Ticket Prices / Lions' Marketing

[Toppy Vann]

My take is that the Lions have been blessed with one of the best facilities in North America to play in and while I know they have to pay the lease costs and there is a cost to opening more seats I strongly oppose any attempts to restrict the crowd seating size in that huge publicly financed facility - BC Place- just to keep up the economics of price per seat.

While they can't fill it with freebies as that is not good for season ticket holders they must rethink their marketing and connection to communities (ethnic, etc) to build their fan base and keep tickets at family friendly prices. Teams don't win forever and if you get too greedy you can be back to the ugly part of the Lions' '90s.

[SammyGreene]

Season ticket prices have gone up for 2013 but, according to Lowell Ullrich, Dennis Skulsky is actively looking at ways to offer discounts to casual fans. Ideas mentioned include all-you-can-eat sections and special student pricing.

There’s no guarantee of a lower-priced ticket this season, but president Dennis Skulsky said it’s still being considered as an option. Season tickets in five categories went up $5-25 this year, and since 2009, the last full season at B.C. Place Stadium before the club left for Empire Field, it’s up $75 in the highest non-suite section.

“We’re analyzing one full year back in the stadium,” Skulsky said. “We’re not guaranteeing anything, but we’re looking at what we can do.”

B.C.’s average attendance of 31,467 was behind only Saskatchewan and Edmonton last year, two teams which unlike the Lions receive parking and concession revenue.

Though the Lions cited favourable year-over-last figures in corporate sales and merchandising in their year-end report, Skulsky confirmed the likely loss of two premier sponsorship partners, admitting the lost revenue means the Lions have some work to do this spring.

But Skulsky is also still hearing it from fans who dislike how the house is scaled, saying tickets are the team’s top priority this year. Numerous items are under discussion, from all-you-can-eat sections, providing the stadium plays nice, to possible student-only pricing. Worth watching.

LU has more interesting items in his blog, including the prospect of a permanent training camp site in Kamloops.

Link

Thanks BCFAN this is a great read with lots of nuggets of information.

Interesting to read they are still looking at 2013 ticket prices yet it is already set for season tickets based on their website. As they look at reducing prices hopefully they realize how much the 7-Eleven partnership has failed miserably. Then again $74.95 for a pair of upper deck end zone seats is hardly a deal to begin with.

Losing two of its Premier Corporate Partners is a little alarming given there are only eight to begin with and TEAM 1040 and Sun/Province don't really count. I'm guessing Telus is one given the stadium naming rights deal collapsed with the government AFTER they had cut a deal with the Lions too.

With Geroy gone there will be LOTS of Lions fans perhaps looking at updating their jersey for game days. Don't rush however, as LU points up the CFL deal with Reebok is up at the end of 2013 and you wonder if the league will follow the NFL to Nike.

[TheLionKing]

Any idea what two sponsorship partners are pulling out ?

[SammyGreene]

Any idea what two sponsorship partners are pulling out ?

Not sure but here they are from 2012:
Fortis BC (since 2009)
Telus (2011)
Nissan (2010)
Budweiser (2011)
Vancouver Sun
Vancouver Province
Sports Action
TEAM 1040

[Rammer]

Any idea what two sponsorship partners are pulling out ?

Not sure but here they are from 2012:
Fortis BC (since 2009)
Telus (2011)
Nissan (2010)
Budweiser (2011)
Vancouver Sun
Vancouver Province
Sports Action
TEAM 1040

Have to think that Nissan is one of the two, past that most sponsors aren't going to be stressed about spending advertising dollars.

[B.C.FAN]

It seems the Lions have recognized that the corner sections at B.C. Place have been overpriced. They've adjusted the seating map to cut prices in four sections, adding them to the cheapest "Touchdown Endzone" price category. I got a letter today asking if I want to move my season tickets to take advantage of the new configuration (no thanks).

I’d like to take a moment to notify you of some positive changes taking place to the seating configuration for BC Lions games at BC Place starting in 2013.
After evaluating the current seating configuration and while constantly striving to create the best fan experience possible, we’ve made the decision to make some changes for 2013; please take a moment to review our new seating chart which can be viewed HERE.

You will notice that the Touchdown Endzone (the blue sections) in the lower bowl now extends one section farther into the corners and into Sections 206, 222, 233, and 249. With these seats now available at the same price as your season tickets we’d like to offer you the opportunity to move your seats over to the new edge of the Touchdown Endzone price category.

The remaining corner seats are still overpriced. There are just fewer of them.

[TheLionKing]

Nice to see the Lions are making changes to make it more affordable to fans.

[Hambone]

It seems the Lions have recognized that the corner sections at B.C. Place have been overpriced. They've adjusted the seating map to cut prices in four sections, adding them to the cheapest "Touchdown Endzone" price category. I got a letter today asking if I want to move my season tickets to take advantage of the new configuration (no thanks).

