Ticket/Attendance Discussion: The Sequel

[sipowicz]

Where do people want the arena to be?

Anywhere but downtown Winnipeg which has turned into a sewer of humanity at nightfall….True North Square blah, blah, blah and other downtown amenities all fine during daylight hours…..after that bring your own bodyguard!

An arena for the Jets located in south Winnipeg and we wouldn’t be talking about attendance.


And then some minion with less than 200 posts breaking off like a hero

 

[Jets 31]

I had the privilege to talk to Mark Chipman years before we got the Jets back. That man worked for a very long time trying to get the Jets back, i really don't think not selling out every game is going to make him sell the team. Now if we were only getting 5,000 people per game that's a different story but right now getting roughly 80% capacity is not a issue .

 

[jetsfan15]

I think there's a lot of feedback from STH's on here, but for average fans, the ones who don't have $10 000 in disposable income to spend, the cost is high. Just looking at Nashville and what their tickets cost for the upper deck, they sell out every night, or damn near. Because tickets are reasonably priced. The Jets upper deck seats are expensive for the most part. When I first bought in, to 5 games a year, when the team came back I was paying $1000 for 10 tickets, to be in the back of the lower bowl. Good luck getting that now for the upper deck, against a good team. Sell your tickets at $50 CDN regularly like the Preds do, building is full. But True North wants to make money to compete with small U.S market teams that have larger capacities and the advantage in their dollar value. If hockey becomes a rich person's sport, for both playing and entertainment, it will alienate a lot of people who are hockey fans.

Are the jets upperbowl seats that expensive? I sit in the top P5 equivalent and they are around $95 CAD all fees included. Are the P6 and P7’s not around the $60 mark? (Keeping in mind we’re talking CAD here and not USD). I think NHL prices are quite a bit less than an NFL or NBA game these days (at least for above average teams), so I don’t think this “rich person’s” entertainment thing is a unique-to-hockey thing. In any event, I was under the impression that P6/P7 wasn’t so bad for jets games but I could be wrong.

 

[jetsfan15]

All I can speak for is myself, but I used to watch every game nearly religiously, and got to at least a few games a year. It’s over an hour drive one way, so it’s a decent commitment to go to a game for me.
Now I can hardly force myself to watch a game on TV, and can barely remember the last game I went to.
I think it’s a combination of many things.
Mainly I just can’t get any excitement going no matter how good they’re playing because I’d rather not get attached and get my hopes up for them to just collapse in the playoffs in humiliating fashion like they seem to do so often.
Another part of it is True North as an organization being so tone deaf for so long, doing so little to make it affordable, or even fun to attend a game. It’s painfully obvious even on TV how dull the atmosphere in there was the last few seasons. Then Chipman wants to guilt us into feeling like we’re the reason the team has attendance problems. A large part of me just doesn’t think he is the right person to be running this organization, and that just doesn’t make me keen to support the organization unfortunately.
As much as people want to pretend like it’s not, I know for a fact that going downtown is a huge deterrent for a lot of people. Especially rural people coming in from out of town.
That’s just the way it is to me anyways. I just can’t bring myself to get excited about a team rolling through the regular season when they’ve had one good playoff run in their 13 year history. And more often than not play like garbage in the playoffs. Which is a shame, because I really do want to be excited about them.

This post is a bit extreme on the negative in my view, tend to disagree with a lot of it. If you can’t even bring yourself to watch it on TV, I’m surprised you bother spending time in this forum at all.

 

[voyageur]

Are the jets upperbowl seats that expensive? I sit in the top P5 equivalent and they are around $95 CAD all fees included. Are the P6 and P7’s not around the $60 mark? (Keeping in mind we’re talking CAD here and not USD). I think NHL prices are quite a bit less than an NFL or NBA game these days (at least for above average teams), so I don’t think this “rich person’s” entertainment thing is a unique-to-hockey thing. In any event, I was under the impression that P6/P7 wasn’t so bad for jets games but I could be wrong.

I don't know where people get there numbers from. I may have been mistaken on Nashville's pricing, as I didn't do my due dilligence, but the cheapest standard ticket available on Ticketmaster for the Panthers, Blues and Bruins starts at $87 or $88. $98 for the Golden Knights. Resale is cheaper, and I am surprised at how many re-sales there are, but the start if the start is $88 the numbers surely go over $100 for the upper deck, and as I discussed before as high as $200 for the Canadiens.

