Sens reduce capacity at Canadian Tire Centre

[Micklebot]

If you want something other than coffee, like a donut or Timbits, you get in line. If you want coffee, Sens changed it years ago (just shows how uninformed people still are) that EVERY concessions stand has Tim's.

Ok, I never order coffee at a sens games or concerts. Beer (if I'm not driving) or pop for me, so I honestly had no idea though that sounds vaguely familiar.

 

[coladin]

Sports entertainment is a product, like any other; businesses cater to their clients, not the other way around. I'll never understand any business or person that calls out the customer for not just accepting the product as is or dismissing someone from their client bases opinion. You can't make everyone happy, but you certainly shouldn't be so brazen as to tell a consumer what the should and shouldn't like/want. You can opt not to target that particular consumer because it doesn't make business sense, but to say their concern shouldn't matter to anyone is just bizarre to me.

This is where we fundamentally disagree on the premise of "sports entertainment" (whatever that is) being a product. NHL hockey is not sports entertainment. There are no forums that i know of for other forms of entertainment. Like movie theaters or opera houses to review the cocktails and hors d'oeuvres...is there?

This is sport which evokes passion and unfortunately for many in Ottawa, is not guaranteed to entertain. It's silly to think that it is. Sports is torture to sports fans. Just ask Cubs and Red Sox fans how long it took to win a championship. How did they survive? On the emotions and dreams of patrons. There is an emotional investment that goes along with cheering for your favorite team. That's why there is sports radio, sports channels, hfboards.

Intermission sucks Tuna? I dunno, people are usually going for a piss. Like, really. Intermission drives people away? That is pathetic. Watch the game will ya.

If people want to treat Sens and RedBlacks as "sports entertainment ", the result will be ZERO emotional investment into the team. I don't go to games to be entertained. I don't go to have a good time, win or lose.

I go to watch my team win. Period. I can have the finest meal and go and watch my team lose 3-0 to Vancouver and it will ruin my experience. You are not wrong, but fundamentally, they need a whole lot more of me and a hell of a lot less of you (not you per se, but those who treat the team in that fashion).

And a lot of people in this region think like you. The Globetrotters may be a better draw if that is the case.

And whoever wrote it, it is Gleibermans.

 

[Micklebot]

This is where we fundamentally disagree on the premise of "sports entertainment" (whatever that is) being a product. NHL hockey is not sports entertainment. There are no forums that i know of for other forms of entertainment. Like movie theaters or opera houses to review the cocktails and hors d'oeuvres...is there?

This is sport which evokes passion and unfortunately for many in Ottawa, is not guaranteed to entertain. It's silly to think that it is. Sports is torture to sports fans. Just ask Cubs and Red Sox fans how long it took to win a championship. How did they survive? On the emotions and dreams of patrons. There is an emotional investment that goes along with cheering for your favorite team. That's why there is sports radio, sports channels, hfboards.

Intermission sucks Tuna? I dunno, people are usually going for a piss. Like, really. Intermission drives people away? That is pathetic. Watch the game will ya.

If people want to treat Sens and RedBlacks as "sports entertainment ", the result will be ZERO emotional investment into the team. I don't go to games to be entertained. I don't go to have a good time, win or lose.

I go to watch my team win. Period. I can have the finest meal and go and watch my team lose 3-0 to Vancouver and it will ruin my experience. You are not wrong, but fundamentally, they need a whole lot more of me and a hell of a lot less of you (not you per se, but those who treat the team in that fashion).

And a lot of people in this region think like you. The Globetrotters may be a better draw if that is the case.

And whoever wrote it, it is Gleibermans.

See, I enjoy hockey win or lose. That's why I cheered and watched the team back in 92-93 and continued to do so despite their 10-70-4 record. I don't need a win to enjoy the experience (though it certainly helps). It's entertainment whether you like to admit it or not (that emotional investment is part of the entertainment value, of course). But even if you want to ignore that, the experience on the whole is absolutely a product being sold, and any franchise of any sport that ignores that does so at it's own peril.

