116 replies to this topic

[Triumph]

Back on topic, if they get dismal crowds down the stretch(under 15,000 with good weather) would it shock any of you if Zach pulls an Evan Longoria and goes off on the fans for not showing up when they're close to clinching a spot?

Yes, it would, because no one cares. The Devils are in the playoffs now. They've essentially clinched. They have 0 shot at the division, it's very unlikely that they even finish 4th. What exactly are they playing for over the next 13 games? The playoff race in the NHL is often like a tied 3rd period in the OT point/shootout era.

The playoff race in baseball is a much different thing.

Edited by Triumph, 12 March 2012 - 08:33 PM.

[njdevil26]

No way he does that. I don't think he's that type of person.

That being said, it's a sad commentary on the state of this team that only 15,000 showed up to a Sunday night game against the Flyers towards the end of the season. I thought for sure this would have been a sellout/near sellout.

Hate to be the guy that complains about ticket prices... but this stupid tiered system they have definitely hurt weekend attendance this year. The price of the cheapest tickets on Stubhub has increased drastically this season.. and let's not lie... a LOT of fans get tickets from Stubhub. If you'll notice... sections 226, 209, and the corners which were always full last season are ghost towns this year because on weekends and games against Philly and Pit, NO ONE wants to pay at least $45 dollars to sit there! In 2008 and 2009 and 2010, I was getting tickets for anywhere from $8-$15 to sit up there.

The $10 seats are now $35 on the GOLD pricing tier. I know exactly what the team did... they saw that the upper corners are the fastest selling seats that always fill up... so they raised the price and forced fans to move. It completely killed walk up sales as well. The balconies were mostly empty so they lowered the price for season ticket holders.

The sections that are usually empty are the upper corners, and the lower level behind the goals... look at the prices and it's not that hard to figure out. Remember CAA? The ENTIRE lower bowl was $90 a seat. Now, It's $95-$140 to sit in the lower level and get absolutely no perks.


Anyway, this is all ranting and I don't think most of this even makes sense and I'm not going to re-read it... but it sucks. The Devils saw which seats, games, and dates, were the big draws and tried to gouge as much money as possible out of the fans and it's biting them in the ass. Maybe they will learn for next season. They have to support the secondary market... while the price for stub hub will go up before Thursday, there will most likely be 12-14k people there. The Devils have to find a way to get people in the building even if it's cheap so they can spend money on food, merch, and so on... enjoy themselves, and come back and spend more money.

[NJDevs4978]

The Devils have to find a way to get people in the building even if it's cheap so they can spend money on food, merch, and so on... enjoy themselves, and come back and spend more money.

The thing about that is, you discount too much and you piss off the sth's who have been repeat customers. Yeah the Devils tried to make money with the new system but they also tried to incentivize season tickets and get more people into the balcony.

How would you feel if the shoe were on the other foot, if you could afford the $30 seasons in the upper deck and saw constant discounts and secondary market pricing devalue your seat for at least 35 games a year?

They do need to slash the upper deck prices period...season ticket and box office.

[njdevil26]

I agree. The Devils have a way of getting season ticket holders angry as well... but they do it to themselves...

They give so many discounts for groups and random things.. but the average fan doesn't know how to access them and take advantage of them.

If the balcony is going to stay at $22 for seasons, they have to lower the upper level as well... from $30 down to $22. Then lower the box office price from 30-37-45 to something more affordable. There's no reason those seats should ever be $45.

The "college" thing should be permanent. The Devils could make deals with universities to get kids from Kean, Rutgers, Montclair, and so on in the building for cheap as much as they want. It would make the atmosphere a lot better too.

[Legion15]

Maybe target some of the bigger corporations in NJ? use Corporate Perks for discounts on tickets?

[Chuck the Duck]

I understand what you're saying about the upper level tickets. The Devils have been over-pricing their tickets for decades now. They need to cater to their fanbase (which are younger people with small discretionary income and families), rather than try to entice corporations to buy up seats the way they do at MSG. That's why the club seats have been such a disaster. While they are great seats with great amenities, nobody buys them because they are way too expensive.

It makes no sense to price the uppers higher than the balconies. At the very least, they should be the same price. I'm not sure, but it almost seems that anyone who had upper level season tickets in the corners moved to the balconies because of the deals offer this season. Also, I like the idea of having permanent perks/ticket discounts for college students and local businesses. The whole point is to get as many people in the building as possible on any given night.

[DevsMan84]

I understand what you're saying about the upper level tickets. The Devils have been over-pricing their tickets for decades now. They need to cater to their fanbase (which are younger people with small discretionary income and families), rather than try to entice corporations to buy up seats the way they do at MSG. That's why the club seats have been such a disaster. While they are great seats with great amenities, nobody buys them because they are way too expensive.

It makes no sense to price the uppers higher than the balconies. At the very least, they should be the same price. I'm not sure, but it almost seems that anyone who had upper level season tickets in the corners moved to the balconies because of the deals offer this season. Also, I like the idea of having permanent perks/ticket discounts for college students and local businesses. The whole point is to get as many people in the building as possible on any given night.

