Lower ticket prices in '13

[salty99]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jinx

Agreed. I never understood why the Sox have so few pricing zones. Why in the world is someone in the last row of section 121 paying the same as someone in the first row of section 129?

From Sox:

We have created three areas with tiered pricing in 2013 in what has been our premium lower box. The first 26 rows are being divided into two separate tiers, and those prices are increasing. For rows 27 and beyond, prices are staying the same.

[palehosepub]

Originally Posted by CWS44

My seats are in Premium Club. They are not corporate owned and I am by no means wealthy. A price increase would be a problem for me and it is disappointing that long-time season ticket holders would be rewarded with a price increase while lowering prices in most other areas. I think it is great that the Sox are lowering prices overall, but I disagree with the increase in premium areas.

Has anyone been contacted or seen detail about price increases?

I feel the same way and have not been contacted by the Sox / my ticket rep. We have 4 premiun seats split over 6 Sox fans; I think there are a fair number of groups that are not corporate or wealthy but rabid fans who pool together to get the best possible sets. My problem has always been the terrible seat relocation / improvement process, the Sox never seem to address that. The Bears appear to have a very orderly system that maybe the Sox can learn from.

[Bruizer]

Hmm. Although my overall Upper Reserved Season Ticket Package is going down, weeknight games are going up for the formally non-premiere games ($8 vs $10 per seat and $18 vs $20 for parking). The end result is that we'll fill more seats for the weekend games and the formally premiere games, but most weeknight games will be even more sparse.

[kittle42]

Originally Posted by Soxman219

People better start coming out now. No more excuses.

Actually, the only excuse this takes away from is price. People have plenty more reasons they do not come to U.S. Cellular Field.

[salty99]

Originally Posted by Bruizer

Hmm. Although my overall Upper Reserved Season Ticket Package is going down, weeknight games are going up for the formally non-premiere games ($8 vs $10 per seat and $18 vs $20 for parking). The end result is that we'll fill more seats for the weekend games and the formally premiere games, but most weeknight games will be even more sparse.

You really think season ticket parking is going to be $20?

[DeadMoney]

Originally Posted by Brian26

For the casual fan, the Sox need to market their ballpark. The neighborhood around Sox park will never, ever be Wrigleyville. It's not logistically possible, and people need to get a grip with that. There are a handful of cool places within tolerable walking distances. The new Bacardi is awesome. But, spending time & energy marketing the "neighborhood" and bars that are a half mile away is a waste of resources. The Sox need to market their park and the in-game experience, the ease of parking, the food, the restrooms (yes!), the friendliness for families, the Fundamentals deck, and the team.

Apples and oranges... I know that.

I'm just saying that they need casual fans (and out-of-towners) - people who still may think USCF, Bridgeport and the surrounding area is in the middle of the ghetto - to understand that it's a safe/enjoyable/clean place in this city. Certain media members/outlets have, whether it be a joke or not, driven home the stereotype that the area isn't safe for a long time now. The White Sox have never done anything about it. They've chosen not to get out in front of it. They've stood back and watched an area be tarnished by media members/outlets (and fans of the other team) with an agenda in mind.

The area will never be Wrigleyville and I understand that. I don't want it to be Wrigleyville. It's fine the way it is and the White Sox should really help market it so people know it's a completely reasonable place to go and bring your family to enjoy a night out.

[LITTLE NELL]

Originally Posted by salty99

What is the number of people that will need to come out to satisfy this requirement? And people will ALWAYS have excuses.

In this day and age it looks like 2,000,000 is the new norm, so unless you are the 1962 Mets thats what you should draw. A team like the Sox had in 2012, spending 117 days in first place, probably should pull in at least 2.5 million.

[16th&State]

Originally Posted by DeadMoney

Apples and oranges... I know that.

I'm just saying that they need casual fans (and out-of-towners) - people who still may think USCF, Bridgeport and the surrounding area is in the middle of the ghetto - to understand that it's a safe/enjoyable/clean place in this city. Certain media members/outlets have, whether it be a joke or not, driven home the stereotype that the area isn't safe for a long time now. The White Sox have never done anything about it. They've chosen not to get out in front of it. They've stood back and watched an area be tarnished by media members/outlets (and fans of the other team) with an agenda in mind.

The area will never be Wrigleyville and I understand that. I don't want it to be Wrigleyville. It's fine the way it is and the White Sox should really help market it so people know it's a completely reasonable place to go and bring your family to enjoy a night out.

Well said, and I completely agree.

[Bruizer]

Originally Posted by salty99

You really think season ticket parking is going to be $20?

Harry Potter's post indicated that in the email he received from the Sox for season ticket holders. I hope there's still a discount for STH's but so far I haven't heard of one.

Our ticket sales staff is beginning to contact season ticket holders this week, so we wanted to get this basic information to you first.

Overall, we are taking aggressive steps to decrease the cost of attending a White Sox baseball game in 2013. Two of those steps are lowering ticket prices and creating affordable seating options that will be available to fans in both the lower and upper levels on a daily basis.

Below are some of the more notable items about ticket pricing for this upcoming season.

