2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

[theprofromdover]

I reveceived the following from the committee:
TO: Individuals Who Purchased Tickets to the 2011 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four.



SUBJECT: Additional Tickets Available for the 2011 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four.





Great news! A limited number of tickets to the 2011 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, have become available. We know that you have already purchased your tickets, but we wanted to provide you with the opportunity to purchase additional tickets if desired.



Here are a few very important notes regarding these tickets:



1. The tickets that you purchased through the online ticket application process last spring will be mailed to you via the United States Postal Service in late February/early March. Any additional tickets that you purchase through this offer will be mailed to you directly from the Xcel Energy Center in a separate mailing.



2. A maximum of four additional all-session tickets per household may be purchased.



3. Remaining available seating is located primarily in the 200 level of Xcel Energy Center in the end sections (208 – 215 and 223 – 230). Available 200 level seating includes reserved locations at bar rails with a high back bar stool for seating. Limited club level seating includes reserved locations at bar rails with a high back bar stool for seating. These seats WILL NOT be located with the seats that you purchased through the online ticket application process.



4. You will not receive any additional priority credit for purchasing these tickets and your seating location will NOT be dependent upon your current priority level. Seats will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis and seats will be assigned randomly.



5. You may access the link to purchase tickets by clicking here. You may use the account and password that you established during the online ticket application process.



As a reminder, these additional tickets will be mailed to you directly from the Xcel Energy Center and will ship separately from those tickets that you purchased through the online ticket application process.





We look forward to seeing you in Saint Paul!

 

[alfablue]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

We got the same e-mail this afternoon. Interesting that the game can't be sold out in such a hub of hockey....

 

[MaizeRage]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

I do know of people that applied, but didn't get tickets. A bunch of Gopher fans must have turned their tickets in after losing to Anchorage.

 

[RaceBoarder]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

Are these available to the general public at this time?

 

[sterlippo1]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

i got that email about a month ago and was for people that attended in 2009. my chance to buy ended 1/26..........

 

[goldy_331]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

I do know of people that applied, but didn't get tickets. A bunch of Gopher fans must have turned their tickets in after losing to Anchorage.

Pffft, it was after losing to MSU! You know the NCAA couldn't react this fast.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

These are almost certainly corporate friend tickets, or tickets from other non-public allotments. A similar batch of tickets became available in Buffalo at about this same point in time. So there is precedent for this.

That said, the announcement is rather stunning in two respects:

1. That demand for tickets is this soft in the Twin Cities; and
2. The wide open nature of the announcement. In Buffalo, IIRC, the extra ducats were offered to unsuccessful lottery applicants. In this case, it appears that the extras have been offered to everyone who applied. That suggests that there are more than a few tickets involved.

Despite today's e-mail, I'm expecting a full building and good tournament atmosphere. But for sellers on the secondary market, the forecast is less optimistic.

 

[gordwiser]

Despite today's e-mail, I'm expecting a full building and good tournament atmosphere. But for sellers on the secondary market, the forecast is less optimistic.

Unless North Dakota somehow makes it then then the atmosphere will be like Borrowed Bucks Roadhouse and the secondary market will be flush.

 

[CLS]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

Are these available to the general public at this time?

I’d say if you’re interested, give it a try. Here’s the link:

http://www20.ticketingcentral.com/V2/Quantity.aspx?8CD8F925ED2139C

When you go to that link, you get the following message, which implies to me that they’ve contemplated non-priority ticket applicants and/or people who’ve never applied before. On the other hand, if you don’t get priority points for buying through this sale, why do they need a customer number at all?

