Season Ticket Prices

[axs]

I didn't think he was being defensive!

[Simon Pieman]

Well programmes and the club shop may generate profit without Diamond Mike there

[flammableBen]

I didn't think he was being defensive!

You're probably right. As soon as anybody starts using stuff like BTW it always comes across as aggressive in my head. I'm not sure why.

[neville w]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking the idea, just trying to point out that the numbers are what will drive the success or failure of any initiative.

Two further points.  If Bradford are 'breaking even', they've had to sell a hell of a lot of tickets to achieve that

At Mondays  forum, It was projected that we will make a loss of £2.3m this year (I'm assuming that this was before any of the stated savings). To turn that into break even, the board are looking at cost savings of £1.25m, leaving about £1m to find.

That'll be partly from new sponsors, improved match day and shop operations, player trading profits etc,  but it'll need probably 2000 (£500k) extra gate revenue over and above my earleir assumptions to achieve.

Ben makes a fair point re VAT as well, which just makes the differential on gate revenue larger on a break even calculation.

We could do with Leeds and Forest staying down joined by someone like Leicester or Coventry from the Championship to get some good away followings next season.

It would be interesting to know how many programmes, how much food and drink we shift on a matchday, but I don't suppose there's any way of finding that out.

[pauld]

There's considerable scope to increase the additional matchday spend "per bum on seat" simply by improving what's on offer - improving quality of food and the service so you can actually get it, likewise with a decent range of stock in the club shop. The point being that any budget on the basis of what we currently do would be extremely pessimistic because it's pretty much at the lowest point possible due to years of having been run down. It's also worth taking into account that if you can get more people in on a regular basis (as per Si Pie's point about both him and Rob T going to more matches) and thereby boost the average gate say to 8000+, you improve the atmosphere, so improve the matchday "experience" which in turn encourages others to come. It becomes self-marketing as Rob pointed out. And then there's the not negligible point that if gates and hence atmosphere improve that in and of itself could be worth 4-5 points a season. Which in a tight division can mean the difference between mid-table and the play-offs.

[Phil_S]

I'm not going to hold my breathe too much. On Monday they said that the aim was to increase the average gate by 1,000. A massive cuttting of prices would need a larger increae than that.
There is scope for increasing profits from the existing gates, the most obvious being the club shop & catering.
Regarding the catering the standard average mark up  is between 2.5 & 3 times cost & VAT is payable on most items. The profit on drinks is even more than this. The key thng about making the most of the demand is efficiently delivering a large quantity of good quality food in a very tight window. (30 mins & 15).  There are other efficiencies that can be put in like a conveyor stle broiler foor burgers etc but The only real way to incxrease this is to increae the number of punters being served at one time ie more points of sale &/ or faster service at each.
Certainly there is scope for this in the South stand in the central area by the bar.
I would suggest that until improvements such as this are made, you could not count on increased gates meaning increased food & drink gates at present. (Except when they run out of burgers chips etc I would guess catering sales this season have been pretty constant ie they are near satuaration point)

[Reg Smeeton]

The only time I've ever partaken of the catering on offer at the CG, was in the early 60's, when old  men with tea urns strapped to their back would walk around  the pitch edge.

 The tea was fab, hot and sweet....based on the Russian model, that if your spoon stands up in it, it keeps out the cold.  You also got a paper cup, that if you stood on just right, would explode with a satisfying boom.

 Unfortunately the practice stopped, when  Town Enders, rather than drinking the tea would throw it at the away fans.

  Speaking of Rusian models....the way to shift extra units is to hire some Eastern European birds, dress them appropriately and get them to wander around..selling stuff.

[thepeoplesgame]

With the exception of breaking my boycott to buy a Forest Green programme (it was a once in a lifetime game) I can't remember the last time I spent any money at the County Ground. I've been conditioned into thinking there will be nothing worth buying in the shop, that I'll have to miss 10 minutes of the match if I want to buy a snack in the Town End, and that money made on programme sales is swiftly diverted away from the club.

What could change my attitude?
1) A good online presence for the club shop would be a way of persuading me that it stocked items of worth... I turn up at the ground just in time to get in for kick-off so I am never going to browse on the off chance.
2) I don't know how it can be done in the Town End but access to catering needs to improve. On the odd occasion I go to watch Bath City I always treat myself to a cup of tea (from an urn, not scolding water poured on a tea bag that won't be drinkable until midway through the second half) and a Mars bar. I'd never bother at the County Ground. Maybe they should bring back Reg's mobile tea sellers (there were some a few years ago) and give them a tray of chocolate bars, etc, leaving the snack bar area for people who actually want burgers/chips/etc.
3) I think I'm lost to the programme cause now. I got priced out at £2.50 (is it £3 now?) and realised I didn't miss them on the day or years later when they fill every available storage space in the house. But from what I see the programme is okay... keep it good quality, make it £2.50, don't let Dunwoody print it and I think you'll always sell a decent number.

