GOPHER TICKET OFFICE SAYS THEY WILL LISTEN TO OUR IDEAS!!!

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After the email went out that non-season ticket holders can purchase tickets to the one decent non-conference home game of the year for less than what season ticket holders paid (Virgina game, $25/ticket) we put a call into the head of fan relations to express frustration and ask why Gopher basketball season ticket holders continue to be taken for granted.

We spoke to the head of fan relations who said they do read GopherHole from time to time, but may have missed our previous threads where we have shared ideas on what can be done to improve the season ticket holder experience. The head of fan relations said that if we were to put some ideas together they would absolutely take them into consideration, so this is our chance to speak right to the head of fan relations and share our ideas.

Please note, this area at the U is obviously not in charge of scheduling and I'm sure they'd love it as much as all of us if we had a better non-conference schedule, so let's stay away from recommending they add KU and Duke to our home schedule.

Please share your ideas on what would enhance the season ticket holder experience - be it ideas that other college teams have done, other local teams (pro, college, etc.) or any out of the box ideas that you believe would enhance the season ticket holder experience.

After about a week we will send this thread to the head of fan relations who said she would take these ideas into consideration to her team. With the onset of premium fees on the majority of Williams Arena seats coming in two seasons, the U will have to step up their game as well if they want to retain the season ticket holder base.

Let our voices be heard.
 

Well, this is almost petty but...................every single t-shirt, mini-basketball, etc. goes to the first 10 rows of the lower deck. The percentage of stuff that makes it to the second deck is about the GPA of Bluto in Animal House.
 

I have no problem with the discounted tickets for the Virginia game. I think the thread on that topic is split 50/50 for and against. If you have a problem with it, buy up the remaining season tickets so they don't have to sell them at a discounted rate.

The Gophers organization needs to focus on attracting new season ticket holders, so this $25 ticket issue won't even be an issue. How do they do this? How about a new jumbo tron and sound system? How about putting some backs on some of those bench seats without squeezing money out of people for portable ones. How about some renovations to some of the bathrooms? Make the experience better than it is, and that will attract more people.

The bottom line is no season ticket holder is going to cancel their season tickets because they got screwed out of $10. If they do, we are better off without them anyway.
 

This too might border on the petty but Williams Arena has to have the worlds worst hot dogs. The price is right but the product is not. And the "gourmet" dogs at the east end or even more sad.

Actually I have had very good experiences every time I needed to discuss tickets with the Gopher ticket office. Always treated courteously and they have always followed through.


As for the $25.00 Virginia tickets I am sure they are not prime seats. If it bothers anyone perhaps they could refund $10.00 to anyone sitting with in a row or two of the discounted seats. They are not likely season tickets anyway. Show your stub and get a refund or a food voucher. Not a big deal. I would much rather see a full house than empty seats.

As for the balls into the crowd I concur. I sit in row 14 first deck and they never ever come close. I don't mind the female cheerleaders giving the balls to some little kids in the first row but when the guys do it YIKES. Be a man throw the ball up there. There are kids in row 20 too you know. Yes it is kind of petty though.
 

I think the U has a fundamental problem in both football and basketball, but I'm not sure how realistic it is to address it. They need to let the students in free or nearly free. They need to fill the student sections for both sports. Florida, for one example, lets students in free for basketball and only charges about $5/game for football. It seems to work out well for them!

Today's students are tomorrow's donors and 40-year season-ticket holders. The easiest way to fill the student section is to let the students in for free instead of forcing them to spend a nice chunk of discretionary money they may not have. Also, if tickets are free, you can implement policies that takes the tickets away if they don't show up. If you don't pick your tickets up or swipe your ID, etc. your tickets will go to someone who will show up, and you go to the back of the line.

The problem is that the U needs all the revenue it can get, and this would require enduring some short-term pain for long-term gain. . But it would be worth it. And it can be off-set somewhat by selling sponsorships to the student section (Wells Fargo Barnyard anyone?), etc. I hope the next AD has more long-range vision on this.

Another thing that is needed is a section for recent grads that has discounted season tickets. Many recent grads cannot afford the price hike from student tickets to full-price. They are forced to either try and score student tickets some other way or drop their tickets altogether. Again, these are your future donors, life-long fans. If you lose them at 23-24 even after they supported you as a student, they may never come back.
 


Parking can be expensive and a hassle - how about sending us season ticket holders free parking passes for a couple of games as a gesture of appreciation for our loyalty?
 

