Paul Barber

[Stuart Munday]

He gets alot of stick on here but has a job to do and part of his role must be increasing revenue, cutting costs.

Personally I don't like ticket/catering increases as has been much much discussed but would prefer this to increasing debt at the club but think there must be other ways.

If you had his job where would you start?

To start the ball rolling I would push to get the stands sponsored, I know we have tried before but other clubs seem to do it, how about a tie in with a beer company (The Peroni Stand for instance) might even get some decent lager out of it.

 

[clippedgull]

I think the shirt sponsors could be more upmarket. Nothing against the current sponsors, but to get the big bucks you have to get a national/international brand on board. Maybe American Express are biding their time until we get to the promised land.

 

[Hotchilidog]

Barber has got a lot of stick and he has only been here five minutes. We do not know what part he has played in the ticket pricing or catering arrangements so he may well be getting stick for things he has had nothing to do with.

Given his track record i would certainly expect to see stand sponsorship and the like as his expertise is in striking deals with major commercial partners. If anything I think it will be the likes of Azure that will be sweating on his arrival as he has worked at a far higher level than they have catered for.

I will be interested to hear his strategy for taking the club forward.

 

[Barry Izbak]

If you can pick up a copy of this magazine, the August issue has a very impressive interview with him.

fcbusiness magazine - the business magazine for the football industry : F.C. Business

 

[Bozza]

I have no idea what I'd do, but I'm pretty sure what he didn't do was take a look at the snack bar and ticket prices on his first morning, bump everything up a bit and say "Sorted, what's next?"

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Well we all know that this time next year we will have new shirt sponsors. Hence the buy one get one free stock clearance this month. I guess it will be a large company. Possibly an air line due to our proximity to Gatwick or maybe a leisure/clothing company. The days of small local businesses on our tops are over for at least the time being.

 

[Springal]

I don't mind the price rises at all, but I would like a bit more choice. Can't stand Strongbow, and Fosters isn't great. Hophead seems to have disappeared and Harveys is pretty mediocre.

I also don't think he has had a lot to do with it, and was perhaps tasked with it by the board as an area that needs looking at.

Chelsea was certainly NOTHING to do with him. Negotiated by Tony Bloom and Derek Chapman I believe.

 

[Mellotron]

I mentioned this in a previous thread and it bears repeating. People who slag off Barber need to remember it was Tony Bloom who saw the need for Barber. I'm sure Tony was fully aware of what Barber would be doing when he was brought in.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

I don't mind the price rises at all, but I would like a bit more choice. Can't stand Strongbow, and Fosters isn't great. Hophead seems to have disappeared and Harveys is pretty mediocre.

I also don't think he has had a lot to do with it, and was perhaps tasked with it by the board as an area that needs looking at.

Chelsea was certainly NOTHING to do with him. Negotiated by Tony Bloom and Derek Chapman I believe.

Has the Dark Star left Dicks Bar then? That really is bad news. If I was Barber I would encourage them as shirt sponsors.

 

[Simster]

Where do some people get this idea that he is getting slagged off on here? There are people who are sceptical about him, that's all. And that's because of his form. Personally, I'll wait and see what happens before judging him, but I'm not joining in with this lame "well we're a big club now and things have to be paid for" bullshit. I'm all for making money where it is to be made, but don't want to see less well off fans and future generations priced out.

 

[DJ Leon]

Are there people who don't want anyone at the club looking at how to increase revenue? I doubt it, perhaps though most people want that person to increase revenue and take the club forward without them personally having to pay anything more. Not very realistic though, is it?

 

[Springal]

Has the Dark Star left Dicks Bar then? That really is bad news. If I was Barber I would encourage them as shirt sponsors.

I don't go in Dicks Bar, but can't find it on the concourse where it did make some appearances towards end of last season.

I'm pretty sure Dark Star don't have the cash to throw at sponsorship either

 

[hans kraay fan club]

, perhaps though most people want that person to increase revenue and take the club forward without them personally having to pay anything more. Not very realistic though, is it?

Exactly.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

I don't go in Dicks Bar, but can't find it on the concourse where it did make some appearances towards end of last season.

I'm pretty sure Dark Star don't have the cash to throw at sponsorship either

Yes but I think their logo would look pretty good over the blue and white stripes. Plus it supports a local business.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I feel sorry for Bardber to be honest. He's been in the job a few weeks, and is being automatically blamed for every single club decision that anyone takes issue with, most of which were probably taken long before he even joined.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Yes but I think their logo would look pretty good over the blue and white stripes. Plus it supports a local business.

So would American Express - a much bigger 'local business'.

 

[Postman Pat]

Speak to CPFC2010 about getting some snazzy posters done to sell more tickets....?!

Seriously, I know we have no issue with selling tickets, but we have alot of potnetial for new fans at both universities, we should do more to engage them, maybe ringfence 50 tickets for sales to students. Could mean future fans, and they spend more on beer than most!

 

[Mellotron]

Where do some people get this idea that he is getting slagged off on here? There are people who are sceptical about him, that's all. And that's because of his form. Personally, I'll wait and see what happens before judging him, but I'm not joining in with this lame "well we're a big club now and things have to be paid for" bullshit. I'm all for making money where it is to be made, but don't want to see less well off fans and future generations priced out.

True to form, The Complete Badger has made a very early and very strong judgment on Barber. But then, TCB rarely represent the views of the masses.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Could mean future fans, and they spend more on beer than most!

If the students spend lots on beer, then expect massively longer queues, as they each queue separately to pay for their half a lager.

 

[Aadam]

Would stand sponsoring be permissible under the contract with American Express for stadium naming?

The three main revenue streams for a football club are:

1. Matchday
2. TV Money
3. Sponsorship

To increase 1. you have to increase your stadium size and/or raise prices for tickets, merchandise and food. The stadium is being increased, as are food and ticket prices. To increase TV money you need a good cup run, or reach the PL, where even Wolves were paid £39m in broadcasting rights last year. Sponsorship will come with brand recognition, to do this you need the right players and good exposure. A Premier League place would secure some lucrative sponsorship.

A lot of in increase in revenue hinges on getting into the Premier League. Hopefully, these ticket prices will remain as they are should Brighton go up after this season.

So, to answer the OP, what would I do if I were him?

- Try to promote the club to potential sponsors with a view to selling them on the ambition of the club. The objective is the Premier League. Increase opportunities to sponsor, with electronic sponsorship boards around the pitch rather than static for example.
- Increase events at the Stadium outside of playing football. A 30,000 capacity stadium can be put to better use than just having games there. Corporate events, concerts etc.
- Expand media options. The player is great on-line, but have more about it to increase subscriptions, maybe a pay-as-you-go option if you just wanted to watch highlights for one game rather than subscribe for the year. A mobile application to allow you to access more from the club, including goal highlights as they go in (ESPN do similar).

I'm sure there are other things that can be done, I'm no expert, but it's not an easy job by the looks of it.