Lux Suites should not allow John Q Public into them, they are paid for by corporations or individuals and they have a right to go or NOT go...they bought those tickets, their choice. However, the lower bowl should be opened up....I would even say, midway through the 3rd quarter if a seat has not been occupied all game allow folks to move on down. DD
Of couse, that'd mean you have to watch out for those people who just got up and went to the restroom, I guess.... Or to get something to eat/drink. I agree that you can't just allow anyone to sit on certain seats and that they're paid for. I just felt that as a fan, one could easily open up the tickets or a system could be set up where someone could enter a code on a website or something to open a seat up for the public if they are not to attend; but I guess that would be too much work.
That's what drives me nuts abt TC... they dont allow such a thing. It looked like in Charlotte, that's what was happening. First half, stands looked empty... 2nd half, lower bowls started to fill up. Its not like the Upper Level ppl came in for free...they also paid for their tix. Why let good seats go to waste?
Allowing people to occupy lower bowl seats when they did not buy a lower bowl ticket would certainly have an effect on lower bowl ticket sales.
What if the team instituted an upgrade policy on unused lower bowl tickets. Say with 6 minutes to go in the 3rd, if a seat has not checked in, it can be used as an upgrade purchase for like $3-$5 bucks? The team could even share the revenue with the season ticket holders themselves......to offset any back lash? Or if a season ticket holder doesn't like the policy, they can OPT to not participate...but they would have to let the organization KNOW they want to OPT out....because normally it would be an auto OPT in.... Do you guys think people would pay an upgrade fee during the 3rd quarter? DD
If they offer the chance to move down for a small fee, then I will move my seats to the upper bowl too. Therefore losing a majority of my annual payment. It's a catch 22 for the organization. They can sell those tickets at high prices because corporations and individuals will pay that price. However, a good amount of those people really don't care about the game and only want to be seen. Until the Rockets kick out the corporations which won't happen, the Club Seats will never be full unless it's a playoff game or a premium game. Still, those people arrive late because they sit in their courtside suites or in the bar area until they feel ready to go to their seats. I just don't see the Rockets kicking out the corporations. Also, it's the Club Seats. Not the whole lower bowl. And I know a fair amount of people that have perfect attendance and are in their seats 30 minutes at least before tip off. Myself included.
But Steve, you could OPT out of that program...and maybe they move it to the start of the 4th quarter? I don't know it was just a thought that the team could generate a bit more $$$$ and some fans that could never afford to sit there could get to fill in when other folks just can't make the game that night. DD
I understand your thought. But it would upset a majority of the season ticket holders who do show up every night and who do sit in their seats from 7pm to the end of the game.
I don't understand how it would have any effect on them, they would still be in their own seats. And if you did not go to the game and you got a little kick back on your seats, so that when you RE-up next year you actually pay less because of the credit accrued? DD
Well. If John pays $95 per ticket and has two seats. $190. If Joe pays $35 per ticket, has 2 seats, and moves down for $5/ticket and sits next to John. $80. General reaction would be why should John pay $110 more to sit right next to Joe?
It would be the 4th quarter only....and maybe John would like to high five with someone other than the seat cushion next to him. DD
john is guaranteed to have awesome seats. joe is not. when the lakers come to town, when its playoff time, when the rockets win the chip, john will watch from his awesome seats, joe will watch from wherever he normally sits, or his house. heh.
I am just going off of probable situations/complaints the Rockets will hear for those nights. The next morning after those games, the service executives of the Rockets will probably have to deal with calls complaining about that. i.e. added headaches for them. I see both sides of the argument but really if people want change, the best thing to do is be proactive about it and get seats down in the lower bowl and attend every game.
Ok how about this then Steve? After 6 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, the lower bowl people get FIRST option to move down even closer....for like $5..... Then at the beginning of the 4th everyone gets the option to fill in? That way, Joe in the $95 seat can actually sit courtside in the $900 seat for a quarter. DD
People often can't afford to do that, which is the point. Lower bowl ticket prices are too high for many of us, especially now in the recession. I almost certainly won't be going to any games at all this year, in fact...trust me, it's not because I'm not wanting to. I'll probably never, even in a better year financially, get to sit in the lower bowl. I'd love to pay a little extra just once, to sit closer to the court in the last quarter or so.
Yeah, you can only do it on the exact 1-year anniversary of creating it in the first place... ...give or take an hour and 15 minutes or so.
That would potentially scare off the ticket buyers in the lower bowl, however... you know, the ones who drive Toyota Center's revenue. I don't think they want their nice, pleasant unobstructed view suddenly #@!$ed in the @&$ because people want the appearance of more fans downstairs. In addition, how do you keep track of who is actually at Toyota Center, just in the bathroom? It'd be a logistics nightmare. It'll never happen.
I assume they scan tickets at Toyota Center. If so, it should be extremely easy to determine if a ticket has been used on any given night.
