I'm sure all of us are hoping the Komets and David Franke can nail down any agreement that will make the K's stronger.
As has been noted a few weeks ago, the Komets' average attendence has dropped by about three hundred seventy since last year. Still leading the league, but is costing the K's around $7300 a game in income.
Now, flash to Friday's game. About ten of my friends ( not particularly hockey fans) decided to go to Friday's game. They spent a total of $220.00 for tickets. They saw the worst game of the season. Most either went home early or spent the second and third period in the Bar. My point is this. I saw most of them Sunday at a Super Bowl Party, and to a person told me they would not go back. Now, ten people, of course, are not going to make or break a season, but this is a business that has to attract people. If they had gone to Saturday's game they might have been entertained enough to come back for another game sometime. I wonder how many other people left the Coliseum feeling the same way? Probably a lot. This is a professional sport. the players need to be ready to go ALL the time. I'm not sure where the fault lies, it doesn't matter.
The Franke's need to everything possible to improve the product or at least ensure a spirited effort. (No team can win every game, but be honest, are you happy with the level of play at home this season)? So, good luck to the Franke's as they try to bring a player (players?) to this team from Europe.
By the way, Dunbar's goal on Saturday was one of the finest I've seen in terms of hustle, and effort in a long, long time. It was beautiful and I congrtulate him for his desire to get to the puck, turn the defender inside out, and score.
janice
Mon, 02/04/2013 - 2:19pm
I guess I just don't understand....I have been going to games for 20 years now and I know some of the bloggers on here have been going to games much longer then I have...but...I know for a fact we have seen worse loses before at home..and the attendance never dropped before. I understand over the 10 years we have been pretty spoiled as a town and having a winning hockey team, which is why we have moved leagues a couple times to be in a more stable league and to be more competitive....but for crying out loud....and this is a fact, we are going to lose games and sometimes it is not going to be pretty. And as I have said many many times, if you can't stand to see the Komets lose...don't pay to come see them play...we just witnessed 2 very good football teams play in the super bowl last night and honestly either team could have won the game however, one of the teams had to lose.
I saw this posted on facebook today and I thought it applied:
Please remember:
1) These are kids
2) This is a game
3) Parents should cheer for everyone
4) The referees are human
5) you and your child so not play for the Blackhawks
Obviously this was at an ice rink where youth hockey plays however, I thought 2 and 5 were important. This is a game, a game that I love and will continue to love even if the Komets get blown out a game or 2. And..we are watching MINOR league hockey, we are not all experts and I have never pretended to be...and these guys are playing a game at this level because they love to play hockey and they love to play for the Komets..we are a hockey town...but I find myself seeing that we are a bunch of spoiled brats and whine about everything the Komets do! It's so frustrating to read over and over again how horrible Komets are...as much as I hate to lose, I hate doing something I once loved which is come to this blog and read all the negativity over and over again....just like losing, it gets old. Oh and it doesnt count that they played an awesome game on Saturday...only that they got blown out on Friday!
JR1
Mon, 02/04/2013 - 4:58pm
1st: this is an opinion driven blog, if you cannot handle other peoples opinions, then take your own advise Janice and do not read them. You tell people to not come to games if they cannot handle the results, so I say the same to you in regards to comments on this blog...
2nd: The players themselves were disgusted by their effort on Friday night, why shouldnt the fans be allowed to be disgusted, the same fans who layed down their hard earned money?
3rd: Blake has told us several times on this blog that the casual fan is who the Frankes care about because they do not get their money until the night of the games... Alan pointing out that the Komets missed out on 10 casual fans is big, IMO... Whats the formula? 1 person tells 20 people about good or bad experiences??? That is potentially huge for the Komets potential bottom line. One disaster like Friday night can send negative shockwaves thru any potential paying customer pool. Totally relevant, IMO...
4th: I think fans are tempering their enthusiasm for Saturday nights results until they see more consistency in their home play... 1 win and 1 loss this past weekend at home is not much to get excited about until they break this inconsistent play...
