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Prowl, Growl and Roar!
Coach Bene made reference to over 40,000 screaming fans at B.C. Place on Sunday during a TV news clip this morning.
Bobby Ackles used to give the daily media updates on the ticket sales in the week leading up to each home game...which Team1040 and other media used to publicize. I think when the ticket sales announced were low, this might have spurred on some fans to buy tickets...to support their team. Higher ticket sales announcements build enthusiasm and spur some on to buy tickets to ensure they still get a good seat. Sometimes Ackles used to give the actual ticket sales up to that day...or sometimes the projected attendance if the sales continued at the same pace. Now there is a vacuum and fans hear virtually nothing about the upcoming game. This is free publicity that the Lions could utilize, Skulsky just has to pick up the phone and making the call.
Nice to see Dhaliwal back on the attendance updates. Wish he would do it more.
What exactly is Family Day they are promoting for this game? In the past, this used to be the Lions back to school game where they gave away a lunch box or back packs to kids 12 and under. It's definitely not that as it looks like the "giveaway" budget was all spent on the season ticket holder scarves.
And a pub here in Ladner is doing a bus deal for this game. I'm sure this is one area the Lions ticket department keeps on top of, especially group sales
David wrote:
Actually, Ceilis Irish Pub at 7th and Burrard offers a shuttle service to Lions games I believe.
Yes, that's correct David. We took advantage of their burger, beer and shuttle package a couple of times for games at Tempire. Although we stopped after they stranded us there. We went to the designated spot after the game and the bus never showed up. Called them to be told it had left. We were mighty ticked as we had basically gone directly from our seats to the designated pick up spot as soon as the game was over.
SammyGreene wrote:What exactly is Family Day they are promoting for this game? In the past, this used to be the Lions back to school game where they gave away a lunch box or back packs to kids 12 and under. It's definitely not that as it looks like the "giveaway" budget was all spent on the season ticket holder scarves.
Not exactly certain what that means either, Sammy. Other than the fact that families will have an easier time attending a Sunday afternoon game in the summer vs 7:00pm on a Friday, especially those from the Fraser Valley and the Island.
Promotional budget definitely looks to have been cut this year. Again, I believe they were relying on the 'halo effect' of being Grey Cup champs, playing in a refurbished stadium etc. But they definitely needed to show value with at least one giveaway night, be it a mini Grey Cup, lunch box, or bobble head etc. I also noticed they no longer hand out orange foam claws or foam hats to a specific section at games. That seemed to go over well but it's disappeared.
Is it me, or does this seem to be the year of self-congratulatory pats on the back? Wally Buono definitely deserves a special night (at which time his name should be added to the Ring Of Honour). I'm just not sure that a Sunday afternoon in 2012 is the right time.
PPV for the Lions will never happen. Currently the CFL sells its broadcast rights as a whole to TSN. Any rebroadcasts (ESPN or others) are paid back to the host broadcaster. The reason why the Lions won't go down the same road as the Canucks have with respect to this is production costs. The Lions would need cameras, operators, production crews etc and a center that was able to send out a signal.
Even if they were to pony up with say Shaw or Telus, there would be huge costs involved. It's taken the Canucks, an organization with a huge fan base and owners with very deep pockets, more than a few years to get their PPV broadcasts up to the quality that people are willing to shell out $20-$30/per for, and even then, I know that Shaw call centers are overloaded with complaints on game nights.
Until TSN comes out with a regionalized HD Channel, similar to what Sportsnet has with Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet East etc, rather than a national HD channel, none of the games broadcast in HD will be blacked out. SD channels can be blacked out based on postal code billing registries, so the networks have a little more play with them.
One last point, TSN is included in all packages, both SD and HD. It is TSN2 that requires a subscription to view.....at least it was when I was worked with Shaw.
Hope this helps.
PPS, totally agree with David's point that in order to build a large fan base you need it to be accessible for families. It costs too much for a family of 4 to take in a game now. Throw in parking, food, Lions merch and you can easily run into $300. I can watch the game at home with my family, wine and dine them and not have to worry about a fight breaking out two rows over. Although the Lions have a world class facility to play in and a great product on the field, better value is needed to attract the casual fan and their family.
I'd love you to say it to my face because you'd only say it once...if you ever had the courage to say it at all!! Blitz, 05/24/2008
A month between home games and the team in bit of a skid so the Whitecaps decide to launch a 48-hr ticket sales blitz for their remaining home games through a number of organizations including this link.
This is a pretty aggressive approach by a 2nd year franchise that is having a solid enough season and is only using a 21,000 seat configuration in BC Place. Not sure how well something like this would go over with Lions season ticket holders if high end seats are being discounted by almost 50 percent. I think I would be kinda of pissed and does it scream of desperation on the Whitecaps part or just smart marketing?
SammyGreene wrote:A month between home games and the team in bit of a skid so the Whitecaps decide to launch a 48-hr ticket sales blitz for their remaining home games through a number of organizations including this link. http://www.rec.ubc.ca/promo/whitecapsfc.cfm This is a pretty aggressive approach by a 2nd year franchise that is having a solid enough season and is only using a 21,000 seat configuration in BC Place. Not sure how well something like this would go over with Lions season ticket holders if high end seats are being discounted by almost 50 percent. I think I would be kinda of pissed and does it scream of desperation on the Whitecaps part or just smart marketing?
