Akron Tailgate Lot Priority Policy

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

Kind of makes one wonder how much revenue generation isn't happening week after week at the empty team store. UA sports programs are small time, poorly executed and poorly received because the people running them are small time. Just lame.

Infocision is tantamount to capping a large steaming pile with a diamond. Yes, it's a diamond but it's pretty hard to enjoy all the same.

[ZachTheZip]

The problem at its heart is that the athletic administration cares nothing for the long-term. They'll all be gone in three or four years when the AD touts his predecessor's accomplishments as his own and gets hired away, like Akron ADs tend to do. Then we bring in another "quick fix" guy and the cycle repeats. So long as we have a short-term person in charge, we'll always have short-term money making schemes that kill any possible growth for the future. This is just a get rich quick scheme from someone who won't have to deal with the consequences of his actions.

[goodthts]

The problem at its heart is that the athletic administration cares nothing for the long-term. They'll all be gone in three or four years when the AD touts his predecessor's accomplishments as his own and gets hired away, like Akron ADs tend to do. Then we bring in another "quick fix" guy and the cycle repeats. So long as we have a short-term person in charge, we'll always have short-term money making schemes that kill any possible growth for the future. This is just a get rich quick scheme from someone who won't have to deal with the consequences of his actions.

+1

AND

+1 for RootforRoo44 stated: "WHOA WHOA...too much common sense here. God forbid the Athletics department does at least one smart thing for every stupid thing they do. "

The University Administration just like every other business entity does not operate according to common sense, customer feelings or good will....rather they operate by the almighty dollar.

We are nothing to them and never will be. They just like our money.

[tbozeglav]

We are nothing to them and never will be. They just like our money.

and they will always fail to see the potential for increased donation revenue through pursuing the smaller donors and getting them to donate more than they have been. All they care about is getting someone to donate big $$$ because it solves the problem for now. Nevermind the guy who donates a thousand or two a year, who may be inclined to donate more if the athletic department showed the least bit of interest in making all its fans feel welcome and heard.

Id go either lot 34 or nothing at all (aka the bars downtown). If the University wont work with its fans to provide adequate parking for donors near the stadium while still providing the vibrant tailgating party that played a large part in turning this into a college atmosphere, then to hell with them. Every time I hear something like this, I lose more faith in the athletic department doing anything right.

[goodthts]

We are nothing to them and never will be. They just like our money.

Every time I hear something like this, I lose more faith in the athletic department doing anything right.

Right.

Political campaigns, non-profit charities, heck even on campus club fundraisers accumulate their donations from many, many small donations and few large donations.

If the UofA would have offerred us the same lot but charge us $100-500 per spot instead of just kicking us out they may have actually made more $ on this decision. Instead they have (hopeless) faith that the "big" donors will show up on gameday and relish in the pre-gameday experience.

Last year, all these "bigwigs" would pull up 5 mins before kickoff in their Cadillacs/SUV's, whatever, pile out of the lot with the walkers, canes and sweaters even tho it was 75 degrees out, and stare at us real fans enjoying an adult beveage, tossing the fball and eating some brats.

Their money and/or status in life breeds indifference. Same thing for the Admin of the UofA.

These are the same folks who stay seated the whole damn game, rarely cheering or even looking excited. Granted, not much to be excitied about the past several years.

[Hilltopper]

This is similar to what happened to Basketball parking a few years ago. As a long time season ticket holder, I was able to purchse a parking pass in lot #8 for $100. Then some brain surgeon decided that to get access to that lot, you had to make a minimum $5000 donation to the Z-Fund. I don't know about you guys, but the idea of paying $5000 for a parking pass didn't seem like such a good investment to me. So instead I pay nothing to park now and use the parking deck. It appears that quite a few other longtime ticket holders felt the same way, because the lot is mostly empty now for games. I probably would have agreed to $200 or maybe even $300, but now they get $0 from me and many others. I parked in lot #13 last year and to me its not as conducive to tailgating as #9, but hey I'm not some highpowered "professional" at athletic event planning.

[Captain Kangaroo]

If the UofA would have offerred us the same lot but charge us $100-500 per spot instead of just kicking us out they may have actually made more $ on this decision. Instead they have (hopeless) faith that the "big" donors will show up on gameday and relish in the pre-gameday experience.

I agree that this would have been a better way to handle it.

$25 for that lot last season was too cheap.

I think raising it to $60 or $75 this season would have pissed off a bunch of cheap-asses, and opened up numerous spots for the beloved high-roller donors. Something like that would have been a win-win (more close parking spots for the donors....more cash from those who elected to stay), and made everyone happy. Except for the super-cheap...and they will never be happy.

I could see that lot being a $100 parking lot in 2-3 years, if the team was any good. If the team is 3-9, good luck selling parking at any price.

And to YouTube Tom I say - "You are welcome."

You didn't need to send out any surveys, or hire some fancy firm to analyze and poll the fans about the parking situation...you just got a $20,000 customer survey for free. Consider it my donation to the Z-Fund and give ZipsNation a lot 9 pass. I guarantee Gaffney and Alexander will plop their asses in that lot, for free, and they don't provide 1/100th the coverage of Zips Athletics that this site does.

[zen]

I guarantee Gaffney and Alexander will plop their asses in that lot, for free, and they don't provide 1/100th the coverage of Zips Athletics that this site does.

perhaps true in terms of coverage in volume of content.... but perhaps not so true in terms of quantity of readership?

[Captain Kangaroo]

I guarantee Gaffney and Alexander will plop their asses in that lot, for free, and they don't provide 1/100th the coverage of Zips Athletics that this site does.

perhaps true in terms of coverage in volume of content.... but perhaps not so true in terms of quantity of readership?

This site is 100% Zips fans. The Plain Dealer, for example, is 0.045% Zips fans.

In terms of reaching a target audience, I'd say we are, at worst, equal to print media.

[Dr Z]

I wonder how many more times this is going to change in Info's life span? It was hard enough directing all of your friends to a new lot last year, now we have to do the same thing again this year. Everybody (20 or so people) has to try to get a parking pass for the same lot, which we weren't even able to do last year and I'm positive it won't happen again this year. People had to park and walk their coolers and kids to our lot. Now we have to go through the same unfamiliar searching again. If this was the last time I had to do this for the next 15 years...okay, but something tells me it's not. We always talk about building traditions in Zips sports here at ZN, we can't even get continuity in parking for tailgating from one year to the next. No wonder people just stay home and watch Columbus State on tv. Like I said, I'll change again this year, but you can only punch me in the face so many times before I quit answering the bell. I'll be sure to come back and post how things are going after 3 home games. I was concerned about the tailgating when moving from the Rubber Bowl to the Info and everything worked out, maybe that's why this additional move is upsetting me. Oh well, it's never been easy being a Zips fan, I guess it ain't changing anytime soon.

[Zip Watcher]

I got the same courtesy call from the Athletic Department.

I think it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Lot 9 would have been a Z-Fund lot last year if they had known it was going to be available.

I do think there's a little bit of overreaction here. The press release and (at least my) call didn't say "these lots are no longer available for those who parked there last year." I merely states that the lot selection will follow typical Z-Fund priority.

My guess? Most of the evil, import driving, upstairs beer drinking, non-fan donors to the football program are going to continue to choose Lot's 10 and 8. Some will choose Lot 9.

I predict that most people here who parked in Lot 9 last year will again drive the revelry in Lot 9 this year. There simply aren't that many "big donors" out there to fill all of Lots 8, 9, 10 and 13 .. and frankly, for most of them, Lot 10 is more suited to what they're after.

I know I won't be switching Lots.

Go Zips!

[ZachTheZip]

I would hope that nobody actually feels entitled to park in Lot 9. That fuels the stereotype that administrators have of Zips fans as freeloaders expecting too much from an athletic department that's hurting for cash. While we may not be entitled to being treated specially and getting the best stuff, we should be entitled to being treated the same from year to year, consistantly. That's impossible with the turnover at the top and all the way down. They talk about making traditions, but when you don't hold a job for more than 5 years before moving on, would you even know what a real tradition looked like? I want to see a new tradition for Akron athletics: working with the fans to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. No more absolutes on parking priority or alcohol vending. Find a way to treat your fans well enough that they become willing to give you a little more cash.

Maybe we could stop hiring people in the "sports marketing" business and start hiring people from the hospitality industry. At a certain hotel chain, every employee is able to write off $5,000 a year. If a customer isn't satisfied, they give the visit to them for free. This motivates them to make the customer experience as great as possible, while also engendering customer loyalty for repeat business. We're so stuck in a "money now" mode that we're killing any chance of having a "money later" plan. It's unsustainable.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I would hope that nobody actually feels entitled to park in Lot 9. That fuels the stereotype that administrators have of Zips fans as freeloaders expecting too much from an athletic department that's hurting for cash.

I think I made that explicitly clear in my opening post. The Zips fans in Lot 9 spend a ton of money on the Zips.

Excerpt:

And keep in mind...those 2009 Lot 9'ers aren't freeloaders. They pay $450 for their reserved season tickets and parking. The do donate to the Z-Fund. They donate to their respective UA colleges. They also purchase basketball and soccer tickets. They spend money to follow the Zips to places like Happy Valley...Madison...West Point...Syracuse...Buffalo...Toledo...Raleigh...and just about anywhere in-between. Some followed the basketball team to Alaska, for Christ's sake! When the PD and Beacon ignored Zips athletics, they blogged about the Zips and created ZipsNation. These are essentially The Best of the Best Zips fans. And they are getting the boot?

I agree with ZW that this will probably be much ado about nothing. The lots won't magically be populated with Escalades and Rolls. If you've followed the Zips for any length of time, you know Pintos outnumber the SUVs.

I just wonder - Why throw the rock at the bees nest in the first place?

I guess Tom needs to learn his lessons on the job...I need to keep in mind he's only been in town for 9 months. And I'm sure he made a lot of promises in his interview that he could generate revenue.

[BirdZip]

When you show up at the gate, they scan your ticket. I would assume that computer could then be used to tag each season ticket holder with how many games they actually showed up for. It would be interesting if people who actually showed up to the games got some sort of preference in return, all else being equal.

Say what you will about the Rubber Bowl, and it was a hole, the tailgating was excellent.

[johnnyzip84]

I somewhat agree with ZW in that, when it's all said and done, this issue is probably being overblown. I just got off the phone with the ticket office regarding my particular situation, and what I've been told might be valuable information to others. My wife and I have priority reserved seats and we were in Lot 4 last year (complimentary pass). I was particularly concerned with the wording in the press release that states the following:

"For every four (4) priority reserved season tickets purchased, an individual account will receive one (1) parking pass in a Z-Fund priority lot. The parking pass is complimentary with the season ticket purchase."

I was informed on the phone that even though I only have TWO season tickets, I would STILL receive a complimentary parking pass. Also, beginning August 1, I would be able to select my lot based on availability.

So if things go as I expect (at least some Lot 9 spaces still available on August 1), I will likely be able to get into the lot I've been trying to get into all along. So for me, I'm actually gaining by the new policy, since I had no way of selecting a lot last year.

In the off-season survey, I wrote a specific request to be able to select a parking lot. Now I'm not naive enough to think the policy was changed due to my request, but perhaps the administration attempted to accommodate this suggestion while at the same time appeasing the "major" donors. One thing is certain. The press release could have been much more clear on a few issues. If any of you have specific concerns, I'd suggest calling the ticket office at 330-972-6920.

[ZachTheZip]

I guess Tom needs to learn his lessons on the job...I need to keep in mind he's only been in town for 9 months. And I'm sure he made a lot of promises in his interview that he could generate revenue.

OK. So the question becomes "will this actually make any revenue?" I say no. How many people do you think will pony up the money that don't do it already? Maybe a few people on the borderline, but is it worth what they're doing to the rest of the fans who enjoyed it last season? I understand upping the requirements by a little and saying they need the money. But this is far too sharp of an increase. Subtlty is not Tom's forté, apparently.

[ZachTheZip]

johhnyzip84's comment is interesting. The way it was implied in the press release and in getting phonecalls, they were basically kicking out everyone under a certain donation threshold to allow the blue hairs and boring suits to have an empty lot to themselves in the best tailgating area on campus. But if they are allowing people to choose what lot they park in , with priority going by donation, it may result in more people in Lot 9 than before, and a more centralized tailgate.

[Dr Z]

ZW, you should submit your photo for the front cover of the 2010 media guide.

[Hilltopper]

ZW, you should submit your photo for the front cover of the 2010 media guide.

Looks like he's taunting you guys to me!

[RootforRoo44]

I'm doing the same thing across the field from you at the bottom right.

[GP1]

I wonder how many more times this is going to change in Info's life span?

Bingo!!!!!

Changing the parking situation is an easy resume line for people working in the Athletic Department. That's why things get done.

I've never thought parking was a big deal. This is not a big deal. In fact, I think people obsess too much about it on this board. With that said, I'm not much of a fan of our AD and this is an example of how things poorly get handled. I think he is lazy and a "ready, fire, aim" guy....Just like I said about him last year during the Reno episode. I think I have this guy pegged pretty good as a short term employee of UofA....we can only hope. Our last three ADs were Thomas, Mack and TW. I guess two out of three ain't bad.

[Zips Win!]

Actually, this is a big deal.

And I received the same courtesy call from UA as well, which I was very grateful for...

As I stated on the phone, the principle of the idea is sound. Reward the big-time supporters!!!

I also mentioned that the word "support" needs to mean more than money, however.

If attending 10 plus football games with reserve seats, 20 plus hoops games with reserve seats, soccer, baseball and all the womens sports while also contributing to the Z-Fund, Varsity-A, reverse raffles, auctions, golf outings, purchasing UA gear, while taking/paying for road trips for 4 all over the courtry to watch the Zips doesn't warrant me getting a parking pass, which I will gladly pay for, in LOT 9, then nothing will....

I also mentioned that I do indeed expect to be in Lot 9, so we shall see....

And if not, there goes my Z-fund donation and reserve hoops tix.....I can see just as well in GA...for alot less...

Hope to see everyone in Lot 9.

[uhgrad2002]

After thinking about this a while I remembered that last year I was surprised to get lot 9. I would have thought it would go to the big dollar ticket holders. So, I guess I can think of last year being in lot 9 as a reward for a few years of Rubber Bowl season tickets.

I am not so thillled with some of the lots allocated to the non-priority season ticket holders, especially at $50. At this point I am inclined to wait for the news on how pay as you go parking will be handled and do it that way.

I went to the Zip Fest most games last year and thought more people should have taken advantage of that. There were some good bands and good food venues. Some consideration ought to be given to making lot 34 the big tailgate lot. Then an hour or two before game time, parade across campus to Zip Fest, then on to the stadium. Maybe the band and cheerleaders could coordinate and turn it in to a pre-game pep rally.

[GP1]

Actually, this is a big deal.

And I received the same courtesy call from UA as well, which I was very grateful for...

As I stated on the phone, the principle of the idea is sound. Reward the big-time supporters!!!

I also mentioned that the word "support" needs to mean more than money, however.

If attending 10 plus football games with reserve seats, 20 plus hoops games with reserve seats, soccer, baseball and all the womens sports while also contributing to the Z-Fund, Varsity-A, reverse raffles, auctions, golf outings, purchasing UA gear, while taking/paying for road trips for 4 all over the courtry to watch the Zips doesn't warrant me getting a parking pass, which I will gladly pay for, in LOT 9, then nothing will....

I also mentioned that I do indeed expect to be in Lot 9, so we shall see....

And if not, there goes my Z-fund donation and reserve hoops tix.....I can see just as well in GA...for alot less...

Hope to see everyone in Lot 9.

ZipsWin! is a good example of someone who has spent 25+ year supporting the program and is getting crapped on by the Athletic Department. Over the years he has gone from a GA ticket guy, to a GA/parking pass guy, to a GA/parking pass guy with Z-Fund donations, to Reserved Seats/Expensive parking pass guy with even higher levels of Z-Fund donations and so on. He is what you want your alumni to be as they progress from young adulthood to old age (OK, not that old). Along the way, he as been forced to sit in some of the worst facilities in the country, drove up and down Rt8 in horrible weather to watch BB games and tailgated in a field next to a crappy little airport. He was nice enough to call it a courtesy call, I call it a go "f" yourself call.

ZW! is a reasonable guy along with CK and others on the board. Had UofA approached him in any other way other than a "f" yourself way, hard feelings could have been avoided (see my plan previously). There are probably only around 25-50 calls UofA would have needed to make to avoid a problem...let's face it, that about sums up the die hard fans....we're not talking tens of thousands here. They might have even been able to increase donations had they handled it differently. I don't know who made the calls, but there are so few, TW could have made some of the calls himself. My guess is he was out searching for other landmines to step in. There is a right way to present bad news and a wrong way to present bad news. This was handled wrong.

[scottditzen]

That draft has the distinctive hue of Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold!!!!!

ZW, you should submit your photo for the front cover of the 2010 media guide.