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  1. #1
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    Where to find 1/2 Stadium of Fans

    For those that started a business from scratch, it's all about hard work carried out in the community. 9 out of 10 businesses fail mostly because they don't put in the work. They usually blame their failure on all sorts of exotic things. Stuff like demographics, the economy. It's funny because the 1 out of 10 businesses that succeed does so in the same business environment. All the failures need to do, is look in the mirror.

    The Argos started with 1/2 stadium of fans and an iconic brand. That would be a godsend for any startup business. The need to get to work and stop the bleeding. Then get back in the growth mode. How is that "waiting for fans to return" working for them?

    Sales is a tough business. Best training film on sales I ever saw - Glengarry Glen Ross. Pulitzer Prize winning book. Alec Baldwin, Alan Atkin, al Pacino, Ed Harris, Jack Lemon and Kevin Spacey.

    https://youtu.be/Q4PE2hSqVnk

    Perfect for the ticket office. 1st prize - Cadillac; 2nd prize -block of steak knives; 3rd prize - YOUR FIRED!!

    I know, I know, Pulitzer Prize rarely gets mentioned on a football blog!

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    Sometimes I wonder if the Argos shouldn't be doing more of an old school door to door approach. Go to heavy populated foot traffic areas and have promotions, give out ticket vouchers, free tickets, have something for the kids, whatever. Just be seen.

    People were giving away free Rugby tickets (assuming Wolfpack) at the game. Maybe Argos should try some cross-promotion as well.

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    If you don't like your circumstances, change them!!

    Chris Zelcovich Tweet: Guy calls @TorontoArgos to ask when game starts. Reply: ``What time can you make it?" Seriously, time to get serious about selling product.. Begging the Argos to sell tickets!!!
    Idea#1. Ticket seller makes $20 for every single game ticket they sell. Argos easily recoup. Amazon subsidized new customers for years. That worked out just fine.

    Anyone else have any ideas?

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    Close off the upper deck.
    Tarp over the seats with those banners of argos greats they had at the dome.
    BC has no upper deck, why spread fans out?
    Make the east side cheaper, get fans in the middle of field where they'd be most visible by tv.
    Right now we have a decent crowd on west, no crowd on east which is what you see on tv.
    Better rewards for Seasons tix fans, jerseys, jackets, scarves, huge discount on tix, right now why would anyone buy seasons when they can get a 15 dollar discount offer online?
    Somehow establish the end zone as the home of your rowdiest fans and work hard to fill it. TFC used their atmosphere and fans as a marketing point for years before they finally had a team to sell. It's a fine line, as the Argos currently have a great family friendly vibe. Lots of seniors and kids, not a lot of drunken idiots.
    But there's a big portion of the 20-30 crowd that prefers a booze filled experience. They'll go to tfc or the jays, or drive to buffalo for the bills.
    Last year's second game vs ottawa was also a low one. We'll see growth, no reason to hit panic button.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Topshelf View Post
    Close off the upper deck.
    Tarp over the seats with those banners of argos greats they had at the dome.
    BC has no upper deck, why spread fans out?
    Make the east side cheaper, get fans in the middle of field where they'd be most visible by tv.
    Right now we have a decent crowd on west, no crowd on east which is what you see on tv.
    Better rewards for Seasons tix fans, jerseys, jackets, scarves, huge discount on tix, right now why would anyone buy seasons when they can get a 15 dollar discount offer online?
    Somehow establish the end zone as the home of your rowdiest fans and work hard to fill it. TFC used their atmosphere and fans as a marketing point for years before they finally had a team to sell. It's a fine line, as the Argos currently have a great family friendly vibe. Lots of seniors and kids, not a lot of drunken idiots.
    But there's a big portion of the 20-30 crowd that prefers a booze filled experience. They'll go to tfc or the jays, or drive to buffalo for the bills.
    Last year's second game vs ottawa was also a low one. We'll see growth, no reason to hit panic button.
    I have told them that they should price the east side differently to encourage people to sit there as it is hard to see the game the game with the sun in your face, and also the heat makes it sometimes hard to enjoy it.

