Coyle says U has to get very creative & innovative to get season ticket sales up

[rockford]

The University of Minnesota's budget is funded 17.3% through public dollars, and the athletics department is virtually entirely self-funded.

And when the University voluntarily forgoes athletics revenue so that cheapskates can get through the gates - you're not going to complain when they lag competitively behind their peers, right?

...

Yes, people who bitch about the price of something because it should be made cheaper to suit their budget are cheapskates. Outside of a select few who are financially independent, the rest of us can't have everything we want. We all have to make choices and sacrifice things that we would like. Sorry that I had to be the one to break this news to you.

If you can't afford Gophers football season tickets, then don't buy them. This isn't a tough concept for anyone to understand outside of this message board.

Yes, that $650 million a year in state dollars is a piddling amount. Hardly worth mentioning, really.

I can't afford Gopher season tickets, so I don't buy them. But please pardon me for attempting to contribute to a discussion on how ticket sales could be increased. Quite thoughtless of me. As someone who is interested in the product but not buying it, what could I possibly add?

Thank you for providing me with this valuable life lesson regarding personal choices. Now, I'll make another one: Never to engage with an insufferable prick like you.

JTG

 

[Word]

Did it work for the Twins?

I don't get this comparison, I go to Twins games.... it's empty man.

If there is something they're doing right it is getting the Axe exposure, photo ops, heading to other sports.

They should hire me as a full time "take the Axe to every visible place possible" guy.

The Twins averaged 64% capacity last year, in an awful season, one of many awful seasons over the last 10 years. What were the Gophers last season?

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

You can get tickets for cheap on the secondary market yet people still aren't showing up.

I'm not saying this isn't correct but whenever I look at stubhub 3 days to a couple weeks out the prices are grossly inflated. When do they drop to these "cheap" levels? Is it the day before or day of? I'd be interested to see some stats on that.

I will say though, that comparing unsold tickets on a secondary market that only become affordable 0-1 days before an event with zero advertising is not comparable to a ticket going unsold on the primary market that has (presumably) an entire marketing department and athletic department pushing their sales year round.

I don't care if tickets are for sale for $25 on stubhub and not being sold, I guarantee you that if the University marketed it for that price the sales would fare better.

 

[dpodoll68]

Yes, that $650 million a year in state dollars is a piddling amount. Hardly worth mentioning, really.

I can't afford Gopher season tickets, so I don't buy them. But please pardon me for attempting to contribute to a discussion on how ticket sales could be increased. Quite thoughtless of me. As someone who is interested in the product but not buying it, what could I possibly add?

Thank you for providing me with this valuable life lesson regarding personal choices. Now, I'll make another one: Never to engage with an insufferable prick like you.

Hey, if you don't like your own nonsense being thrown back in your face, don't bring it up. All of your public garbage is just that - garbage. The U of M athletics department will run its operations (including season ticket pricing) the way it sees fit, regardless of how much public funding it receives (which, again, in the case of the athletic department, is virtually nothing).

I'll sit over here being an insufferable prick with my season tickets (every year since TCF was opened, and a few years before that as well), and you can whine some more about how the state's public university doesn't cater to you personally.

I also don't believe that you can't afford season tickets. Not for a second. I very much believe that you choose not to purchase season tickets, and then whine because you really want something given to you at the price you want to pay (next to nothing), and you're powerless to make that happen.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

The Twins averaged 64% capacity last year, in an awful season, one of many awful seasons over the last 10 years. What were the Gophers last season?

64% as far as tickets sold?

And is that ... gud?

You can tell me what the gopher's numbers were if you'd like.

 

[rockford]

It's a public institution, built with public dollars, whose operation is dependent on more public dollars.

Access to events in its publicly funded stadium should be affordable to as broad a swath of the public as possible.

Is that a difficult concept to understand?

JTG[/QUO

Donations payed more for the stadium than the state did. The stadium has been profitable. Ticket to all events are affordable to the broad swath of cry babies.

The state paid 48% of the cost of the $288.5 million stadium.

 

[Vandy]

Yes, that $650 million a year in state dollars is a piddling amount. Hardly worth mentioning, really.

I can't afford Gopher season tickets, so I don't buy them. But please pardon me for attempting to contribute to a discussion on how ticket sales could be increased. Quite thoughtless of me. As someone who is interested in the product but not buying it, what could I possibly add?

Thank you for providing me with this valuable life lesson regarding personal choices. Now, I'll make another one: Never to engage with an insufferable prick like you.

