Re: Frozen Four 2015 Where do we go from here?
pgb, what do you anticipate for a market for the Pittsburgh FF this year? Are seats going to be a dime a dozen on the street (Buffalo, Columbus) or will they be a tough ticket to get?
Just curious.
As always, it will make a great deal of difference who the participating teams are. So we won't really have a good idea until the regionals are complete. Not to belabor the obvious, but schools like Quinnipiac and St. Cloud have smaller fanbases than UND or BC. All four teams will sell out their official allotments, regardless of who qualifies. But demand in the secondary market varies widely, depending on the teams.
In any event, it won't be like Buffalo or Columbus. The main reason is that lottery participants are now much more adept at avoiding being caught with extras. Fewer purchases are being made, and a higher percentage of those purchases are being made by those who plan on attending no matter what. In the bad old days, people purchased tickets in the lottery thinking it was a win-win. If my team makes it, great, I'm making the trip; If my team doesn't qualify, no problem, I'll sell the tickets and possibly make a profit. The latter didn't happen nearly often enough to satisfy the speculators. For the most part, they've left the lottery. Other variables:
Local Factor: I do believe and predict that Pittsburgh locals will support the event. It will likely be more akin to St. Louis than Buffalo or Columbus in that regard. Couple that with good support from the usual Frozen Four fan base, and it might be a little tougher ticket than is sometimes the case.
Car Enthusiasts: Remember that the "I have to drive or I can't go" crowd didn't make it to Tampa. That's the main reason we fell a little short of a sellout last year. Pittsburgh, in contrast, is drivable for lots of us. It wouldn't surprise me if some "pent-up demand" causes an uptick in overall demand.
Geography: Regardless of the participating teams, it's very unlikely that one fanbase will take over the arena, as can happen in Boston, St. Paul or Milwaukee. And yet because Pittsburgh is relatively accessible, we're likely to see good representation from multiple fanbases. Translation? Medium level of demand.
Wild Card: At least back in the day, it was illegal to sell tickets for more than face value in Pittsburgh. That law may very well have changed. In fact I'm assuming that it has, since the official resale website had premium seats at prices that seemingly had to be above face value. If someone has definitive knowledge of what the scalping law currently is (or isn't) in Pitt, please post that information. That certainly has an impact on supply, demand and selling prices.
Bottom Line? The market will probably wind up looking similar to Denver or DC. Solid sellouts, a somewhat limited supply of tickets, but manageable prices.
EDIT: As for the luxury seats mentioned by Priceless, I can only say those are highly unlikely to go to Frozen Four regulars. Maybe some lightly informed, but well funded, alums will take the plunge at those prices. Maybe.