ATTENTION PRIORITY TICKET APPLICANTS – DUE TO THE NEW APPLICATION SYSTEM, YOU WILL NEED TO CREATE A NEW VERITIX ACCOUNT. ON THE FOLLOWING SCREEN, PLEASE ENTER EITHER YOUR CUSTOMER ID NUMBER/IHM NUMBER OR THE E-MAIL ADDRESS CURRENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR PRIOR ONLINE APPLICATIONS. AFTER ENTERING THIS INFORMATION, YOU MUST CLICK ON THE “I FORGOT MY PASSWORD” LINK IN ORDER TO CREATE A NEW PASSWORD FOR YOUR ACCOUNT. YOUR CURRENT PRIORITY STATUS WILL BE LINKED TO YOUR ACCOUNT THROUGH THE CUSTOMER ID NUMBER OR E-MAIL ADDRESS ENTERED. (NOTE: WHEN ENTERING YOUR CUSTOMER ID NUMBER/IHM NUMBER, PLEASE ENTER IT AS FOLLOWS: XXXXXX-XXXXX, THE LETTERS “IHM” ARE NOT NEEDED.)

These are almost certainly corporate friend tickets, or tickets from other non-public allotments. A similar batch of tickets became available in Buffalo at about this same point in time. So there is precedent for this.

I thought that also, but a look at the seating chart indicates to me that there aren’t great seats – the kind that usually go to low priority purchasers. What encourages me about that is that if it's true that there are a lot of seats available through this sale, perhaps it means that that people who buy through the lottery might get better seats than usual.

 

[moose97]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

These are almost certainly corporate friend tickets, or tickets from other non-public allotments. A similar batch of tickets became available in Buffalo at about this same point in time. So there is precedent for this.

That said, the announcement is rather stunning in two respects:

1. That demand for tickets is this soft in the Twin Cities; and

You really find this stunning? The local StarTribune bloger just wrote a story how the Gophers have the inside track - for the final home-ice spot in the WCHA! So you think that the corporate climate that is contributing to crowds like this (see pic 2):

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/112736619.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU

wants to shell out big bucks for a Frozen Four that likely won't even include the home team? Remember that fantastic crowd last time the FF was in St. Paul? Oh yeah, the Gophers won it all that year...

Sorry, but the corporate crowd has no reason to buy. I think there are plenty of "hockey" fans in the Twin Cities who would go Gophers or not, but for a company to justify that kind of expense? Kind of hard to do, no?

 

[goldy_331]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

We also got the e-mail as Gopher season ticket holders.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

You really find this stunning? The local StarTribune bloger just wrote a story how the Gophers have the inside track - for the final home-ice spot in the WCHA!...

And I'm stunned by your reply.

OK, a little bit of context. A group of us generally spend some time each year analyzing the Frozen Four ticket lottery. The conventional wisdom, repeated endlessly, is that the Frozen Four will now sell out anywhere. Usually I'm the one putting the brakes on, trying to persuade others that FF sellouts aren't a lock. For a recent example, see my posts in the Nashville thread. So it's actually quite amusing/refreshing/stunning to me to be outflanked on the other side -- to be told, in effect, that of course there will be empty seats, and that only an idiot would think otherwise!

Look. This season's on-ice results aren't particularly relevant to advance demand. The lottery is held a year in advance. Still, the Gophers' W-L record has been below expectations for the past few seasons. No doubt that softened the lottery demand last April. But my understanding is that all of the lottery tickets were sold, so that's not the source of the extras.

Tickets held by the NCAA for member schools and the like should have roughly uniform demand, regardless of the participating teams.

The host school allotment might be the source of some of the extras. If so, that's kind of disappointing. I would hope that the staunchest local fans would be interested in attending the national championship once every nine years, especially when tickets can be had from the box office at face value. I am aware that Gopher Season Ticket Holders were given a rather early deadline for placing orders. Last September, IIRC. The early deadline might have made some difference at the margins.

Of course, we in the public don't know for sure if the host school allotment is involved. The most likely source of the extras:

So you think that the corporate climate that is contributing to crowds like this ...wants to shell out big bucks for a Frozen Four that likely won't even include the home team? Remember that fantastic crowd last time the FF was in St. Paul? Oh yeah, the Gophers won it all that year...

Presumably most sponsorship decisions are made long before this point of the season. If there are still sponsorships open, I'd certainly be willing to believe that they'll be a tougher sell because the local team has fallen on relatively hard times.

But with UMD, UND & WI all plausible candidates for the FF, there should be demand for the ducats. Without the Gophers, I doubt that tickets on the secondary market will command premium prices -- and said so in my previous post. But I'd expect that the tickets would find users.

