[Albion] The "Season Ticket Renewals 2021/22" thread

[KeegansHairPiece]

Print at home is an interesting alternative how many people actually own a printer nowadays.

You don’t literally need to print the ticket. You just need to present the bar code in the ticket to the scanner, I have done this from my phone. Maybe utilise a friend with a phone if you can’t find a printer? Failing this arrange for a ticket collection at the ground.

HT - that’s changed if you click the link, they are stating you do need to print the ticket unless you have Apple or Google Pay wallets on your phone.

G - they send you the pdf file, so any family member or friend could print them if you forwarded them on. I guess if you absolutely can’t print either, then customer services would help, or would hope they would. It is difficult for those that simply don’t have the tech these days. Cashless in the stadium too.

 

[Charity Shield 1910]

So you are envisaging maximum return from this venture being when there are 19 season ticket holders per season ticket ? Sorry, but in terms of advertising revenue that is a drop in the ocean compared to the global televised audience. Commercially it doesn’t matter to clubs or advertisers whether a few people share a season ticket. It is though entirely contrary to the spirit in which they are sold and potentially contributes to a closed shop that deters new season ticket holders. The club wants the right to market season tickets and does not want to sublet it to you to pass on to your mates. That is why they have said ticket sharing is a one off offer post Covid. The rest of your argument sounds like you are talking your book.

I am not envisaging anything. The football industry are already looking at various technologies that make a physical card for a season ticket obsolete. The technology also then has the ability to create revenue streams, one of which would be having more than one person buying a season ticket, for a particular seat in the ground because the technology will tell the club who gained access to the ground. They are not sub letting, each individual is the clubs customer. It could even, should they wanted to go this far, know where anyone is in the ground at any particular moment in time. I think the latter might have some push back but the former will happen. The money in doubling the season ticket base, would yes, in percentage terms be small compared to the main revenue - TV income. But that is the same for all revenue. I expect that the real money is in data capture. Either way, I do know is that the football industry is looking at something like an app with your season ticket on it instead of an old fashioned entry card. The app will then be able to be linked to a vaccine passport, or the results of a rapid covid test should the government insist on it going forward. In the course of the conversations about the technology there is obviously a conversation about what technologies can create what additional revenue streams and how. You also have to look at it on a grander scale than just the Albion. It's an industry wide opportunity to increase revenue. It's the post covid world, things have already changed like it or not. As an aside, I also cannot see the downside for the industry, can you?

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I am not envisaging anything. The football industry are already looking at various technologies that make a physical card for a season ticket obsolete. The technology also then has the ability to create revenue streams, one of which would be having more than one person buying a season ticket, for a particular seat in the ground because the technology will tell the club who gained access to the ground. It could even, should they wanted to go this far, know where anyone is in the ground at any particular moment in time. I think the later might have some push back but the former will happen. The money in doubling the season ticket base, would yes, in percentage terms be small compared to the main revenue - TV income. But that is the same for all revenue. I expect that the real money is in data capture. Either way, I do know is that the football industry is looking at something like an app with your season ticket on it instead of an old fashioned entry card. The app will then be able to be linked to a vaccine passport, or the results of a rapid covid test should the government insist on it going forward. In the course of the conversations about the technology there is obviously a conversation about what technologies can create what additional revenue streams and how. You also have to look at it on a grander scale than just the Albion. It's an industry wide opportunity to increase revenue. It's the post covid world, things have already changed like it or not. As an aside, I also cannot see the downside for the industry, can you?

Yes, I can see significant downside to seat sharing. The club loses control of marketing scarcity. Withdean was a classic example of demand created by perceived scarcity. I can see season ticket sharing reducing the demand for season tickets and consequently the waiting list never returning post Covid. Your points about physical cards are not really relevant because ST on phones can be introduced regardless. As I’ve said the club has made it clear that ST sharing is for one season only. It is fine for you to speculate about it continuing and we can disagree on the likelihood of this happening. However you are going quite a bit further and claiming it is inevitable without really providing any evidence other than that you like the idea. You have also yet to clarify exactly from where the supposed increased revenue from ST sharing derives.

