All Boxes now sold

[Brighton M]

Personally I think it's bloody fantastic how many seats the club has sold already.

I have often been critical of the Marketing dept. but signs are things are changing.

Because ther marketing department has changed, Bloom having got in some professional marketers to do the job properly!

 

[clippedgull]

For me, the issue which will bother most of us is a different one. STHs will have first dibs at regular seats at Falmer but most of us will have friends/family that we'd like to sit with who are not current STHs. Will the club allow this, safe in the knowledge that it will lead to more Falmer STHs, or will they make us defer until general sale?
PG

Maybe a solution would be, current STH's get first selection, then current STH's with new friends/family as Falmer STH's get next shot, then general sale.

 

[8ace]

What you could do is reserve, say, seats 27 and 29 and then your mate who isn't it a STH could have seat 28. Of course this could backfire badly if some right twat nabs seat 28 in the mean time.

 

[Simster]

A Boro-supporting friends reckons the Riverside was never the same after they filled the corners (because they don't fill it).

I don't know why clubs don't simply tarp off some of the unused space, especially the corners. Apart from anything else, you'd think they could sell advertising space on the tarps themselves.

 

[Superphil]

Because ther marketing department has changed, Bloom having got in some professional marketers to do the job properly!

Well done, a nice negative comment, you bring so much to the discussion. The Club Seats were always going to be done, by an outside company, regardless of who the Chairman is. And don't forget, when it comes to marketing, that really is not Blooms realm, but I know an ex chairman who's it is.

 

[Cromwell Road Gull]

So is it def true all boxes are sold?

100 % - The marketing suite has a chart marking all areas of ground up for sale - all 14 boxes have a big sold sticker on them and the buyers name underneath.

In fact they even took the piss out of Paul Rogers as 1 of the buyers only took a box for 3 years compared to other 13 who were for 5 years.

 

[Napper]

Do these count towards attendance ? So we will always have 2k whatever

 

[East Staffs Gull]

Do these count towards attendance ? So we will always have 2k whatever

It might possibly depend on whether or not they attend. Just a hunch.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

why not soil yourself if you have the funds to do it?

Indeed.

 

[Barnham Seagull]

Indeed.

Seats will be wipe cean after all!

 

[Tooting Gull]

Having worked in corporate hospitality in a previous life, this has been a very interesting thread.

Overall, it's excellent that the business community wants to support the Albion in this way. There is clearly a decent demand, 14 boxes isn't a lot to have to sell but we have the other corporate options packages which will compensate for that.

There are decisions you have to make when selling boxes, and one is whether you actually want to sell them ALL annually even if you could. It might be quite good in this case to keep one back to sell on a match-by-match basis, so if your company/my company/any other company wants to buy one for an individual match, they have a chance of doing so. It takes more selling admin, but often that way you can charge a lot more for the 'day-rate' compared to an annual box, especially for high-profile matches.

Personally I think it's a marginal mistake to have every box of 14 on an annual basis, but it's a close call and the obvious upside is guaranteed income (as long as the pricing was right in the first place).

If you do sell all annually, you spawn a sub-letting culture when the annual boxholders will let their box be used on a day they don't want it by someone desperate to have one. This can see boxes sublet for more than the original effective 'day' cost at no additional benefit to the club, unless they have clauses for that in the contract. Keeping it hands-on and sub-letting through the club (who should hold a waiting list for both annual prospects and day prospects), so the club gets a percentage and the client also gets some money back, is the best way to go.

 

[Monsieur Le Plonk]

Having worked in corporate hospitality in a previous life, this has been a very interesting thread.

Overall, it's excellent that the business community wants to support the Albion in this way. There is clearly a decent demand, 14 boxes isn't a lot to have to sell but we have the other corporate options packages which will compensate for that.

.

I have zero experience in corporate hospitality but it does seem to me that the fact that they have sold all the boxes already and with almost a year and a half to go before the stadium opens, that they have sold them for the wrong price. I really think they have missed a trick there.
Then again, if they really have already sold all 2k odd platinum tickets with an 'up front' and over a 5year tenure then they have got that side of things absolutely spot on.
I think we may all be pleasantly suprised by the amount of initial STHs' we get on board. The challenge, I guess, will be to keep them.

 

[Wozza]

The Club Seats were always going to be done, by an outside company, regardless of who the Chairman is. And don't forget, when it comes to marketing, that really is not Blooms realm, but I know an ex chairman who's it is.

Really? Who's that then? Dick Knight worked in advertising.

 

[algie]

Isn't Paul Rogers in charge of the advertising/marketing section and has decent qualifications in that department?

