[Albion] Paul Barber on Albion match day ticket prices

[Guinness Boy]

I suggested on the Charlton tickets thread that perhaps we might abandon categories and consider simply adding a fixed percentage to the average price per game in each stand for a ST holder, and then having family discounts around bank or school holidays and doing the mate for a tenner for evening games.

It would simplify things, average out the spend, not punish STHs and bring in footfall when needed. Do we HAVE to have category games?

 

[LlcoolJ]

He certainly does! Barber IN!!

 

[Seagull1989]

He mentioned free wifi twice! Perhaps we should get rid of that and knock a couple of quid off the ticket price.

 

[Peter Grummit]

It's almost as if there were no computers, no business schools, and you couldn't hire one of their graduates to run hundreds of different scenarios to determine how to maximize revenues, all with a couple of mouse clicks.

Exactly this.

Credit (as ever) to Barber for responding comprehensively. But I find it worrying that his approach is entirely from a marketing perspective. He makes no acknowledgment that the REASON for having different prices for concessions etc is because there is need for price discrimination to capture different groups' willingness to pay. Most (not all) fans accept we need to revenue maximise. What we are questioning is whether the current approach does that efficiently. A classic example is that he implies match categories are determined by security/policing costs. That maybe so, but it doesn't affect people's willingness to pay, so pricing will be sub-optimal (too high).

PG

 

[Captain Sensible]

The question remains is how much does your Bro in law want to see the game? Does he have to sit in East upper when he could get two tickets in the North stand for less than £74?

I think the appealing point of bringing friends and family along is that you sit with, near or at least in the same stand as the person they buy the ticket for.

 

[Captain Sensible]

Perhaps the seats do belong to ST holders but they pegged out before the start of the season. The once they were used this season may have been relatives of the deceased who went to see if they would enjoy football. I would hazard a guess that the noise and abusive language in the ES put them off coming again.

No these seats are for sale on the website, hence why I have bought tickets in the past for those seats. Not this season though.

 

[Captain Sensible]

I re-iterate that I didn't say it would 'bankrupt' us to lower the prices, I was just stating that if people don't want to commit to season tickets for varying reasons, then don't expect to find a 'bargain bucket' price. Personally the £42 ticket I would market at £39, which is more appealing with the 3 in front of it! Oh and if these tickets were priced close to the STH I still wouldn't give up mine or care less what the pick and choose brigade were paying, it is more to do with the club trying to run the business as close to break even margins as possible. I don't for one minute believe the Chairman, Directors, Accountant or CEO haven't looked at all possibilities and stuck their collective head in the sand for what us Joe Public think is the 'bleedin obvious'.

I do agree with you with regard to dropping the price to be more appealing. I think it's easy for Barber to talk about revenue streams and wifi and padded seats. When we can all see the reality in the stadium. Over priced match days seats that for a game like tomorrow will go unsold. So yes I think that greed or put it a Barber way, the possibility of Maximising match day ticket revenue has taken over and PB has got his head in the sand. So yes to Joe Public like myself, dropping the Matchday price a few quid is the Bleedin' Obvious thing to do!

 

[skipper734]

When I was nine my income was 1/-, to watch the Albion in those days cost 9d, so 75% of my weekly income.I received free board and lodging. I don't remember needing to eat or drink at football in those days, but would have had 3d left over for a Wagon Wheel if needed.
Move up to the present day and the Government who are the current suppliers of my pocket money have deemed that people like me need £150 a week spending money. The money is for heat, food and entertainment etc. Having been lured away and then abandoned by a female, from the location that has been my families hometown for many generations, I have further to travel to matches than a slow stroll across Hove Park.
So attending a match at the Amex in my preferred seat costs £28, ( a cheaper location would cost £24) I prefer the dearer option. Travel costs are about £20 in the car or £13 on the train which is not available for evening matches. A cup of what it says on the label is coffee and a game of hunt the milk and sugar adds £2.10 to the bill.
Call it £50 per match, thirty three and a third percent of my weekly income, so Mr Barber is correct a relative bargain compared to the 1950's.

 

[8ace]

I'm glad he has debunked the MYTH that giving away tickets FREE makes the club money from Pies and Pints, it doesn't and never has does. All it does is make people try and get free or cheap tickets for other matches instead of wanting to pay the going rate and also devalues season tickets

Most of the people who peddled that shite argument were the ones bitching about the ticket exchange being closed.

 

[Hastings gull]

I think the appealing point of bringing friends and family along is that that sit with, near or at least in the same stand.

