Poor attendance

[Canadian Finn]

agreed.

 

[OilerPensfan97]

In 2011 I purchased a ticket package that put me in the lower bowl for every game at the big arena. The same package is basically 50% higher this year. The arena was packed for every Canadian game in 2011 and the attendance was definitely higher for the non-Canada games than it has been this year. I doubt that pricing is the only issue though. There is definite overexposure with this tournament in Canada, and it was always going to be Canadians that would fill the arena.

Prices are double? This explains a lot. They are gouging people now. This is a junior hockey tournament, so junior hockey prices should be charged.

 

[JoeyBeans]

It's not looking much worse than Buffalo, minus the outdoor game at this point. If attendances are going to be low, might as well hold them in smaller venues.

Honestly, a Moncton/Saint John WJC would be pretty comparable to the Halifax/Cape Breton year. Not sure what has changed that they have been opposed to putting the tournament in smaller locations. It's a junior hockey tournament. Put it in junior markets.

You're pumping Saint John hard. Halifax would have to be included, loyal junior fans, who fill their stadium consistently. Maybe they can share with Moncton

 

[Canadian Finn]

I bet the East will sell better than the West.

Something tells me BC is going to have even poorer attendance than Buffalo.

 

[Confucius]

It's not looking much worse than Buffalo, minus the outdoor game at this point. If attendances are going to be low, might as well hold them in smaller venues.

Honestly, a Moncton/Saint John WJC would be pretty comparable to the Halifax/Cape Breton year. Not sure what has changed that they have been opposed to putting the tournament in smaller locations. It's a junior hockey tournament. Put it in junior markets.

Well it’s the team Canada games obviously. In Toronto team Canada still sells out during the medal rounds and the smallest crowd was over 12,000. Which is double or triple anything a 7,000 seat arena could hope for.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

I bet the East will sell better than the West.

Something tells me BC is going to have even poorer attendance than Buffalo.

Why exactly would you think something like that? lol

 

[Canadian Finn]

Just a hunch

 

[OilerPensfan97]

You're pumping Saint John hard. Halifax would have to be included, loyal junior fans, who fill their stadium consistently. Maybe they can share with Moncton

Halifax/Saint John or Halifax/Moncton would work, but I do think Saint John would make for a good secondary location.

Well it’s the team Canada games obviously. In Toronto team Canada still sells out during the medal rounds and the smallest crowd was over 12,000. Which is double or triple anything a 7,000 seat arena could hope for.

Maybe so, but I still maintain that this is a junior tournament, so smaller markets like Halifax and Moncton should have a shot. Perhaps multiple locations should be selected, with the preliminary games being played in a smaller venue, and the medal rounds in a larger venue (Quebec City?)

 

[KrejciMVP]

why not have the tourney in boston?

 

[OilerPensfan97]

why not have the tourney in boston?

It's a mystery to me why they picked Buffalo again, when it was just there the last time the US got the tournament. Boston could have been good, or even somewhere like Minnesota.

 

[JoeyBeans]

Well it’s the team Canada games obviously. In Toronto team Canada still sells out during the medal rounds and the smallest crowd was over 12,000. Which is double or triple anything a 7,000 seat arena could hope for.

Small markets would attend games that fans from Toronto would not. I mean.. look at Halifax 2008 2008 IIHF World Championship - Wikipedia


Germany vs Slovakia Attendance: 7,855

 

[Garyboy]

It was a flop the one and only time it was in Boston.

 

[bert]

Go to a Leaf game and you would be lucky to have any cash left to support any other hockey. Not a Leaf fan but why should they be centered out to support junior hockey in Buffalo?

Why do you think its in Buffalo for the second time in 6 years?

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I think this is demonstrating that even Canadians are getting burned out.

 

[JackSlater]

Prices are double? This explains a lot. They are gouging people now. This is a junior hockey tournament, so junior hockey prices should be charged.

Not double, 50% higher. The exchange rate is slightly less favourable than it was in 2011, though I don't think that is a big factor.

 

[Prov1X]

USA vs Slovakia's game is not looking much better. sorry for beating that dead horse.

 

[0494]

Something tells me BC is going to have even poorer attendance than Buffalo.

Based on what exactly?