If I understand the corporate friend tickets correctly, they are given as a perk, part of the sponsorship package. In other words, if you sponsor, the ducats come at no extra charge. If the tickets find their way to grateful users, that's likely the most important thing from a corporate point of view. The profit available on the secondary ticket market, even in 2002, probably doesn't make much difference to the corporate crowd.

...Sorry, but the corporate crowd has no reason to buy. I think there are plenty of "hockey" fans in the Twin Cities who would go Gophers or not, but for a company to justify that kind of expense? Kind of hard to do, no?

Criminy, I don't know. Again, I'm not used to be outflanked on this side of the question. I'm routinely amazed at what corporations spend for naming rights, luxury boxes and other sponsorships. Personally I think it's way out of whack. But the corporate crowd routinely demands and routinely receives substantial chunks of arenas in exchange for top dollar. I would have thought that a St. Paul Frozen Four would have been business as usual.

What I do know is this. If the X isn't filled on April 7 & 9, it's a huge slice of humble pie for the whole college hockey community, not just Minnesotans. Personally I think it will be filled, and am genuinely surprised by the pessimism and negativity of your post.

 

[Slasher7]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

I got the same email and actually have one ticket I'm trying to unload (I got 4, but one of my friends bailed, so now I have an extra). Now I'm starting to think I may have to eat this ticket unless a Minnie school is there.

 

[moose97]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

And I'm stunned by your reply.

OK, a little bit of context. A group of us generally spend some time each year analyzing the Frozen Four ticket lottery. The conventional wisdom, repeated endlessly, is that the Frozen Four will now sell out anywhere. Usually I'm the one putting the brakes on, trying to persuade others that FF sellouts aren't a lock. For a recent example, see my posts in the Nashville thread. So it's actually quite amusing/refreshing/stunning to me to be outflanked on the other side -- to be told, in effect, that of course there will be empty seats, and that only an idiot would think otherwise!

Look. This season's on-ice results aren't particularly relevant to advance demand. The lottery is held a year in advance. Still, the Gophers' W-L record has been below expectations for the past few seasons. No doubt that softened the lottery demand last April. But my understanding is that all of the lottery tickets were sold, so that's not the source of the extras.

Tickets held by the NCAA for member schools and the like should have roughly uniform demand, regardless of the participating teams.

The host school allotment might be the source of some of the extras. If so, that's kind of disappointing. I would hope that the staunchest local fans would be interested in attending the national championship once every nine years, especially when tickets can be had from the box office at face value. I am aware that Gopher Season Ticket Holders were given a rather early deadline for placing orders. Last September, IIRC. The early deadline might have made some difference at the margins.

Of course, we in the public don't know for sure if the host school allotment is involved. The most likely source of the extras:

Presumably most sponsorship decisions are made long before this point of the season. If there are still sponsorships open, I'd certainly be willing to believe that they'll be a tougher sell because the local team has fallen on relatively hard times.

But with UMD, UND & WI all plausible candidates for the FF, there should be demand for the ducats. Without the Gophers, I doubt that tickets on the secondary market will command premium prices -- and said so in my previous post. But I'd expect that the tickets would find users.

If I understand the corporate friend tickets correctly, they are given as a perk, part of the sponsorship package. In other words, if you sponsor, the ducats come at no extra charge. If the tickets find their way to grateful users, that's likely the most important thing from a corporate point of view. The profit available on the secondary ticket market, even in 2002, probably doesn't make much difference to the corporate crowd.

Criminy, I don't know. Again, I'm not used to be outflanked on this side of the question. I'm routinely amazed at what corporations spend for naming rights, luxury boxes and other sponsorships. Personally I think it's way out of whack. But the corporate crowd routinely demands and routinely receives substantial chunks of arenas in exchange for top dollar. I would have thought that a St. Paul Frozen Four would have been business as usual.

What I do know is this. If the X isn't filled on April 7 & 9, it's a huge slice of humble pie for the whole college hockey community, not just Minnesotans. Personally I think it will be filled, and am genuinely surprised by the pessimism and negativity of your post.