 

[Charity Shield 1910]

Yes, I can see significant downside to seat sharing. The club loses control of marketing scarcity. Withdean was a classic example of demand created by perceived scarcity. I can see season ticket sharing reducing the demand for season tickets as the waiting list never returns post Covid. Your points about physical cards are not really relevant because ST on phones can be introduced regardless. As I’ve said the club has made it clear that ST sharing is for one season only. It is fine for you to speculate about it continuing and we can disagree on the likelihood of this happening. However you are going quite a bit further and claiming it is inevitable without really providing any evidence other than that you like the idea.

I'm not saying anything is inevitable. I am saying that technologies about admitting fans to the ground by using app's and the like was on the cards before covid, and with covid, with the possible need for vaccine passports or negative covid tests before entry, the industry (not just Brighton) are already looking at this. In those conversations are discussions about revenue streams, data capture, legal implications and the like. Scarcity of tickets is not an issue for most and certainly the larger premier league clubs who ultimately will drive things. The reason given for not sharing season tickets has always been security, but technology has overcome that. Nobody quite knows where that will lead, or what the future will have in store, but it's all on the table and being looked at. Whether you like that or not, that is the case. What I can't work out is why you are so set against it. If you don't want to share your season ticket then nobody is going to force you, but those who want to then well, great for them.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I'm not saying anything is inevitable. I am saying that technologies about admitting fans to the ground by using app's and the like was on the cards before covid, and with covid, with the possible need for vaccine passports or negative covid tests before entry, the industry (not just Brighton) are already looking at this. In those conversations are discussions about revenue streams, data capture, legal implications and the like. Scarcity of tickets is not an issue for most and certainly the larger premier league clubs who ultimately will drive things. The reason given for not sharing season tickets has always been security, but technology has overcome that. Nobody quite knows where that will lead, or what the future will have in store, but it's all on the table and being looked at. Whether you like that or not, that is the case. What I can't work out is why you are so set against it. If you don't want to share your season ticket then nobody is going to force you, but those who want to then well, great for them.

I am not against ST sharing. I couldn’t care less about it. I am against your idea that it is a positive for the club. The idea may well suit your circumstances (which is fine) but it’s better to be straightforward about it rather than make up stuff about extra revenue generated and ignore very significant potential downside.

 

[Charity Shield 1910]

I am not against ST sharing. I couldn’t care less about it. I am against your idea that it is a positive for the club. The idea may well suit your circumstances (which is fine) but it’s better to be straightforward about it rather than make up stuff about extra revenue generated and ignore very significant potential downside.

It doesn't suit my personal circumstances, I cant see I would even a share a season ticket . I do think it would be positive for the club and also the industry generally. The more people going to football the better for the club and industry. I know first hand that the football industry is looking at apps, technology and resulting revenue streams. As for making things up, well I think you need to chill out. I know first hand through people in the industry that all of this has been looked at even closer within a greater discussion of how to get fans back in the ground, should a covid passport or a negative covid test be needed. The argument against sharing season tickets has always been security, but that argument has been overcome. Now you are running a new one, the need to keep scarcity of tickets. You could be right, but it's not something that the larger clubs really think about and when a big club changes something the rest will certainly look at it.

 

[PeterOut]

I am not envisaging anything. The football industry are already looking at various technologies that make a physical card for a season ticket obsolete. The technology also then has the ability to create revenue streams, one of which would be having more than one person buying a season ticket, for a particular seat in the ground because the technology will tell the club who gained access to the ground. They are not sub letting, each individual is the clubs customer. It could even, should they wanted to go this far, know where anyone is in the ground at any particular moment in time. I think the latter might have some push back but the former will happen. The money in doubling the season ticket base, would yes, in percentage terms be small compared to the main revenue - TV income. But that is the same for all revenue. I expect that the real money is in data capture. Either way, I do know is that the football industry is looking at something like an app with your season ticket on it instead of an old fashioned entry card. The app will then be able to be linked to a vaccine passport, or the results of a rapid covid test should the government insist on it going forward. In the course of the conversations about the technology there is obviously a conversation about what technologies can create what additional revenue streams and how. You also have to look at it on a grander scale than just the Albion. It's an industry wide opportunity to increase revenue. It's the post covid world, things have already changed like it or not. As an aside, I also cannot see the downside for the industry, can you?