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    The team has said there will be no more free tickets. There have been give aways for years. When we entered the dome in 1989 we had around 35k to every game. At the end of the 1990's we were low to mid 20k's. Then the number was high teens and the last couple of years in the dome were brutal and Rogers / The Fan 590 etc did a lot to damage the brand and continue to do so. I have heard from people that 590 have been talking about the Argos relocating etc. this week. There is no where else in the country a CFL team would get treated like this. To fix this is very difficult and I for one am shocked that we did not fill this stadium last year and the numbers is worse this year. The team claims that the attendance has been over inflated for years by give aways. I bought season tickets for the first time last year as I thought I would be hard pressed to get a decent seat. I have gone to almost all the games since 1983 but never worried about getting a good seat. Not sure what the answer is but I am convinced it can be fixed but the current situation depresses me.

    A stadium this size, I do not think you can close off the upper deck. I think the lower level of BC Place can hold close to 30k. That is a big difference compared to BMO Field.
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    Free tickets are not the answer. People that receive them don't attend. People don't value things that are free.

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    Quote Originally Posted by timlb01 View Post
    The team has said there will be no more free tickets. There have been give aways for years. When we entered the dome in 1989 we had around 35k to every game. At the end of the 1990's we were low to mid 20k's. Then the number was high teens and the last couple of years in the dome were brutal and Rogers / The Fan 590 etc did a lot to damage the brand and continue to do so. I have heard from people that 590 have been talking about the Argos relocating etc. this week. There is no where else in the country a CFL team would get treated like this. To fix this is very difficult and I for one am shocked that we did not fill this stadium last year and the numbers is worse this year. The team claims that the attendance has been over inflated for years by give aways. I bought season tickets for the first time last year as I thought I would be hard pressed to get a decent seat. I have gone to almost all the games since 1983 but never worried about getting a good seat. Not sure what the answer is but I am convinced it can be fixed but the current situation depresses me.

    A stadium this size, I do not think you can close off the upper deck. I think the lower level of BC Place can hold close to 30k. That is a big difference compared to BMO Field.
    Another reason I no longer listen to that station, arrogant no nothing blowhard on air "talent".
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  9. #9
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    Well, we have to consider it was a long weekend. They Jays crowd was thin last night vs. Boston. It's a tough weekend for any team/event in this city.
    Last night was my first game in a couple years, and I thought the on field game presentation was way better than in the past. I've even circled Doug flutie bobblehead night on my calendar.
    We can all come up with ideas, but we're all sold on the argos. If the fans are watching on tv and not attending, then you'd have to ask what would make you come to a game.
    If the fans aren't watching on tv, then you'd have to ask how can we create a new fanbase. We've had two weeks of the media dumping on the attendance
    It doesn't help.
    Maybe the best approach is to make your fanbase feel like they are treated the best. Argos have arguably the richest ownership.
    Make the tailgate cheap. Have a big free bbq, some free food trucks, etc. Give out a souvenir football and shirt to every kid that attends every game. Make it a Jr argos program . Have some of those inflatable football games set up etc
    The fireworks last night were great, but why not give out those Clemons shirts players were wearing for Canada 150? There was no tailgate. It just feels as if the sales department isn't trying.

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    There are a few things they can do, and I'm pretty sure they are considering them altho likely not until next year:

    1. Reduce the number of price points (someone said there are 13 -- need about five). AV has mentioned this many times.

    2. Reduce prices in general.

    3. Slash prices on the east side, which is where the cameras point. That side is too hot to be comfortable on a sunny day, and tickets over there are worth less (and should be priced lower), IMO.

    4. Provide strong incentives for existing STHs to increase the number of tix they buy. Honestly, it might make sense to offer two tix for every one currently purchased, to get more bodies into the seats. Once people go they will find a great atmosphere, and that translates into future sales.

