Ticket Sales Tip – Week #50
(How playoff home teams losing affects venues and loyal ticket buyers)
After a remarkable MLB playoffs last autumn, where home teams lost over 65% of the matches (leading to a World Series without a top 10 regular season team), the NHL is witnessing 3 series reaching game 6 with the home team securing just 1 win, while the NBA has recorded 11 home losses out of 31 games. Only 1 out of 16 series (Cavs vs Magic = 5 home team wins) is sticking to the expected storyline.
The two main casualties of home losses:
Negative Fan Experience – Last Saturday, my brother embarked on a 4-hour round trip, fully clad in Leaf gear, arriving 6 hours before puck drop. His post-game remark after a 3-1 home team loss was, “If I weren’t a guest, I would’ve left in the 2nd period.”
Ticket Values – With the home team prevailing, subscribers can confidently plan to use or allocate purchased seats, and ticket sales departments can schedule inventory dates for sale. However, when home teams face upsets late in the series, markets suddenly find themselves hosting unexpected games, negatively impacting ticket values by exposing unsold or reserved tickets.
For instance, last spring, the Panthers’ Game 7 upset of the Bruins on a Sunday led to the Leafs’ highly anticipated 1st home game in Round 2 playoffs against Boston being swapped for a Tuesday night game against Florida. This sudden change left just a 48-hour window to staff the venue and sell unsold inventory.
Feel free to check in with me tomorrow if you’re curious, as I’ll be observing the pre-game atmosphere to gauge the demand for tonight’s unexpected Game 6. Email info@withinscope.ca to discover more. GLG