Attendance issues

[Cyclone792]

I don't think the Reds sell $1 hot dogs and soft drinks. Anyone who's been to a game this year notice $1 hot dogs? I know last year they had an occassional special date where they offered $1 hot dogs but that was not a regular price by a long shot

I think they're offered at one or two specific locations only, not everywhere. The lines are usually atrocious too unless you get there well before a game. That means on a typical weeknight, there are about 12k fans at the game, and half of them are in line for dollar hot dogs.

[TRF]

How about 1/2 price tickets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays? Plus any weekday day games? You'll miss a lot of thursdays and mondays due to them being travel days, throw in Wednesdays to show you care and day games that aren't on the weekend.

To me, that sends a nice message to the community and puts butts in seats.

[Roy Tucker]

How about 1/2 price tickets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays? Plus any weekday day games? You'll miss a lot of thursdays and mondays due to them being travel days, throw in Wednesdays to show you care and day games that aren't on the weekend.

To me, that sends a nice message to the community and puts butts in seats.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/ticketing/udf.jsp

[TRF]

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/ticketing/udf.jsp

I had no idea. That's quite the bargain. Should be promoted more.

I'm kind of a marketing genius. Someone give me one of Raisor's Nobel Prizes.

But I'd not require UDF and I'd do it all season. 40K fans at half price > 15K fans at full price.

[Chip R]

I had no idea. That's quite the bargain. Should be promoted more.

I'm kind of a marketing genius. Someone give me one of Raisor's Nobel Prizes.

But I'd not require UDF and I'd do it all season. 40K fans at half price > 15K fans at full price.

They sell $5 tickets in advance and they still have problems drawing. Sure, they are up in the corners but you can always move down.

[johngalt]

Discounting tickets is not going to bring in hordes of people during the week.

Take this past week during the Dodgers series for example. Let's say the Reds did have half-price tickets for weeknight games. That means View Level are $7 (just like the Bleachers are always), Sun/Moon Deck are $11, Terrace Outfield in left field are $9.50 and Field Box on the lower level are $17.

Now, during the Dodgers series, you're talking roughly 12,000-13,000 people at each game. Do you really think attendance would be in the 25,000-26,000 range just because of the half-price tickets? That's the number you would have to hit just to break even on the tickets. Sure, you get some additional concession and merchandise sales, but those profits are split with Sportservice who operates them.

That's just for one series. Do you think that really holds up over the course of the season? I just don't see it. Keeping Opening Day aside, the Reds have $5 tickets to every game and $7 tickets (bleachers) to all games except the big Select series. There's the UDF promotion on tickets, CincinnatiUSA.com promotes ticket deals through their Web site, and the team offers discounts for certain games throughout the year for Senior Citizens and Sunday family days.

For people who want food deals, there's that Kroger Meal Deal Marty and Thom talk about on commercials, the $1 menu stands, and the all you can eat seats I see advertised on their Web site a lot.

I don't know what more you can really expect for them to do other than just open the gates and wave everyone in.

[Roy Tucker]

I don't know what more you can really expect for them to do other than just open the gates and wave everyone in.

That's the truth there.

The Reds offer tickets in the Cadillac, the Chevy, and the Chevette ranges. If you want to go all-out, you can. If you want to go cheap, you can. You can go for a full-blown MLB experience with Diamond seats, get some darn fine field tickets, or go sit in the outfield or upper deck. All have their pros and cons but all are a good stadium experience and I've always had a great time at whatever seat I'm in (excluding what may or may not happen on the field). And yhe value is good for whatever ticket range you buy.

The bottom line is the Reds can throw all the two-fers and bogos and discounts they can at you, but only a competitive and winning team will bring in the throngs of fans they need. Cincinnati fans have always been fickle.

[reds1869]

The Reds already provide one of the best values around. I've never understood the complaints about ticket prices. When you can get in for $5 there is no reason to complain other than you don't like the view you get for $5. Well, you know what? I'd like to pay for a Hyundai and get a Ferrari, too. But it doesn't work that way and I'm perfectly content with my Hyundai seats in 537.

I know parking is an issue, too. That's why I'm moving downtown in August. On the surface it is to be closer to my wife's job. But we all know why I really want to live downtown.

[KittyDuran]

So you screw your season ticket holders who paid full price for 81 games?

Has happened for two seasons to me. I have a weekend season ticket package for 1 outer view level seat. Supposedly, I'm the only season ticket holder (and IIRC, the team no longer allows these seats to be season tickets). Last year I took a credit of about $280 which was applied to this season's tickets, at full price. Paid the difference, then a few months later the team lower the price to $5 again. They were going to give me another credit for next year - but I asked for a check. Haven't received it yet, so I might have to send another email.

[bucksfan2]

I heard an interview a couple of years ago with the director of the Cyclones. It was a very good marketing interview in the way they view their tickets. They realized that they weren't competing with another sports team rather someones expendable income. They were competing with movies, bowling, all forms of entertainment. They needed to not only provide the product on the ice but also the atmosphere that surrounded the game.

The same could be said about the Reds. I do think the new ownership "gets it" in terms of the fan experience. But I also think that people are busy. I am married with a dog and it seems like I am always on the run. Softball on Wed, golf on Thurs, they gym on days I have nothing going on. In all reality I can go to the gym on a Tuesday, stop at the grocery, and be home by about 7 to catch the first pitch in glorious HD TV. I love going to games but there are just times that I just don't feel like it or it doesn't fit into my schedule.

The walk up crowd will increase if the Reds start to play better baseball especially after school is out. If the Reds come back from this road trip with a 5-1 trip I think you will see a little more excitement around GABP when they return. But I do think there is a major issue in growing your young fan base.

[Redhook]

For me, it's not the price of the ticket, it's the concessions. It's similar to movies. I don't mind paying to get into the park, I just can't stand paying that much for beer, food, popcorn, soda, etc. When I go to a baseball game, I want to have 3-4 beers, some nachos, and maybe a hot dog. That's about $40 for drinks and food. And that's not counting my wife. For the 2 of us, it'll be over $100 to go to a game and enjoy it the way we'd like to. It costs way too much. I strongly feel I'm not getting my money's worth when I go to a game, and that's why I haven't been to one in 2 years and won't go to one again this year.

[gonelong]

Everybody concentrates on the money aspect of it (prices), but time is the largest driver for me.

The Reds have to make it worth my time to leave work at 4:30, drive home, round-up the family, drive an hour, park, stay for a 3 hour game, and drive an hour plus back home to get home at 11:00 PM. I've got 6+ hours invested in a game, and frankly, the teams they put on the field are not worth me killing an entire weekday evening for them.

It's *way* too easy a choice to stay at home ... they need to make it more difficult.

GL

[westofyou]

When i go to baseball game I never eat the food, that's like going to a restaurant and watching the kitchen staff play wiffle ball, which is probably a better deal than the food at a ballpark.

[Chip R]

I don't know what more you can really expect for them to do other than just open the gates and wave everyone in.

I swear to God, if they said one weekday morning that for that evening's game would get in free, the park still wouldn't be half full.

I think the marketing department has done a very good job the past 3-4 years. Before that it was almost like anti-marketing.

[westofyou]

Cincinnati fans have always been fickle.

And staunchly German in their approach to spending on entertainment too. I've never heard a fan base focus on cost more than the Reds fans, a team that has some of the cheapest tickets around, in any sport.