· Near the end of the 2012 season, the White Sox commissioned a comprehensive research project by Rich Luker, the creator of The ESPN Sports Poll, author of “Simple Community,” and the Up Next trend columnist for Sports Business Journal, who helped examine White Sox fan sentiments on a variety of issues, including ticket prices, and other factors affecting the decision to attend White Sox games.
· The club took the results of the research, feedback on dynamic ticket prices -- which has been utilized by the White Sox since 2010 -- as well secondary market prices (from sites such as Stub Hub) and created a new ticket pricing model that provides fans more value opportunities to attend games.
· More than 87% of all full season tickets for the 2013 season are either dropping in price or staying the same; with more than 54% of the full season tickets dropping an average of 26%.
· The biggest drop in season ticket prices for 2013 are in the Bleacher and Outfield Reserved sections, which are dropping 32 and 30 percent, respectively (for full season tickets). For example, for the 2013 season four full season Bleacher tickets will cost $2,800 less than in 2012.
· Furthermore, full season tickets will be available for as low as $810/per seat and split season plans for as low as $297/per seat (both Upper Reserved).
· On split season tickets, all 27-game plans are decreasing in price, an average of over 25%.
· On a daily basis, corner seats in the lower deck will be available for $20 per game and upper deck corner seats will be available for $7, all season long (excluding only Opening Day and the two Cubs games in May) – which accounts for nearly 5,000 seats per game.
· The cost of parking also is being dropped – to $20 (down from $25 and $23).
· The season ticket holders who will receive decreases in their tickets will have that reflected in their invoices for 2013, which they will receive the coming weeks. The small number of fans who will see a ticket price increase – due to the high demand of their current locations– are being personally contacted by the White Sox.
· There will be additional announcements regarding pricing for seven and 14-game ticket plans, and individual tickets later this offseason.

Feel free to use any of this information at any time.

If you have any questions or if you are interested in speaking with Brooks Boyer about the new ticket pricing or Rich Luker regarding the White Sox fan research, do not hesitate to contact me.

__________________

[DeadMoney]

Originally Posted by Bruizer

Harry Potter's post indicated that in the email he received from the Sox for season ticket holders. I hope there's still a discount for STH's but so far I haven't heard of one.


__________________

HP is the one in charge of our group's plan and he e-mailed the following to me this morning (not sure who this may affect):

According to [our ticket rep] our parking is still locked in at $18/game. You may or may not remember but with the new city tax that went to effect this past January 1st, the Sox said that those accounts that paid their invoice in full prior to 12/31/2011, would lock in the parking at $18/game. So apparently this still holds true for us.

Oh, and I believe that initial e-mail was sent out to media members/types.

[doogiec]

Originally Posted by palehosepub

I feel the same way and have not been contacted by the Sox / my ticket rep. We have 4 premiun seats split over 6 Sox fans; I think there are a fair number of groups that are not corporate or wealthy but rabid fans who pool together to get the best possible sets. My problem has always been the terrible seat relocation / improvement process, the Sox never seem to address that. The Bears appear to have a very orderly system that maybe the Sox can learn from.

Most of the people who sit around my premium LD seats are not corporate or wealthy, and in fact split plans. Transparency in their seating relocation process would help with season ticket retention, in my opinion. The gradual improvement of my seats were a reason I stuck through a lot of the lean years. Now I suspect they simply hold back the better locations to make it easier to bring in new season ticket holders, rather than rewarding existing fans.

So it appears that they are lowering ticket prices to bring in new fans, but picking this as the time to stick it to their fans who actually have been buying lots of tickets the past few years? They got half of it right. (I'm not looking for a decrease, just hold the line...at least pretend to not take my loyalty for granted).

[Bruizer]

Originally Posted by DeadMoney

HP is the one in charge of our group's plan and he e-mailed the following to me this morning (not sure who this may affect):


Oh, and I believe that initial e-mail was sent out to media members/types.

Then perhaps that's the walk-up (drive-up?) price for parking. The cost of parking has been one of the big deterrents to driving to the Sox games. I'm glad to see they're lowering it and I hope it comes down too for the STH's.

[soxfanreggie]

Originally Posted by bunkaroo

Fantastic news. I have a $480 credit from the ALDS strip I bought and was planning to buy a 7 game plan. Now I'll probably buy a 14 game plan, and will probably go to more Sunday games too.

That's what the Sox are banking on. People overall spending more $$$. They'll be seeing more games so hopefully buying merchandise and food as well.

I'll give the Sox a thumbs up on this one.

[Harry Potter]

Originally Posted by Bruizer

Harry Potter's post indicated that in the email he received from the Sox for season ticket holders. I hope there's still a discount for STH's but so far I haven't heard of one.


__________________

Originally Posted by DeadMoney

HP is the one in charge of our group's plan and he e-mailed the following to me this morning (not sure who this may affect):


Oh, and I believe that initial e-mail was sent out to media members/types.

When I talked to my ticket rep last night he said that because we paid our 2012 invoice in full by 12/31/2011 to lock in the $18/game parking, our 2013 parking would still be $18/game.

I'm not sure what the 2012 parking price was for STH who paid their invoice in full after 1/1/2012 (and thus I'm not sure what the 2013 parking will be for those STH groups)

As DeadMoney stated, the e-mail I shared earlier was not sent to season ticket holders but rather was an e-mail I received from a friend who handles radio ad sales for the Sox (the entire media department received that e-mail)

[Chez]

Originally Posted by doogiec

So it appears that they are lowering ticket prices to bring in new fans, but picking this as the time to stick it to their fans who actually have been buying lots of tickets the past few years? They got half of it right. (I'm not looking for a decrease, just hold the line...at least pretend to not take my loyalty for granted).

I kind of feel the same way. I've been part of a full season ticket group -- premium seats -- since 1987 (that's before the new park even opened). I attend between 15-25 games a year. I'm very happy to see the Sox take positive steps to fill the park, but I'll be disappointed if they raise the price of my tickets again. Probably not disappointed enough to keep me from re-upping, but disappointed nonetheless. I'm fine if they hold the line on my ticket prices, but to raise the prices (again) makes it seem like I'm sponsoring the other generous ticket price cuts.