there is no guarantee that you can a ticket to every game that way, but like here, Tampa doesn't fill the place every game. People in Raleigh may be reducing their committment because of financial (or even performance) reasons, but I haven't known anyone to do so because they are getting screwed over on prices. So for this one, the Canes have managed it properly.

I know I've mentioned that we looked at buying a 24 game plan this year since my hubby and I went to more than that number of games and our kids went to more than 20. When we sat down and looked at the money we spent to get to those games, we still came out WAY ahead than if we bought a 24 game plan. Our mini-plan seats are lower level and we added about 5 games (full price) to those in the lower level. The remaining seats we either bought upstairs at full price, upstairs at 1/2 off (available thru those Entertainment books sold by school fundraising), deep discounts from the scalpers outside, or freebies from friends/co workers.

Now, maybe our discount "method" doesn't bring in the new fan, so the Canes do need to look at that, but I'm very happy they are watching out to not undercut their STHs. :)

And SHC, if they invite you down to the lower level to sit in the empty seats next to me, you are buying me a beer to compensate for the deal you got!! ;)

[Jeff O Rocks]

I just thought it would be nice to reward all the loyal STH's that sit on the 3rd level from time to time...it hurts my heart to see so many of the seats in Sections 106 and 107 go to waste!! :sad:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Don't worry Mona...us third levelers will just keep sneaking down once in a while like we always have!!

Believe me....if there was anyway possible I could afford LL I would probably do it just to fill in those seats....although I do love my third level view too.

[nccanes]

I agree that some things can and should be done to both encourage new fans, reward loyal fans, and fill empty seats. I just hope the Canes continue to tread carefully. As I mentioned, fans in Tampa are opting not to renew season tickets because of all the discounts available to anyone. I'm glad I haven't read/heard about that here. :)

[talkingcanes]

Hate to look on the other side of your proposal, but what would the benefit be of being a season ticket holder if you knew the seats that you pay in advance for would eventually be sold at cut rate prices? I think that the franchise makes a lot of money and needs the cashflow generated by selling and getting paid for season tickets even before the season starts.

Also, if you allowed people to come down to the lower level if it looks empty, it's not fair to the people who paid $85.00 for their seat to sit next to someone who paid $12. (I doubt they would pay that much again) Everyone would just pay the upper level prices and wait to see if they could move down. Also, imagine the fights ensuing after multiple people want to move down to the same seats, or someone gets up to get a beer and comes back and someone is in their seats. Lot's of headaches with your plan, but it's a nice thought..*S*

I don't care if people move down in my section as long as they are civil. When opposing fans do it, it can be really ugly sometimes. The problem I most see is the ticket holder being late and someone has claimed their seat. So then, while the game is being played they have to sort it out, get up and move and.............. It is a pain in the backside when that happens and it happens pretty frequently on the rows in front of me partly because the front 2 rows seem to be corporate seats. there is always someone new in them, but they are almost always filled, but you can't convince some people when they move down that someone will probably show up with a ticket. My only real complaint about it is the resulting movement during play.

I know this is probably not the way to think about it, but frankly I'd rather have people moving down once in a while than have a huge discount given on my seat. That would annoy me and I'd want to know why I had to pay more, and in advance, for the same seat. But any of you are welcome to move down if there are seats around me. You just have to figure out how to get past the ticket checkers ;)

[talkingcanes]

I agree that some things can and should be done to both encourage new fans, reward loyal fans, and fill empty seats. I just hope the Canes continue to tread carefully. As I mentioned, fans in Tampa are opting not to renew season tickets because of all the discounts available to anyone. I'm glad I haven't read/heard about that here. :)

I think they should designate games and sell lower bowl tickets at a discount. it could range in price depending on the face value of the ticket. they could limit it to STH or use it as a way to get new fans in the building. it's the same principal as ticket exchange program for STH. you don't have to lose those tickets if you can't make the game, you can use them for additional seats for designated games.

or they could set some middle of the week games as "upgrade your ticket" games for STH. I'd love to upgrade a game or 2 to center ice if it's available just to see what it's like to see a game from there. I can't afford it otherwise. they just need to be creative or ask us what to do ;) maybe we could volunteer to be a PR panel for the Canes ;) :D

[Jeff O Rocks]

I'd love to upgrade a game or 2 to center ice if it's available just to see what it's like to see a game from there. I can't afford it otherwise.

me too talking...I have gone in on Ticketmaster and found tickets in Center Ice on Row 3 or 4 and I have been so tempted...just ONCE!!

and SHC..come on down!! ;)

[sandstorm]

I work at Alltel Pavillion and they do ticket upgrade from lawn to inside seating at almost everyshow. I think its a good idea. I know concert are different than games,but everyone wins in this deal. The hockey patron may get a better seat and Hurricanes organization i s getting more money for an already sold seat. They could do the upgrades afetr the first period is over so that potential full price tickets could be sold right up until game time and the STH wouldn't get too upset because the"upgraders" don't get to see the whole game for the lower price. I can't attend many games due to financial reasons and can't afford the lower level at all. I would love to see a game at center ice sometime if all i had to pay was $10 or $20 more for a seat. They could do this for the games during the week that are poorly attended. Just a thought.

