USF Tickets

[Barlass]

You can't prove the value of the experience if you can't get people into the arena. This has been an impressive and entertaining team for 3 years now and it looks like attendance is actually down this year.

Regular pricing has been too steep for drawing in the casual fan.

I'd rather open the doors and have this game SRO for the seniors than hold out for 4500 fans willing to pay full price.

Our attendance has been down this year. Last year we averaged over 5,300 a game in conference play and we've only averaged 4,600 this year. I think the change is due mainly to the fact that our marquee games have been on weekdays and many have had weird start times.

Attendance for last year's Saturday night game against SMU was nearly 7,700.
This year's Tuesday afternoon game against SMU drew 5,300.

 

[t-townpod]

Totally disagree. Get the fans in the seats and they are more likely to return. All in favor of the ticket price promotion. Fill the stadium for the seniors and for the fans to see what this brand of basketball is all about.

 

[ctt8410]

The first couple TU games I attended were free tickets from my dad's co-worker. I begged to go to more games, so he bought season tickets for my birthday the next year.

 

[cmullinsTU]

I just want a fast experience at the ticket counter. I forgot my season tickets for the Temple Game (my fault I know) getting the reprint took literally 15 min. In that time an office of 4 people working handed out 3 will calls and one ticket purchase. There was no line when I got there and a line of about 15-20 when I left.

It was all very inefficient and they kept looking through each other's pile of tix. For some reason they have them sitting out instead of printing when needed or organized. It seemed odd and slow, maybe there's a good reason.

 

[TulsaEye]

The problem with a $5 ticket is the complete devaluation of the rack rate. You don't give something away when you're trying to build and prove perceived value. Very bad move by TU.

The way to get new fans to engage and put butts in the seats is to prove the value of the overall experience, not essentially giving it away.

If TU were smart, they'd leverage F&B sales (with emphasis on the Bev, especially during football season) any time they consider a boneheaded $5 ticket promotion.

If you're going to significantly discount a ticket you don't do it when your team is a proven winner looking at making a solid stand in the NCAA tournament.

Totally disagree, the prices are out of line for the casual fan. You will get some casual fans even with higher prices, but then they see all the tacked on fees and they will just say no! This is the perfect way to get people into the arena. Many of whom may have never been there before. Professional teams like the Drillers will have several promotions a season exactly like this and it doesn't hurt their bottom line a bit. IMO tacked on fees seriously hurts the Hurricane's bottom line. All fees should be included in the end price advertised.

 

[TulsaEye]

With all the other entertainment venues now available to casual fans at home or away. To get the casual fan dollar into your arena you must.

1) Have a fun and entertaining atmosphere at the event.
2) Make tickets easy to get.
3) Make those tickets affordable for the casual fan.
4) Keep food, bathroom and ticket lines short.

Tulsa really concentrates on none of the above. Its no wonder that even with a better product the last couple years. The Hurricane has declining revenue in ticket sales. Declining revenue usually means problems with not only the pricing structure. It also can mean you have problems with the entire event structure. Get a problem solving specialist in to analyze your whole series of events you put on and make changes. Problems in one event mean you probably problems in all events.

 

[Gold*]

And they didn't even do cheese wrappers for this!!!1

 

[TUBballJunkie]

That SMU game last year was THE only weekend night game we had in conference last year. That schedule was equally crappy and Oklahoma had a much uglier winter to deal with too.

An 800 per game drop huge. 10% of the arena. We are doing something wrong.

 

[TulsaEye]

This whole thing really should be looked at ASAP because the declining revenues will probably continue. Won't be coaches that will get fired this time either. They are doing their jobs.

 

[TUBballJunkie]

This whole thing really should be looked at soon because the declining revenues will probably continue. Won't be coaches that will get fired this time either. They are doing their jobs.

Yes, the revenue buck stops with the AD.

 

[Gold*]

The schedule has been harder to navigate this year. 6 pm week night start times are bad.

Also, losing to ORU seems to knock off some momentum every year. We have some casual fans who just throw it in after that, fair or not.

And the economy is sucking here. Lots of seats that used to be full in the lower level are empty this year. I used to think they were sitting unused in some secretary's desk in the BOK tower, but now I wonder if they were never even printed in the ticket office this year.

Still, I agree the marketing has to get better. It's like we don't even try. Parking was also bad this year (people bribing their way in). I complain and nothing happens.

At least we didn't get Zelton Steed this year.

 

[t-townpod]

This town and university has always been a winning team environment. Continue to win and be ready to go dancing and the seats will fill even with the economy. Now the hurricane club donations may take a hit but I suspect the seats will be filled.
Still have concern many of the big dollar lower court seats are indeed bought by corporations and not used.

 

[TulsaEye]

Right now ticket availability in the entire lower bowl is low. Which means singles or small pockets where you can still get tickets. Half of the upper bowl is at medium ticket availability. The rest is high availablity. If TU advertises even a little bit they could have a near sellout for the teams senior night. With a lower bowl sellout a lock, I feel sorry for USF a little bit. It will be very noisy that night and the team should be fired up like crazy. Put a couple of radio adds out. Call the TV stations to see if they would put in a plug for Tulsa's Senior Night Special. Stuff like this doesn't cost much and it can be effective. Especially contact the radio stations that are sports oriented to get them to plug Tulsa's Senior Night.