JTG

I think that there is some effort to try to make it feasible for people of most incomes to find a way to get into some games if a person wants to. A number of 3 game packs are usually offered, and single games are often discounted as game days approach.

 

[Word]

You said it was empty. I don't think 64% is empty. That's about 2/3 full. How many Gopher games were 2/3 full this year?

Guess I don't understand why so many people are vehemently arguing for the status quo, empty stadium concept.

 

[rockford]

I think that there is some effort to try to make it feasible for people of most incomes to find a way to get into some games if a person wants to. A number of 3 game packs are usually offered, and single games are often discounted as game days approach.

Sure, there are different packages. And that's a good thing. But since their prices are based on the full package, which is overpriced, it's not exactly a great thing. But you're right, better than nothing.

JTG

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

You said it was empty. I don't think 64% is empty. That's about 2/3 full. How many Gopher games were 2/3 full this year?

Guess I don't understand why so many people are vehemently arguing for the status quo, empty stadium concept.

Games I went to were not 64% full man... it was pretty obvious too.

I bet if we're talking announced numbers or something they're pretty close. Not accurate, but not fair to call someone else's announced numbers and eyeball someone else.

 

[Word]

Games I went to were not 64% full man... it was pretty obvious too.

I bet if we're talking announced numbers or something they're pretty close. Not accurate, but not fair to call someone else's announced numbers and eyeball someone else.

I wasn't talking about eyeball numbers. I would bet the Twins numbers are closer to accurate than the Gophers though. The Gophers should definitely be able to trounce the Twins in % capacity - 7 games vs 81, but they seem to be relatively even in terms of % capacity.

I mostly attend Twins games on Friday and Saturday nights and those games in the summer are usually pretty full. Yes, a cold-weather, weekday Twins game will be empty.

Look - Coyle even admits it's a problem and said they need to get creative. I'm throwing out ideas on how they can get people back.

I'm of the belief that a full stadium is a good thing (for long-term revenue and creating energy around the program) - let's figure out ways (other than just waiting around for the wins to come and people to get back into it) to get people back in the stadium. I doubt it looks very good to recruits when they visit and the stadium is half full.

 

[Clark W. Griswold]

Not to the extent they should.

Guess I don't understand why so many people are vehemently arguing for the status quo, empty stadium concept.

I don't think anyone wants the 15K attendance. Speaking from my perspective it seems that anything short of extremely discounted tickets will be met with "not enough" or some other excuse will be made for why people choose to not buy.

 

[Spoofin]

Guess I don't understand why so many people are vehemently arguing for the status quo, empty stadium concept.

Answered back in post #45

There are 2 groups on this topic:
1. Those that understand supply/demand
2. Those that want to feel better about their decision to pay the U for ST

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

You said it was empty. I don't think 64% is empty. That's about 2/3 full. How many Gopher games were 2/3 full this year?

Guess I don't understand why so many people are vehemently arguing for the status quo, empty stadium concept.

Because results on the field were the main reason for the empty stadium, not being able to find a ticket at a reasonable price.

With the momentum heading into next season, if they win 8-9-10 games next year, the ticket demand will be much higher, even with the same prices.

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

I can't afford Gopher season tickets, so I don't buy them. But please pardon me for attempting to contribute to a discussion on how ticket sales could be increased. Quite thoughtless of me. As someone who is interested in the product but not buying it, what could I possibly add?

JTG

Do you live in the Twin Cities?

If so and you seriously can't afford $249 dollars for 7 weekend fall entertainment events, then you must be living an extremely poor hand to mouth existence. I feel bad for you if that is the case.

More likely- you simply choose not to purchase them for whatever reason, which is certainly your prerogative.

 

[BilldGopher]

As part of the bowl game learned GT faces similar challenges as the UM on getting butts-in-the-seats as per season ticket sales and "donations."

They announced their ticket pricing and incentive plan for the 2019 season. Just like everyone, they have seats that require "giving" to the "Tech Fund" to secure. As noted they have some ideas to sweeten the pot for new alumni, early takers, and the like. Some interesting ideas.

Here's the link: https://ramblinwreck.com/2019-football-schedule-ticket-prices-finalized/

AD Coyle should assign an aspiring grad assistant with the job of scouring all D-1 programs for their incentives. No shame in copying someone else's good idea.

 

[Spoofin]

Do you live in the Twin Cities?

