Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXIV: A Season without Chuck
http://www.uwbadgers.com/news/2015/11/17/MHOCKEY_1117154316.aspx
In theory, it shouldn't come to this, but at least the athletic department is trying a little harder to get people to the games. Still would like to see a better multi-game package or more tiered pricing. Small steps, I guess.
It shouldn't, but it already did over a month ago...it's not like a few hundred students are going to suddenly scoop up some season tickets this week.
As far as bundles and tiered pricing go...
...I've been bewildered by the ticket price structure for about as long as I've been able to - since my sophomore year here. (That was the 2012-13 season, when the attendance drop really got into full swing following a significant decline during the prior year, and after I got familiar enough with Badgers things to justify commenting on it with some sort of authority.) I'm pretty sure I brought it up here at some point, and I may have mentioned it in my surveys, not that it was really relevant to student season ticket holders.
The best seat in the house, whatever that may be, is $24 face value. Maybe you like being on the glass, at the back of the lower level, or in the front of the 200 level at center ice. Whatever it is, it's $24. Lesser views, whether they be somewhat limited along the 300-level sides, with a blind corner (in the corners), or Barclays Center level obstruction on the ends, are only FOUR dollars cheaper. It would be one thing if we were dealing with $4 and $8 tickets, but $20 and $24? Come on. That should raise some eyebrows.
People should have options when it's possible. At the Kohl Center, it's quite possible. The best seats could be likely be slightly more expensive than they are now without really pushing people away. (I must admit that it was difficult to type that given the current climate.) Those tickets will be in higher demand anyway (...most years). However, if you make those upper-deck side seats 12-15 dollars or so...that's an attractive option for lots of people.
The following paragraph was obviously much more relevant before this year,
especially prior to last year, but I want to say what I've been saying for years:
The Wisconsin Badgers hockey experience sells itself. Dedicated fans of the program know this. They know the value of a Wisconsin Badgers hockey game. They know that even for casual fans, it's pretty awesome (if they actually go). However, other fans don't know this, especially when the team seems to stay under the radar* of the general public. A lot of families and other casual fans might not want to go give it a shot for $24 per person. Those people will likely be warm to the idea of picking up some cheaper tickets, even if it's not the most premium view. They buy some cheap tickets. They're in the building, which is already a plus. They get a taste of the atmosphere, even if things are more diluted up there (particularly with 10K-ish crowds). Not only has Wisconsin Badgers hockey become a "thing" in their mind (sweet, sweet brand equity), but they're
much more willing to give the more expensive seats a shot in the future. It seems pretty universal across spectator sports that, in a venue big enough to have distinct enough viewing locations, there are multiple price levels.
*This was an especially large problem before this year, now that the bigger issues are the main driver of attendance, or lack thereof.
As far as bundles are concerned, there
needs to be a per-game discount. It should be less than the per-game discount enjoyed by season ticket holders, but more than non-bundled tickets. This year, there's a sandwich, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't just Cousins Subs saying: "We want to advertise with you by sponsoring some things. Hey...how about something with "SUBS" at volleyball! We'll give away some free subs when there are enough subs! [Yes, this is a thing.] Hmm...what else...how about we give people a free sub with a certain ticket package, and we slap the logo on all the promos for it?" There should be dollar discounts offered
by the athletic department for buying multi-game ticket packages. Even super-duper-popular professional sports teams who have no problem drawing fans do this.
TL;DR: It sometimes looks like UW Athletics has never seen sports teams sell tickets to their games, ever.
Given the current state of affairs, however, that may be the most important thing to remember. Also, and this requires guesswork, I remember estimating that there were certainly more than twice as many people in those "upper reserved" sections than usual (for that time), so it would be fair to estimate that they generated more ticket revenue than they would have with $20 tickets. In addition, as has been discussed before, there are less tangible benefits, which lead to better sales in the future, to be realized by drawing more people who pay less. 