Surely, what you are describing is the death of the season ticket altogether? To follow your argument, if it is better for the club to allow 2 people to share a ticket for a seat, and even better for 4 people to share the ticket for the seat, then the ultimate benefit is simply to do away with season tickets as they currently are (for the overwhelming majority of cases, the same single person in the seat each game) and have a 'new' person every game? That way, the marketing / advertising reach / revenue stream per seat is maximised?

Or am I missing something? Is there a 'sweet spot' of 2, 4, 6, or 8 people sharing a ticket for the same seat?

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

It doesn't suit my personal circumstances, I cant see I would even a share a season ticket . I do think it would be positive for the club and also the industry generally. The more people going to football the better for the club and industry. I know first hand that the football industry is looking at apps, technology and resulting revenue streams. As for making things up, well I think you need to chill out. I know first hand through people in the industry that all of this has been looked at even closer within a greater discussion of how to get fans back in the ground, should a covid passport or a negative covid test be needed. The argument against sharing season tickets has always been security, but that argument has been overcome. Now you are running a new one, the need to keep scarcity of tickets. You could be right, but it's not something that the larger clubs really think about and when a big club changes something the rest will certainly look at it.

You keep alluding to inside knowledge but are a little short on any concrete benefits of diluting ST in this way. Anyway, I don’t have any links with the football industry and am happy to learn about significant new revenue streams from ST sharing, if they exist. As to ‘chilling out,’ I was just asking you to back up these claims with some facts. If this is not possible we can just leave it there.

 

[Charity Shield 1910]

Surely, what you are describing is the death of the season ticket altogether? To follow your argument, if it is better for the club to allow 2 people to share a ticket for a seat, and even better for 4 people to share the ticket for the seat, then the ultimate benefit is simply to do away with season tickets as they currently are (for the overwhelming majority of cases, the same single person in the seat each game) and have a 'new' person every game? That way, the marketing / advertising reach / revenue stream per seat is maximised?

Or am I missing something? Is there a 'sweet spot' of 2, 4, 6, or 8 people sharing a ticket for the same seat?

Just to say, it's not my argument! I'm just saying that I know that football is looking at app technology, with trackntrace, covid tests results and season tickets rolled into one should it be needed. I then just pointed out that football clubs don't need anymore "one ticket one person" because of security because they will know who get's into the ground via that technology. It always used to be security the reason why they didnt like season ticket sharing. Where that technology will take football in terms of generating revenue for each seat in the ground is then, as day follows night, up for review. I don't think that it will mean the end of the season ticket but it might mean a club (and industry as a whole) can get more people on their data base when selling each season ticket by having multiple people on one season ticket. This then looks like an obvious win for the industry and fans. Equally they might not do it for other reasons. What I do know is that it's a long way from a scruffy £5 note on the turnstile at the Goldstone. Covid is going to fire up all sorts of changes. The 4th industrial revolution was already on us but it's just sped up a bit.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

HT - that’s changed if you click the link, they are stating you do need to print the ticket unless you have Apple or Google Pay wallets on your phone.

G - they send you the pdf file, so any family member or friend could print them if you forwarded them on. I guess if you absolutely can’t print either, then customer services would help, or would hope they would. It is difficult for those that simply don’t have the tech these days. Cashless in the stadium too.

The club have always had this on the print-at-home tickets though, but it has never been an issue. Personally, I really do not see what the difference between a hard paper copy and the exact same ticket in pdf form ....and neither did the door staff or the ticket scanner. I reckon I have done this 6-7 times in the past.

 

[Charity Shield 1910]

You keep alluding to inside knowledge but are a little short on any concrete benefits of diluting ST in this way. Anyway, I don’t have any links with the football industry and am happy to learn about significant new revenue streams from ST sharing, if they exist. As to ‘chilling out,’ I was just asking you to back up these claims with some facts. If this is not possible we can just leave it there.