[Jamiesfuturewife]

The only time I've ever partaken of the catering on offer at the CG, was in the early 60's, when old  men with tea urns strapped to their back would walk around  the pitch edge.

   oh my life would that not be slightly dangerous - like a full blown big silver urn?  

I love the olden days before health and safety!

[Reg Smeeton]

The only time I've ever partaken of the catering on offer at the CG, was in the early 60's, when old  men with tea urns strapped to their back would walk around  the pitch edge.

   oh my life would that not be slightly dangerous - like a full blown big silver urn?  

I love the olden days before health and safety!

 Only it wasn't tubular, more rectangular, like a large silver rucksack.

[Phil_S]

Didn't we have people roaming the Stratton Bank with soup a few years back ?
At the end of the day the best way to increase  profit at the CG is to increase the gate. Most if not all costs are fixed so extra attendees are 90 -95% pure profit.
Increased sales on catering, Shop & programme all have a cost price, so are not pure profit.
However if we can get 10,000 attending at an average of £7.50 per game then it HAS to be better than 5,000 @ £15.00 per game, because of the better atmosphere, & the potential ancillary sales.

[Reg Smeeton]

Didn't we have people roaming the Stratton Bank with soup a few years back ?
At the end of the day the best way to increase  profit at the CG is to increase the gate. Most if not all costs are fixed so extra attendees are 90 -95% pure profit.
Increased sales on catering, Shop & programme all have a cost price, so are not pure profit.
However if we can get 10,000 attending at an average of £7.50 per game then it HAS to be better than 5,000 @ £15.00 per game, because of the better atmosphere, & the potential ancillary sales.

 Think that was just Cliff Puffett with his Thermos.

  One of Mark D's mantras, was that you'd never double the gate by halving the price....

[Jamiesfuturewife]

Im in the market for a new thermos - mine is only small so the cup on top is like a thimble - I want something easy to carry but with a decent sized cup - preferably it should be pink in colour as well

[jayohaitchenn]

Im in the market for a new thermos - mine is only small so the cup on top is like a thimble - I want something easy to carry but with a decent sized cup - preferably it should be pink in colour as well

Don't shop for it, Argos it:

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?jspStoreDir=argos&catalogId=1500001001&params=adref%3DGarden%2C+DIY+and+leisure-%3ECamping+and+caravanning-%3ECoolboxes+and+vacuum+flasks&productId=1500143053&referredURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argos.co.uk%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FProductDisplay%3FstoreId%3D10001%26catalogId%3D1500001001%26productId%3D1500143053%26langId%3D-1&cmpid=FG13P&keyword=Thermos+0.7+Litres+Stainless+Steel+Flask+-+Pink&langId=-1&engine=froogle&referrer=FG13P&storeId=10001

[Mark D]

Reg, stats showed us that you could not guarantee to double attendances by simply halving prices. Getting a one off increase is relatively easy, and often price-led. Sustaining it, without any guarantee that the team are going to able to play Brazil- like football and win most of their matches, is more difficult. Secondary sales were always a challenge at the CG. Programme sales were lower than at comparable clubs, which I put mainly down to anti Dunwoody feelings, but I always thought the media team produced a decent read, and they were always open to ideas on improving format and content. Club shop offering was always more limited than we would have liked it to be, because there were so few companies who would trade with the club because of being hit financially in two administrations or slow payment caused by our continual cash flow problems (which I guess is much changed now). We always knew there was scope to improve the catering offered, but again finance and investment were hard to find, when wages and rent needed paying (again I assume that has changed now). The catering units needed major refurbishment so that you could offer a wider range of products to more customers in a short space of time. One option was to contract out the catering, which many clubs do- you get guaranteed up front fees and the business is handled by specialists, but the main downside is you give up the opportunity to maximise profits yourselves, as that goes to the contract caterer, and you lose control of the service quality.  I think having mobile sellers is a great idea, but in the UK,  the Health & Safety police are not always easily convinced. In the States, food and beverage 'hawking' is the norm and is profitable and keeps the fans happy. Aplologies for rambling.