[nccanes]

I like the idea of designating certain games for extra benefits - both for the STH and the non-STH.

Sandstorm, outside of promo nights I would suggest you going to the ticket buying/scalping area outside the arena to try and get some deeply discounted tickets. If you are only looking for 1 or 2 tickets, you can almost always find something.

[Shell]

Five Dollar Day could widen NHL fan base
Kara Torio
July 8, 2003

The NHL always is trying to figure out how to bring in more fans. But in a little more than a year, it will have to find a way to keep the fans it has during a work stoppage everyone has seen coming for months and months and months.

Below is a suggestion to address both problems. But first, a quick anecdote for commissioner Gary Bettman, general mangers, owners and even the players: A nearly blind boy, a few months shy of his third birthday, stopped by an NHL practice last September. He was held up to the glass, but because of his limited vision, he couldn't focus on the puck or specific players. Nonetheless, he was mesmerized.

"Fast!" he yelled as a player skated past. He would jump back a little and giggle whenever there was a check against the boards near him. He couldn't follow the play, but he could feel the speed and power. He didn't want to leave his spot near the ice. Not even for a doughnut.

The point of the story: Hockey is best learned, loved and appreciated in person. The greatest aspects of the game -- speed, strength and skill -- are most appreciated in person. The game's qualities don't translate well through television, especially for people who haven't experienced it from the seats.

So how does the NHL attract new fans? Get them to a game. However, many -- if not most -- people can't afford to go to a game. And so, the solution . . .

Five Dollar Day. All tickets, $5. Sure, that isn't the best business solution, especially when franchise debt is such an issue around the league. But let's face it: The league must take care of its fans, in the 2003-04 season more than ever. It must welcome new fans, including those who can't afford the average ticket price.

Kevin Kovalycsik, a professor of sports finance at the Center for Sport Management at Seton Hall University, figured Five Dollar Day would cost a team about $600,000 for one game, based on average ticket prices and average attendance.

"That's a major loss," says Kovalycsik, thinking business first, as any good businessman would.

But what about thinking about the fans first? Give them a day, a night, a game that is completely for them. Accept the losses. Perhaps teams could even -- and try not to fall over here -- work it out with the NHL Players' Association so both sides split the financial losses to attract new fans and act like they care about the old ones.

Issues involved with this idea go beyond the loss of gate revenue.

First, what do you do for season-ticket holders who pay full price for seats?

Suggestion: Pull the game out of the season-ticket package. Therefore, all seats would be first-come, first-served.

Then there's choosing the game. Owners would want the Five Dollar Game to be the one that traditionally is the worst draw for fans, which makes perfect business sense. But it doesn't make good sense to invite fans to a game that might not be great. They need to become hooked on the sport in one game. They need to see the sport at its best.

The promotional game shouldn't be a potential sellout featuring a heated rival. The owners can keep that. So how about an interconference game against one of the best teams in the other half of the league? Oddly, those games historically don't draw well, but they can produce great hockey.

Kovalycsik dutifully points out that these one-time deals often don't do much for business.

"A gesture to the fans does better over time as opposed to a one-time deal," he says.

He suggests including a discount on a future expensive ticket in conjunction with the $5 ticket. Another option: Instead of one game at a low price, a team could offer tickets to a series of games in a section that normally doesn't sell out for $5 a game. Then comes the difficult part.

"All the teams would have to agree to do that," he says.

The teams can agree on this: Ill-advised spending has put franchises in debt and the league in economic trouble; the fan base is not as big as the NHL would like, and there is a definite fear about what a lengthy work stoppage could do to the fan base in the United States, so a gesture now would be much more well-received than one later.

A full summer lies ahead. The general managers will discuss goaltending equipment, obstruction and the collective-bargaining agreement. Fans also must be a key subject in the discussions. New fans are needed, and all fans must be shown some appreciation.

The game's appeal was clear to a visually impaired 2 1/2-year-old child. Being there is what draws you in. The league needs to secure fans or risk watching many of them walk away in 2004-05. Bite the bullet now. Find a way to make the gesture work.

[Kat]

I think that $5 day would alienate your season ticket holders. What they might want to do is designate that game from the outset and offer their seat at $5 to STH as an add-on, or even make it a free game.

-Kat

[nccanes]

I think it's a great idea. Imagine the press if every team did it - and 30 sold out arenas.

Considering how many full STH there are, I say include it at the cost of $5 (or free as Kat suggested) but leave it out of the mini plans. There would still be plenty of seats available for the general public.