If so and you seriously can't afford $249 dollars for 7 weekend fall entertainment events, then you must be living an extremely poor hand to mouth existence. I feel bad for you if that is the case.

More likely- you simply choose not to purchase them for whatever reason, which is certainly your prerogative.

Is it possible someone <I>could</I> afford tickets, but that it would not be a wise financial decision for their situation to spend that money without living an “extremely poor existence”.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

the highly popular Stinger Mobile Pass – a flexible ticket option that guarantees a seat for all seven home games with tickets delivered to the buyer’s mobile device each gameday – returns in 2019 with two options, $149 for upper-level seats and $249 for the new Stinger Gold Mobile Pass, which guarantees lower-level seats. Both passes offer customizable features that allow purchasers to sit with friends, purchase guest tickets and more;

That's kinda interesting.

 

[Gophers_4life]

Because results on the field were the main reason for the empty stadium, not being able to find a ticket at a reasonable price.

With the momentum heading into next season, if they win 8-9-10 games next year, the ticket demand will be much higher, even with the same prices.

I'm fine being wrong, but I do not agree that it was the sole main reason.

I think last year was also badly affected by the overall conditions of the home games. On paper, the *only* home game that had a significantly compelling opponent was the Iowa homecoming game. Purdue, Northwestern, Indiana ... these are all fine, historic Big Ten teams ... but I have a feeling that a lot of people outside fairly hardcore Gopher football fans, and the few alumni of those teams living in the cities, care much about those teams. And then we had three non-conf games against teams people flatly did not know or care about.

And then the horrible weather and non-traditional days/times to boot, all on top of that.


What it essentially boils down to, is the same old thing that every non-helmet school struggles with: do you have a big enough base of people who want to come watch the GOPHERS play, regardless who they are playing, or not?

 

[Gophers_4life]

Do you live in the Twin Cities?

If so and you seriously can't afford $249 dollars for 7 weekend fall entertainment events, then you must be living an extremely poor hand to mouth existence. I feel bad for you if that is the case.

More likely- you simply choose not to purchase them for whatever reason, which is certainly your prerogative.

This argument is a waste of time. Same for those arguing about this on the last several pages.

It's not about absolute dollars within people's absolute budgets ..... it's about: what kind of experience can you offer them that is head & shoulders better than the fairly high level watching experience they can get on their couches with their HD screens in their own living rooms, keeping in mind the hassles of transportation, parking, walking, waiting, and weather ... and at what price can you offer that?

It really seems that for most people right now, to get a significantly better overall experience than just watching at home, would take a pretty significant ticket. So the people going have to really value the externalities of being at the stadium, or view it as some kind of family tradition, or something along those lines. Or there has to be something extra that you can't get at home, like tailgating, etc.

Not sure what the university to try to change that equation ..... but I guarantee you that nobody who watches at home is going to decide that they want to go to the stadium just to watch the game. There has to be more to it than that, to convince them.

 

[swelna]

That's kinda interesting.

Actually, I think that's very interesting. I can imagine maybe it works like this: You get guaranteed lower section seats, but no guarantee of where they are. At some point, maybe 24hrs before the game, it goes through the list of subscribers randomly and fills them in the "best seat available" meeting their ticket criteria. So you'd get better seats during low attendance games, and worse seat during high attendance games.

I'd probably price that model somewhere between the lowest and highest priced seats, maybe with the guarantee that you'd get a voucher for next season or something if the average price of your seats over the entire season were X% below what you paid? That might help the crowd that would be like "What if I get seats that were lower price than I paid the entire time".

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Actually, I think that's very interesting. I can imagine maybe it works like this: You get guaranteed lower section seats, but no guarantee of where they are. At some point, maybe 24hrs before the game, it goes through the list of subscribers randomly and fills them in the "best seat available" meeting their ticket criteria. So you'd get better seats during low attendance games, and worse seat during high attendance games.

I'd probably price that model somewhere between the lowest and highest priced seats, maybe with the guarantee that you'd get a voucher for next season or something if the average price of your seats over the entire season were X% below what you paid? That might help the crowd that would be like "What if I get seats that were lower price than I paid the entire time".

It's got a value proposition that I think ... Minnesotan coupon clippers might like

Could even offer them say a couple tickets around them for low attendance games for A ONE TIME ULTRA LOW PRICE ACT NOW.

That way it is just for them, they can invite friends, but it doesn't really change the pricing that you find elsewhere and if it's not there the next game nobody worries about it as it was just a flash sale like thing.