5th: we all want the Komets to win....we just all look at things in different ways and express them differently...
orange_koolaid
Mon, 02/04/2013 - 8:54pm
Alan, alittle brash and happens every game. I understand their draw for the average fan but promos from last year are down as is comp tickets.
Phil CPA Chifley
Mon, 02/04/2013 - 9:31pm
$7,300 a game lost from a 360 drop
Fuzzy math
BUZZ. Try again
I'd bite on about 20% of that number
Alan
Tue, 02/05/2013 - 11:56am
Phil, Burgee or whoever you are today, please check my math. I know I'm not Einstein so please check my arithmetic.
Last years' average attendence was 7,770. This year, so far they are averaging about 7, 402 ( at least that was the figure a couple of weeks ago). The difference is about 368. Lets just round down to 360. If your average ticket price is $20, multiply the 360 times $20. That equals $7,200. That's income lost and it is happening every night.
Primeval Forest Primate (Formerly JM)
Tue, 02/05/2013 - 2:11pm
I can do the next one, Alan.... $7200 x 36 games =$259,200 over the course of the year.
Off topic.... Why does Burgee smell Schebig's feet so much?
Ron
Tue, 02/05/2013 - 3:46pm
Alan: Relax, dude. Though this year's team isn't likely to be one of the best ever, that kind of game happens to every Komets team every year, even ones that win championships. Yeah, it's no fun to watch, but it's gonna happen. They may have lost a few casual fans from that game, but they may have picked up as many from Saturday's game, which had everything the casual fan is looking for - goals and fights. And I think your estimate of their per-seat revenue is wildly high, perhaps by as much as a factor of two. The Frankes will never release that number - it's a privately-owned organization.
Alan
Tue, 02/05/2013 - 4:28pm
Very true JM. A quarter of a million dollars would get my attention. I'm very sure the Franke's are aware of it. Also, after all, this isn't a hobby for them. This is their business.
I wouldn't be able to judge comp tickets or promo's. But in my naivety, I would think that when attendance is down, the more comp tickets would be given away to inspire those who receive them to come back. If true, then the situation is even worse.
Blake Sebring
Tue, 02/05/2013 - 4:35pm
Actually, that never happens. That's when they tighten up on comps. You know who often gets the most comps? The opposing team. There was an EC team in there recently that wanted something like 60 tickets.
Comps go mostly to former Komets, the current players who get I think two each, some for promotions and that's about it. You could argue advertisors but that's all part of their package which they are paying for.
Traditionally, and this is going back 25 years, the Komets have always been among the lowest comps of any team in whatever league they are playing in. In the old IHL, they were giving out less than 300 per game and some were giving out thousands. Detroit Vipers were around 8,000 per game and a lot of teams were over 3,000. I know the Komets have tightened theirs up since then, too.
Last I heard, and this was a couple years ago, the average income from the Komets for an average ticket at a game was something like $10-$12. Obviously, that's not true for every ticket. That's one reason why ticket prices have increased recently.
Alan
Tue, 02/05/2013 - 4:53pm
Good afternoon, Ron. As I posted my last comment, I see where you adressed my point.
The Komets announce their nightly attendance every game. I used $20 as an average ticket price. The rest is simply math. Sure, the Franke's wouldn't say anything. But the math speaks for itself ( and I don't think using twenty bucks is out of line). The money goes to them. They pay the expenses out of ticket sales and advertising. Now maybe a reduction in attendance is because they raised prices from last season. Maybe it's a lot of things. But the play at home has been highly disappointing and opening night, New Years Eve, and games where the crowd is usually 9000+ were both losses. Failure to win at home is a huge reason for declining sales. They have a nice basis with their season ticket sales. It's money in the bank to them, but you need success to grow. JR was correct in an earlier post. After witnessing Fridays debacle and then Saturday's masterpiece, which do you hold on to?
The one thing I think everybody can agree to is that whenever you see an empty seat, their is no income being generated from that seat.
If I were the Franke's or any franchise owner, I would pay as much attention to the empty seats and try to fill them, as I would the occupied seats as I try to keep them occupied.