And yes, there are forums where people discuss other types of entertainment, like movies, comic books, anime ect. Not sure where your going with this unless you're being specific about the venues? In which case, while I guess you don't have internet forums discussing movie theaters (that I know of), theaters continue to improve their venues to ensure that they don't lose their clients, they don't tell fans to shut up about surround sound because you don't need that, or that Imax screens aren't necessary, the 20x30 screen is good enough...

Honestly though, entertainment doesn't need to be something that makes you excited or happy. There are lots of sad movies out there, movies designed to invoke anger about a subject ect. Sports franchises are selling a product and ever aspect of the experience is important. Obviously the on ice part is primary but everything adds up to create an overall experience.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

So with the strategy of adding the tarps in the 300 level we all knew it wouldn't increase the demand of tickets nor inflate the attendance as yesterday's game was below 14k in attendance. Yikes

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Well I don't want those type of fans there anyway. I want the diehards. Not the soft babies whining about food and traffic.

That line of thinking would cause about 25 teams in this league to go bankrupt.

 

[SensHulk]

What has attendance been like? I'm afraid to ask but just saw the average on ESPN and doesn't look too good right now (15,107)

http://www.espn.com/nhl/attendance/_/sort/homePct

 

[SensHulk]

So with the strategy of adding the tarps in the 300 level we all knew it wouldn't increase the demand of tickets nor inflate the attendance as yesterday's game was below 14k in attendance. Yikes

Really? that's horrible, especially coming off back to back blow-out victories on the road and the nauseating reminder from Sens marketing that Karlsson was returning.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

Really? that's horrible, especially coming off back to back blow-out victories on the road and the nauseating reminder from Sens marketing that Karlsson was returning.

13430 in attendance yesterday

 

[Tundraman]

Instead of significantly lowering the price in the upper seats of the bowl for groups e.g.) single purchases 10, 20, 30 seats or more Melnyk is gambling that less seats means more demand. What could happen is that if some can't get more choice of cheaper seats e.g.) multiple seats in close proximity, isle seats or seats between the dots they may not go at all. Even if all the cheaper ones are sold out it doesn't mean that fans will buy more expensive single or even paired seats because friends who travel together may not want to split up or sit in less desirable locations and pay a higher price.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

Instead of significantly lowering the price in the upper seats of the bowl for groups e.g.) single purchases 10, 20, 30 seats or more Melnyk is gambling that less seats means more demand. What could happen is that if some can't get more choice of cheaper seats e.g.) multiple seats in close proximity, isle seats or seats between the dots they may not go at all. Even if all the cheaper ones are sold out it doesn't mean that fans will buy more expensive single or even paired seats because friends who travel together may not want to split up or sit in less desirable locations and pay a higher price.

The odd thing is the cheapest seats are the ones not being purchased.

 

[Boud]

Well I don't want those type of fans there anyway. I want the diehards. Not the soft babies whining about food and traffic.

What?

Failed business class a

 

[DrEasy]

This is where we fundamentally disagree on the premise of "sports entertainment" (whatever that is) being a product. NHL hockey is not sports entertainment. There are no forums that i know of for other forms of entertainment. Like movie theaters or opera houses to review the cocktails and hors d'oeuvres...is there?

This is sport which evokes passion and unfortunately for many in Ottawa, is not guaranteed to entertain. It's silly to think that it is. Sports is torture to sports fans. Just ask Cubs and Red Sox fans how long it took to win a championship. How did they survive? On the emotions and dreams of patrons. There is an emotional investment that goes along with cheering for your favorite team. That's why there is sports radio, sports channels, hfboards.

Intermission sucks Tuna? I dunno, people are usually going for a piss. Like, really. Intermission drives people away? That is pathetic. Watch the game will ya.