Yes, understandably so. If you choose to be in ESU (as I do) and this is counted as one of the best parts of the ground, you pay accordingly. So, if your friends wish to join you, so should they. I too was in the position of not being able to come to matches on a regular basis, and when I could was happy to pay to be in a better part of the ground, view-wise. In fact because I could only attend infrequently, the cost did not seem so bad and I was happy to support the club financially. I fully accept that not all folk are in that position, or even take that attitude, though let's be honest, often I can't afford really means I don't want to afford. If we do go up, I am sure that the empty seats will be filled then.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I do agree with you with regard to dropping the price to be more appealing. I think it's easy for Barber to talk about revenue streams and wifi and padded seats. When we can all see the reality in the stadium. Over priced match days seats that for a game like tomorrow will go unsold. So yes I think that greed or put it a Barber way, the possibility of Maximising match day ticket revenue has taken over and PB has got his head in the sand. So yes to Joe Public like myself, dropping the Matchday price a few quid is the Bleedin' Obvious thing to do!

And my opinion, as I stated previously, is that I am sure the Chairman, Directors, Accountants and CEO have been through all of the differing scenarios at board level and have noted that maybe it is more expensive to sell seats cheaper? I don't know, just surmising.

 

[smiler]

Reducing the Match day ticket by a few quid won't bankrupt us.

Agreed it will reduce the loss

 

[Berty23]

Which match was "bring a mate for a tenner" I assume full house that day given how a reduction of a few quid would get loads more according to some. So a thirty quid reduction it must have been full? Pretty sure it was Cardiff as I was there but boughy full price early.

 

[perseus]

I think the first ten rows in the east lower and west lower are overpriced especially on damp days. If we don't get promoted, I think I will try and change for some better seats.

 

[Berty23]

Agreed it will reduce the loss

You can't only reduce the cost for extra tickets. It would be like dfs ending their biggest ever sale. No one would ever buy full price. It is simple economics isn't it?

 

[Steve.S]

Yes but most people spend on a program, half time drink and food and also are more likely to purchase in the shop. Only the food and drink is percentage profit. Also if they paid £36 quid for a seat instead of not buying, thats gotta be a profit above the current situation.

If most people are not going to pay an extra £6 for a ticket, I can not really see them spending more then that on food, drink, program and in the shop! I don't get this I won't pay £42 for a ticket, but put it down to £35 and I will come along and invest in all the above.

 

[Javeaseagull]

I too e-mailed the club on a similar topic and got a similar reply (not from PB) but along the same lines. My question was; have they considered making the South Stand 20 pounds per seat. This would find favour amongst the 20 is plenty groups for away fans and the rest of the stand could be 20 pound on the day as a sort of neutral zone. No travel subsidy included but attractively priced for occasional visitors.
Like I say mine wasn't the e-mail he was responding to but was much the same reasons given. I didn't quote Theatre Royal, not sure what that is about.

 

[Dirk Lehmann's Python]

You missed out travel costs. Does that not fit your argument?

NB: I pay extra for disabled parking but still recognise the utility of free travel etc to very many (the majority?) of our fans and away fans

You missed out the rest of my post, does that not suit yours?

The free travel is great but doesn't change anything. There are THOUSANDS of empty seats because the prices can't be justified by the one off goers. Promos for Cardiff and Birmingham? Oh look, more seats sold.

 

[Bozza]

Agreed it will reduce the loss

This is the short-term v long-term trade off isn't it?

Short term, selling an otherwise empty seat for £1 means the club is better off (if selling that extra seat does not incur any additional cost).

Longer term though, the picture isn't as clear. We seem to have lost in the region of 3-4,000 season ticket holders over the last couple of years. Getting those people back is clearly difficult as the slightly disappointing attendances, relative to previous seasons, illustrates.

The less value that appears to be present in the season ticket package, primarily because of the availability of cheaper match day tickets, the more season ticket holders will surrender their season tickets and start to pick and choose games. When you're picking and choosing you will go to fewer games. Unfavourable opposition, crap weather, a poor run of form, money feeling a bit tight - there are numerous reasons why people may miss a game that they'd otherwise attend if they had a season ticket.

There are people at the Amex who know a lot more about running a large professional football club than me. That includes the man who subsidises every seat for every Albion home game to the tune of about £20. They believe it is in the best long-term interests of the club to retain as many season ticket holders as possible. I can't argue with that approach.

 

[Berty23]

You missed out the rest of my post, does that not suit yours?

The free travel is great but doesn't change anything. There are THOUSANDS of empty seats because the prices can't be justified by the one off goers. Promos for Cardiff and Birmingham? Oh look, more seats sold.

But you can't do special offers all the time. That is the point. If you sell 25000 tickets at 30 quid you make 750k. If you sell 30000 tickets you need to sell for 25 quid to make same money. So punters save five quid. And you have to sell ALL tickets.