 

[RealTUTypical]

Totally disagree, the prices are out of line for the casual fan. You will get some casual fans even with higher prices, but then they see all the tacked on fees and they will just say no! This is the perfect way to get people into the arena. Many of whom may have never been there before. Professional teams like the Drillers will have several promotions a season exactly like this and it doesn't hurt their bottom line a bit. IMO tacked on fees seriously hurts the Hurricane's bottom line. All fees should be included in the end price advertised.

Pro teams doing promo nights advertise them as promo nights. It's well known it's a special event and is marketed to reflect.

I'm not disagreeing that the ticket price is out of whack. For the experience TU provides its astronomical.

A sporting event regardless of amateur or pro REQUIRES high energy. A DJ, fan interaction, an atmosphere that is electric from the time you walk in the door until the time you leave. The event has to engage the customer and make them want to come back every time regardless of the opponent.

I've produced small events and much larger events than a TU game, national and global broadcasts, made a ton of money and lost a ton of money figuring it all out. What I've learned from producing events is you have to engage your ticket buyers and make them believe the face value of your ticket. Filling the event center as a loss leader NEVER works. Ever.

Watch the attendance for the $5 event and then tell me what it is for the very next game at regular price. More butts in the seats does not equate to them coming back at a higher price when the environment and energy is so poor.

 

[TUBballJunkie]

Well, for a pro team the Drillers regular pricing is significantly less on the lower end for family entertainment than TU basketball. It's not even close at regular prices...you can take your family to a weekend game at normal pricing for literally 1/3 of the cost of the cheapest TU bball tickets. Even without considering the entertainment value of each, we are off the charts on affordability and perceived value.

I don't think we'd be having to do steep discounts if our everyday pricing wasn't so out of whack (although I'd still support it for senior day and one offs). If we have 8000 people at a $5 game and 4500 at the next game, that's still preferable to 4500 and 4500. People aren't going to go from spending $20 for their family to sit in great seats to $60+ for the worst ones on our current pricing structure. That's not the fault of the sale ticket, that's the fault of normal ticket prices.

 

[TulsaEye]

Following is a listing of Home games, day of the week and attendance.

Haskell Indian Nations Sat. 4330
Rogers State Uni. Tue. 3625
Wichita State Uni. Tue. 5670
Little Rock Sat. 5422
Oral Roberts Uni. Wed. 5225
Iona College Tue. 3800
Northern Arizona Uni. Tue. 4752
SMU Tue. 5364
East Carolina Uni. Tue. 4244
UCONN Thru. 5192
UCF Sun. 4270
Tulane Sat. 4926
Uni. of Houston Sun. 4321
Uni. of Cincinnati Thur. 4402
Temple Tue. 4827

Total attendance 70,370
Average attendance 4,691

Except for the top most anticipated games, there was only fluctuations by a couple hundred game to game at most. Showing that its mostly season tickets attending most games. Not that much walk up. In fact very little. Also it looks like attendance was more in the first half of the season on the average than the last half. That's usually reversed. Except for a couple of games. I have it nicely in columns and the forum it just crunches it together.

 

[cmullinsTU]

Haskell Indian Nations Sat.  4330 
Rogers State Uni.      Tue.  3625
Wichita State Uni.     Tue.  5670
Little Rock            Sat.  5422
Oral Roberts Uni.      Wed.  5225
Iona College           Tue.  3800
Northern Arizona Uni.  Tue.  4752
SMU                    Tue.  5364
East Carolina Uni.     Tue.  4244
UCONN                  Thur. 5192
UCF                    Sun.  4270
Tulane                 Sat.  4926
Uni. of Houston        Sun.  4321
Uni. of Cincinnati     Thur. 4402
Temple                 Tue.  4827

Total attendance             70,370
Average attendance           4,691

 

[TulsaEye]

How did you do that? I have been unable to get anything like a table

 

[TUBballJunkie]

So that terrible weekday tip off time during terrible Christmas break week vs SMU was still the peak in conference.

 

[TulsaEye]

So that terrible weekday tip off time during terrible Christmas break week vs SMU was still the peak in conference.

Now that you mention it looks like attendance did peak during that game period with SMU and then tapered off a lot. Lot of early to mid week games there.

 

[Tu Geo]

After losing at home to SMU and then on the road at Cincy the casual Tulsa probably gave up on the team as it appeared winning against the top teams was not going to happen.

Since those two losses TU is 11-3 with wins over all the power teams sans Memphis.

I for one have been disapointed in the crowds so far this season.

I really like the idea of getting a great crowd for the seniors against USF.

GO TU!!!!!

 

[aTUfan_rivals]

Just win baby!

 

[TU_BLA]

Geo, I'd hardly put Memphis in the power team category this year. Their soft. Plenty of playground talent and no coach.

 

[Tu Geo]

Geo, I'd hardly put Memphis in the power team category this year. Their soft. Plenty of playground talent and no coach.

Historically

GO TU!!!

 

[TulsaEye]

One sure way to get casual fans to pass on tickets to Tulsa games is to advertise one set of ticket prices and then see a much higher final price after tacked on fees. You are just shooting yourself in the foot when you do that. It's deceptive behavior and fans do not like that. I can now understand the attendance numbers for home games. I can see the same thing happening in football too.

 

[Weatherdemon]

Ray gets in on the Canecast action:
Full version:
Stright to Ray:

 

[ImaCanefan]

Have Billy Joel or Garth Brooks sing a couple of songs at halftime, then charge $100 per ticket.