Great game tonight. Was wonderful to finally beat Memphis and end the streak. With that stated, what a horribly attended game for the Bartow classic.... so I’m posting ideas for marketing our team(s) better, would like to see your ideas as well.
Attalla made an interesting point to me, what’s being done to draw the UAB football fan into basketball? Here are my ideas to help that.
1.) Have a basketball/football season ticket combo option. B-ball seats would be for upper level.
2.) Offer a cheaper option with football season tickets/five Blazer basketball game pack.
3.) Have a double group rate- small groups get a rate on a football AND basketball game. Get them to come twice.
4.) Could we have a basketball tailgate set up at football? Maybe with a large video board playing highlights and a pop-a-shot. Maybe have the same for football at basketball games.
5.) A system set up for extra tickets- allot these tickets to Ronald McDonald House, Childrens Harbor, VA, etc. just a way that unused tickets could go into the hands of deserving folks who would attend.
6.) Get a set up to travel to schools to promote all sports, like an assembly. Give free tickets (or donor purchased) to kids who make honor roll.
7.) It’s past time that Bartow Arena should be in lighted letters on all four sides of the arena outside. Maybe make it visible from the interstate.
Just some ideas. Thoughts on these and more ideas.
The best idea I have is to get into the AAC. Names like UConn, Memphis, Cincinnati, etc. will bring crowds.
(12-01-2017 12:49 AM)blazinrunner Wrote: [ -> ]The best idea I have is to get into the AAC. Names like UConn, Memphis, Cincinnati, etc. will bring crowds.
This is ultimately what has to happen to stay relevant. Having to win the autobid because your conference is weighed down by teams like FAU, FIU, North Texas, etc makes for:
1) Poor attendance because you play mostly no name schools in conference with little basketball pulse
2) Poor attendance because your bad conference makes it hard to schedule good home OOC games because you're an RPI liability
3) Semi takes the life out of the regular season knowing it's mostly just window dressing for 3 days in March.
But stc's ideas are good marketing strategies.
Have a ticket amnesty / ticket turn in day. Any unused FB ticket is good for a g.a. exchange on Senior day.
And do the same for BB tickets, get a good G5 opponent scheduled for the week before Christmas, and any unused ticket for that season so far is good a g.a. exchange for that game.
And obviously not too many are listening online, since 95% of the ads are for Viva Health Insurance for UaB students, Alabama Dept. of Corrections PSA , Legacy Credit Union, or a have fun with your family PSA. The only real ads are the annoying Pepsi commercials.
Make attendance a factor in getting good seats.
Open up vacant seats on one side of lower level after 12:00 timeout.
Let people experience a packed out lower level crowd.
People entering after the 12:00 timeout with lower level seats have General admission seats now. Make season ticket holders want to attend to avoid being sent to the side that allows seats to be GA and those on that side want to attend to get upgraded based on attendance to other side.
People will like the packed out electric atmosphere and aspire to purchase that experience.
Can we just get people in those seats?
Incentivize season ticket holders to open up their vacant seats in advance.
(12-01-2017 07:54 AM)notnow Wrote: [ -> ]Make attendance a factor in getting good seats.
Open up vacant seats on one side of lower level after 12:00 timeout.
Let people experience a packed out lower level crowd.
People entering after the 12:00 timeout with lower level seats have General admission seats now. Make season ticket holders want to attend to avoid being sent to the side that allows seats to be GA and those on that side want to attend to get upgraded based on attendance to other side.
People will like the packed out electric atmosphere and aspire to purchase that experience.
Can we just get people in those seats?
Incentivize season ticket holders to open up their vacant seats in advance.
A lot of those ideas would drive people who donate big money away. You can't punish the big donors. They paid a lot of money for their seat and can arrive any time they want.
(12-01-2017 12:49 AM)blazinrunner Wrote: [ -> ]The best idea I have is to get into the AAC. Names like UConn, Memphis, Cincinnati, etc. will bring crowds.
We were in a conference with two of those, and other big names. And still had trouble filling Bartow.
It's a crowded marketplace, and that requires truly creative marketing, and I don't see Ingram's staff as very capable there. Break out of the box: hire some experienced people from outside the sports-industrial complex. The old ways don't work, and they don't work because there are effective new ways. Hire someone who can find and use them.
