Season Ticket Renewals

[Hurleyman216]

My XL "forever" seat tier changed this year and tripled in price. I won't be renewing the XL tickets. As others have mentioned their online portal won't let you renew just one venue and not the other...a pretty shiesty move to try to get people to just buy both. I'll be calling the ticket office on Tuesday. Let's just say my friend who is very high up in the UConn Athletic Dept will be hearing from me. Not his fault, but this department needs a wake up call. I have a feeling our XL games next year will be only half full which should be a great home court advantage come league play.

 

[Chief00]

My XL "forever" seat tier changed this year and tripled in price. I won't be renewing the XL tickets. As others have mentioned their online portal won't let you renew just one venue and not the other...a pretty shiesty move to try to get people to just buy both. I'll be calling the ticket office on Tuesday. Let's just say my friend who is very high up in the UConn Athletic Dept will be hearing from me. Not his fault, but this department needs a wake up call. I have a feeling our XL games next year will be only half full which should be a great home court advantage come league play.

You need to win first before you make this kind of money grab move. UConn instead escalated their prices into the stratosphere with only the hope of winning something meaningful some day. A high risk strategy for them and a betrayal of their most loyal and generous fans.

If they have a disappointing season next year, they are going to be in a really bad spot. They can no longer beg the fans for loyalty as they did in the Covid fan free season, when season ticket holders were asked to make at least 1/2 their seat donation anyways.

 

[wheelerdog]

It’s going to be very interesting to see the renewal rate when all is said and done. I also believe most of the “new“ STHs are simply new accounts replacing existing STHs that moved to lower donation levels while those seats, i.e. Gample chairbacks were available.

 

[Chief00]

It’s going to be very interesting to see the renewal rate when all is said and done. I also believe most of the “new“ STHs are simply new accounts replacing existing STHs that moved to lower donation levels while those seats, i.e. Gample chairbacks were available.

Good point, I personally know several people either cutting back on seats, dropping a location or not renewing. I don’t honestly know of any new ticketholder. I am sure they exist but I don’t know them.

I also don’t have a handle on the WBB /MBB dynamic.

 

[gampelcrazies]

My take is they will lose a good amount of ticket holders. But it will probably come most from the “cheaper” sections or people who have multiple sets of tickets.

I can’t imagine they lose many of the higher end people where the donation only went up $200ish a seat for next year.

 

[OUTATIME]

I don’t honestly know of any new ticketholder.

There are new ticket holders. They are the ones that were given a chance to grab all of the best remaining Husky value seats prior to current season ticket holders that were bounced from Value seats to a much higher tier.

Total garbage.

And yes, I'm still very very bitter. And still not renewing.

 

[Chief00]

It was a colossal miscalculation by Dave Benedict in every way. He owns the decisions of the Consultants he hires. To them it was a just another pit stop they failed to do proper due diligence on, They applied their template but did not factor in the local idiosyncrasies (2 buildings, WWB too, recent Covid donation sacrifice, no recent accomplished seasons, etc). Then they were tone deaf on the macro picture (highest inflation in 40 years, a stock market in decline, housing/rent costs and availability for young people).

Where was the Adult in the room? Unfortunately, no one on Dave’s management team had a combination of knowledge, intelligence or courage to speak out. Instead, they now have a house of cards, but they have no face saving alternative than to put lots of lipstick on that pig. For a variety of reasons, it’s not easily reversible by anyone who should “own the mess”. When you agree on anything “for life” just 3 years earlier, breaking that trust and re-gaining it won’t be easy.

For some it’s about affordability, but for others it’s more about principle and character. Fans who are more imiacted through that len will be more difficult to win back. The trust is broken.

 

[Vancat]

This all reminds me of years ago when our seats kept getting pushed back further and further. Finally got pissed and stopped getting season tix. Started up again with the Hurley era and fixed seating. The other difference between then and now is now I have money. Still pissed about the increase but at least they’re not moving my seats on me. Paying the upcharge but can see where many can’t or just won’t.

 

[wheelerdog]

This all reminds me of years ago when our seats kept getting pushed back further and further. Finally got pissed and stopped getting season tix. Started up again with the Hurley era and fixed seating. The other difference between then and now is now I have money. Still pissed about the increase but at least they’re not moving my seats on me. Paying the upcharge but can see where many can’t or just won’t.

Are you referring to the days when the geniuses running the show believed a center court seat in row S was better than a baseline seat in row E. That's what happened to me in Hartford.

 

[gampelcrazies]

Are you referring to the days when the geniuses running the show believed a center court seat in row S was better than a baseline seat in row E. That's what happened to me in Hartford.

The same days where if you knew who doing the seat process they would seat you over people with more priority points.

 

[ThabeetDown]

My biggest issue is still there are absolutely zero perks to being a Season ticket holders. As someone who has not renewed yet (because my tickets were among the highest price increases) why should I renew? Instead of paying for a Grambling State game, I can just pay slightly below double face value for Nova and it comes out cheaper since who cares about seeing Grambling State play.

