Good morning Mets fans…..
Wowza. Still not over the whirlwind.
Today I will comment on the tickets after everyone has their coffee, tomorrow I think I will tell the story of the ticket leak and take a snarky look at the ticket perks. Again, it doesn’t make any sense to use all the “good” posts in a short span.
It has been an interesting week – I had all sorts of cool jackets and hats stuff, some offshoots of the Giants discussions, more crappy merch..and I bumped all those posts because of all the real news that showed up. It’s a long winter with lots of holidays so we’ll get to all that…and if you are new to the Mets Police, welcome!
Yesterday I posted Ceetar’s notes from the WFAN call.
What happened was I heard DH would be on WFAN and none of the regular Mets Police crew were around…and I couldn’t listen…so I asked some blogofriends to help. Randy from The Apple took some transcript-ish notes….take it with a small grain of salt since it’s not an actual transcript, but it is consistent with Ceetar’s version. (Go read The Apple for a funny list of season ticket perks that didn’t make the cut)
Take it away Randy! (In case you get confused STH is short for season ticket holders. It kind of looks like Sith which is an evil jedi..which is a funny premise for The Apple. Sith’s getting a discount. Crank up the photoshop.)
Again, the below is transcriptish but not an actual transcript and by no means not all the words that were said. The actual interview can be heard here.
…
Dave Howard: Very good news for mets fans. Substantial number of price reductions. Average decrease 14%. Plan group and season get 10% discount. Excited about perks system. Extraordinary experiences. We wanted to change the relationship and treat our STH in an exceptional way. Treat STH like corporate sponsors, they are that important.
Francesa: Why would you say increases? (Shannon’s note – some Promenade seats have gone up. Mike was joking asking why he’d admit it.)
Dave Howard: Very modest. Did a lot of market research. A large segment of the ballpark was selling above face on secondary market. Primarily Promenade. Some cases substantially more.
Francesa: Is secondary market a curse?
Dave Howard: Useful in regard to pricing.
Francesa: How do you get a walkup if STH dump their tickets for 10%
Dave Howard: It’s a reality. It would happen anyway so we are facilitating the process. It can be a blessing and a curse depending on the Teams situation.
Francesa: Are the Mets undergoing an absolute disaster?
Dave Howard: Not accurate. Clearly there was a drop off. 3.2 million in 09 2.6 in 10.
Francesa: Are people dumping?
Dave Howard: No these price adjustments will be very helpful Field and clubs have up to 25% 36% discount.
The increases are primarily Promenade and are modest. 5% at max. With 10% discount plan holder still gets a lower bill than 2010
Francesa: Did you dump tix onto Stubhub
Dave Howard: Never!!!! Doesn’t Happen! We would never do that!
Francesa: What about the STH who feels chased out of their seat. Why should they come back?
Dave Howard: We gave every STH a comparable opportunity, in some cases prices were higher. We engaged in a full dialogue. It is our hope and goal to win back those fans. Price and quality are the key factors. We addressed price. Sandy will address quality.
Francesa: Do you think four tier system still works? Is it beneficial? Does the fan like it?
Dave Howard: The feedback from STH is they like it. Many STH share tickets and this helps them value them. The reality is a peak vs off peak analysis. Tries to emulate the secondary market. Allows for Mets to make a large number of tix at a great value. Over 30 games with $12 tickets. 45% gain in seats under $15.
Dave Howard used term Saturday and Sunday “Focused” Plan
Francesa: Are the individual ticket purchasers important?
Dave Howard: Very important. Trying to add significant benefits and perks to plan holders as well.
Francesa – (Runs down the entire price list for some reason)
Dave Howard: Loyatly is very important to us and we want to give them something. Our plan holders may be looking to trade up because the seats are more affordable. We want to reward them. Our most loyal and committed customers.
Francesa: Manager?
Dave Howard: Sandy hopes to have manager by end of the month. Tremendous resume. He loves doing this. It’s going to be a fun process to watch.
Francesa: …Ricciardi
Dave Howard: JP is an expert. High level evaluator. GM caliber. Red Sox wanted him but he came here because of his respect for Sandy.
Francesa: What did you learn from STH?
Dave Howard: They love the park. They love the food and all that stuff but it comes down to winning. Doesn’t matter how you win. Just win.