If people want to treat Sens and RedBlacks as "sports entertainment ", the result will be ZERO emotional investment into the team. I don't go to games to be entertained. I don't go to have a good time, win or lose.

I go to watch my team win. Period. I can have the finest meal and go and watch my team lose 3-0 to Vancouver and it will ruin my experience. You are not wrong, but fundamentally, they need a whole lot more of me and a hell of a lot less of you (not you per se, but those who treat the team in that fashion).

And a lot of people in this region think like you. The Globetrotters may be a better draw if that is the case.

And whoever wrote it, it is Gleibermans.

But then if it's not "sports entertainment", they should remove all the in-game entertainment, the giveaways, the loud music etc. and let us focus on the sport. It should also be a league where the last team doesn't actually get a better pick the next year, cause that's not really what competition should be.
I used to live in Europe for a while, and there yes, they take their soccer/rugby/handball/etc. seriously, and they should because the team represents the city. The team (a club belonging to a federation, not a franchise: important distinction) can get demoted to a lower division if it plays badly. There's zero help from the league if you suck. There's no cheerleaders, no music, no side-shows, no appealing to kids or families. There's no concept of "moving your franchise", or "expansion". So yeah, it is torture to root for your team in those circumstances, and much more justifiable to call out people who don't pay to watch the game as non-fans.
I would certainly become a "better" fan if that was the situation, but sorry this *is* sports entertainment and a business, not pure sports. I still pay to watch a few games here and there every season, but just like I wouldn't call out people who don't go eat at the local McDonald's instead of the one at the other end of the city, I'm not going to call out people for not wanting to spend their money on this local franchise instead of some other franchise or whatever.

 

[Mingus Dew]

You can’t increase demand by decreasing supply, that’s nonsense. All you can do is attempt to shift the equilibrium price higher by artificially reducing supply while holding demand constant.

Considering we can’t sell out, the organization should be lowering prices. Instead, it is trying to keep prices static and reduce supply. It’s still not working.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I don't think changing the price structure in Ottawa will change anything.

Like I said before, people have longer commute times to and from work, work longer hours, and have a mediocre in-arena game experience. Add in the new higher standard comforts of home, and teams need to do more to sell tickets.

Moving to downtown is only part of the solution. There also needs to be LRT running smoothly and efficiently. There needs to be many park and rides on the east, west and south ends of the city. There also needs to be some good shuttle services. And after all that, the team needs to make being at the arena fun.....better music, better use of the jumbotron, better food/drink selection, better service overall. Hell, better (more comfortable) seats, great sitelines, strong multimedia support (fast reliable wifi), maybe even bring over some 'lounge' style seating for groups (think your living room dropped into a section at the arena, kinda like how some theaters have reclining seats and high end services). Even having flatscreens on the back of some seats that people can interact with and show replays, commercials, and other info.

 

[FormentonTheFuture]

Really? that's horrible, especially coming off back to back blow-out victories on the road and the nauseating reminder from Sens marketing that Karlsson was returning.

not sure what you would have expected. This market is a "who is Ottawa playing" market and nobody goes out to see Vancouver or New Jersey

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

I don't think changing the price structure in Ottawa will change anything.

Like I said before, people have longer commute times to and from work, work longer hours, and have a mediocre in-arena game experience. Add in the new higher standard comforts of home, and teams need to do more to sell tickets.

Moving to downtown is only part of the solution. There also needs to be LRT running smoothly and efficiently. There needs to be many park and rides on the east, west and south ends of the city. There also needs to be some good shuttle services. And after all that, the team needs to make being at the arena fun.....better music, better use of the jumbotron, better food/drink selection, better service overall. Hell, better (more comfortable) seats, great sitelines, strong multimedia support (fast reliable wifi), maybe even bring over some 'lounge' style seating for groups (think your living room dropped into a section at the arena, kinda like how some theaters have reclining seats and high end services). Even having flatscreens on the back of some seats that people can interact with and show replays, commercials, and other info.