    5. Give tickets away to kids' groups (football teams but also other sports) and very cheap tix to the adults who accompany them. Need to get kids hooked. It appears this is already happening.
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    Quote Originally Posted by paulwoods13 View Post
    There are a few things they can do, and I'm pretty sure they are considering them altho likely not until next year:

    1. Reduce the number of price points (someone said there are 13 -- need about five). AV has mentioned this many times.

    2. Reduce prices in general.

    3. Slash prices on the east side, which is where the cameras point. That side is too hot to be comfortable on a sunny day, and tickets over there are worth less (and should be priced lower), IMO.

    4. Provide strong incentives for existing STHs to increase the number of tix they buy. Honestly, it might make sense to offer two tix for every one currently purchased, to get more bodies into the seats. Once people go they will find a great atmosphere, and that translates into future sales.

    5. Give tickets away to kids' groups (football teams but also other sports) and very cheap tix to the adults who accompany them. Need to get kids hooked. It appears this is already happening.
    Send your resume to the Argonauts!!
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    Quote Originally Posted by paulwoods13 View Post
    There are a few things they can do, and I'm pretty sure they are considering them altho likely not until next year:

    1. Reduce the number of price points (someone said there are 13 -- need about five). AV has mentioned this many times.

    2. Reduce prices in general.

    3. Slash prices on the east side, which is where the cameras point. That side is too hot to be comfortable on a sunny day, and tickets over there are worth less (and should be priced lower), IMO.

    4. Provide strong incentives for existing STHs to increase the number of tix they buy. Honestly, it might make sense to offer two tix for every one currently purchased, to get more bodies into the seats. Once people go they will find a great atmosphere, and that translates into future sales.

    5. Give tickets away to kids' groups (football teams but also other sports) and very cheap tix to the adults who accompany them. Need to get kids hooked. It appears this is already happening.
    I'm good with all of this, Paul. East side seats should be all general admission IMO. $15 for upper deck and $25 for lower.
    It's us vs the rest of the country

  13. #13
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    I agree with all of this and have said as much in the past to previous regimes and to Mr. Hook already (who frankly has been awesome and responsive at all times to me so far this year!). The family pack for $99 seems like a great idea - unfortunately, it should be about $50 for a family of 4 (we are in desperation mode at this point!) if you want to get kids and parents in the building (the cost/time for most to travel/park etc. adds to things exponentially for most families who don't have lots of disposable income) - get them in the building however possible (BC has $5 kids tickets I think) --- if they don't see the product in person, they can't decide to come back again next time. I was told that there will be a drastic reduction in price points for next year -- it is utterly asinine to have 5 price points in a section like 220 where seat 15 may be one price and seat 16 a different one. I get that you might want a dividing row like rows 1-10 are X and rows 11-27 are Y but anything beyond 2 price points in a section is silly and confusing to most members of the public.....frankly at this point most upper deck seats from the 20 yard line to the endzone should be no more than $15-$20 each. End zone seats should also be the same price point to the public - $15-$20 maximum --- charge ST no more than $150 for the season (11 games) in those sections with the extra freebies (4 free tickets this year per ST) and such, its still a bargain then to get Seasons.

    The idea of filling up the West side with your limited number of fans, and then shooting the game on TV towards the East Side is beyond me - it looks absolutely horrendous on TV and I don't know why this was the decision that was made and closing off huge swaths of seats in the upper east side is not helping the cause. I suggested as part of the anti-bullying campaign that a school is given vouchers for tickets to the games in the upper east side or as others have suggested offering the same to minor football associations.