 

[jetsfan15]

I don't know where people get there numbers from. I may have been mistaken on Nashville's pricing, as I didn't do my due dilligence, but the cheapest standard ticket available on Ticketmaster for the Panthers, Blues and Bruins starts at $87 or $88. $98 for the Golden Knights. Resale is cheaper, and I am surprised at how many re-sales there are, but the start if the start is $88 the numbers surely go over $100 for the upper deck, and as I discussed before as high as $200 for the Canadiens.

I haven’t looked at every game, but I did a 20 second check for today’s game and there are tix as cheap as $56.84 ($67.21 including all fees). That’s cheap for an NHL game. It is too much for some, I acknowledge that, but relatively speaking to other major sports games (NHL or otherwise) this isn’t bad for an nhl game. Resale or otherwise, options are there at reasonable prices for an NHL game.

 

[jetsfan15]

I haven’t looked at every game, but I did a 20 second check for today’s game and there are tix as cheap as $56.84 ($67.21 including all fees). That’s cheap for an NHL game. It is too much for some, I acknowledge that, but relatively speaking to other major sports games (NHL or otherwise) this isn’t bad for an nhl game. Resale or otherwise, options are there at reasonable prices for an NHL game.

And as for “standard tickets” (non resale), here are options for today.
That being said, I’m not sure why a buyer cares if it’s a resale or not - when I buy tickets to an event, I buy the tickets that I want based on my budget, I don’t filter out resale from the options.

 

[Upperdeckjet]

As a season ticket holder who gave my tickets to a buddy for this game, I decided I wanted to go and was able to pick up 2 decent tickets for $98 (total) in section 307.

If you know a season ticket holder, they get a discount on additional tickets and would be able to hook you up with seats at really attractive price points.

 

[hardystar]

Win or lose, the fans just have to get back to selling out the arena. The ownership needs to provide greater value to the fans that come to the arena so that others will be more inclined to start coming back. IMO if the barn is fun to come to more people will come.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Sellout this afternoon. Wasn’t expecting that with West Final this evening.

 

[Gm0ney]

Sellout this afternoon. Wasn’t expecting that with West Final this evening.

The two teams sold 47000+ tickets between them today?

 

[Whis]

Was a really fun game to be at yesterday. Crowd was really into it. Felt like vintage Jets game.

My fav comment in this thread is the person who says they wouldn't care if the team moved to Houston and it wouldn't make a difference to their fandom. Probably more of a chance of that happening then an arena in south.

 

[Channelcat]

I had the privilege to talk to Mark Chipman years before we got the Jets back. That man worked for a very long time trying to get the Jets back, i really don't think not selling out every game is going to make him sell the team. Now if we were only getting 5,000 people per game that's a different story but right now getting roughly 80% capacity is not a issue .

I've always been a believer in actions speak louder than words, and when you see an organization making massive investments in themselves, they aren't on the way out.

 

[gojetsgo]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855461012675203360

 

[Gm0ney]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855461012675203360

2000 * $100/ticket * 9 games = $1.8M

Maybe that's too high if these are all cheap seats. Still, probably at least an extra $1M. And 32 home games to go...another extra $3.5M - $6.5M at the gate to come. Probably enough to cover Wheeler and Schmidt's buyouts.

 

[voyageur]

And as for “standard tickets” (non resale), here are options for today.
That being said, I’m not sure why a buyer cares if it’s a resale or not - when I buy tickets to an event, I buy the tickets that I want based on my budget, I don’t filter out resale from the options.

It's the idea that there are tickets being unsold. The difference between sellout and not. Because yes there are cheaper options but for the organization they dont make money from resale as far as I know, they make their money from seats sold, And if the 2000 seats unsold start at $90 and go upwards of $100 and more, as the Ticketmaster site would indicate, it's telling me that they are pushing a pretty high selling point for their product.

Selling out weekend games should be easier, especially at 14-1, beating all challengers. I think there is a buzz around this team that may help with sales.

But I still stand by the fact that the price point is awfully high, and maybe will be unstainable, in our economy. Especially without a winner.

I think there is some savings in the minipacks, I haven't looked into them since the start of the season.

 

[Buffdog]

2000 * $100/ticket * 9 games = $1.8M

Maybe that's too high if these are all cheap seats. Still, probably at least an extra $1M. And 32 home games to go...another extra $3.5M - $6.5M at the gate to come. Probably enough to cover Wheeler and Schmidt's buyouts.

Any idea what the gate is for a full CLC per game?

You'd have to include the corporate boxes

I have a feeling that the optics of a couple thousand empty seats in the upper bowl is more of a problem that the actual lack of revenue they represent (as a percentage of total gate revenue)

 

[Section 325]

2000 * $100/ticket * 9 games = $1.8M

Maybe that's too high if these are all cheap seats. Still, probably at least an extra $1M. And 32 home games to go...another extra $3.5M - $6.5M at the gate to come. Probably enough to cover Wheeler and Schmidt's buyouts.