(12-01-2017 07:54 AM)notnow Wrote: [ -> ]Make attendance a factor in getting good seats.
Open up vacant seats on one side of lower level after 12:00 timeout.
Let people experience a packed out lower level crowd.
People entering after the 12:00 timeout with lower level seats have General admission seats now. Make season ticket holders want to attend to avoid being sent to the side that allows seats to be GA and those on that side want to attend to get upgraded based on attendance to other side.
People will like the packed out electric atmosphere and aspire to purchase that experience.
Can we just get people in those seats?
Incentivize season ticket holders to open up their vacant seats in advance.
if you paid the money you get those seats ,,,,pure and simple ..it is not medicaid
Most people who paid for those seats have a jobs and many time they cannot go to the game .
Many times people dont want those tickets for xyz reasons but the reason number one they dont know who we play and we as a team , we are not very good
Dont forget it is still football season in alabama and we have a team who lost 3 games in a row against average competition .
So far this year , i was not able to see any games but most of my seat were fill by someone else
many times i can find people to use my tickets
it was easy to give my tickets when the team was good and we play good teams on regular base
Cusa basketball is not very good , this team cannot play defense and we got zero shoot to get an at large bid ,,,which mean the regular season need absolutely nothing
We didn't sell out the building but attendance was significantly better.
We have to perform better and play a better OOC schedule. If that means going on the road and getting our butts kicked, then do it. Get rid of the non D1 games. Those are a joke. We need to play more nationally relevant games and play like we have a pulse when we play someone that's even below average.
(12-01-2017 01:28 AM)BlazerPhil Wrote: [ -> ]Have a ticket amnesty / ticket turn in day. Any unused FB ticket is good for a g.a. exchange on Senior day.
And do the same for BB tickets, get a good G5 opponent scheduled for the week before Christmas, and any unused ticket for that season so far is good a g.a. exchange for that game.
This is a very good idea
(12-01-2017 08:34 AM)stc Wrote: [ -> ] (12-01-2017 01:28 AM)BlazerPhil Wrote: [ -> ]Have a ticket amnesty / ticket turn in day. Any unused FB ticket is good for a g.a. exchange on Senior day.
And do the same for BB tickets, get a good G5 opponent scheduled for the week before Christmas, and any unused ticket for that season so far is good a g.a. exchange for that game.
This is a very good idea
No doubt, a great one. This board has better ideas and imagination than the paid "professionals" at UAB (and the Birmingham Snews).
(12-01-2017 08:52 AM)BlazerGreen Wrote: [ -> ] (12-01-2017 08:34 AM)stc Wrote: [ -> ] (12-01-2017 01:28 AM)BlazerPhil Wrote: [ -> ]Have a ticket amnesty / ticket turn in day. Any unused FB ticket is good for a g.a. exchange on Senior day.
And do the same for BB tickets, get a good G5 opponent scheduled for the week before Christmas, and any unused ticket for that season so far is good a g.a. exchange for that game.
This is a very good idea
No doubt, a great one. This board has better ideas and imagination than the paid "professionals" at UAB (and the Birmingham Snews).
I do understand that it's hard - imagination gets you fired if it doesn't work - and if it was a sure (or even likely) thing, everyone would be doing it.
It likely doesn't help either that #20 scoring all those dramatic buckets in the history video now actually
is orange jumpsuit guy.
I would suggest after the season starts, sell the top say, 5 rows all the way around Bartow for maybe $5/seat. If you want to move to the bottom of the upper bowl once the game starts, so be it. Only making $5 on a ticket is still better than an empty seat and $0. Plus, you build the fan base, sell concessions, shirts, etc.
At $20 per ticket, the casual fan isn't going to take their family of 4 to watch UAB vs (anyone on our current sched) in the middle of the week or sacrifice a Saturday night. Especially if that fan doesn't know better than to pay for parking in one of the previously free lots.
(12-01-2017 01:50 AM)BlazerPhil Wrote: [ -> ]And obviously not too many are listening online, since 95% of the ads are for Viva Health Insurance for UaB students, Alabama Dept. of Corrections PSA , Legacy Credit Union, or a have fun with your family PSA. The only real ads are the annoying Pepsi commercials.