This will just help inflate ticket costs. Cost of purchasing, replacing etc. Society as it is is so heavily reliant on technology now that adding another one at the convenience of someone attending the game will take away from pretty much the reason for attending the game which is watching it live.

I honestly have no answer to what could be done to drive up attendance figures.

Reduce price? Cheapest tickets in the house aren't being sold
Move to a downtown location? People already complain about parking, food prices etc. It will only get worse with the move to downtown
In game experience? Can't believe people are really complaining about this one

List goes on

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

Team had its highest attendance when it was gangbusters smashmouth at the tail end of the Alfie core, Pizza Line with pizza giveaways when the team scored 5 then 6 goals at home, we had a 50 in '07 and so on. And we did well under Paulrus when the team was a gritty, hitting bunch of punks. I rail on Boro a lot but his fighting IS entertaining and so are his hits.

Honestly, Boucher should open things up a bit at home. Maybe that will help?
Or lowering the parking to $10-$11.50...it's a sunk cost, does it really need to be $20 to $30?

 

[inthewings]

Well I don't want those type of fans there anyway. I want the diehards. Not the soft babies whining about food and traffic.

Then you'll spend the next few years watching hockey with about 2k other diehards before the team is relocated.

This team has an attendance problem. Tonight will be the 3rd game in a row with less than 15k fans. Whether or not you think the issues they have are valid, people simply aren't showing up to games. And I don't blame them. Treking out to Kanata to pay $20 to park your car and $15 for a hot dog and a drink is simply not an appealing way to spend an evening for a lot of people.

Personally, I catch about 5 games a year. I'm not motivated to catch more because the summation of a bunch of little annoyances really subtracts from the enjoyment of catching a live game. And a lot of people in the city seem to feel the same way.

 

[Micklebot]

MOD: Please remember to criticize the contents of a post and not the poster. It's one thing to call out a fan base as the whole for not attending games, but questioning a specific posters fandom not only doesn't advance the discussion, but is pretty much flaming.

 

[inthewings]

MOD: Please remember to criticize the contents of a post and not the poster. It's one thing to call out a fan base as the whole for not attending games, but questioning a specific posters fandom not only doesn't advance the discussion, but is pretty much flaming.

For what it's worth, I didn't take his question as flaming, and assumed he was just looking for more context about my previous post.

To answer his question, I prefer Ottawa win than any other team.

More importantly, I'm a hockey fan who lives in Ottawa, and I can state unequivocally that things like commute time, parking prices, concession prices and options, and in-game entertainment absolutely effect the frequency with which I attend games, and I suspect that all but the most intense of the die-hard hockey watchers in this city feel the same way.

 

[Micklebot]

Alright, maybe I'm too trigger happy on the deletion, cookies for everyone to make up for it.

 

[ChelFan31]

Whats the status? Do we know if Tonight's game or Leafs game is sold out ....?

Don't think we've had one sellout yet since the addition of the Tarps ... poor Melnyk lol. Hopefully he sells ...

 

[Fandlauer]

Thursday night against the Devils... I'd bet my left nut it's not a sellout. Probably won't break 14k.

The way the Leafs are flying they'll be enough blue to sellout Saturday.

 

[inthewings]

Whats the status? Do we know if Tonight's game or Leafs game is sold out ....?

Don't think we've had one sellout yet since the addition of the Tarps ... poor Melnyk lol. Hopefully he sells ...

Still 3K+ tickets left for tonight's game. Will be less than 15k in attendance.

Leafs game will sell out.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

Whats the status? Do we know if Tonight's game or Leafs game is sold out ....?

Don't think we've had one sellout yet since the addition of the Tarps ... poor Melnyk lol. Hopefully he sells ...

Devils game definitely won't be a sellout. Looking at less than 14k again. Leafs game is practically sold out. It's going to be 70-30 for Leaf fans