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SPORTS TICKETING

SPORTS TICKETING. CHRIS STAIRS ( BA, MBA ) Director, Ticket Sales Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Games. YOUR OBJECTIVES?. What do you hope to get out of this class?

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SPORTS TICKETING

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  1. SPORTS TICKETING CHRIS STAIRS (BA, MBA) • Director, Ticket Sales • Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Games

  2. YOUR OBJECTIVES? • What do you hope to get out of this class? • What are some sports marketing questions you’d like to have answered by the end of this course? • What are some questions you have about ticketing and pricing?

  3. CAREER OPTIONS? • What are some professions you can pursue in the realm of sports marketing? • Franchise Management • (Marketing, Sponsorship, Operations, Finance) • Corporate Partners • Community Partners • League Offices • Sport Federations • Service Providers • Media / Broadcast • Event Marketing • Event Management • Advertising • Apparel / Licensees • Community Centres / Athletics • Technology

  4. SPORTS TICKETINGVancouver 2010 Winter Olympics VANOC 2010 – Ticketing Announcement • What & When? • Impressions? Perception? • How many tickets will be in the market? • At what prices? How affordable? • How many will be available to the Public? • How and when will you be able to order them?

  5. SPORTS TICKETINGVancouver 2010 Winter Olympics 2010 TICKETS – Managing the Message! • Fair • Accessible • Once-in-a-Life-Time • Sign up at Vancouver2010.com

  6. THE PILLARS or 4 “P’s”of MARKETING • Product • Price • Promotion • Placement

  7. SPORTS TICKETING LESSON TOPICS: • Defining the Product • Pricing the Market • Managing the Sales Process (Memphis Grizzlies Case Study)

  8. SPORTS & SPECIAL EVENTS • Tickets • Food & Beverage • Merchandise • Parking • Programs / Souvenirs • Other??? WHAT ARE YOU PRICING?

  9. SPORTS TICKETINGProduct Variety • Season Tickets $2,500 -- $100,000 • Half Seasons $1,250 -- $25,000 • Mini-Plans $500 -- $1,000 • Groups 10-20% of Single Tix Price • Singles $5 - $1,350 • Suites / Club Boxes $100,000 + TICKET PACKAGES / BUNDLES (Pro Franchise)? How Else Might Tickets Be Bundled For Sporting Events or Clubs Other Than The Big Four (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB)? VANOC 2010?

  10. SPORTS TICKETING BREAK TIME…. See you in 10 Minutes

  11. SPORTS TICKETINGPrice versus True Costs WHAT DOES IT REALLY COST A CUSTOMER? Married couple spends a modest night at the Canucks! Upper Deck Tickets (2) $100 Parking / Transportation $5 Food & Beverage $25 Merchandise / Souvenir $20 50/50 Draw $10 Baby-Sitter??? $30 Cocktail (Before / After Event) $20 TRUE COST $210

  12. SPORTS TICKETINGPrice versus Value • Team Performance WHERE DO CUSTOMERS FIND VALUE? • Off-Court / Half-Time Entertainment • Guest Service Experience • Reserved Parking!!! (The Total “Experience”) • Cleanliness / Accessibility / Amenities • Exclusive Gift Items / Opportunities / Events / Signings (T-Shirt Costs $2 to Print; Perceived to be a $20 Value)

  13. SPORTS TICKETINGPrice Sensitivity WHAT IS MEANT BY ELASTICITY of DEMAND? WHAT ARE SOME SPORTING EXAMPLES OF… • Elasticity • Inelasticity • Unitary WHAT ABOUT MARKET / PRODUCT SEGMENTATON? • Demographics (Youth, Single Professionals, Couples, Families) • Purchase Type (Domestic, Corporate, Charity, etc…) • Product Type (STH, Mini-Plans, Groups, Singles, Suites…) • Event Type (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL… Other???) • VANOC 2010 – Specialty Clients vs. General Public???

  14. SPORTS TICKETINGPrice Sensitivity • Direct Mail or Tele-Marketing Surveys • Focus Groups • Demo / Psycho-graphic Studies (e.g. Scarborough) • Competitor / Substitute Behavior & Options • Past Market Models & Successes • Comparable Market Studies HOW DO YOU MEASURE PRICE SENSITIVITY? No Perfect Science. Sometimes Leagues / Owners Dictate Price Policies.