I have to say, I LOVED watching the game on Facebook through Stadium. No comercials, and the announcers were pretty good. They filled timeout time with interviews and stories. It was well done in my opinion.
I know that doesn't help attendance.
And bring back $2 hotdog night every Thursday.
Some sort of family deal or youth ticket would bring us out to more games. We just can't justify it financially, especially with the opponents we had scheduled this year.
(12-01-2017 12:32 AM)stc Wrote: [ -> ]Great game tonight. Was wonderful to finally beat Memphis and end the streak. With that stated, what a horribly attended game for the Bartow classic.... so I’m posting ideas for marketing our team(s) better, would like to see your ideas as well.
Attalla made an interesting point to me, what’s being done to draw the UAB football fan into basketball? Here are my ideas to help that.
1.) Have a basketball/football season ticket combo option. B-ball seats would be for upper level.
2.) Offer a cheaper option with football season tickets/five Blazer basketball game pack.
3.) Have a double group rate- small groups get a rate on a football AND basketball game. Get them to come twice.
4.) Could we have a basketball tailgate set up at football? Maybe with a large video board playing highlights and a pop-a-shot. Maybe have the same for football at basketball games.
5.) A system set up for extra tickets- allot these tickets to Ronald McDonald House, Childrens Harbor, VA, etc. just a way that unused tickets could go into the hands of deserving folks who would attend.
6.) Get a set up to travel to schools to promote all sports, like an assembly. Give free tickets (or donor purchased) to kids who make honor roll.
7.) It’s past time that Bartow Arena should be in lighted letters on all four sides of the arena outside. Maybe make it visible from the interstate.
Just some ideas. Thoughts on these and more ideas.
Beautifully Written. All Great Ideas. Its the teams we play. Bring Louisville. or Cincy or Auburn and the Arena will fill. If you want, Study the History of the Sell outs and teams that we have played all respect to Memphis but that was no Memphis, I've ever seen, Might as well have Been Florida Gulf Coast no Disrespect to Florida Gulf Coast. The Fans will come see Memphis win they are Memphis. Until Then you're not going to have a scenario of Fan Interest. And UAB has a great team, so I would suspect the fans will come in to see this team once we Beat Troy and Auburn, If they can do that, Troy has one of their Best Teams recently and went to the tournament last year. And well Auburn is Auburn. And Day and Time has a lot to do with it, which seems to be out of the Control. I would of Scheduled Memphis on a Saturday not a Week Day.
(12-01-2017 12:58 AM)hooverblazer Wrote: [ -> ]But stc's ideas are good marketing strategies.
They are also much more practical and easily implemented than forcing ourselves into a conference which has not invited us.
(12-01-2017 07:54 AM)notnow Wrote: [ -> ]Make attendance a factor in getting good seats.
Open up vacant seats on one side of lower level after 12:00 timeout.
Let people experience a packed out lower level crowd.
People entering after the 12:00 timeout with lower level seats have General admission seats now. Make season ticket holders want to attend to avoid being sent to the side that allows seats to be GA and those on that side want to attend to get upgraded based on attendance to other side.
People will like the packed out electric atmosphere and aspire to purchase that experience.
Can we just get people in those seats?
Incentivize season ticket holders to open up their vacant seats in advance.
You should really go look at how much the scholarship donation is that you have to pay before you are allowed to purchase season tickets in the Frozen 100. Each seat requires a donation of $1,000 and upward before you pay the price of the tickets themselves. The season ticket function at the ticket office is now shut down as we are well into the season, but you're talking $1,200 and up for the lower bowl seats along the side lines. The closer seats are more but I don't have the donation figure.
Empty seats in the lower bowl are a perennial problem. Many of those seats are purchased either by very long term (as in Gene Bartow era) fans or by local businesses. Either may or may not ever show up, but we want the money they pay. Opening those seats after the 8:00 mark of the first half or allowing people to move down at halftime would be workable. Chucking people out of them because they paid a whole bunch of money for tickets that they don't use would be very bad policy indeed.