Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 19:06:35 -0400 
From: Anna Matyas <am2x+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Penguin Marketing Meeting/2


Part II:  Tickets, Prices, Season Ticket Holder Perks

These things all tie together.  I haven't thought about how I'm going
to approach this; hope it isn't too choppy.  This isn't necessarily
in the order we discussed things.  I'm just trying to make it readable.

The moderator asked us how we felt we're being treated as season
ticket holders.  (This question threw me personally.  I've never thought
about myself as being special because I have season tickets.  I've been
going to games for years and decided to get season tickets for two
reasons: tickets were becoming increasingly difficult to get; I wanted
to assure myself of seeing Paul Coffey in person as much as possible.)
But everyone else had very strong opinions.

TICKETS/PRICING STRUCTURE/PAYMENT METHODS
*Bigger discounts should be given to those who pay for their tickets
 in full by the "early deadline."  They said the current discount is
 a joke.
*Payment plans for season tickets should be considered.  Suggestions
 included a 4-month payment plan, spread out over July-Aug-Sept-Oct.;
 a plan which would have a summer payment and a mid-season payment;
 a plan which would have payments at 10 home game installments (the downside
 of this plan is that the final payment would be due very close to
 the due date for playoff money). And of course, keeping the payment-in-full
 early deadline with a major discount.
*We were asked if we'd be willing to pay interest if we paid on installments.
 Everyone said not more than 10%; otherwise it wouldn't be any benefit over
 charging the entire amount on a major credit card at the first due date.
*We really fussed about the method playoff tickets were handled this year.
 Last year we bought them in two 8-game packages.  This year we had to buy
 all 16 games up front.  I said we should have at least been notified in
 advance that this was going to happen.  Two other people complained that
 we didn't get a cover letter with our tickets as we always had in the past.
 This was one of many little things that people perceive as a lack of
 season ticket holder appreciation. (Another one I brought up was the key
 chains we received at Christmas.  They were sent to the people who have
 season tickets in their name.  So if you have 4 tickets in your name, your
 got only 1 key chain, not four.  We agreed this is a minor thing, but
 tacky nonetheless.)
*Ticket refunds:  We said we would like to see a refund policy instituted
 for when we can't attend a game and are not able to sell the tickets
 ourselves.  (Having a single ticket, I have often found myself stuck
 when I can't go to a game.  It's hard to unload one ticket.  There was
 another woman in the group who also has one seat and she agreed.  We
 found many special problems associated with being single-seat holders.)
 We agreed to this:  With a 7 day notice, you can take your ticket(s) to
the      Arena for a full refund.  With a less than 7 day notice, you
will get a 75%  refund.
*Pricing structure: Everyone has heard the rumor about price reductions
 for D and E and increases for A,B, and C.  Everyone, including those in
 A,B, and C liked this idea.  One issue arose, however.  We wondered if
 the team took a league average in looking at pricing structure.  If this
 is the case, we object to that.  It isn't fair or realistic to take an
 average of cities like L.A. and New York included with cities like
 Pittsburgh and Hartford.  We think the average should be based on similar
 market economies, regardless of attendance figures, not the entire league.
*We no longer want to pay for exhibition games and any other extra games
 they want to dump on us.  They should either be free or we should have
 the option to refuse them.

PAY-PER-VIEW
*This was a pretty hot issue.  People were very open about the lengths
 they go to in order to pay for season tickets every year. Some people are
 laid off and it's very difficult; some forego vacations; etc.  The
prospect of   paying to see
 games on TV is not appealing.  Some caved in at paying for playoff games.
 I think we felt that the management would have us by the you-know-whats
 during playoffs.  They know damn well we're not going to want to miss the
 games.  For me personally, this isn't an issue because I will have a
 ticket to every game.  For those who share tickets, it is an issue.  And
 of course it's an issue for those who don't go to the games.  (We're
 talking about PPV for home games.)  We strongly opposed PPV.  And, like
 I mentioned in the other post, we feel energy would be better spent in
 getting a national TV contract.

