Chron: Rockets Recognize Need To Fuel Fans' Fervor

Let's see...

I can afford thousands of dollars on tickets and don't care if I'm late and/or i have somewhere to go before the end of a game and 5 bucks is going to chance that"

hahahahahahahahahahahahah.......

 

Okay - just substitute the $5 for some other amount - I was just using that as an example. Sheesh. Ya wanna correct my typos and grammar, too?

-- droxford

 

Also, $10 cash per seat per game for 81 games is $810 per seat. That ain't chump change, it might inspire people to not only buy the tickets but they would also have a vested interest in showing up for and staying at the games: it makes the season tickets much more affordable if you actually go to, and stay at the games.

And I never said they SHOULD create the rebates. In my previous posts, I made it very clear that I felt the ticket prices were too high and should be lowered.

-- droxford

 

Typos no. But....

They don't play 81 home games.

If the Rox were going to give rich people money to come to games they would discount the tix $10 and get more buyers first

 

This is evident also with the Rocketc: the loudest I've heard the Toyota center so far has been when the Rockets scored/almost scored 100 points, and the fans got/almost got free Big Macs.

It was actually very loud on New Year's Eve, but that is attributable to the large fan base and the noise makers (which I thought was a great idea)

Maybe the Rockets could build a 'super-fan' card: swipe it 30 minutes before the game, AND 15 minutes after the game for one credit.... and, at the end of the season, the season-ticket-holder can redeem the credits for discounts or stuff: the more credits you get, the more discounts or stuff you can get.

A while back I had this great idea for a "super-card" that you could get all your tickets on. Any sporting event, movies, shows, anything you need a ticket for...

...but the logistics of that would be near impossible.

 

I have share a plan for Club Seat Holder Season Tickets.

I am also the loudest one cheering in my section and have had people squirm when I start to cheer on the team. They disgust me. The people I share my tickets with are more fair weathered fans, and even they mentioned how "boring" and "quiet" it was in there, "not like the Texans games". I keep telling them, "once we make the playoffs the atmosphere will change".

Maybe Tim can work something out with the nosie makers. I know Chinese New Year is coming up. Rockets did a good job on that last year. I cant imagine Bangers cost that much to make, especially when you can get someone to advertise on them. I cant wait for the looks I get when I find some Cow Bells.

If you smuggled in a Fog Horn and blew it, it would be like that LeBron commercial where the whole game stops for 20 seconds.

 

Correct - not 81 home games (actually, there are 45), so the rebate amount could be increased.

The point of the rebates is not to sell tickets. It's to get ticket owners to actually attend the entire game, showing up early and staying after the game.

Also, in the case of white-collar fans (see my post above) the fan didn't actually pay thousands for the ticket - they got the ticket for free. Getting a $10 rebate is like getting paid to go to a Rockets game. Or instead of giving the fan the rebate, give it to the company that bought the ticket. True, the company spent a lot more cash to buy the ticket, but if they're gonna buy the tickets anyway (for client giveaways), the rebate just makes their bottom line a little less. And it motivates them to give the tickets away not just to any client, but clients that will actually attend the game.

The Rockets could just ask themselves, "how much are we willing to pay to get a person to stay at the game?", take that number, divide by the number by home games (45).... that's gonna be the per-game rebate amount. if you only give that away if a fan gets a card swiped 30 minutes before, and 15 minutes after a game, people only get money if they actually attend the whole game. Hell, that might even work for all tickets, not just the high-dollar ones (except that the high-dollar tickets get more money back, maybe).

Why should they pay people to actually attend a game that they've already bought a ticket for? Their financial interest in doing so would be sell more concessions, and subject fans to all the marketing BS all over Toyota center. If I get a $10 rebate to go the entire game, and buy $15 of food while I'm there (which would probably get me a packet of ketchup), then the Rox come out $5 ahead, get me involved with the game, and hammer me with all the marketing.

And, again, I never said they should create rebates.

-- droxford

 

You are not referring to Texans fans, right? I mean, I've sat all over the place in that stadium and its deafening. People are insane there.

I'd love to the see Toyota Center get loud like the Compaq did before the team hit its current slump. For my part, I try to get my company seats as much as possible and my wife and I are pretty loud. You may hear me screaming "STOP SHOOTING THREES!!!".

It pains me when I buy a ticket, sit upstairs, and look at my company seats....vacant all night. God that sucks.

 

First of all... you guys are just plain nitpicking over the PA ANNOUNCER and other elements of the game! If the only reason why you hate going to the game is because the PA Announcer sucks or the intro is boring or the drummers suck....then you all need to stay home!