Meanwhile, that is probably equivalent to half of the money they will make from one playoff game so this is way less of a deal than people seem to be making it out to be.

 

[Scheifele55]

Anywhere but downtown Winnipeg which has turned into a sewer of humanity at nightfall….True North Square blah, blah, blah and other downtown amenities all fine during daylight hours…..after that bring your own bodyguard!

An arena for the Jets located in south Winnipeg and we wouldn’t be talking about attendance.


And then some minion with less than 200 posts breaking off like a hero

I swear people were upset that they built Princess Auto Stadium in the South or does that have more to do with lack of parking?

North Winnipeg has a lot of room for an arena with parking. At the time McPhillips had so much land north of Leila that they could have constructed a 10 lane (5 each way) road between an arena and The Perimeter.

Meanwhile, that is probably equivalent to half of the money they will make from one playoff game so this is way less of a deal than people seem to be making it out to be.

Is it? Team is 14-1 and we still aren't selling out games. When will fans look in the mirror and realize that the coach, the GM, the players, the owner is not the issue...

 

[gojetsgo]

I swear people were upset that they built Princess Auto Stadium in the South or does that have more to do with lack of parking?

North Winnipeg has a lot of room for an arena with parking. At the time McPhillips had so much land north of Leila that they could have constructed a 10 lane (5 each way) road between an arena and The Perimeter.



Is it? Team is 14-1 and we still aren't selling out games. When will fans look in the mirror and realize that the coach, the GM, the players, the owner is not the issue...

we just sold out last game even when the bombers played in the west final... were up an avg of 2k fans from last season at the same point...

 

[voyageur]

I swear people were upset that they built Princess Auto Stadium in the South or does that have more to do with lack of parking?

North Winnipeg has a lot of room for an arena with parking. At the time McPhillips had so much land north of Leila that they could have constructed a 10 lane (5 each way) road between an arena and The Perimeter.



Is it? Team is 14-1 and we still aren't selling out games. When will fans look in the mirror and realize that the coach, the GM, the players, the owner is not the issue...

I did a lot of work this year on that North Side, and I can tell you that this is not the ideal location in terms of demographics.

South side would be more ideal.

But downtown needs investment or it will become a ghost town, a victim of urban sprawl which is a real problem in Winnipeg, as we have the least population density of any city in Canada, by a fairly wide margin.

It's a better location than St. James, which was an absolute traffic nightmare to get out of. Luckily there were plenty of good eateries around the arena back then.

The access through the walkways is a winter treat for people who don't want to brace the cold, although winter keeps getting shorter here.

I got my mom out on Saturday to her first game in 40 years. She was impressed with the scoreboard, as us older fans can remember having to watch the game on the TVs underneath the upper deck. She also noted there was a lot more female fans than she had seen in her day. So hockey in Winnipeg is being marketed in a broader sense.

 

[Section 325]

we just sold out last game even when the bombers played in the west final... were up an avg of 2k fans from last season at the same point...

How dare you point out positives! Don't you know that we're supposed to constantly look for negative things to say?

 

[Eyeseeing]

Sorry but political coverage doesn't trump hockey with me!


Sure WInnipeg has grown but the majority of newcomers know nothing about hockey and don't care and the other half wouldn't spend a dime supporting it!

The actual number of Winnipegers who support the Jets and NHL isn't as large as you think

Bang on analysis
The Jets should be ok, hopefully the corporate support will increase.
Blue collar town with a lot of folks who are doing their best to make ends meet.

 

[sipowicz]

I swear people were upset that they built Princess Auto Stadium in the South or does that have more to do with lack of parking?

North Winnipeg has a lot of room for an arena with parking. At the time McPhillips had so much land north of Leila that they could have constructed a 10 lane (5 each way) road between an arena and The Perimeter.



Is it? Team is 14-1 and we still aren't selling out games. When will fans look in the mirror and realize that the coach, the GM, the players, the owner is not the issue...

I live in NE Winnipeg and realize any new arena shouldn't be in north Winnipeg or downtown and should be in south Winnipeg. The old Packers site would be okay!

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

I live in NE Winnipeg and realize any new arena shouldn't be in north Winnipeg or downtown and should be in south Winnipeg. The old Packers site would be okay!

Build it near Ikea. That's where the money is. Hotel and lots of restaurants nearby already. Good access that will only get better. Get a new SHED going that ain't SHITE.