Heres another good idea. get rid of the damned tickets-by-name for student tickets. for football tickets especially it adds an entirely unnecessary layer of stupidity to picking up tickets.
 

GH Staff~
Will the folks that read this also be able to respond to FB requests? I have suggestions for both but the majority of my thoughts would apply to FB since I am able to attend many for FB games per year than BB.
 

GoAUpher said:
GH Staff~
Will the folks that read this also be able to respond to FB requests? I have suggestions for both but the majority of my thoughts would apply to FB since I am able to attend many for FB games per year than BB.
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GoAUpher, yes, please share those ideas as well as it is the same group at the U.
 



My parents have been season ticket holders for a few years now, they have season tickets in the upper deck on the bleachers and gave me these suggestions:

1) Make all season ticket holder areas actual seats, not bleachers. There is often not correct spacing between people or in correct seats and uncomfortable
2) Better halftime entertainment
3) Have T-Shirts etc. get thrown in the upper deck. Weather cheerleaders or Goldy go up there and throw as well or have them thrown there also.
4) Improved PA sound quality (unclear in upper deck at times)
5) Possibly free parking passes for exhibition games.
 

I posted this elsewhere, but will do it again on this thread. I don't know how the point system works, but if you have retained your season ticket from the Clem Haskins era on, this should triple your points. Many folks have come-and-gone during those 15 years - holding season tickets. But a few thousand of us (6K?) never dropped our tickets.

We are the most loyal of the loyal. We watched the program have its greatest season and arguably greatest player (Bobby Jackson) and followed them to San Antonio, then Indianapolis. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a rouse and the program crashed-and-burned and was a national embarrassment - again. Nevertheless, some of us stayed the course - from the hiring of an overrated and ultimately overmatched coach - Dan Monson - to - and through - the pathetic and extremely awkward "vote of confidence" Joel Matri gave Coach Monson, when Maturi proclaimed Monson would be retained - only to fire him a handful of games into the ensuing season when it became clear to everyone, it was not working - and would never work. Then the shocking hire of Tubby Smith - incredible! - only to endure more garbage last year with a falsely charged impact player (Mbakwe) and an infantile potential superstar (Royce White).

Those of us that never dropped our season tickets throughout these events deserve special consideration during the re-seating process. We have clearly demonstrated we are the most loyal of your customers. If that's not deserving of special consideration, nothing is.
 


Those of us that never dropped our season tickets throughout these events deserve special consideration during the re-seating process. We have clearly demonstrated we are the most loyal of your customers. If that's not deserving of special consideration, nothing is.
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I couldn't agree more. Buying season tickets during the late Monson years should be considered a donation because we certainly didn't get value. When you go to a NC game by yourself because you can't give your tickets away, Literally. That's loyalty. When you go to a conference game knowing there is no chance to win but you go and cheer anyway (which most of the 10,000 season ticket holders in those years didn't) that's loyalty.

So we are now rewarded for that loyalty with a great team, a great coach and an exciting atmosphere only to be told we loyal fans, who have stayed through thick and thin, who bleed Maroon and Gold, who have never missed a game, who do not sell their "good seats" for a premium to Wisconsin fans, will be reseated so the fortunate few can have our "good seats". All this so the Gophers can afford to keep the non revenue sports viable. I would be fine if the money went to build Tubby his practice facility but I know better. It is going to pay for the swimming team's trip to Hawaii in January. (I know lots of U students who would like to go to Hawaii in January but they don't swim fast enough).

Whew. Now I feel better. I am done venting. Thanks for listening.
 



Those of us that never dropped our season tickets throughout these events deserve special consideration during the re-seating process. We have clearly demonstrated we are the most loyal of your customers. If that's not deserving of special consideration, nothing is.
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+1
 

GopherJake said:
Those of us that never dropped our season tickets throughout these events deserve special consideration during the re-seating process. We have clearly demonstrated we are the most loyal of your customers. If that's not deserving of special consideration, nothing is.
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Agreed, but I think that already is part of the re-seating plan (at least if it works like the TCF Bank seating). Your place in line as far as selecting seats is determined by the number of uninterrruped years for which you had season tickets; therefore, if you bailed during the Monson years, you lost your place in line - if you stayed, you were "rewarded" (although I have a very hard time looking at this as a reward when I'll be forced to pay even more $$ on top of an already overpriced ticket to get decent seats).
 

