Winnipeg Jets

[EdwardTH]

Originally Posted by drew

^ sure, swag.

Special season ticket holder events. Anything really. Oher than continuously increase ticket prices, make it difficult to move seats and give first dibs on playoffs...

They didn't plan for the inevitable time when just having the team back would be good enough. Now they are gonna have to work to get us back. And its not like I am some sort of anomaly. The empty seats speak for themselves.

I guess I just don't understand how, in the grand scheme of things, getting a goodie bag once in a while would suddenly make it worth it? Seems like people just can't afford tix anymore, which is understandable, but they're too proud to admit they can't afford it or something lol.

At the end of the day the market for pro sports tickets is going the same way as everything else, regular people getting priced out because they're competing with corporations that have more money than they know what to do with. Those big companies in the US will keep buying half the season tickets because it's nothing to them, and the prices will keep going up. Not unlike housing where all the stock is being bought up by investors with deep pockets and regular people are priced out.

[drew]

It's not what the swag is necessarily, it's just reinforcing the idea that the customer is valued. And not just there to pray at the alter of our NHL saviours, TNSE.

[bomberjet]

Being a season ticket holder for almost a decade now, I understand Drew's point.

You pay them $10k to go to their hockey games for one year. And there is nothing coming back to keep you interested.

Sure, it's your choice to pay the money. But there is no incentive for me to keep my tickets anymore. I can easily get tix to the games I want, with no risk of putting out $10k. They need to understand this, but don't. Or just don't know what to do about it.

I feel this is very much a Chipman, old man out of touch type thing.

[thurmas]

The weak cdn dollar hurts in that they can't offer big discounts like american teams can. Also the past 2 summers of so much news always on players and coaches not wanting to be here hurt as well when I look at the pictures from the crowd last night its a very old and very white crowd. Bombers games much more diverse crowd. The demographic changes in Canada the past decade have been so strong that hockey is really losing out on future generations due to costs inaccessibility and it being such an old boys club.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by thurmas

On hfboard apparently san jose had 10500 and buffalo 12500 the other night so we aren't the only ones.

Over the first few games of the season Winnipeg is averaging the least pure attendance and the least % of building filled. (Arizona hasn't played at home yet)

https://www.hockey-reference.com/friv/attendance.cgi

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by cheswick

Over the first few games of the season Winnipeg is averaging the least pure attendance and the least % of building filled. (Arizona hasn't played at home yet)

https://www.hockey-reference.com/friv/attendance.cgi

Its concerning the corporate base in Winnipeg needs to step up

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by drew

No excuses. TNSE is learning the hard way that attracting new customers is way harder than retaining existing ones.

Originally Posted by drew

^ sure, swag.

Special season ticket holder events. Anything really. Oher than continuously increase ticket prices, make it difficult to move seats and give first dibs on playoffs...

They didn't plan for the inevitable time when just having the team back would be good enough. Now they are gonna have to work to get us back. And its not like I am some sort of anomaly. The empty seats speak for themselves.

I had been part of a group that shared Jets season tickets since the team returned. We are all at different points in life now and that group structure was not working well anymore so we ended it. I changed to directly getting a quarter season from the team. They made it such a miserable experience I am not sure I will renew.

My wife is super busy at work and we have learned over the past couple of seasons weeknight games don't work well for us. For the 2022/2023 season the Jets offered a quarter season pack that was weekend games. That sounded like a good match for us. So I reach out to the team about getting that pack. Except they cannot tell me if the pack they want be to sign up for is a weekend pack or not. That should have been enough of a warning sign to send me running, but I pushed past it.

Then they announced the split of tickets and confirm I am on a weekend pack, much after that first conversation. It looks great at first glance but then I look at it a little closer. There are six weekends between the start of October and end of April (30 weeks) and I cannot attend games on six of them, or 20%. While turned out of the 10 games in my pack 4 of them (40%) are on those weekends. So I reach out to the team to see if we can maybe change two games.