 

[Vancat]

The same days where if you knew who doing the seat process they would seat you over people with more priority points.

oh so that's what happened. LOL. Nah we started out with great seats and even though we donated a lot, we kept moving back, back, back. Until it was better to just watch on TV. I don't pay for crappy nosebleed seats to anything any more. Concerts, it's up front or nothing.

 

[midtownHUSKY]

I’m among those that had been on the fence (and have now decided I won’t) renew. So, that’s five lower bowl XL seats UConn can count as out. The disrespect from AD David Benedict and the lack of product value to STHs already discussed in this thread at length pretty much sums up my reasoning.

This is by no means a complaint, but one thing that surprises me, is the lack of outreach from the AD. Again, not a complaint, I dread seeing an (860)486 number show up on my phone since it always means they want money - but I am surprised not to receive a single call about renewals. Maybe a flurry is coming in the last week before the deadline? Anyone have them proactively reach out?

 

[Chief00]

I’m among those that had been on the fence (and have now decided I won’t) renew. So, that’s five lower bowl XL seats UConn can count as out. The disrespect from AD David Benedict and the lack of product value to STHs already discussed in this thread at length pretty much sums up my reasoning.

This is by no means a complaint, but one thing that surprises me, is the lack of outreach from the AD. Again, not a complaint, I dread seeing an (860)486 number show up on my phone since it always means they want money - but I am surprised not to receive a single call about renewals. Maybe a flurry is coming in the last week before the deadline? Anyone have them proactively reach out?

I am deciding next week. The decision may be tied to a NIL deal or not?

 

[DSquiz]

I'm assuming this is 1k new people getting season tickets and not a total increase, though maybe?

 

[CTMike]

Ok now tell us the “net” after cancellations…

 

[05Alum]

I'm assuming this is 1k new people getting season tickets and not a total increase, though maybe?

View attachment 76687

Also, are they counting switched seats of prior season ticket holders as "new"? I moved my gampel seats to a lower cost option. Curious if they count that as new or not.

 

[John]

I'm assuming this is 1k new people getting season tickets and not a total increase, though maybe?

View attachment 76687

I hope the new people realize that forever lasts a couple of years.

 

[Vancat]

I hope the new people realize that forever lasts a couple of years.

This "forever" is better than the old "gimme the $$$ and WE decide where you'll sit next year, sucker"

 

[How Sway?!]

What were the season ticket numbers for last year?

 

[Storrs South]

What were the season ticket numbers for last year?

4,000 for Gampel, 7,000 for XL

 

[August_West]

Ok now tell us the “net” after cancellations…

They will net out in the positive still.

the net negative will bear out over next few years. In essence they've pushed their chips "all in" that we are a championship contender over the next short period and that will offset most of the ill will this year has created. Its a risk. we will see. Obviously I'm rooting for their calculation. But I fear for worse.

 

[ctkaiser]

For 21-22 I had a group of 6 for XL Women, 4 for Gampel women, 3 for XL men and 2 for Gampel men. Canceled Gampel men as they were 221 grandstand that just soared in price. One less for XL men 124. 1 less for each of the women's packages for XL 101 and Gampel 208. He's on a very low fixed income and opted for cheaper single seats instead for each package. I didn't add it all up but I think Uconn lost about $1000. I looked at last year's xl men's schedule. If it's similar this year we'll be paying for 5 Big East games and 3 games like Coppin St and umass Lowell. At $70 per game that's not a good value. I'll try one more season.

 

[UConnJim]

Like it or not, I think the decision to raise ticket prices so much was dictated by the pressure to reduce the athletic department deficit in a short period of time. The men’s basketball ticket price increases are one of the only opportunities to increase revenues quickly. And, the math is pretty simple. If you raise prices by 50% and lose 20% of customers, you still increase revenues. All that said, they are turning their backs on long term season ticket holders who either can’t afford or don’t want to pay higher prices gso I think everyone can sympathize with the anger.

 

[Chief00]

Like it or not, I think the decision to raise ticket prices so much was dictated by the pressure to reduce the athletic department deficit in a short period of time. The men’s basketball ticket price increases are one of the only opportunities to increase revenues quickly. And, the math is pretty simple. If you raise prices by 50% and lose 20% of customers, you still increase revenues. All that said, they are turning their backs on long term season ticket holders who either can’t afford or don’t want to pay higher prices gso I think everyone can sympathize with the anger.

Don’t underestimate the damage done to the UConn Huskies Brand. Priority Points for Life, abandoned for Seats for Life, Special Covid Donation, and now a doubling or more in price over 3 years - adding the final exclamation point on this trail of broken promises.

In the New World of NIL they are creating a shrinking fan base, which will make it more difficult to monetize anything.

When they say they have added 1,000 new ticket holders - those were not for the expensive seats because they were not available at the time in Feb/March. Then divide it by the two buildings and you are taking maybe 500 value seats per building. The buildings together hold 26,00. If they lose 20% of the season tickets, the costs will far exceed the 1,000 new ones. In many cases the total costs per seat is multiple times higher than the Value ones they sold.

The decision makers don’t seem to filter anything through a strategic lens. They view anything as an isolated inelastic transaction with no consequences beyond that. That approach helps explain a $46 million annual deficit.