Some interesting ideas there.

 

[BilldGopher]

One thing that stands out in the GT announcement is this:

Lower prices across the board await Georgia Tech season-ticket holders for head coach Geoff Collins’ first campaign at the helm of the Yellow Jackets, as the cost of season-ticket memberships have decreased for all seat locations at Bobby Dodd Stadium in 2019, despite the fact that the Yellow Jackets are playing one more home contest than they did last season.

Don't know why they lowered the prices but that's very prominent...

 

[Gophers_4life]

Well yeah the base price decreased .... and the difference was replaced by a surcharge fee.

Kidding ... but maybe not?

 

[Spoofin]

One thing that stands out in the GT announcement is this:

Lower prices across the board await Georgia Tech season-ticket holders for head coach Geoff Collins’ first campaign at the helm of the Yellow Jackets, as the cost of season-ticket memberships have decreased for all seat locations at Bobby Dodd Stadium in 2019, despite the fact that the Yellow Jackets are playing one more home contest than they did last season.

Don't know why they lowered the prices but that's very prominent...

Why did they lower the prices? Good question. I have learned that parking revenue doesn’t count, concession revenue doesn’t count, and even if those things did count it doesn’t matter as lowering ticket prices won’t sell more tickets. The only possible answer left is they wanted lower revenue. Not very smart for a school like GT.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LakerFan]

This thread started on the premise of discussing creative ways to increase STHs. Arguing that cheap seats for single games are available and therefore price is not the reason season ticket holders have declined doesn't hold water. The end goal is increased overall attendance, as a way of achieving that Mark Coyle feels he needs to stop the bleeding of losing STHs (and not replacing them) first. You could try to argue that if season tickets go down to zero you can still technically fill the stadium with 3 for one's, pizza deals and free attendance for high school students, but the AD seems to believe it's a priority to address STHs.

IF it is not about price first, why was his first action to freeze and eliminate the third leg of an out of touch with the market pricing scheme. Could it be that the trend of losing STHs once the second leg kicked in alarmed people who pay attention? Many of those STHs they lost had survived several ups and downs of the team being bad, then good, then terrible, then average, so how can the "just win more games" solve that problem? If the end goal was just revenue for the current year and the current year only, they should have let the third rail of their increase happen and as long as they didn't lose more than 30% of the STHs they would have netted more revenue and then you keep following that path into oblivion. Revenue growth through price increase and STH decrease is a short term strategy that can't be sustained. The only long term strategy that works is to fill the stadium, and use excess demand to gauge how fast you can increase the price.

I agree that Coyle will need to be creative to bring people back, keep the base he already has, and bring in new people as STHs. The one thing that definitely appeals to all three of those groups is price, no one will dump their tickets and declare it was the price decrease that was the final straw, or argue that they were considering season tickets this year but if only they cost more they would be more appealing.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

a couple people said you don't need binoculars to see from the upper deck. well, I would contend you may not "need" them, but if you "want" to really focus in on the line play, or get a close-up view at a goal-line play, it's either binoculars or wait and hope that they put a replay up on the video board.

Unless you have Superman-type vision. I'm 63 - I can see about a block away, and after that it's pretty iffy. and my night vision is crap.

FWIW, I'm used to watching HS games from the press-box, where you're a lot closer to the field and have a better viewing angle. for better or worse, that's what I'm used to. so watching a college game from the upper deck is not going to be the same.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

a couple people said you don't need binoculars to see from the upper deck. well, I would contend you may not "need" them, but if you "want" to really focus in on the line play, or get a close-up view at a goal-line play, it's either binoculars or wait and hope that they put a replay up on the video board.

Unless you have Superman-type vision. I'm 63 - I can see about a block away, and after that it's pretty iffy. and my night vision is crap.

FWIW, I'm used to watching HS games from the press-box, where you're a lot closer to the field and have a better viewing angle. for better or worse, that's what I'm used to. so watching a college game from the upper deck is not going to be the same.

Hell I'm on the lower level and I bring binoculars

 

[zman]

Hell I'm on the lower level and I bring binoculars

Yeah, but you're just creepin' on the cheerleaders.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Yeah, but you're just creepin' on the cheerleaders.

I'm too far over to do that without it being obvious...


They used to be right in front of me in the dome and I was all I swear to god I'm trying to watch the game and they threw that girl doing the splits right in front of us!... I mean I gotta try watching the game but damn it cheerleaders you're making this creepy!