I hope that somehow this message finds its way to the Rockets organization. If any of you know an email address to a Rockets marketing person, please let me know and I'll send this to them. I work for a law firm that owns several season tickets to Rockets games (fantastic seats!). We give these tickets to high-dollar clients, important people, successful attorneys within the firm, colleagues, etc. I recognize, also that it is quite possible that the people we give our tickets to may not show up at the game. This is frustrating on many levels: It frustrates our management for wasting money on a ticket that doesn't get used. It frustrates our staff because there are people here who would love to go to the game, and hate to see such a ticket go to waste. And it frustrates all Rockets fans to see the empty seats at the games. I propose that the Rockets provide a new service that, logically, would help to remedy this situation: please provide a service that lets us know if the ticket entered the building. All tickets today are bar-coded. In doing so, the Rockets organization can tell which tickets entered the stadium. Since our law firm owns the tickets, I would think it would be acceptable for us to know if the ticket that we gave to someone actually entered the stadium. If it didn't, we'll know that that person wasted the ticket, and we'll know not to offer them tickets in the future. If the person DID enter the stadium, we'll know that the tickets did not go to waste. Seems simple enough, doesn't it? I would think that if such a service was offered to all companies that did what we do, there would be a LOT less empty seats at Rockets games.
It may already be available. I have Dynamo season tickets and they use Ticketmaster's account manager which will show you if the ticket was used, if the ticket isn't used it simply won't have any history for it. The Rockets may not be able to do this since I think Toyota Center has their own ticketing system, but it is possible.
I've reread the post a couple of times but not seeing the giving away free tickets from my super rich law firm part. Either way, hook your fellow clutchy up! preferably me.
drox, I went last season to Game 2 of the playoffs and sat in the 100s for a bit (thanks to Dave2000 ). It was packed then, but I never knew the reason why there were so many empty seats in the lower bowl during the regular season. I eventually noticed there's a damn bar that these corporate phonies go to and drink their ass off and watch the game there. The Rockets should do what the Lakers do.....black out the lower bowls so it looks like the spotlight is just on the game and the court seats. It's an embarrassment to see all those open seats when the real fans are in the upper bowl cheering their asses off.
It's not like it makes a difference even if they show up. On top of sitting on their snobby asses all game, they ask that others around them trying to enjoy the game to be quiet. Maybe it's best that they not show up at all.
Yeah seriously, **** the Lacoste shirt wearing snobs checking their iPhones 80% of the game who give you the stink eye when you stand up and cheer on a fast break.
If the ticket's bar code ain't read by halftime, open that seat for some fraction of the ticket's value to the first-come, first-serve, walk-up public, or for a small fee to the upper bowlers. Make it a condition of the original ticket purchase. The lower bowl needs to get with the program.
I thought of something like that, but it would probably be quite a hassle to deal with that. Maybe they could offer it this way - two ticket prices: $65 gets you a guaranteed seat through the whole game $55 gets you a guaranteed seat for the 1st half of the game, potentially the entire game, but the second half gets re-sold if the ticket isn't checked in by halftime. I dunno... my first proposition is more do-able in a timely manner and at a very low cost.
A great idea but not practical. It's too hard to make such tickets from which we can identify its owner. I have another idea that is not as good as that one. Why not open up the gate of toyota center and I bet there will be no ample seat in the gym when the rockets games are running.
i blame the rockets for selling large package deals to corporations. of course they love selling a package of expensive season tickets. i understand that. at the same time, is there another playoff team in the history of the nba that you can remember having such a hard time filling seats? stop selling to corporations. start selling to fans. i mean, i'm not even in houston. i can't get in the game. it just frustrates me as a fan to watch the game with a stadium at half capacity. and then to have to watch the players slug through some of the most quiet games...
Come on, man. You really expect the Rockets to stop selling tickets to corporations? We go through this every year. It's not the Rockets job to make sure people in the lower bowl are in their seats before tipoff or the start of the 2nd half. It's not the Rockets job to pick and choose who they sell tickets too. Yes, it sucks that the place looks half empty on TV even when the game is sold out, but that's the way it's always been and I don't see it changing any time soon. May as well just accept it.
Just learn from the Airlines, setup a standby waiting list. You are not allow to enter after the 1Q, or 1H even if you are holding a ticket. then sell the empty seat at some serious discount (or free to Clutchfans ) to the waiting fans to fill up the seats the the 2H.
What you need are some "seat fillers" with headsets. These are fans that get in for free but have to sit in a certain seat where the ticket owner has not shown up. Once the ticket does get scanned, a message goes out to move to another open seat (that seat number is given in the message). Sure he/she may look goofy with a headset or have to keep changing seats, get split up from friends, etc, but they get to see some Rocket games for free from some great seats (I'd only use this for lower bowl seating). And the Rockets look and feel like they have fan support.
All these fancy ideas on filling seats are sorta ridiculous. Rockets PR will actually lose sales if people who go to the games only to find some joe schmoe sitting in their seats. People will demand refunds, Rockets will lose sales, Les will have to cut budget by not resigning Artest, then we will be back at square one and gradual closing of our window in this era. Then years of lotteries of course. Here's a solution: buy the seats that your complaining about that are always empty. Now it's on you to make sure it's filled every game. Oh, too expensive? Get a better job. Start selling drugs. Pimp yourself. Do whatever it takes, otherwise you're not a real Rockets fan.
Excellent ideas. and I thank you for starting this thread. Something MUST be done. And it's good that someone at one of these corporations is noticing and wanting to make a difference. THANK YOU!