That's a good question, Sammy. Will fans 'hold off' buying next year in anticipation of getting big discounts? Or will the atmosphere of a packed house win over new fans for next year?
The Whitecaps must surely be wondering what magic potion the Sounders have been using on the Seattle populace. While I see lots of 'Caps merchandse on the streets (probably more than the Lions on my side of town), I don't think the frenzy is quite there at the turnstiles. Frankly, they haven't been selling out even their modest configuration, and the moves they've made in trading fan favourite Eric Hassli and losing creative playmaker Davide Chumiento haven't endeared them with their supporters. Plus, their season ticket base went from 17,000 in their inaugral season down to 13,000 this year.
I also noticed that Safeway has a deal with the Whitecaps. I can't believe this giveaway (and I almost mean that literally) is sitting too well with Safeway's promotions department.
Last edited by sj-roc on Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
David wrote:
I also noticed that Safeway has a deal with the Whitecaps. I can't believe this giveaway (and I almost mean that literally) is sitting too well with Safeway's promotions department.
DH
The Safeway deal seems like a rip off compared to this fire sale. It seems ironic a month earlier the Caps were refusing to open up more seats for the LA Galaxy game as a point to prove the value of committing to season tickets then turnaround and slash ticket prices for not just one but their remaining games. If I got $81 seats for $44 for all 3 games I could just never see myself ever paying full price for those seats again.
Although I don't agree at all with the Lions current pricing structure, I give Skulsky credit for not panicking and pulling this kind of move but rather wait until the off-season when current season ticket holders would have equal opportunity to benefit from whatever savings.
If the Lions want to get bigger crowds, then they really need to get real about their ticket prices. And by real, I mean they need to SERIOUSLY reduce the cost.
I'm a season ticket holder and for the game against Sask, my son and father-in-law wanted to come. We had a 2 for 1 coupon from my son's school so we decided to buy two extras at the door.
The cheapest seats were $35 and that's not including the $8 service charge. This was for end zone seats in the upper bowl. Even though we had a 2 for 1 coupon, they still charged an $8 service charge for BOTH tickets meaning total cost was $51. That quite frankly, is OUTRAGEOUS. I expected that with a 2 for 1 coupon the total cost would have been around $25 to $30.
We have 2 for 1 coupons for later games in the year but there is simply no way that we are going to use them because the cost is too high.
IMO, with a stadium as big as BC Place, there should be a significant number of seats available for $20 each. Particularly in the endzone in the upper bowl. You will do more to attract a bigger audience by having sensible pricing than what they have in their current structure. Better to have an extra 5000 people paying $20 each than having no one paying at all.
I think Lions would benefit from discounting (1/2 price) the upper 3/4 or 1/2 of the upper bowl without upsetting season ticket holders. Do it in the off season and then people who want to give up season tickets to save $ by going to cheaper seats can do so. Also people who want to up grade their season tickets to better seats can do so by taking the ones just vacated by the $ savers.
Even if there are not quite enough new fans in the building to completely offset old fans moving to the cheap seats, it will mean more people in the building and a greater home field advantage and likely increased souvenir sales, and more exposure for in-stadium advertisers.
The Lions didn't provide he Entertainment book 2 fo1 coupon this year either.
I understand the revenue need but more fans at lower prices might create the same revenue. Overall more fans helps build and sustain the fan base and create an interest in the next generation of fans. The higher prices may hurt that in the long run.
SammyGreene wrote:Although I don't agree at all with the Lions current pricing structure, I give Skulsky credit for not panicking and pulling this kind of move but rather wait until the off-season when current season ticket holders would have equal opportunity to benefit from whatever savings.
Bobby Ackles would be rolling over in his grave if the Lions did something like that mid-season.
You're as old as you've ever been and as young as you're ever going to be.
DanoT wrote:I think Lions would benefit from discounting (1/2 price) the upper 3/4 or 1/2 of the upper bowl without upsetting season ticket holders. Do it in the off season and then people who want to give up season tickets to save $ by going to cheaper seats can do so. Also people who want to up grade their season tickets to better seats can do so by taking the ones just vacated by the $ savers.
Even if there are not quite enough new fans in the building to completely offset old fans moving to the cheap seats, it will mean more people in the building and a greater home field advantage and likely increased souvenir sales, and more exposure for in-stadium advertisers.
The Lions ticket pricing needs to be structured so that the lower bowl fills first, then the lower part of the upper bowl. That's essential to convey the best fan experience in the stadium and on television. Encouraging people to sit in discounted seats in the upper bowl is counterproductive. It will only result in more empty seats in the lower bowl where everyone will see them.
The corners of the lower bowl are overpriced. They're always the last to sell. The 7-Eleven section already provides discounted tickets in the upper bowl. Discount those seats further if you want to attract more casual fans but don't provide discounts that lure people to other parts of the upper bowl before the lower bowl is full.