I see I have one game the team has classified as a top price tier game I cannot attend and there is a different one a couple weeks earlier that would work. Seems to be a like for like exchange. I ask the team and get told no, unconditionally. Apparently you can only receive games on a secret list that isn't available publicly anywhere.

That's okay the second game I wanted to exchange is for one on the secret list. I ask to trade a middle price tier game for the middle priced tier game on the list. Get denied again.

Apparently you can ONLY exchange games on the secret list for other games on the secret list. And guess what, none of the games in my package are on the list.

Another email to the team explaining how this seems wrong and asking them to reconsider.

Eventually they did give in and let me trade the second game. But that left me with the top priced game I could not attend. Worked my connections and found someone willing to buy that game. Then found someone else willing to swap the home opener for a different game I could attend.

Seriously at that point I am truly asking myself why I am not just buying single game tickets.

The team is going to need to do a lot more than giving me a free bobble head per seat to convivence me to stay.

[Jammon]

Originally Posted by CoryB

I had been part of a group that shared Jets season tickets since the team returned. We are all at different points in life now and that group structure was not working well anymore so we ended it. I changed to directly getting a quarter season from the team. They made it such a miserable experience I am not sure I will renew.

My wife is super busy at work and we have learned over the past couple of seasons weeknight games don't work well for us. For the 2022/2023 season the Jets offered a quarter season pack that was weekend games. That sounded like a good match for us. So I reach out to the team about getting that pack. Except they cannot tell me if the pack they want be to sign up for is a weekend pack or not. That should have been enough of a warning sign to send me running, but I pushed past it.

Then they announced the split of tickets and confirm I am on a weekend pack, much after that first conversation. It looks great at first glance but then I look at it a little closer. There are six weekends between the start of October and end of April (30 weeks) and I cannot attend games on six of them, or 20%. While turned out of the 10 games in my pack 4 of them (40%) are on those weekends. So I reach out to the team to see if we can maybe change two games.

I see I have one game the team has classified as a top price tier game I cannot attend and there is a different one a couple weeks earlier that would work. Seems to be a like for like exchange. I ask the team and get told no, unconditionally. Apparently you can only receive games on a secret list that isn't available publicly anywhere.

That's okay the second game I wanted to exchange is for one on the secret list. I ask to trade a middle price tier game for the middle priced tier game on the list. Get denied again.

Apparently you can ONLY exchange games on the secret list for other games on the secret list. And guess what, none of the games in my package are on the list.

Another email to the team explaining how this seems wrong and asking them to reconsider.

Eventually they did give in and let me trade the second game. But that left me with the top priced game I could not attend. Worked my connections and found someone willing to buy that game. Then found someone else willing to swap the home opener for a different game I could attend.

Seriously at that point I am truly asking myself why I am not just buying single game tickets.

The team is going to need to do a lot more than giving me a free bobble head per seat to convivence me to stay.

I gave up my season tickets this year after sharing for 12 years since the return. After they threatened legal action on our group when we told them that we could no longer afford our seats, it really left a sour taste in my mouth. Last year, all we received was a lousy cooler bag for season tickets and a 20% discount on items at the Jets store and concessions. That's not they way you attract season ticket holders. I have provided my feedback to TNSE every season about how to improve the experience. Then, last season, we were going to switch seats and join another group, only to find out that they included these seats as part of the remodeled section, upped the price and offered the owners no option to relocate. So they (having owned four seats in two sections as business owners) dropped all four.

That shows you how people feel about TNSE. Chipman has a lot to learn about business as a hockey owner. This year, I'm saving my money and might buy last minute tickets to games I want to attend, but I have to admit, I'm really not missing the games or the experience. Some of the people working for TNSE are rude and miserable and it certainly doesn't add to the experience. Mind you, I have also met some real gems working for TNSE as well.

[bomberjet]

Thye only thing keeping me on season tix was access to playoff tix. This past years playoffs show there is no need for me to keep the tickets. I could get playoff tix at similar prices to what I was paying.

Previous years it was a huge plus for us to have seasons, such as during the 2018 run.

