How do you increase attendance?

[WoolyBully]

33 minutes ago, BDYZR said:

311,000 Alumni, and not all season ticket holders are Alumni. I think this is an area where marketing should be a focus. I know they have events for the "football alumni." Does the Alumni Assoc. have specific events to draw the rest of the Alumni in for athletics?

Of course there are only 35,000 Alumni Association members, so that may be the answer to my question. If they can only get 11% to join the Association, what percentage of those would be season ticket holders? 

There we go, sports fans! If only +/- 10% (let's just say) alumni from USF care enough to join the association*, and that's the total on record - not the subset of  active participants - could it be about that same number that would purchase season tickets? What if that's true? And if it is true, then we're stuck having to rely on 'bandwagon / casual' fans to account for any measure of increase in sales. And if that's the case, then the question becomes how to get Joe Schmoe to come to USF games? 

I know some time back there was a bit of a rift between the Alumni Association and USF Athletics over some sort of homecoming stuff, but yeah - the alumni association does a good job of communicating with members about USF football. Bear in mind that the Alumni Association is not a booster club for athletics! Both entities have their own agenda. 

 

* Heap many moons ago, I was an active member of the Alumni Association (Tampa Chapter). However, as is often the case, anytime something needed doing...it was the same ole handful of people who did it. Granted, I liked doing the manual labor stuff, but just ain't down with relentless fundraising (which, of course, is what the Alumni Association lives for).

Edited November 30, 2016 by WoolyBully

[BDYZR]

11 minutes ago, WoolyBully said:

Bear in mind that the Alumni Association is not a booster club for athletics! Both entities have their own agenda. 

Should they be when football is supposed to be THE generator?

[WoolyBully]

10 minutes ago, BDYZR said:

Should they be when football is supposed to be THE generator?

Nope. The Alumni Association is for all alumni - across the spectrum - to include the thousands upon thousands of graduates who don't have any interest in USF athletics at all. There's more to USF - and the Alumni Association - than six Saturdays in Autumn. That's why USF Athletics runs their own show (auction, around the horns, et. al). 

"Mission Statement:

The mission of the USF Alumni Association is to foster a mutually beneficial, lifelong relationship between the University and its alumni; to inspire loyalty and pride among current and future alumni; and to advocate for excellence in teaching, research and public service. "

Edited November 30, 2016 by WoolyBully

[ArmyBull]

2 hours ago, Apis Bull said:

Army, i applaud your enthusiasm, but the evidence suggests otherwise.

Evidence? 

[BDYZR]

4 minutes ago, WoolyBully said:

Nope. The Alumni Association is for all alumni - across the spectrum - to include the thousands upon thousands of graduates who don't have any interest in USF athletics at all. There's more to USF - and the Alumni Association - than six Saturdays in Autumn. That's why USF Athletics runs their own show (auction, around the horns, et. al). 

What they're doing now apparently only reaches 11%. Maybe they should focus a little more on another agenda? Maybe they're doing all they can, I don't know.

Trust me, it is certainly NOT only the Alumni Association that I think is lacking in promotion and marketing of USF athletics. This just popped up on my e-mail:

http://www.usfalumni.org/controls/email_marketing/admin/email_marketing_email_viewer.aspx?sid=861&eiid=3575&seiid=3652&usearchive=1&puid=5aa55ab5-bbd7-42c8-b7d8-da2e67f8ca2d

 

[MaltLiquorBull]

10 minutes ago, WoolyBully said:

Nope. The Alumni Association is for all alumni - across the spectrum - to include the thousands upon thousands of graduates who don't have any interest in USF athletics at all. There's more to USF - and the Alumni Association - than six Saturdays in Autumn. That's why USF Athletics runs their own show (auction, around the horns, et. al). 

"Mission Statement:

The mission of the USF Alumni Association is to foster a mutually beneficial, lifelong relationship between the University and its alumni; to inspire loyalty and pride among current and future alumni; and to advocate for excellence in teaching, research and public service. "

And with that being said,  The USF Alumni Association still does a great job of promoting USF Athletics to members and social media followers.

[Bull94]

2 minutes ago, BDYZR said:

What they're doing now apparently only reaches 11%. Maybe they should focus a little more on another agenda? Maybe they're doing all they can, I don't know.

Trust me, it is certainly NOT only the Alumni Association that I think is lacking in promotion and marketing of USF athletics. This just popped up on my e-mail:

http://www.usfalumni.org/controls/email_marketing/admin/email_marketing_email_viewer.aspx?sid=861&eiid=3575&seiid=3652&usearchive=1&puid=5aa55ab5-bbd7-42c8-b7d8-da2e67f8ca2d

 

Do alumni not know we have a football team? would they even be the type to become diehard season tickets holders if they did?

 

we need to attract casual college football fans. we do this by lowering prices. it's simple economics. put up a billboard that says all lower bowl tickets $15 . even charge season ticket holders this just make them pay a donation to sit in certain sections and have club access.

 

 

Edited November 30, 2016 by Bull94

[WoolyBully]

 

Quote

Trust me, it is certainly NOT only the Alumni Association that I think is lacking in promotion and marketing of USF athletics. This just popped up on my e-mail:

http://www.usfalumni.org/controls/email_marketing/admin/email_marketing_email_viewer.aspx?sid=861&eiid=3575&seiid=3652&usearchive=1&puid=5aa55ab5-bbd7-42c8-b7d8-da2e67f8ca2d

 

I'm certain that's a minor clerical oversight, and the necessary punishment for those involved will be forthcoming. 

[BDYZR]

Just now, Bull94 said:

Do alumni not know we have a football team? would they even be the type to become season tickets holders if they did?

I don't know. But, as someone posted earlier in this thread, there are a lot of students that don't know who or when we're playing. That's ON CAMPUS! I just think that every department should and could do a much better job of marketing the product.

[Apis Bull]

13 minutes ago, ArmyBull said:

Evidence? 

There have been several studies to show that an OCS does not increase attendance.  I've linked them in several of these types of threads.