Secondly, ever hear the announcers in NY and NJ? They don't sound like the voice of GOD! They do the same gimmicks as they do in Houston so all you need to CHILL!

The only way people go to the games simply put....if the ROCKETS WIN!

Who cares if Clutch the bear makes people laugh. Who cares if the PA Announcer gets the crowd to say defense. Maybe its because the fickle Houston home crowd can't do it on their own and need a little help.

Instead of focusing on what sucks about the home games, why don't you actually GO TO ONE AND SUPPORT!

By the way, Houston isn't the only one having problems selling out games. The NJ Nets have been to the Finals 2 years in a row and can't GIVE AWAY tickets to pack the place. Go Figuire?

 

It's not the coach, this time. It's our lack of an on court leader. Our team leader (Francis) is just not that good.

And Yao is just too passive.

If this is going to be our team for the next 3 or 4 years, we have no chance.
We need more help. A LOT MORE!

 

It's the strangest thing....

The Rox win. But I just find myself just staring blankly at the TV. I never know what type of game Francis or Yao will have.

I just never know. Is Francis going to have one of his turnover-fest games, or an efficient one? Is Yao going to have a "wussy" games? Or is he going to attack and be aggressive? A good way to make the crowd go dead? Yao gets TWO FOULS in the first 3 minutes of a game.

It's just lame basketball. Over-all our shooting just sucks! I miss the mid-range jumpshot that went in 50% of the time.

 

Here's an idea.

I think its U2 or Springsteen who does this but at their concerts they actually reserve the front row and then let the fans from the very back row sit in those seats. Obviously the Rox wouldn't want to part with courtside seats but perhaps they could part with one lowerbowl row and let some more lively fans down. Or they could leave one lowerbowl row as general admission seats sold only on game day at a lower price to allow more dedicated fans the chance to get closer to the action than just have them go to corporate reserved ticket plans.

While the Rox would sacrifice some revenue from those tickets the difference it would make in atmosphere might prove to be a better draw and improve the overall experience of going to Toyota Center.

 

There lies the problem, right? The Nets want to move to Brooklyn...

And the Rockets just got a new arena, which is why people are so alarmed. The marketing department and front office hasn't really acknowledged the fact that it's not a stupid building that draws fans, it's the TEAM itself.

 

This would be the coolest idea ever. Reserve the section behind one of the baskets, for example, for $20 seats and sell to the most rabid fans.

It'll never happen. It's too fan-friendly an idea.

 

The Nets moving to Brooklyn isn't the problem. Besides, that is only one group of buyers that wants to move them to Brooklyn. The other buyer wants to move them to Downtown Newark, NJ (in a brand new arena), and another group wants to refurbish Continental Arena. I actually think there are more Nets fans in NY than in NJ which is probably why there aren't many people coming to a Nets game.

I personally think the Nets organization has done a lot to make their games more entertaining and have even made it more of a family atmosphere. There are way more families and kids at a Nets game then there are at MSG with the Knicks. Maybe Houston needs to put more packages together for the families like at other arenas.

One thing that both NY and NJ does is they have high school prep basketball games immediately after a game. I guess they do that to bring in a steady group of families to watch their kids play ball. Maybe the Rockets should try that? Have the two best area high schools play one of their games after a Rockets game.

Houston isn't the only team with home fans problems but it sucks when you see other teams with a lot of fan support like Denver.
Did anyone catch the Denver home game against the Spurs? My God, that place was a sell-out! DENVER?

 

ESPN has indicated the Brooklyn group is the front-runner.

Interesting, though, about the family-friendly atmosphere. The Rockets do have a few packages (I think this month it's a 4-pack - tix, drinks, and 2 t-shirts for $69 - available for two different games.).

In the end, I'm sure more teams need/should go to dynamic pricing depending on the opponent.

As for Denver - I really do think it has a lot to do with the *style* of basketball. They played an enjoyable, faster-paced, hard-nosed game last year, and now they have Carmelo for the star power. Compare that to JVG's style (which I think ROCKET RICH has done before), and I think it's easy to see why the Nuggets are suddenly one of the darlings of the NBA.

 

I agree, I got ticket to the Houston Texans vs Patriots from a friend who works for Budwiser and we sat in the club section. During the course of the game me and my wife were the only ones paying attention to the game jumping up and yelling. Everyone else was just worried about tallying up a huge bill with drinks and food. I kept looking at the endzone seats looking how they are yelling and having a good time thinking I would rather stand there than sit on these 50 yardline seats in the club section.

 

Still wondering....