Something tells me you're speaking on something you know nothing about.

 

[bobber]

Why do you think its in Buffalo for the second time in 6 years?

Because Toronto is a suburb of Buffalo? You would think it would attract Sabre fans they happen to live there.

 

[SackTastic]

Not double, 50% higher. The exchange rate is slightly less favourable than it was in 2011, though I don't think that is a big factor.

The exchange rate is much more of a thing than you think. Late 2011, the USD/CAD exchange rate was about par. Today, $1CAD = $0.80 USD. That would make the $1550 USD Gold ticket package $1860 CAD. A 20% hit on the exchange rate on top of increased ticket pricing is going to greatly diminish the ability of our Canadian friends who want to come over.

This year also marks the 3rd time in the last 4 years that the tournament is being held within a couple hour drive from southern Ontario, with many Canadians with a sour taste in their mouth after Hockey Canada bent them over twice on pricing.

Between the two factors, no shock to me at all that numbers are down.

 

[Lepardi]

Just got tickets for USA v Slovakia tonight for $31 each after fees. Tickets are in the lower bowl...where are these overpriced tickets everyone is referring to? I was just at the box office and the most expensive seat for this evening is $75, and over 40% of the tickets are priced $40 or below.

Does it even matter what section the tickets are for? Aren't there plenty of empty seats in every section of the arena?

 

[SackTastic]

It's a mystery to me why they picked Buffalo again, when it was just there the last time the US got the tournament. Boston could have been good, or even somewhere like Minnesota.

Being able to run the entire tournament in essentially one facility along with a connected hotel that covers most of the lodging needs is a huge logistical advantage that very few cities globally can provide, let alone in the US.

 

[SackTastic]

Does it even matter what section the tickets are for? Aren't there plenty of empty seats in every section of the arena?

The ushers are paying attention and checking tickets more than they would for a Sabres game. Depends on where you go if you could sneak down or not.

 

[Xokkeu]

Lol people seriously wondering why it's back in buffalo. Iihf trying to make as much money off its main u20 market. Canada. While giving a different country the chance to host supposedly.

 

[Insomniac99]

It's back in Buffalo because:

1. The Pegulas support hockey at all levels
2. They built a facility with two regulation rinks, gym and a hotel attached to the Sabres' arena, which is perfect for large tournaments.
3. They own the Bills, which means they have unfettered access to New Era field for an outdoor game.
4. It's a border city

 

[Dodospice]

I think their biggest problems are the price points and the locations of these tournaments. They price the games so high that people won’t commit to the packages to watch crappy countries or simply can’t afford it. You’re immediately eliminating a fair amount of potential customers on that alone. An average junior game in my experience runs an adult anywheres from 15-20$ on average for a ticket? I think it should definitely be higher priced than that because the players are higher end then the average junior game (not all countries mind you) but for the most part you’re watching better hockey. There has to be some kind of middle ground between jr pricing and NHL priced tickets. They need to find that.

When you put these tournaments in big locations with lots of other things going on, the thought is, I’m sure that the people will come and watch the hockey and do other things but I think they over estimate the amount of people traveling to come to the games. Then you combine it with the fact that the locals have access to NHL games, NFL games, etc, etc and they just don’t have the interest in dropping the money for events that aren’t as good (in their eyes) as the ones they can watch all the time. The draw just isn’t there in places with access to these events all the time. It’s just another thing going on in the city. There’s a lot of smaller cities and locations that don’t have the access to these events that would no doubt in my mind sell out if they had the opportunity to host. Just look across Canada and there is all kinds of junior hockey markets like this, start putting the tournaments there and the people will come and make the environment spectacular.

There’s always going to be external factors out of the organizers control that effect the amount of people that come but two things you can control are prices and location. Price these things properly and put them in places where the WJC is the big ticket in town and they’d never worry about ticket sales.

Maybe it isn’t even an issue though? When the tournament is in Canada they’re constantly drawing over 10,000 fans (or so they report) sure the rink is half empty but they’re still going to make more money then they would if they put it into a smaller market arena, when the bottom line comes down to $$$ the bigger market and higher ticket prices is always going to win out, unfortunately it sucks for the fans but I can’t see it changing anytime soon.