    TFC used to do "pub crawls" and go to various restaurants all over the GTA to have meet and greets with players - I remember meeting players in Vaughan (not downtown), getting some autographs and bonding with the team through those events --- fans exist outside Liberty Village - especially those with families who have moved to the suburbs.....the whole selling point of the CFL is the accessibility of the players and how down to earth and awesome most of them are --- sell that, give out some cheap swag, create a little buzz at these community events. For example --- my daughters school had a "fun fair" at their school which was dying for more donations from the corporate community - why didn't the Argos ask to set up some inflatable thing for the kids to play on, hand out some anti-bullying materials, and give away some free tickets at that kind of an event that probably occurs all over the city in May-June (somebody needs to look into this stuff)....it's just an idea and I'm not sure if it's doable or not, but at this point it is desperation time, anything that can generate some butts in the seats and some goodwill needs to be attempted.....For example, I think there is a big carnival/festival in Stouffville this weekend - it apparently draws tens of thousands of people to it, maybe some feet on the ground in the area would be a good idea, I'm sure there are lots of Canada Day events occurring all over the place this weekend, this city should be covered with Argos reps/promotions teams (cheerleaders/players etc.) and having product placement hitting the pavement especially while many are reveling in our pride as Canadians, what is more Canadian than OUR league, go out and meet the people with some players (if possible), shaking hands and promoting some goodwill and interest (with free tickets/vouchers for cheap tickets however you want to do it).....maybe this is happening already, if it is that's great, but I haven't heard about it and that's part of the problem.....


    I really want this team to succeed but they are miles away from being relevant to the mainstream audience in this town (yes TV ratings are ok, and the TSN contract will keep things afloat) but without generating a "buzz", and making BMO the place to be for an ARGOS game, attendance woes aren't going away anytime soon......full confession - I'm a season ticket holder to both TFC as well as the Argos, and the amount of people I have told to go to a TFC game to experience the atmosphere and the passion in the stands is exponentially higher than those which I have told such for an Argos game (am I going to lie to them about 12,000-15,000 people in a building that is relatively quiet and empty), and this existed when the soccer team sucked large and now when the buzz is through the roof with their recent success --- I want both teams to succeed but let's be frank, outside of some diehards, the Argos are not the place to be at the moment - I hauled my ass down from the suburbs on Tuesday to watch TFC in as exciting a game as I've seen in a long time with a crowd that was through the moon (you can hate TFC all you want but if you watch the youtube clips of the winning goal on Tuesday and the excitement generated from such we would all kill for it to be as passionate as that at an Argos game with the crowd generating that much noise), was I going to haul my ass down again three days later to attend what felt like a wake for a once proud franchise? maybe that's blasphemy on these boards but I'm just being honest -- with my limited disposable time/money, I chose to attend the event that I felt was going to be more fun (this is supposed to be entertainment remember!), had greater "buzz", and was subsequently treated to a spectacularly exciting game with a passionate crowd in the stands that would make anyone want to come back again next time (and Friday's Argos game seemed like to be a boring event that did not appear anywhere near as exciting or fun to attend in person) --- and my tickets cost less than $20 each for TFC and would have cost more (twice as much) as Argos seats in the same location......

    I wish this team well but in terms of putting butts in seats its going to take a herculean effort to get this number anywhere close to where it should be (25K plus).......but hey maybe I'm just crazy and it will all just magically turn around if they win some games.....

    Good Luck Argos -- you're going to need it.....


    Quote Originally Posted by paulwoods13 View Post
    There are a few things they can do, and I'm pretty sure they are considering them altho likely not until next year:

    1. Reduce the number of price points (someone said there are 13 -- need about five). AV has mentioned this many times.

    2. Reduce prices in general.

    3. Slash prices on the east side, which is where the cameras point. That side is too hot to be comfortable on a sunny day, and tickets over there are worth less (and should be priced lower), IMO.

    4. Provide strong incentives for existing STHs to increase the number of tix they buy. Honestly, it might make sense to offer two tix for every one currently purchased, to get more bodies into the seats. Once people go they will find a great atmosphere, and that translates into future sales.