You actually made an accusation of "making things up" which is unpleasant and untrue. Yes I know a few people who work in the football industry (not in Sussex/Brighton) and yes I know that apps and their importance have been in discussion before covid. Now with covid it has created a further conversation. As for evidence of revenue streams, then I'm not sure what would satisfy you? It depends on what take you take on creating revenue out of app technology. However if you have a supermarket club card or app, then that for example is not just marketing tool to give you 50p off your coffee. It collects valuable data. Season ticket apps will be the same, and the more people on them, the more valuable the data. There are other advantages with getting more, different people to games, from pie purchasing to shirt sales to beer sales. The fewer times people go individually, the more they have to spend when they do go. But that of course is for your thought process, dismissed because it's a small part of the percentage of revenue. It's all still hard cash tho'. For big clubs like Man United or Liverpool, then the value of their apps might become a huge part of their revenue but we shall see. It's a very different world.

 

[Bob!]

You actually made an accusation of "making things up" which is unpleasant and untrue. Yes I know a few people who work in the football industry (not in Sussex/Brighton) and yes I know that apps and their importance have been in discussion before covid. Now with covid it has created a further conversation. As for evidence of revenue streams, then I'm not sure what would satisfy you? It depends on what take you take on creating revenue out of app technology. However if you have a supermarket club card or app, then that for example is not just marketing tool to give you 50p off your coffee. It collects valuable data. Season ticket apps will be the same, and the more people on them, the more valuable the data. There are other advantages with getting more, different people to games, from pie purchasing to shirt sales to beer sales. The fewer times people go individually, the more they have to spend when they do go. But that of course is for your thought process, dismissed because it's a small part of the percentage of revenue. It's all still hard cash tho'. For big clubs like Man United or Liverpool, then the value of their apps might become a huge part of their revenue but we shall see. It's a very different world.

This is getting very boring now, could you take it to DM's please.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

This is getting very boring now, could you take it to DM's please.

Please, no !!!

 

[BNthree]

Print at home is an interesting alternative how many people actually own a printer nowadays.

Given that from spring to summer last year most printers under £100 were sold out at the major retailers, due to working from home, I'd say quite a lot of people.

 

[Gazwag]

Given that from spring to summer last year most printers under £100 were sold out at the major retailers, due to working from home, I'd say quite a lot of people.

Off the top of my head I cannot think of anybody i know who has one at home, other than myself. I have been working from home since day one last year and nobody in my firm prints anything at home, everything is printed and stored digitally.

 

[herecomesaregular]

This is getting very boring now, could you take it to DM's please.

Ooh look at you! Speaking for everyone.

I've found it interesting for one. After 9 years I've given up my season ticket for reasons of difficulty sharing - of having to get all vaguely interested mates or family to spend £25 to sign up for the Albion because I'll likely be back on shift work.

 

[dazzer6666]

Off the top of my head I cannot think of anybody i know who has one at home, other than myself. I have been working from home since day one last year and nobody in my firm prints anything at home, everything is printed and stored digitally.

I worked from home on and off for the last 20 years for 4 different firms. Printing anything at home was expressly forbidden in all of them - and if a doc was emailed from the company systems to a non-company email address it was immediately flagged up the line as a breach of IT policy.

 

[BNthree]

Off the top of my head I cannot think of anybody i know who has one at home, other than myself. I have been working from home since day one last year and nobody in my firm prints anything at home, everything is printed and stored digitally.

A lot of people with school age kids bought printers as a lot of the work set for them while schools were shut involved printing off sheets to fill in and the like. As such most people I know have printers at home though not for their work directly but because they weren't able to go into work and rinse the office printer like they usually did!

 

[amexer]

My printer is available to ST holders for £17 and MyAmexer new members £23

 

[METALMICKY]

A lot of people with school age kids bought printers as a lot of the work set for them while schools were shut involved printing off sheets to fill in and the like. As such most people I know have printers at home though not for their work directly but because they weren't able to go into work and rinse the office printer like they usually did!

Yes, during both lock downs there were many times I could have done with a printer for the kid's school work. But the reality is that back in normal times I rarely have need of one. And the fact is that most home printers are still painfully slow, expensive on ink and a complete faff if you need to print multiple pages in duplex. Unless of course you have money to burn on a laser printer and the space to put it. I have neither. And yes when I worked in an office 4.50 onwards was personal printing time!

In conclusion I'm very happy the club are going the mobile phone Google wallet etc route as it worked great for me at the Sheffield United game.