Now, it's easier. Getting a discount on beer is not driving me to keep my seasons. It's basically just me supporting the team with our season ticket package (as they wish haha).

[lotw_wpg]

I have season tickets and probably will have them for the end of time because it does help with business; plus, I don't want them to leave again, and it's also a plus to take the wife out for the night away from the kids. Hit up a restaurant after or before and watch some hockey. I do agree that the prices at concession are nuts. My wife doesn't buy anything lol. But I might have a beer or two when I go. The staff I deal with are friendly.

The negative I have for the arena experience is the fan experience. I've been to many arenas, and it's a ton of fun; the Jets fan experience is a whimper in that avenue. Also, if I were the city/province, I would try to drum up more development in the downtown area. There isn't much activity Downtown after 6 p.m., which would affect overall game attendance.

[thurmas]

Bombers just 500 seats shy of sellout for regular season finale. Have a winning product that people can afford to attend and that's welcoming environment and you have success. Listening to all the red tape true north made season ticket holders go through plus the high prices and with downtown not desirable to be at they all snowball into what they have today.

[bomberjet]

They need to revamp the gameday experience completely. Like completely change how the games are presented. Basically, rebrand the team. Still Jets, still Winnipeg. But do something new.

First thing is cancel the people screaming into the microphone.

[TimeFadesAway]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

first thing is cancel the people screaming into the microphone.

make some nooooiiiiisssseeee

[drew]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

They need to revamp the gameday experience completely. Like completely change how the games are presented. Basically, rebrand the team. Still Jets, still Winnipeg. But do something new.

First thing is cancel the people screaming into the microphone.

Yeah, the people that can afford season tickets aren't the same people who that whole yelling game day experience is going to impress. It doesn't have to be a church service in there, but the really aren't appealing to most people in that arena with the current set up (assuming it is still like it was last year).

[EdwardTH]

Originally Posted by thurmas

Bombers just 500 seats shy of sellout for regular season finale. Have a winning product that people can afford to attend and that's welcoming environment and you have success.

Yeah price is the main complaint everyone has, but if you sell more tickets at a lower price point you end up with the same revenue. Selling 15% more tickets, beer, hot dogs etc at 15% lower prices put you right where you started to what's the point? Still seems like for most fans all this fuss has more to do with the ego blow of seeing all those empty seats than the actual economics.

Originally Posted by lotw_wpg

The negative I have for the arena experience is the fan experience. I've been to many arenas, and it's a ton of fun; the Jets fan experience is a whimper in that avenue. Also, if I were the city/province, I would try to drum up more development in the downtown area. There isn't much activity Downtown after 6 p.m., which would affect overall game attendance.

Can you give some concrete examples of what they do in other buildings, because I hear this talking point all the time but never any real examples. Do they need a band in there? Cheerleaders? Medeival battles? What? And I feel like half these comments are saying it's too loud and obnoxious and the other half saying it's too quiet and boring lol.

Without examples this always just seems like typical finicky Winnipeggers making excuses to stay home and grumble.

[thurmas]

Apparently jets season ticket base this year is only 9500. That's pretty weak especially with so many hockey fan boys in corporate offices in the city. To me their goal should be to get it up to 11500 to 12000. Big 4 sports due to costs most fans cannot afford season tickets anymore thats why cfl works here so much better.

[drew]

Originally Posted by EdwardTH

Without examples this always just seems like typical finicky Winnipeggers making excuses to stay home and grumble.

Do you have season tickets?

[EdwardTH]

Originally Posted by drew

Do you have season tickets?

No, I can't afford them. Not sure what that has to do with anything. I'm asking what the folks who complain about the "arena experience" are looking for.

[drew]

I spent somewhere in the neighbourhood of $20k on season tickets (12 seasons in a group of 4 people sharing 2 seats). I think that gives me (and others like me) the right to gripe, even if it's for seemingly trivial reasons.

[thurmas]

Jets lose again 5 to 3 to Vegas and attendance only 11521. Even jets 1.0 were around 12.5 or 13.5 most nights. Looks like will be a very long year.