    5. Give tickets away to kids' groups (football teams but also other sports) and very cheap tix to the adults who accompany them. Need to get kids hooked. It appears this is already happening.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Topshelf View Post
    Close off the upper deck.
    Tarp over the seats with those banners of argos greats they had at the dome.
    BC has no upper deck, why spread fans out?
    Make the east side cheaper, get fans in the middle of field where they'd be most visible by tv.
    Right now we have a decent crowd on west, no crowd on east which is what you see on tv.
    Better rewards for Seasons tix fans, jerseys, jackets, scarves, huge discount on tix, right now why would anyone buy seasons when they can get a 15 dollar discount offer online?
    Somehow establish the end zone as the home of your rowdiest fans and work hard to fill it. TFC used their atmosphere and fans as a marketing point for years before they finally had a team to sell. It's a fine line, as the Argos currently have a great family friendly vibe. Lots of seniors and kids, not a lot of drunken idiots.
    But there's a big portion of the 20-30 crowd that prefers a booze filled experience. They'll go to tfc or the jays, or drive to buffalo for the bills.
    Last year's second game vs ottawa was also a low one. We'll see growth, no reason to hit panic button.
    I can't see the sense in tarping off, all you are doing is telling the TV audience that you can't fill them seats so you cover them up with a tarp.
    That doesn't help attendance at all, the seats are still empty!
    Make the east side cheaper? it's already cheap, you can buy cheap tickets and move somewhere else in the stadium. We are on the west side for the Ticat game and we moved over to the sunny east side, it was a fairly cool afternoon and wanted to sit in the sun.
    I like the idea of a "rowdy section" like TFC.
    I took my son-in law and daughter who both go to Jays and TFC games. They said the problem is that CFL games are too long, too many time outs and too much standing around, nothing we can do about that. They can go to a TFC game at 7pm and be on the 9pm GO train home.
    The millenial 20-30 crowd is difficult to attract to the CFL, the TFC have done a great job at that, these kids were in school playing the game 10 years ago and now they are out filling BMO and having fun.
    The Raptors did a great job too at attracting the millenials with the Drake as their spokesman and kids are all playing basketball.
    Sorry but I don't see any growth, as the baby boomers get older the attendance will continue to decline.
    It was only a few years ago that the move out of the RC would fix everything, it didn't and now we are scrambling to come up with other ideas.
    Unless there are more game against the Ticats and they bring their thousands and play the games when the Ex is on with the free tickets, the attendance problems are here to stay.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jayahre View Post
    I can't see the sense in tarping off, all you are doing is telling the TV audience that you can't fill them seats so you cover them up with a tarp.
    That doesn't help attendance at all, the seats are still empty!
    Make the east side cheaper? it's already cheap, you can buy cheap tickets and move somewhere else in the stadium. We are on the west side for the Ticat game and we moved over to the sunny east side, it was a fairly cool afternoon and wanted to sit in the sun.
    If tickets were so cheap on the east side, why didn't you just by a ticket on the east side at the 40 yd line, rather than buy a $20 ticket and move....oh, could it be because they are priced at $100....for a section that's practically empty and not selling. That's pretty steep in this market based on supply and demand. That's Economics 101. Better to price at $40 - $60 and fill the section, than price at a $100 to get that skydome feel and have nobody there in front of the TV cameras.

    This team has been outpricing their fans for 10 years and maybe longer. This backlash can all be traced back to idiotic pricing for last year's Grey Cup, all because this is wonderful Toronto, where money grows on trees and the streets are paved with Gold. Well that move sure backfired on Michael Copeland and Sarah Moore. What happened to the 40,000 capacity for Grey Cup games? Obviously that got reduced to 33,000 because of how expensive the seats were...wonderful.

    Perhaps people just want to buy a seat and sit on the numbered seat and section that it states on their ticket without feeling like their sneaking to another section. Make fans feel like they are getting value, so that they can bring either their family of 4-5, or allow a dad, or single mom bring their kid to a game without having to sacrifice their future rent, mortgage or meals.