Southpaw said:
Agreed, but I think that already is part of the re-seating plan (at least if it works like the TCF Bank seating). Your place in line as far as selecting seats is determined by the number of uninterrruped years for which you had season tickets; therefore, if you bailed during the Monson years, you lost your place in line - if you stayed, you were "rewarded" (although I have a very hard time looking at this as a reward when I'll be forced to pay even more $$ on top of an already overpriced ticket to get decent seats).
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I agree that it is a factor. I'm saying it should be the biggest factor. If you renewed your tickets every year of the Monson program, it should triple your points, not just add one or two more years to the formula.
 

A few ideas: 1. Give Season ticket holders a few food vouchers that can use during the year. (5 free sodas and 2 hot dogs-something easy for the food vendors to handle and very little real cost to the University).
2. Host 10 (not sure of room cap or # of STH) different Season Ticket holder Tailgates over at TCF in the DQ room before bball games. Provide food and one free drink. Charge for any drink after=profit.
3.Enter every season ticket holder in a prize drawing with a Grand prize a trip for 4 to the Big Ten tourney with a suite. Have this for every Big Ten team. Other prizes "Ultimate Gopher Home Theater" from Best Buy.
4. Give any season ticket holder that attends every home gave including exhibition games an autographed team poster.
That is all I have for now.
 

Don't isolate the students to one or two sections. Ring the lower bowl with students. 5 rows at least. Honestly, those seats are too low anyway to give a good view - below the floor == not that great of a view, so I don't think season ticket holders would be hacked off, at least I wouldn't.

Plus, it would add an amazing amount of life to the place - read "Michigan State." Students would be more interested in buying tickets because the seats are so close, etc. It's also a long-term view. Hook the students now, get $$$ from them later.

If you jam the students into one section or make their seats *worse* than they are now, you are blowing it. DO NOT SELL OUT EVERY SQUARE INCH OF THIS HISTORIC BUILDING TO CORPORATE INTERESTS AND SHORT-TERM $$$$$$. The atmosphere is noticeably dulled from even the 90's, as has been discussed here ad nauseum. Don't make it worse. Make it better.
 


And we care because?

GopherJake said:
Well, this is almost petty but...................every single t-shirt, mini-basketball, etc. goes to the first 10 rows of the lower deck. The percentage of stuff that makes it to the second deck is about the GPA of Bluto in Animal House.
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Wow...
 

GopherJake said:
Well, this is almost petty but...................every single t-shirt, mini-basketball, etc. goes to the first 10 rows of the lower deck. The percentage of stuff that makes it to the second deck is about the GPA of Bluto in Animal House.
Click to expand...

Tonight cheerleaders went upstairs with some tshirts and basketballs.

You talk ,people listen
 

PavedWithGold said:
Wow...
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Good point, Paved. How long did it take you to type that in?

Maximus said:
Tonight cheerleaders went upstairs with some tshirts and basketballs.

You talk ,people listen
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They sure did. They should keep that up. Don't forget the front rows of the upper deck either. Share the wealth. To be clear, it's about the principle. I don't really care if I get a T-Shirt - I have $$$. But there are little kids in the upper deck too......

Heck, how about cheerleaders stationed in the upper deck for part of the game? Why not?
 

Put the student sections around the court!

The best programs in the nation (Duke, Syracuse, UNC, Kentucky, UConn, Kansas, Mich. State... etc.) do it. Even the mediocre programs do it!!!!

I haven't done too much research but I've found more programs that have the student section around the court than not. (See New Mexico, Texas A&M, Michigan, Missouri)...

I think this would contribute HUGELY to the home-court advantage!!!

Maybe we could cut the section behind the hoop in half and use those seats for around the court like LSU does!

This way, we don't cut the seats from the rest, we just re-seat the arena.

I'm sure tons of people would love/agree with this move... especially the students!
 

Here's another minor one, but something you could change and add a little value.

There are scoreboards on the side with the following stats: Rebounds, Blocks, Steals and Total. I love the simplicity of the sideline scoreboards, I really do. But, um, yeah, how about replacing "Total" with Turnovers? It is an absolute waste of a nice scoreboard stat to cite "Total." Nobody cares about "Total." If you don't like "Turnovers" because it is a negative stat (and is accessible on one of the other scoreboards) then how about "Assists?" (Or add them both, if that would be possible.)

I'm dead serious. This seemingly would be an simple change to make and replace an utterly useless stat with a relevant stat.

Also, if you are at all considering a wraparound scoreboard (which, to be honest, I hope you aren't), keep the thing relatively quiet. Save the incessantly dancing graphics for the pro game please!
 

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