Permanent discounts for college students?

Discounts for local businesses?

Have any of you looked at the group sales tickets that are in the discount ticket thread? Have any of you looked on stubhub? I stopped paying attention to whatever silly number they put on the ticket and just look to see what deals there are and how much the tickets are going on the resale market. I tell people who look at box office tickets or only buy through them/ticketmaster that they are not looking hard enough.

Also about the club seats, how do you know they are a disaster? I know they look empty but let's face it there are a ton of people who have tickets there and just hang out the entire game in one of the lounges. I would like to see just one time where they forced everyone in those seats to their seats before I would call it a disaster. Then again it would never happen so we will never know for sure, but I doubt it is a disaster

[NJDevs4978]

Agreed with the last paragraph, every time I look into the clubs while going up the escalator the Fire lounge is always pretty full. And from the few times I've actually been in one, a lot of people sit at the tables and the bar, watching one of the TV's. It is too bad more people don't enjoy the actual ice view, there's plenty of time to eat or drink.

[lazer]

they should sell club seats and lounge standing room only, probably some kind of fire hazard, they should do away game viewings too for $

[DevsMan84]

they should sell club seats and lounge standing room only, probably some kind of fire hazard, they should do away game viewings too for $

Yeah the fire marshall will be on their ass about that.

And what do you mean by game viewings too? You mean the viewing parties?

[lazer]

yah, unless they have something scheduled for every off day, at night open it as a club/bar

Edited by lazer, 13 March 2012 - 01:39 PM.

[DevsMan84]

yah, unless they have something scheduled for every off day, at night open it as a club/bar

So just to make sure I understand right, you want them to charge for attending viewing parties that they have already in place?

[Colin226]

they should sell club seats and lounge standing room only, probably some kind of fire hazard, they should do away game viewings too for $

If you mean the viewing parties, no one would go if we charged entry.. We also can't charge people entry to a bar that is free.. I think in the future, once we've shown these bars we can pack them on a weeknight and really generate some income then we might ask for 10% of sales and put it towards things like a bus for future road trips or something like that

But viewing parties are more about generating enthusiasm and showing love for different areas of Jersey (while helping local bars) than it is a moneymaking concept

[Chuck the Duck]

Permanent discounts for college students?

Discounts for local businesses?

Have any of you looked at the group sales tickets that are in the discount ticket thread? Have any of you looked on stubhub? I stopped paying attention to whatever silly number they put on the ticket and just look to see what deals there are and how much the tickets are going on the resale market. I tell people who look at box office tickets or only buy through them/ticketmaster that they are not looking hard enough.

Also about the club seats, how do you know they are a disaster? I know they look empty but let's face it there are a ton of people who have tickets there and just hang out the entire game in one of the lounges. I would like to see just one time where they forced everyone in those seats to their seats before I would call it a disaster. Then again it would never happen so we will never know for sure, but I doubt it is a disaster

While you are right that there are deals to be had on the tickets through Stubhub, Ticketexchange, and the promos, a large majority of the casual fans don't look at this site for discount codes and, most likely, will not use Stubhub as the 1st place they look to buy seats. They will go to the Devils site or Ticketmaster because that's what they know. And that's where the problem lies.

Half of those club seats are not sold. I qualify that as a disaster, especially since it makes the building look empty when the best seats (that are directly in camera shots for most of the game) are unoccupied. I 've sat in those seats a few times each season and, while there are some people who hang out at the tables rather than their seats, it wasn't that many each time I went. I give the team credit for trying to get these seats filled this season with the tiered pricing within the club sections themselves, but not much has changed attendance wise.

[lazer]

i didnt know they already have veiwing parties at the rock for away games

[DevsMan84]

While you are right that there are deals to be had on the tickets through Stubhub, Ticketexchange, and the promos, a large majority of the casual fans don't look at this site for discount codes and, most likely, will not use Stubhub as the 1st place they look to buy seats. They will go to the Devils site or Ticketmaster because that's what they know. And that's where the problem lies.

Half of those club seats are not sold. I qualify that as a disaster, especially since it makes the building look empty when the best seats (that are directly in camera shots for most of the game) are unoccupied. I 've sat in those seats a few times each season and, while there are some people who hang out at the tables rather than their seats, it wasn't that many each time I went. I give the team credit for trying to get these seats filled this season with the tiered pricing within the club sections themselves, but not much has changed attendance wise.

A lot of those seats are also business/corporate owned and are many times sold but the people just do not show up. I have sat in those seats too before and many times at least half the people are still up in the lounges during gameplay.

As for the casual fan looking at ticketmaster/box office, these days I rarely come across people who do not at least look on stubhub or secondary markets. Honestly if you cannot find for most games (outside rivals) a discount someplace, you are def not trying.

Also let's just take the face value into consideration. Compared to the 9 area major league teams (not counting RBNY), Devils tickets only beat out probably the Isles and the Nets in terms of cost, so really we have nothing much to complain about anyways. Leave it to Devils fans to scream on one thread that they want the Devils to make more money or risk losing the team and on another thread bitch when the Devils raise prices to make more money. What else do you want them to do?

i didnt know they already have veiwing parties at the rock for away games

They don't have viewing parties at the Rock but they do have them at area bars/restaurants.