Blake Sebring
Tue, 02/05/2013 - 7:31pm
``The one thing I think everybody can agree to is that whenever you see an empty seat, their is no income being generated from that seat.''
Obviously sometimes, but not necessarily always. Sometimes unused season tickets. Also, money doesn't all go to them, either, but that's another thing. Believe me, they'd kill to receive $20 from each ticket.
Totally agree they need to win more and have more consistent efforts at home.
Comments
I'm sure all of us are hoping the Komets and David Franke can nail down any agreement that will make the K's stronger.
As has been noted a few weeks ago, the Komets' average attendence has dropped by about three hundred seventy since last year. Still leading the league, but is costing the K's around $7300 a game in income.
Now, flash to Friday's game. About ten of my friends ( not particularly hockey fans) decided to go to Friday's game. They spent a total of $220.00 for tickets. They saw the worst game of the season. Most either went home early or spent the second and third period in the Bar. My point is this. I saw most of them Sunday at a Super Bowl Party, and to a person told me they would not go back. Now, ten people, of course, are not going to make or break a season, but this is a business that has to attract people. If they had gone to Saturday's game they might have been entertained enough to come back for another game sometime. I wonder how many other people left the Coliseum feeling the same way? Probably a lot. This is a professional sport. the players need to be ready to go ALL the time. I'm not sure where the fault lies, it doesn't matter.
The Franke's need to everything possible to improve the product or at least ensure a spirited effort. (No team can win every game, but be honest, are you happy with the level of play at home this season)? So, good luck to the Franke's as they try to bring a player (players?) to this team from Europe.
By the way, Dunbar's goal on Saturday was one of the finest I've seen in terms of hustle, and effort in a long, long time. It was beautiful and I congrtulate him for his desire to get to the puck, turn the defender inside out, and score.
I guess I just don't understand....I have been going to games for 20 years now and I know some of the bloggers on here have been going to games much longer then I have...but...I know for a fact we have seen worse loses before at home..and the attendance never dropped before. I understand over the 10 years we have been pretty spoiled as a town and having a winning hockey team, which is why we have moved leagues a couple times to be in a more stable league and to be more competitive....but for crying out loud....and this is a fact, we are going to lose games and sometimes it is not going to be pretty. And as I have said many many times, if you can't stand to see the Komets lose...don't pay to come see them play...we just witnessed 2 very good football teams play in the super bowl last night and honestly either team could have won the game however, one of the teams had to lose.
I saw this posted on facebook today and I thought it applied:
Please remember:
1) These are kids
2) This is a game
3) Parents should cheer for everyone
4) The referees are human
5) you and your child so not play for the Blackhawks
Obviously this was at an ice rink where youth hockey plays however, I thought 2 and 5 were important. This is a game, a game that I love and will continue to love even if the Komets get blown out a game or 2. And..we are watching MINOR league hockey, we are not all experts and I have never pretended to be...and these guys are playing a game at this level because they love to play hockey and they love to play for the Komets..we are a hockey town...but I find myself seeing that we are a bunch of spoiled brats and whine about everything the Komets do! It's so frustrating to read over and over again how horrible Komets are...as much as I hate to lose, I hate doing something I once loved which is come to this blog and read all the negativity over and over again....just like losing, it gets old. Oh and it doesnt count that they played an awesome game on Saturday...only that they got blown out on Friday!
1st: this is an opinion driven blog, if you cannot handle other peoples opinions, then take your own advise Janice and do not read them. You tell people to not come to games if they cannot handle the results, so I say the same to you in regards to comments on this blog...
2nd: The players themselves were disgusted by their effort on Friday night, why shouldnt the fans be allowed to be disgusted, the same fans who layed down their hard earned money?
3rd: Blake has told us several times on this blog that the casual fan is who the Frankes care about because they do not get their money until the night of the games... Alan pointing out that the Komets missed out on 10 casual fans is big, IMO... Whats the formula? 1 person tells 20 people about good or bad experiences??? That is potentially huge for the Komets potential bottom line. One disaster like Friday night can send negative shockwaves thru any potential paying customer pool. Totally relevant, IMO...
4th: I think fans are tempering their enthusiasm for Saturday nights results until they see more consistency in their home play... 1 win and 1 loss this past weekend at home is not much to get excited about until they break this inconsistent play...
5th: we all want the Komets to win....we just all look at things in different ways and express them differently...
Alan, alittle brash and happens every game. I understand their draw for the average fan but promos from last year are down as is comp tickets.
$7,300 a game lost from a 360 drop
Fuzzy math
BUZZ. Try again
I'd bite on about 20% of that number
Phil, Burgee or whoever you are today, please check my math. I know I'm not Einstein so please check my arithmetic.
Last years' average attendence was 7,770. This year, so far they are averaging about 7, 402 ( at least that was the figure a couple of weeks ago). The difference is about 368. Lets just round down to 360. If your average ticket price is $20, multiply the 360 times $20. That equals $7,200. That's income lost and it is happening every night.
I can do the next one, Alan.... $7200 x 36 games =$259,200 over the course of the year.
Off topic.... Why does Burgee smell Schebig's feet so much?
Alan: Relax, dude. Though this year's team isn't likely to be one of the best ever, that kind of game happens to every Komets team every year, even ones that win championships. Yeah, it's no fun to watch, but it's gonna happen. They may have lost a few casual fans from that game, but they may have picked up as many from Saturday's game, which had everything the casual fan is looking for - goals and fights. And I think your estimate of their per-seat revenue is wildly high, perhaps by as much as a factor of two. The Frankes will never release that number - it's a privately-owned organization.
Very true JM. A quarter of a million dollars would get my attention. I'm very sure the Franke's are aware of it. Also, after all, this isn't a hobby for them. This is their business.
I wouldn't be able to judge comp tickets or promo's. But in my naivety, I would think that when attendance is down, the more comp tickets would be given away to inspire those who receive them to come back. If true, then the situation is even worse.
Actually, that never happens. That's when they tighten up on comps. You know who often gets the most comps? The opposing team. There was an EC team in there recently that wanted something like 60 tickets.
Comps go mostly to former Komets, the current players who get I think two each, some for promotions and that's about it. You could argue advertisors but that's all part of their package which they are paying for.
Traditionally, and this is going back 25 years, the Komets have always been among the lowest comps of any team in whatever league they are playing in. In the old IHL, they were giving out less than 300 per game and some were giving out thousands. Detroit Vipers were around 8,000 per game and a lot of teams were over 3,000. I know the Komets have tightened theirs up since then, too.
Last I heard, and this was a couple years ago, the average income from the Komets for an average ticket at a game was something like $10-$12. Obviously, that's not true for every ticket. That's one reason why ticket prices have increased recently.
Good afternoon, Ron. As I posted my last comment, I see where you adressed my point.
The Komets announce their nightly attendance every game. I used $20 as an average ticket price. The rest is simply math. Sure, the Franke's wouldn't say anything. But the math speaks for itself ( and I don't think using twenty bucks is out of line). The money goes to them. They pay the expenses out of ticket sales and advertising. Now maybe a reduction in attendance is because they raised prices from last season. Maybe it's a lot of things. But the play at home has been highly disappointing and opening night, New Years Eve, and games where the crowd is usually 9000+ were both losses. Failure to win at home is a huge reason for declining sales. They have a nice basis with their season ticket sales. It's money in the bank to them, but you need success to grow. JR was correct in an earlier post. After witnessing Fridays debacle and then Saturday's masterpiece, which do you hold on to?
The one thing I think everybody can agree to is that whenever you see an empty seat, their is no income being generated from that seat.
If I were the Franke's or any franchise owner, I would pay as much attention to the empty seats and try to fill them, as I would the occupied seats as I try to keep them occupied.
``The one thing I think everybody can agree to is that whenever you see an empty seat, their is no income being generated from that seat.''
Obviously sometimes, but not necessarily always. Sometimes unused season tickets. Also, money doesn't all go to them, either, but that's another thing. Believe me, they'd kill to receive $20 from each ticket.
Totally agree they need to win more and have more consistent efforts at home.