  15. SPORTS TICKETINGPricing Objectives WHAT CORPORATE OBJECTIVES MAY EXIST? • Revenue / Profit Targets • Sell-Out Objectives • Annual Growth Targets • Covering Operating Costs • Accessibility to Market – Meeting Market Demand • Community Service / Outreach • Not-For-Profit Model

  16. SPORTS TICKETINGPricing Methodologies WHO MIGHT EMPLOY THE FOLLOWING METHODS? • Break-Even • Cost-Plus • Market Demand / What The Market Can Bear • Capitation Pricing Life-Time-Value of a Customer Calculation WHAT DO YOU THINK VANOC 2010 EMPLOYS? And the MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES?

  17. SPORTS TICKETINGPrice & Promotions DRIVING INVENTORY THAT DOESN’T MOVE! • $5.00 Bleacher Seats • Special Promotions (Clip Your Hair for the Clippers) • Family Days (4 tix, 4 dogs, 4 sodas for only $44) • Premium Give-Away Nights • Tickets For Kids • What are some of your favourite promotions???

  18. SPORTS TICKETINGSecondary Market BROKERS & SCALPING – Good, Bad & Ugly! • It’s A True Measure of Market Demand • It’s Also The TRUE Measure of Market Demand HOW CAN / DO TEAMS MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF A SECONDARY MARKET?

  19. SPORTS TICKETING BREAK TIME…. See you in 10 Minutes

  20. SPORTS TICKETINGManaging the Sales Process CASE STUDY: MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES NBA Sports Franchise • The Ingredients of a Sports Ticketing Operation • Lessons from a Start-Up Franchise • A Manager’s Road-Map

  21. Ticketing Departments CORE FUNCTIONS: • Sales • Service • Systems & Operations • Research

  22. CORE FUNCTION #1Ticket Sales Fill Those Seats!!!Clear Out Your Inventory! • Products & Price(Full Seasons & Suites, Partials, Groups, Singles) FSE’s (Full Season Equivalents) are your measure of success. • Markets(Sponsors, Business Partners & Vendors, Corporate, Domestic, Religious, Military, Schools, Community Groups, etc…) • Sales Team(Internal, External, Tele-marketers, The “Boiler Room”) • Sales Tactics & Partners(Sponsor Bundling, In-Person Presentations, “Smile & Dial” Tele-marketing, Direct Mail, On-Line Promotions, Ticketing Partners – Ticketmaster, Advertising & PR) Know your geographic and demographic limits. Match products to markets.

  23. CORE FUNCTION #2Ticket Service It Costs Less To Keep A Client Than To Win One! Selling Tickets Is Just the Start. Fulfilling Your Service Obligations Will Build Customer Loyalty. And You’re Only As Good As Your Word. • Renewals (Client retention is essential for a healthy franchise.) • VIP Programs(Special Discounts, Unique Opportunities, First Rights) • Value-Adds(Gifts, Sponsor-Endorsed Offers, Exclusive Events) • 6th Man Program (Time on the Court, Player Interactions)

  24. CORE FUNCTION #3Ticket Systems & Operations You’re Only As Good As The Tools You’re Given • Ticketing Database(Inventory Mgmt, CRM, Financial Transactions, Reports) • Lead Management(List Acquisition & De-Duplication) • On-Line Interface(Messaging & Notifications, Ticket Forwarding, Self-Administered Payment Plans, Cross-Promotions with Partners,etc.) • Box Office Operations(Every Operation Requires a Face.) • Integration (Centralized Systems tied to Finance & Sponsorship)

  25. CORE FUNCTION #4Research Without It, You’re Throwing Darts At A Board • Client Mailer Surveys (Season & Partial Plan Holders) • In-Arena Surveys (Gauging Guest Experience& Service Satisfaction) • Focus Groups (Qualitative, Face-to-Face Feedback. It only takes a few.) • General Market Studies (Measuring Preferences & Behaviour) • Year-End Reports (Building a Library of Statistical Benchmarks)

  26. Ticketing Sponsorship Merchandising Food & Beverage Parking Marketing & Promotions Broadcast Media Relations Community Outreach Guest Relations Strategic Integration Ticketing is only one of multiple functions in a typical sports franchise. All functions should serve to support one another in their goals of revenue generation, service, promotion of sport, community outreach, etc.

  27. THANK YOU!For your time • I would be happy to take questions… • Chris Stairs, MBA • Director of Ticket Sales • VANOC 2010 • www.vancouver2010.com

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