I don't think there would be good turnouts for viewing parties at the Rock due to travel and parking expenses to just view the game on the jumbotron which is still a little hard to see.

[Devil Dan 56]

They don't have viewing parties at the Rock but they do have them at area bars/restaurants.

I don't think there would be good turnouts for viewing parties at the Rock due to travel and parking expenses to just view the game on the jumbotron which is still a little hard to see.

Yeah plus the fact that I'm sure the arena has things going on a lot of nights. The only way I could see that work is for road playoff games if the team is on a run.

Edited by Devil Dan 56, 13 March 2012 - 02:03 PM.

[DevsMan84]

Yeah plus the fact that I'm sure the arena has things going on a lot of nights. The only way I could see that work is for road playoff games if the team is on a run.

If the Devils ever do make the SCF, I have a feeling they will set up a screen or something for Championship plaza for the games for people who cannot get tickets inside to view outside.

[Chuck the Duck]

In my opinion, when you have uppers priced higer than the balconies, and lower level non-club seats with a face value well over $100, and you're not the Rags, then you are outpricing your market. Look around the arena. It's mainly young fans in the 20's and families. The club seats are empty (even when we play the Rags and Flyers), the upper corners are empty (you can't blame that on the people hanging out at tables), we are drawing 15,000 against our second biggest rival, and only sell out against the Rags because their fans buy up 5000+ seats. And forget about the luxury boxes.

Our average attendance is down from every year since the Rock opened except last year's disaster, even with a good, young team that is able to consistently beat its rivals, unlike in years past. To me, that shows that their marketing strategy and ticket price structure simply isn't working, and it hasn't worked in a very long time. They just don't draw in the casual fans which this team needs to fill the arena. They have something like 12,000-13,000 season ticket holder, and only 15,000 tickets sold on a Sunday night shows that there's not much of a walk-up market there on a consistent basis.

I love my seats and the season ticket pricing I got this year (and next) in the balconies. It's a great deal for the money and they did a great job of filling the balconies this season. Now they need to work on fixing the pricing problem with the upper corners to get more people in those seats. I could care less about the club seats because they are, and always should be, a premium price based upon what is offered with them, although it looks terrible on TV when those are empty. I just think that the team felt they would get more support from corporations with the purchase of those seats, and luxury boxes, when they designed and built the arena than they have thus far. That's all I'm really saying.

At the end of the day, I have no ownership interest in the team and could care less about how much money they make, provided they keep the team in NJ.

[DevsMan84]

In my opinion, when you have uppers priced higer than the balconies, and lower level non-club seats with a face value well over $100, and you're not the Rags, then you are outpricing your market. Look around the arena. It's mainly young fans in the 20's and families. The club seats are empty (even when we play the Rags and Flyers), the upper corners are empty (you can't blame that on the people hanging out at tables), we are drawing 15,000 against our second biggest rival, and only sell out against the Rags because their fans buy up 5000+ seats. And forget about the luxury boxes.

Our average attendance is down from every year since the Rock opened except last year's disaster, even with a good, young team that is able to consistently beat its rivals, unlike in years past. To me, that shows that their marketing strategy and ticket price structure simply isn't working, and it hasn't worked in a very long time. They just don't draw in the casual fans which this team needs to fill the arena. They have something like 12,000-13,000 season ticket holder, and only 15,000 tickets sold on a Sunday night shows that there's not much of a walk-up market there on a consistent basis.

I love my seats and the season ticket pricing I got this year (and next) in the balconies. It's a great deal for the money and they did a great job of filling the balconies this season. Now they need to work on fixing the pricing problem with the upper corners to get more people in those seats. I could care less about the club seats because they are, and always should be, a premium price based upon what is offered with them, although it looks terrible on TV when those are empty. I just think that the team felt they would get more support from corporations with the purchase of those seats, and luxury boxes, when they designed and built the arena than they have thus far. That's all I'm really saying.

At the end of the day, I have no ownership interest in the team and could care less about how much money they make, provided they keep the team in NJ.

Ownership cares about that part and if they are not making money here, they will go someplace where they can.

Season tickets have always been looked upon by teams as more of a commitment to the team with perks included and one of those are lower than face value tickets. If they were to price them in comparison to what they are going for on Stubhub then it would be impossible to price them correctly unless they had a crystal ball. They are still toying with the STH prices in the arena and it will take time. Also, if anyone here really thought we wouldhave the same pricing scheme as the CAA arena when we moved were just kidding themselves. Honestly I was even surprised back in the day that they kept all of the seats in the lower level there the same fee no matter where you sat.

Also as a season ticket holder you get things like the BBQ, awards ceremony, etc. that the team never had years ago (my family had season tickets from about 91 to 2003 and all we got for most of those years was the autograph session as thats all they had really). If anyone here today honestly believes they are buying season tickets just to get best possible discounted pricing are also just kidding themselves too.