 

[severnside gull]

Having worked in corporate hospitality in a previous life, this has been a very interesting thread.

Overall, it's excellent that the business community wants to support the Albion in this way. There is clearly a decent demand, 14 boxes isn't a lot to have to sell but we have the other corporate options packages which will compensate for that.

There are decisions you have to make when selling boxes, and one is whether you actually want to sell them ALL annually even if you could. It might be quite good in this case to keep one back to sell on a match-by-match basis, so if your company/my company/any other company wants to buy one for an individual match, they have a chance of doing so. It takes more selling admin, but often that way you can charge a lot more for the 'day-rate' compared to an annual box, especially for high-profile matches.

Personally I think it's a marginal mistake to have every box of 14 on an annual basis, but it's a close call and the obvious upside is guaranteed income (as long as the pricing was right in the first place).

If you do sell all annually, you spawn a sub-letting culture when the annual boxholders will let their box be used on a day they don't want it by someone desperate to have one. This can see boxes sublet for more than the original effective 'day' cost at no additional benefit to the club, unless they have clauses for that in the contract. Keeping it hands-on and sub-letting through the club (who should hold a waiting list for both annual prospects and day prospects), so the club gets a percentage and the client also gets some money back, is the best way to go.

Interesting perspective.


It is fantastically encouraging for the future direction of the club that they appear to be handling these issues so professionally and developing a very solid and sustainable core of income from the outset. Setting up 5 year deals will give us a financial buffer way above anything we have had before and is a real sign of the way the club is being run. Particularly good news when you read about the mess at clubs like Portsmouth.

That said, my personal interest is limited to having already put money aside for a season ticket for the first season and warning the missus not to expect to see too much of me unless she wants to visit her family in Brighton a lot more than she does now!

 

[StJimmyL]

I've just come back from picking my platinum seat. Here's my observations.

The seats are very comfortable, with a lot more room in front - 840mm comparable with 400mm at withdean. The depth of the sea is much better than at withdean.

Stadium is pukka - the build cost per seat is 3k - comparable to 2.2k at Emirates and 3.4k at Wembley.

£1000 secures the seat for life, but £99 +VAT - It's the +VAT think that is key - so £117 a month needs to be paid - EVERY month until you sell the seat - it's your asset and fully transferable.

My only point to make is what if we ever creep down the league... you are tied in EVERY month and may not be able to get out - THERE IS NO GET OUT CLAUSE...

You will get a lanyard that will allow you access to other stadium areas - eg. to see yer mates in the cheap seats....

I think £1440 ayear + £1000 is a lot of cash for this!

Does anyone know what a nomal season ticket will be - my guess is about £750

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Does anyone know what a nomal season ticket will be - my guess is about £750

When we get to the Champions League maybe .....................

 

[Notters]

For me, the issue which will bother most of us is a different one. STHs will have first dibs at regular seats at Falmer but most of us will have friends/family that we'd like to sit with who are not current STHs. Will the club allow this, safe in the knowledge that it will lead to more Falmer STHs, or will they make us defer until general sale?
PG

Maybe a solution would be, current STH's get first selection, then current STH's with new friends/family as Falmer STH's get next shot, then general sale.

I'd personally say, maybe from a selfish point of view, that those of us that have had a season ticket for 20 years should be allowed to chose an extra one for family/friend before those who've only had one for 1 year are allowed anything. Anyway, they said some time ago that STHs will be allowed extra stickers for family and friends.

I have zero experience in corporate hospitality but it does seem to me that the fact that they have sold all the boxes already and with almost a year and a half to go before the stadium opens, that they have sold them for the wrong price. I really think they have missed a trick there.
Then again, if they really have already sold all 2k odd platinum tickets with an 'up front' and over a 5year tenure then they have got that side of things absolutely spot on.
I think we may all be pleasantly suprised by the amount of initial STHs' we get on board. The challenge, I guess, will be to keep them.

So you think it's a disgrace that they've sold all of the boxes already, as they must've been too cheap, but brilliant that they've sold all of the platinum seats so quickly, which weren't too cheap at all?

 

[Notters]

Does anyone know what a nomal season ticket will be - my guess is about £750

Is that why you bought a platinum seat? I think you're in for a disapointment there!

 

[Bozza]

Then again, if they really have already sold all 2k odd platinum tickets with an 'up front' and over a 5year tenure then they have got that side of things absolutely spot on.

I don't believe they have though, have they. They've sold all of (or nearly all of) the middle tier platinum seats - those in the other tiers are still to be sold (or have just started to be sold).