    That hotdog deal is friggin minimal, but it's something. Really hotdogs are cheap processed foods and a pop is sugar and syrop from a bulk bag mixed with water...in other words, a hotdog and a pop is not enticing enough in this day and age....it's basically a $25 ticket....depending on the section, it still may not be a great deal...if it's in the upper deck East stands....the answer speaks for itself

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    Quote Originally Posted by Topshelf View Post
    Well, we have to consider it was a long weekend. They Jays crowd was thin last night vs. Boston. It's a tough weekend for any team/event in this city.
    The Jays still had 41,357 last night - which was more than the last Friday night home game (June 16th). Hardly what I call thin.

    Today they had 46,672 in attendance. You can't use the Canada Day weekend as an excuse since it doesn't seem to effect the Jays.

    And this is for a team that's been in last place in their division for almost the whole season so far.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gill The Thrill View Post
    If tickets were so cheap on the east side, why didn't you just by a ticket on the east side at the 40 yd line, rather than buy a $20 ticket and move....oh, could it be because they are priced at $100....for a section that's practically empty and not selling. That's pretty steep in this market based on supply and demand. That's Economics 101. Better to price at $40 - $60 and fill the section, than price at a $100 to get that skydome feel and have nobody there in front of the TV cameras.

    This team has been outpricing their fans for 10 years and maybe longer. This backlash can all be traced back to idiotic pricing for last year's Grey Cup, all because this is wonderful Toronto, where money grows on trees and the streets are paved with Gold. Well that move sure backfired on Michael Copeland and Sarah Moore. What happened to the 40,000 capacity for Grey Cup games? Obviously that got reduced to 33,000 because of how expensive the seats were...wonderful.

    Perhaps people just want to buy a seat and sit on the numbered seat and section that it states on their ticket without feeling like their sneaking to another section. Make fans feel like they are getting value, so that they can bring either their family of 4-5, or allow a dad, or single mom bring their kid to a game without having to sacrifice their future rent, mortgage or meals.

    That hotdog deal is friggin minimal, but it's something. Really hotdogs are cheap processed foods and a pop is sugar and syrop from a bulk bag mixed with water...in other words, a hotdog and a pop is not enticing enough in this day and age....it's basically a $25 ticket....depending on the section, it still may not be a great deal...if it's in the upper deck East stands....the answer speaks for itself
    Yep --- seats for a family of four in the family section should be a max of $50 for the four - the hot dog and pop is not a difference maker either way. I agree also as to the whole pricing structure being ridiculous too --- it's been how many years now? people aren't paying those stupid prices ($80+?!) to watch football in this town - accept that fact and price it accordingly - they simply don't want your product at those prices, it's not that hard to figure out --- I would bet if TFC charged triple the price they would lack for fans too if the team wasn't wildly successful, oh wait that is exactly what happened - they sucked after year 5 and fans were all going to bail on them, so they reverted to "year one" pricing (basically cut my seats prices in half) so I stayed as the price point made sense (about $12 a seat), and as a real bonus they didn't gouge me when the team became good again (like the Jays this year!!) --- my TFC seats this year went up one (!!) dollar per seat this year and that was after making the finals (!!) last year ---- everything has a price point and the Argos aren't hitting it --- the Jays went from $16 for a 500 level seat to $35+ for weekends or other desirable games this year because they thought they could get away with it and in the offseason people bought it up based on the "buzz" and excitement of the last two years --- that will last for about 1 year if they go back to sucking again, the Raptors are just as tenuous in terms of pricing if they suck again too (luckily they have a lot of seats tied to Leafs season seats which saves their ass) -- watch what happens next year to the Jays when the buzz is gone after going 80-82 this year, and the offseason sales don't happen - they will sell 500,000 less tickets next year without a doubt.....can't wait to see them try to get $30+ a seat then for a 500 Level seat. Go on the secondary market now and you can buy most games for less than cost for the Jays as people try to dump their overpriced tickets; next year they simply won't buy them.....people want to feel that they are getting value for their purchase and not feel like suckers....why should fans have to plan to sneak into a "better seat" at an Argos game because it's empty? makes me wonder why I would ever pay for a "better seat" once I knew this --- how many people "downgraded" their price point this year or simply dropped seats--- obviously very very many......soon they simply won't show up......