I don't know where your seats are but I think some folks will take advantage. They will be those folks already holding seats in the Red Zone or TD Corner sections closest to the TD End Zone group part of which is closer to their seat locations than before. I noticed looking at Ticketmaster charts last year how seats sold where two pricing groups met. For instance the TD Corner portion of 246 sold much better than the Red Zone portion of the same section. Similarly the TD End Zone half of 251 sold much better than the TD Corner half. With the TD End Zone group moving a section closer to both the TD Corner and Red Zone it has a trickle down effect of devaluing not only the TD Corner price group but also the Red Zone price group. I think where some looked at their TD Corner seats as a very similar seat but cheaper alternative to the Red Zone they will now look in the other direction for the same reasons. They're going to be thinking hey I was saving $100/seat to take TD Corner instead of Red Zone a section away. Now the TD Endzone has moved a section closer. I might as well jump that way and save another $100/seat. Similarly I think there may be some sitting in the Red Zone who will start thinking about saving $200/seat to jump into the edge of the now closer TD End Zone sections. If the Lions were to just eliminate the TD Corner price group entirely and make it part of the TD End Zone group I think you'd see an even larger exodus from the Red Zone into the cheaper area creating a net loss of revenue. This is the difficult part of the exercise of a pricing structure. I think this small change will have negligible impact on overall seat sales. I don't think it will sell many more, if any more, season tickets but could result in reduced revenues as people opt to move from higher priced sections into the ones that are now a section closer.

[SammyGreene]

Also looks like a much more conservative approach to the upper deck season ticket sales with the 2013 seating chart showing only the Lions side available.

[SammyGreene]

LU confirms in his blog today that visitors side of upper deck will be closed this coming season. Lower bowl only configuration on the horizon??

While I would like to see the upper bowl priced differently I rather have the lower bowl completely full on a regular basis than 17,000 down low and 13,000 up top as it kills the atmosphere.

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/02/22 ... her-world/

[Toppy Vann]

That sounds a bit like the Whitecaps strategy. If they don't buy seasons tickets then screw them, we won't open up when the bigger teams come to town. Not sure I read that sentiment right but it is a marketing tactic to make the seats fewer and then in greater demand.

I know it likely costs the Lions money to open up and get more staff from the stadium to pay but it is a publicly financed facility and they need to understand that too while at the same time we have to understand their cost structure even if we don't know the details.

The issue for the CFL is to grow the game - not just stay in one place and rest on the current teams and then Ottawa. More fans, mores sponsors, better pay.

A small stadium like the Als no doubt helped sell extra seats as you can't risk in good times a walk up ticket as it might not be there.

[SammyGreene]

@CFL_News: #CFL has lost two national sponsors with RONA & Scotiabank pulling out according to .@PentonKirk." Wow wonder why?

These must be the premier sponsors Skusky is referring to.

[sj-roc]

@CFL_News: #CFL has lost two national sponsors with RONA & Scotiabank pulling out according to .@PentonKirk." Wow wonder why?

These must be the premier sponsors Skusky is referring to.

So I guess we won't be seeing their logo patches on uniforms anymore. But before the purists rejoice, the question is, will anyone be replacing them?



Scotiabank has also been the title sponsor for the WF & EF playoff games over the last several seasons, which raises the same question there.

[Rammer]

That sounds a bit like the Whitecaps strategy. If they don't buy seasons tickets then screw them, we won't open up when the bigger teams come to town. Not sure I read that sentiment right but it is a marketing tactic to make the seats fewer and then in greater demand.

I know it likely costs the Lions money to open up and get more staff from the stadium to pay but it is a publicly financed facility and they need to understand that too while at the same time we have to understand their cost structure even if we don't know the details.

The issue for the CFL is to grow the game - not just stay in one place and rest on the current teams and then Ottawa. More fans, mores sponsors, better pay.

A small stadium like the Als no doubt helped sell extra seats as you can't risk in good times a walk up ticket as it might not be there.

The blame is being put on the fans alright, whereas the real blame lies on the Lion's pricing structure. An entire thread on how to improve the numbers, yet in the end only the LB corner seats were re-structured. Wait until the days of a poor team arrive and then see only the LB again. That is exactly opposite direction from where the Lions had grown. Lets see...umm, is it the product on the field that has forced the hands of the Lions...no. Is it competition, stadium decay....again no. Obviously, the conclusion to come to is that they Lion's are overpriced, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that and again just wait until the onfield product doesn't match to today's level, then you will see the 'low' in Lower Bowl full throttle.

[Rammer]

@CFL_News: #CFL has lost two national sponsors with RONA & Scotiabank pulling out according to .@PentonKirk." Wow wonder why?

These must be the premier sponsors Skusky is referring to.

I didn't see either of those two pulling out, both have the funding to do this easily with results for themselves. Going to be hard to replace Rona, which seemed to me to go hand and hand with the captive audience.