Re-reading my initial post, it does come across quite pessamistic, however, I still think that "corporate" ticket sales are likely way down for Gopher hockey - again, not that that can be equated to true Gopher hockey fandom (or college hockey fandom for that matter) in this state. Just that, if you pay attention to the quote-unquote, "average" attendance for Minnesota hockey (9,506) then watch a home game on TV - there's no way that the Gophers are drawing even 3/4 that number, if even 2/3 to a half... Interest is way down at the moment. And from all I hear, a lot of that can be attributed to corporate tickets and no-shows. So, from a far (Bemidji), I'm going out on a limb and saying it doesn't surprise me that overall interest in the Frozen Four would be down too - just from Gopher "attendance" (i.e. butts in seats) being down.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

Re-reading my initial post, it does come across quite pessamistic, however, I still think that "corporate" ticket sales are likely way down for Gopher hockey - again, not that that can be equated to true Gopher hockey fandom (or college hockey fandom for that matter) in this state.

I'm sure that's true. My suspicion, though, is that the average corporate account holder at Mariucci differs from the typical named sponsor at the Frozen Four.

At Mariucci, I'd expect firms of every make and description to be account holders. Given the poor economic climate most everywhere, it wouldn't surprise me a bit to hear that many of the small and medium sized firms were cutting back. But named sponsors tend to be the largest firms with the deepest pockets. While they're not immune from economic downturns either, I'd expect them to have a bit more staying power.

...Just that, if you pay attention to the quote-unquote, "average" attendance for Minnesota hockey (9,506) then watch a home game on TV - there's no way that the Gophers are drawing even 3/4 that number, if even 2/3 to a half... Interest is way down at the moment. And from all I hear, a lot of that can be attributed to corporate tickets and no-shows.

Big picture, this may be an overdue market correction, and ultimately a good thing for true fans.

Post-North Stars/Pre-Wild, corporate interest in Gopher Hockey spiked. My understanding is that the corporate seats at Mariucci have long had an obnoxious no-show rate, even during the best of seasons. If some portion of those accounts are cancelled, and the tickets made available to new buyers, that might be a good thing for all concerned.

So, from a far (Bemidji), I'm going out on a limb and saying it doesn't surprise me that overall interest in the Frozen Four would be down too - just from Gopher "attendance" (i.e. butts in seats) being down.

Again, a solid observation.

My only "rebuttal" is that I'd expect the X to filled with more regional and national butts, to replace the missing local butts. I will be disappointed if there are a significant number of empty seats at the tournament. But I'm still expecting a full house; just not many people left on the outside.

Appreciate the shift to a more analytical (and more usual for you) tone.

 

[AMcoffee]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

Interesting to have gotten the email also, and glad we have the analysis provided by pgb-ohio, which is as always, very insightful.

I'm thinking the message that corporate sponsors are turning back a big block of tickets is important news not as much for this year, but for next year in Tampa. Unless the economy rebounds significantly, I don't think the lure of warmer climes than the Twin Cities is enough to make these sponsors hold onto their allocations.

If there is likely going to be a January turn-in, next year, there may be some that will eschew the Lottery in order to wait for a good block of tickets to open up later.

 

[moose97]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

My only "rebuttal" is that I'd expect the X to filled with more regional and national butts, to replace the missing local butts. I will be disappointed if there are a significant number of empty seats at the tournament. But I'm still expecting a full house; just not many people left on the outside.

I agree with this part 100%. In fact, I've only been to 2 FF's previously - the last in St. Paul and when BSU made it in DC - and will be going this year, only because of proximity.

Appreciate the shift to a more analytical (and more usual for you) tone.

edit - I re-read that... I first read it as "unusual for you." Nevermind the eek...

 

[Runninwiththedogs]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

I did my part. 5 tickets purchased!

 

[Dirty]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

I did my part. 5 tickets purchased!

I pity those four people with you.

 

[Runninwiththedogs]

Re: 2011 Frozen Four not sold out?

I pity those four people with you.

I hear one is a ginormous loser.