Zip's Kids Club

[zipdiehard]

Not sure if this has been posted before...Does anyone know if they are going to have or honor the Kid's club passes at the new stadium? With three kids they save me a bundle going to the various events.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I'm guessing they won't. At least, if they're smart, they won't. $30.00 to get into every Zips sporting even is a great deal, but we're going to need to pay off 30million dollars worth of stadium. You don't do that with $1.00 tickets.It will be interesting to see how UA walks the tightrope between getting a fair ticket price, and angering people who've gotten used to paying virtually nothing for football tickets for decades.I have some cheap-ass friends. They've rarely, if ever bought tickets to a Zips game. Why do it, if you can walk up to the gate and people are handing freebies out by the fist-full? The Family ticket plans they offer are pretty good. I think a lot of people will go that route.If I were AD? I'd make kids pay for the "big games" (ie. the season opener and K.e.n.t), and let the Kids Club apply only to the less-attractive, late-season games.

[BirdZip]

I think I'd actually sell out at least one game before I started putting up barriers to people coming. Get people in the door, ideally with their kids so they can see they can have fun, then once you don't have the room start charging. At the concession stand prices, a hot dog, popcorn and drink cover the ticket anyway, and maybe they buy merchandise along with it.It's the same thing I look at with basketball. At the same time they want to double their season ticket holders, they don't let you buy season tickets unless you pay the extra "donation" for each ticket. Meanwhile we draw 2,500. I went to every home game last year but didn't buy season tickets because I didn't have to. (Exception--I bought the 4-gamers to ensure I had a K-ent ticket--when I'm at risk of not getting in, I'll pay it.) You can call me cheap if you want, but you're talking about trying to get people in the door and putting up barriers to them doing so at the same time.Get butts in the door and get people addicted. Then, when the seats are actually hard to get (i.e., in demand), tack on the extra charge or up the price.

[GP1]

Raising pricing is one of the most difficult things to do in any business (one of the easiest things to do is lower pricing or keep it the same). In order to raise prices and maintain existing volume, one very important condition must exist. First, there must be a real increase in the value of a product to the consumer. The Zips must raise prices now when the new stadium is opening as the increase in the value of the venue has increased. The new stadium is a real and tangible improvement in the general product. In time, the product on the field must improve to keep the volume, but for now an improvement in packaging should be enough to raise prices. The Zips have one, maybe two years to improve the product on the field or people will turn away. I'm not asking for much here. Six wins gets us a bowl game and a good chance at the MAC Championship Game. I'd take that. It's all about getting to the post season. God Bless Joey Chestnut, a great American. Some people have the heart of a champion, he has the stomach of a champion.

[ZachTheZip]

The biggest problem with raising the price of tickets is that compared to the average D-I college admission price the UA ticket price is absurdly low, but the people who buy the tickets have become spoiled. Raising the proce gives the event a bigger sense of legitimacy, compared to the the current price (often free) which implies desperation for attendance.It doedn't matter what the actual product on the field is like. It's the perception that creates the reality, and we need to have a better perceived program.

[Zips Win!]

My hunch is the kids club will not be a part of Zips football come 2009. As mentioned, with the very affordable family plan, I do not see a need to include football in the kids club. I also agree that it will be interesting to see how UA prices football tickets without angering the fans who have gotten in for free for years. Thus far, I like how the tickets are priced –combining 2008 and 2009. In the end, I don’t think it will matter. We have some of the worst alumni/association in the country. We are lucky if one out of 50 alumni support UA in any way- this goes for academics or athletics. Most are too busy supporting someone else’…So, if we cannot even get our own alumni to buy tickets, how are we going to get Akron residents to do so? I’ve been to hundreds of Zips games. Gotten in to many of them for free, bought tickets at the gate for many and now buy season tickets……I agree with GP1 that there has to be a real increase in the value of the product to increase prices. The new stadium should do that in ’09. After that, the team needs to win to increase prices after that. Basketball, on the other hand, is a different story. Very competitive team, good guys, fun to watch, and they win a lot of games. Under no circumstances would I hand out free or even reduced priced tickets. While I used to be in the corner that getting people in the door is better than having an empty arena, now I am not. The entertainment value alone of a hoops game is well worth the price, so if you choose not to pay, then stay home. If we wait around until there is no room to charge a “full” price, we may be waiting a long, long time.

[Zipsrifle]

I don't think there is any question that ticket prices will go up in 2010. If you get the founding team package, it states that your ticket price will be fixed for 2010, implying that the price will increase. I agree that we must put a better team on the field shortly after building the new stadium, or we'll miss a big opportunity to increase attendance. As for the Kids Club, I should sign my daughter up for this! Actually, I'm amazed I haven't done this yet!

[BirdZip]

Shirley: Hey John, you wanna go see the Zips play tonight?John: How much are the tickets?Shirley: $7 each.John: Nah, I don't think so.Shirley: Oh wait, that was the kids price. Adult tickets are $12.John: Really? Well, I still don't think so.Shirley: Oh, I'm such an idiot, that was the senior price. Regular adult prices are $20 per ticket.John: Get your purse.All I'm saying is, keep it in balance. By all means, take advantage of your selling point. But if I'm trying to beat my best time in a 5K, I'll probably pass on the ankle weights during the race.

[Zip N' Dots]

Shirley: Hey John, you wanna go see the Zips play tonight?John: How much are the tickets?Shirley: $7 each.John: Nah, I don't think so.Shirley: Oh wait, that was the kids price. Adult tickets are $12.John: Really? Well, I still don't think so.Shirley: Oh, I'm such an idiot, that was the senior price. Regular adult prices are $20 per ticket.John: Get your purse.All I'm saying is, keep it in balance. By all means, take advantage of your selling point. But if I'm trying to beat my best time in a 5K, I'll probably pass on the ankle weights during the race.

Truly awesome, lol!

[ZippyAlum]

I'm a 2 degree Akron alum and in all these years I've never been sent any literature to buy tickets. The only thing I ever get is requests for donations for students scholarships. You'd think I'd get something every year especially around homecoming-- a big picnic or something. The gathering at the Army game was really nice.