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    So part two of my boat logo comment on the Argo hype thread.

    I am starting to agree with many on here that Say they are not seeing much of a "sales job" on behalf of the marketing/ticket sales department.

    I will point to the tailgate as an example. Great idea. Wasn't really into to it at start but now I am all about it. I think it's a good time. However I feel the organization has just put the tailgate out there and is Letting it germinate on its own with little to no nurturing. As an example I have brought some new people to it but have not once been approached by a Argos staffer coming around and asking "any new folks first timers here?" followed by giving this "up" a sales pitch.

    Wouldn't this be the ideal time to hit up these prospects when they are immersed in the experience and likely having a great time because you know they are there at someone's invitation and would likely be receptive to your message vs a cold call or waiting for them to come To you?

    What would you guys guess is the percentage of first timers at the tailgate 5-10%. Even we even captured half of these people what a good way to get something brewing to getting butts in seats.

    Now the oars guys at the home opener got me thinking. What a great symbol for our team. Why dosent the team create some cardboard and digital oars that contain some sort of referral season ticket or single game offer that I as STH can grab at each game and hand out socially amongst friends or at the office to those that have expressed a small interest in coming to a game?

    What about a digital oar that could act as a key for the recipient to gain access to athis same ticket offer. I wear my Argos stuff all the time and have had many conversations at home depot checkout line or in the aisles with people that see the shirt and start asking about the Argos. Many have never been and some even used to. The best I can do is tell them the team website to action a mild interest which they likely forget by the time they reach the door.

    But if I could airdrop them a "oar" that unlocks an Easter egg offer they may be more likely to use it. The team can track redemption very easily. Maybe it's something I could send from apple wallet.

    This keyncould also be shared by them with someone else so they can spread the word to a person second and third removed from the original giver. Find a way to share an oar on social media where it can be shared again and again. Hand em out like candy. It has to be easy for us to do it and we all carry our phones. That is the means. The most digitally I can do with this team aside from visiting their website is get my tics from ticket master digitally. Isn't that odd in today's marketing space?

    We are the real sales and marketing team for the Argos. We have the passion and the enthusiasm for this team. It's infectious but a person I am talking to needs a tool to use and a means to act once they experience And are maybe inspired by our passion.

    Sorry about bad grammar I am on my phone and was reading all this negative attendance bs in the media on a walk and I just got struck with an idea. Just in a rush to get it on paper and out there so people could put meat on it. Hopefully the team reads our ideas because we care.

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    There have been some excellent suggestions --hope the powers that be, will have read the submissions.
    Additionally I would suggest:
    .Tailgating should be a perk provided free for STH's--instead of the measly $3 discount offered this year.
    . As with others, the East side should have drastically reduced pricing
    . Bell should make it a priority that their enterprises like CP24, CFTO etc must publicise the Argos, to raise public awareness that the team exists
    . Copeland and perhaps some other senior staff must be informed, annual evaluations will reflect success/failure to improve attendance

    As another poster has suggested, there must be a buzz created around the Argos. Some of the previously offered suggestions by posters, might well help create that buzz----but there is only one person that automatically creates that buzz by his presence -the team must entice Michael Clemons to take a more active role in highlighting this team--how about a 5% ownership in the team? Outlandish suggestion perhaps but desperate times demand desperate actions.

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    I keep reminding myself of the Keith Pelly, C&S era. I realize things were not all they seemed and the owners had other issues, but there were constantly 26000+ there every night despite whatever circumstances. It was a great time to be a fan and the dome had a decent, sometimes great atmosphere at that time. I heard of the papering that went on, however I did not find any abundance of freebies, so they were gave to the right people and those people showed up. I believed they were on a verge of making the team a stronghold in the community, but it came unglued.

    What did they do so well though? I remember the Argos were much better represented in the media at the time. McCowen had Argos players or his owner buds on the radio every week. Of The Record on TSN featured Argonauts every other day it seemed. Getting 20000 at BMO would be satisfactory now, but that seems an enormous challenge.

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