Show me the money. And spend it on the squad.

No. Keep the upper deck closed and have a game that is hard to get a ticket to. Hopefully it turns out to be a good game which will create some buzz. Then hopefully get some fans out to games like San Jose on the Sunday.

As well, you can't possibly market an upper deck game with someone as flaky as Beckham. I'm still not convinced he'll actually play.

As long as they're not there to cheer and scream for an opposition player.

We need at least a point from this game more than some extra bums on the seats.

We need to keep the fortress environment and 21,000 does that just fine.

Doesn't help having scumbag scalpers pushing scarcity either to be fair. Cant stand that pondlife. A real disgrace.

Agree with those above especially GOF. Open seats incrementally. There are still tarped areas in the lower bowl that we should be discussing before the upper bowl.

However, and I'm sure someone's done the marketing analysis to figure out the optimal price for tickets... Wouldn't it be great longer term to have a family area in the upper bowl-say the endzones (CFL term I know, and some of these ideas are from lionbackers.com)?

• It could be something like kids under 13 get in free with an adult, students/kids, adults with kid get in for $20 cash (no credit/debit cards (fees to banks), taxes included, all in price) paid at the door (I'm dreaming, especially since ticketmaster would want a cut...).

• General assembly so you don't need tickets, just pay to get in, walk up find a seat period. No re-entry. I believe the upper bowl access can be seperated from the lower bowl, so people couldn't migrate between. Leave the sheets blocking the midfield areas, so people are only in the real cheap seats.

• Dry, no alcohol. I'm not sure about food/concessions? I'd say no concessions at all since it's all walk-up and general assembly and how would you know how to staff it? No food or drink means less mess, less chance of alcohol smuggling, etc. Plus this would reinforce that the seats in the lower bowl are worth more. More amentities. All you'd have to do is a little cleaning afterward.

• Security could be less (from what I understand?) since there's no alcohol, and with general assembly people can just move to other seats if someone's pi$$ing them off. Minimum of staff, minimum of service, minimum of expense, basically you can see the game and that's it. It's not like you're going to meet the players and get autographs like you could if you were in the lower bowl. pssg.gov.bc.ca/lclb/docs-forms/lclb098-security-plan-SOL.pdf

• It competes more easily cost-wise for some with staying home and listening to the radio while watching a big screen TV for free. It gets people used to coming to games instead.

• It hopefully builds a following among kids growing up that will be future season ticket holders when they're in their 20's and 30's.

-Also what would be the hit to the province (owner BC Place /PAVCO, and funder of translink) if the printed tickets included transit on the day of the ticket? People in the upper bowl would not get this benefit since they wouldn't have printed tickets. More value for the lower bowl.

I think they should to get some more exposure, season tickets will come in the future. I got free tickets from work to a canadians game at nat baily last weekend and i have never been before. I had a great time with my wife and 3 year old that I'll be going back sometime. lets not be snobs because we have season tickets now

If tey sell out consecutive games then start lifting tarps. Not until then.

It depends if they are converts or not, I guess. I don't hate the "Korean Beckham's" fans, but he wears our shirt, so there is that.

Answer to this thread: No.

Team 1040 announced about an hour ago that the Whitecaps are releasing another 300 tickets. I think it's a safe bet that the upper level will not be opened.

I don't think you can only open a panel of curtains. It's probably an entire side or nothing.

SAFC_Yank said:

DannyBoy said: Team 1040 announced about an hour ago that the Whitecaps are releasing another 300 tickets. I think it's a safe bet that the upper level will not be opened.

That's the right approach, in my view. The game has been effectively sold out for more than a week, letting a few more tickets out won't damage long term demand.

good idea to stick it a bit to scalpers.

Just connecting dots, but don't they generally release the mandatory 300 away allocation a week before the match give/take?

With the news of Golden Balls in town, I'd suspect they could have sold another 5k

I say NO I can imagine that the real fans got their tickets already not knowing if he was coming or not. The screaming becks girls can pant for him at home.

piltdownman said: The Whitecaps need ticket scarcity, removing tarps to fit everyone who wants to go only hurts that. If people can pick and choose only the marquee matches it gives less and less reason for people to buy season tickets or even buy there tickets early.

Need is too strong. Want is more accurate. And when you have a case like this, where save for club seats there have been nothing but singles available for the last two weeks, you may well be alienating possible fans. You can have both worlds - if 500-1,000 seats had been opened up last week, they would have sold out, slightly more revenue would have been generated, and you would have brought casual fans to a major event, but you'd still be able to demonstrate false scarcity.

I'd never do it for games not essentially sold out some time frame, maybe as much as a week, in advance, because I understand the preference of the club in getting tickets sold early. But I do think some limited opening is the proper path.

SAFC_Yank said:

Need is too strong. Want is more accurate. And when you have a case like this, where save for club seats there have been nothing but singles available for the last two weeks, you may well be alienating possible fans.

I agree but twitter just exploded with boasts of the sell out. The FO seems pretty pleased with itself. I really don't see this increasing demand for next year. Demand will only materially increase by making the playoffs and selling a winning team in 2013.

NO! ............................end of discussion =P~

theonewolf said:

kurtham said:

SAFC_Yank said:

Need is too strong. Want is more accurate. And when you have a case like this, where save for club seats there have been nothing but singles available for the last two weeks, you may well be alienating possible fans.

I agree but twitter just exploded with boasts of the sell out. The FO seems pretty pleased with itself. I really don't see this increasing demand for next year. Demand will only materially increase by making the playoffs and selling a winning team in 2013.

I disagree. As a season ticket holder I have been considering not renewing because i can get cheaper tickets on a walk up basis and if there is no scarcity of tickets for big games there is no reason for me to write a $1400 cheque in fall when I know I can get face value tickets on game day no matter who is in town.

Maybe that is the case for most and I am wrong but I think opening all of the lower bowl and bringing in another 3,000-5,000 casual people to a huge match will show them the fun of attending the Whitecaps live. Leading them to consider Whitecaps matches as an entertainment choice. Something that taunting them will not do.

I am a ST holder because I like going to every game not because I am scared I won't be able to get tickets to the big games. I know it's not one or the other but I want the team to be selling me on a winning side for 2013 not that I need to ensure a have a ticket on the off chance a wannabe hipster or a prissy grass-only Frenchman decide to grace us with their presence for one match.

Taxpayers forked out 1/2 billion to re-model the joint - if people want in, sell them the tickets.

The tax payer can buy tickets to other games that are not yet sold out ie. Sunday vs. SJ. The fickle can stay home.

That same logic would suggest the stadium close when Columbus came to town.

Lord_Bob said:

mattock said: Taxpayers forked out 1/2 billion to re-model the joint - if people want in, sell them the tickets.

Honestly, I'm having a hard time thinking of a comeback to that. Bad enough taxpayers got fucked for the sake of the Whitecaps and the Lions; now they can't even go to the good games because "oh, we have to keep it intimate"?

Using that logic why charge admission at all? Did the Lions and Whitecaps hold a gun to the head of the Government to reno the stadium? Has nothing to do with intimacy, it's about building a sustainable franchise.

So I have two sets of tix one is my personal and is for my business which i give away to my clients...so I thought I would sell my corp tix to make some cash to pay down the cost of my season tix for the corp ones annyways sold them for 3X the face value within one hour on CL...so look at at the demand our tix as STH are a hot commodity and that feels good for once...

ya it was a nice little treat to be honest I could care less if Becks is there or not I just wanna see the caps win...but once Becks was confirmed to be here I think that drove demand thru the roof we had 15 offers within 2 hrs at 3X face value...