PERKS FOR SEASON TICKET HOLDERS
--Suggestions made--
*bigger ticket discounts
*better system of handling parking permits for the lower lot
*at least one function to "meet the players" that is FREE.  (It was
 noted that the money paid for these functions goes to charity but
 we didn't see what the big deal was with having one free function.)
 (There were also complaints that many players don't show up for these
 things anyway.  Yeah, tell me about it.  I went to have my picture
 taken with Paul Coffey once and ended up having it taken with Troy
 Loney and TONY TANTI.  Sorry, two for  one didn't quite
 cut it when the "one" not there was Coff...)
 Two people mentioned the private party at Chauncey's last year as an
 example of something nice to do for season ticket holders.  That was
 nice, but I still thought the players weren't accessible.  (And fewer
 showed up than were supposed to.)
*A season ticket card, like a membership card, which would entitle us
 to discounts on Penguin merchandise, other Penguin events, and which
 would be honored for discounts at local restaurants and stores.  As
 one guy joked, "All I get with my season card now is a free car wash!"
*Another club, like the Igloo Club, but not as upscale.  As one man
 noted, "I won't go anywhere where I have to pay $18.75 for a pizza!"
*Some kind of publication with NHL news.  We talked about the difficulty
 in getting NHL stats in this city on a timely basis.
*This is a very interesting subject, that of corporate season ticket
 holders, and I personally think this will be extremely difficult for
 management to address.  People complained in general about the crowds
 at games and how they have changed just in the past year or two.
 Too much beer drinking, too much profanity, too many fights.  We
 know the reason -- many people are selling off their tickets and
 people are coming to games who aren't "regular fans."  This is one problem.
 The other is that of corporate holders.  Companies buy tickets and
 someone different uses them each game.  As one guy said, "These guys
 in suits with brief cases come to the games and all they do is talk
 about the stock market; they don't even watch the game."  But the problem
 as I see it can escalate into something more than not liking the people
 around you.  My concern is that people in A and B may be forced to
 request another section -- most probably due to rising prices -- and
 that would affect people in other sections.  For instance, I could
 be moved to another location to accommodate someone from A or B who has
 had season tickets longer than I have.  (Again, this is a real concern
 for people who go to games alone.  I like the people in my section;
 I wouldn't want to be forced to move.)

*In general, people feel slighted by management and disconcerted by the
 the new wave of fans coming in.

*Last, but most assuredly, not least.  TICKET PRICES.  We touched on this
 at different points during the meeting.  At the end, we were asked to
 individually give the scenario of what is the most we would accept for
 next year.  Bottom line:  No more than a $2 or $3 increase per ticket,
 with all extra games optional or free.
*When the moderator asked this question, we all felt a sense of doom and
 gloom.  What if the owners said that because of the settlement, we have
 to raise ticket prices $5 again in order to give the players what they
 want?  I brought up that last year they justified the increase by
 saying they would keep the championship team together and sign the
 big names.  (People complained about Patrick's negotiations with these
 three players, and that the deals should have been done much earlier.)
 I said that I figure them to hold Joey Mullen and Tom Barrasso over our
 heads this year.  They know that there must not be a Penguin fan alive
 who doesn't want to see Joey back here next year, and regardless of
 what fans think about Barrasso, the organization seems to value him and
 will probably give him what he wants.  People agreed.  But now that the
 settlement issue has arisen, we all feel pretty shakey about what will
 happen.  How much do we trust the owners?  The settlement will cost them
 more money.  Will the fans be expected to pay for this or will the
 owners be satisfied with less money for themselves?  Once again, without
 a national TV contract it will be on the fans to put out more bucks.
 Even though we all said maximum $3 increase, some of us privately said
 we'll pay anything.  Some privately said they would, but they just could
 no longer afford it.

IN CONCLUSION:
*The people in the group obviously love this team and go to great lengths
 to support them.  There seemed to be an overall sense that we are not
 appreciated by the management and the players.  We're all very concerned
 that this is going to turn into a "corporate sport."  People miss the
 good old days at the arena.  Without TV, things could get worse.  I think
 we were a pretty accurate representation of season ticket holders, and fans
 in general.

Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey