TheLegend
Megathread Gadfly
Interesting numbers. One of the problems thats faced this club (along with the Panthers under Yormark & a few others) is promotional over-kill. People become accustomed to & expect it. Expect to receive gift/premium, free or cheap food/drink with purchase including discount on face-value of the tickets themselves. So what was originally designed as a sort of "introductory offer" in hoping to reel in some casuals, that they'd then become hooked on the game hasnt worked that way at all and instead for roughly 30-45%% of their inventory at GRA became the norm. Promo's you'd only offer for soft or unattractive opponents.
This quagmire, box theyve found themselves in is certainly unenviable & speaks to a number of systemic problems they & other clubs face. Unfortunately magnified in Arizona as a result of what been going on really since they moved there in 96, to Glendale in 04, hyper-magnified, as in right under the microscope since 2009. They need to break out of the cell thats been created, that theyve inherited. The only way that happens is with an improved on-ice product, winning. That takes time. Time not a luxury these guys have so ya, heavy promo. Perfectly understandable, no criticism from me on that score. Now, "does it move the needle"? Ya, I think so. It maintains what theyve got while providing some incentive to the casuals. You dont have to look far to see what happens when things like this are completely removed with attendance then completely cratering. Florida. Transition post Yormark however you had different fundamentals, ownership willing & able to eat the losses short & mid range. Arizona, no, not a luxury they have.
The single most destructive promotion to Florida and Arizona were the years they gave away tons of free tickets. Thinking they could seduce new fans who'd come watch a game on the house and then want to come back for more by buying a ticket to the next one. They ended up alienating their STH bases.
Thank goodness both teams got rid of that practice years ago.