Ticket bill caused slight loss for USF on bowl trip

[WoolyBully]

But IF they did that, they could guarantee any Bowl that comes calling that we'll have 30K (or whatever our season ticket sales are) tickets sold for their game.  Of course the bowls probably don't care because they make you buy the allotment in any case.

Absolutely. It's just another day at the office. We have, I think, close to 20K in season tickets sold, but only around +/- 4K season ticket accounts, so account wise you'd always start off with 4,000 sold.

[IncrediBULL]

Not sure if this is possible, but I think USF should add a "bowl surcharge" to all season tickets.  Make it $45 (probably the average cost of most bowl tickets?) per season ticket, which comes out to an extra $6.43 ($45 divided by 7 home games) per game per ticket. 

If USF makes a bowl game, season ticket holders would get a ticket if they choose to go or donate it if they don't.  If USF doesn't make a bowl game, it gets carried into the next year and no surcharge in included when renewing tickets for that year.

This would more than cover the cost of bowl tickets. 

Thoughts?  Would it keep you from buying season tickets?  Or is this already built into the price we pay now and I don't know it?

I have been championing this idea for the past 4+ years. I don't think a $25 to $50 bowl deposit for all donor levels would keep many from renewing their seats. If the Bulls don't make a bowl game then the money would just carry over to the next season's bowl.

I have 8 seats, not sure I am a fan of shelling out $400 more for tickets when there is no way I would ever use 8 bowl tickets (unless it were a bcs bowl game).

I would be okay with upping the per game tickets price by 5% or something like that, to help offset it a bit (if it were put into a fund for that purpose) but don't think I like the idea of being forced to pay for bowl tix.

For instance, this past season I couldn't go to charlotte.  I would have been screwed on the cost.

[Guest nybullsfan]

Obviously, the following numbers are wrong (i.e. made-up) and the model is over-simplified, but this is how you should approach it, from a Finance perspective

Current Sales = 20,000 tickets

Price = $350 per ticket

Revenue = 20,000 x 350 = $7,000,000

Expected losses due to unsold bowl tickets = 5,000 x $50 = $250,000

Net: $6.75m

Plan A: Make every season ticket buy a bowl ticket

Sales = 18,000 (lose 10% of sales, for people who can't/won't buy)

Price = 350 + 50 = $400

Revenue = 18,000 x 400 = $7,200,000

Losses due to unsold bowl tickets = 0

Net: $7.2m

Adjust the variables as needed (to cover differential seat prices, etc) and play "what if" with various levels of lost sales, and the associated probabilities. Choose the most profitable estimate and run with it

[Bull94]

Not sure if this is possible, but I think USF should add a "bowl surcharge" to all season tickets.  Make it $45 (probably the average cost of most bowl tickets?) per season ticket, which comes out to an extra $6.43 ($45 divided by 7 home games) per game per ticket. 

If USF makes a bowl game, season ticket holders would get a ticket if they choose to go or donate it if they don't.  If USF doesn't make a bowl game, it gets carried into the next year and no surcharge in included when renewing tickets for that year.

This would more than cover the cost of bowl tickets. 

Thoughts?  Would it keep you from buying season tickets?  Or is this already built into the price we pay now and I don't know it?

I have been championing this idea for the past 4+ years. I don't think a $25 to $50 bowl deposit for all donor levels would keep many from renewing their seats. If the Bulls don't make a bowl game then the money would just carry over to the next season's bowl.

I have 8 seats, not sure I am a fan of shelling out $400 more for tickets when there is no way I would ever use 8 bowl tickets (unless it were a bcs bowl game).

I would be okay with upping the per game tickets price by 5% or something like that, to help offset it a bit (if it were put into a fund for that purpose) but don't think I like the idea of being forced to pay for bowl tix.

For instance, this past season I couldn't go to charlotte.  I would have been screwed on the cost.

come on it's only $400  :  jk

raise the tickets prices or don't. I hate hidden fees. remember that if you raise them though less will be sold. we have a hard time selling them at these prices. I have 4 dropping out because of the prices and opponents. They don't want to pay close to $40 each ticket for ball state and stoney brook. they'd rather scalp.

I can't imagine attracting more casual fans by charging them for bowl tickets they won't use.

[Bull94]

Obviously, the following numbers are wrong (i.e. made-up) and the model is over-simplified, but this is how you should approach it, from a Finance perspective

Current Sales = 20,000 tickets

Price = $350 per ticket

Revenue = 20,000 x 350 = $7,000,000

Expected losses due to unsold bowl tickets = 5,000 x $50 = $250,000

Net: $6.75m

Plan A: Make every season ticket buy a bowl ticket

Sales = 18,000 (lose 10% of sales, for people who can't/won't buy)

Price = 350 + 50 = $400

Revenue = 18,000 x 400 = $7,200,000

Losses due to unsold bowl tickets = 0

Net: $7.2m

Adjust the variables as needed (to cover differential seat prices, etc) and play "what if" with various levels of lost sales, and the associated probabilities. Choose the most profitable estimate and run with it

I'd rather have the people in the stands for home games. you don't attract casual fans by forcing them to buy bowl tickets.if anything we need to lower prices in order to attract more home fans.

how about we refuse to go to bowl games? that way we don't lose any money.

[South_Florida_Flip]

Once the economy and unemployment numbers improve, then so will home attendance and bowl game attendance.

I went as cheap as possible to Charlotte and it was still very costly in the end.

[Bull94]

Obviously, the following numbers are wrong (i.e. made-up) and the model is over-simplified, but this is how you should approach it, from a Finance perspective

Current Sales = 20,000 tickets

Price = $350 per ticket

Revenue = 20,000 x 350 = $7,000,000

Expected losses due to unsold bowl tickets = 5,000 x $50 = $250,000

Net: $6.75m

Plan A: Make every season ticket buy a bowl ticket

Sales = 18,000 (lose 10% of sales, for people who can't/won't buy)

Price = 350 + 50 = $400

Revenue = 18,000 x 400 = $7,200,000

Losses due to unsold bowl tickets = 0

Net: $7.2m

Adjust the variables as needed (to cover differential seat prices, etc) and play "what if" with various levels of lost sales, and the associated probabilities. Choose the most profitable estimate and run with it

it's $242 for a ticket at my level. If you charged me an additional $50 that would be a 20% increase. assume you lose 20% for those that don't want to pay anymore to see the bulls.

that's 16k at $292 per or $4.672M compared to 20k at $242 or $4.84M

sooner or later it needs to be about the fans and not the money.

for a board that bitches about attendance so much it sure is odd that people want a stealth increase in ticket prices that will surely lower attendance. give me bigger home attendance. who cares about the bowls.

[Guest nybullsfan]

Not sure if this is possible, but I think USF should add a "bowl surcharge" to all season tickets.  Make it $45 (probably the average cost of most bowl tickets?) per season ticket, which comes out to an extra $6.43 ($45 divided by 7 home games) per game per ticket. 

If USF makes a bowl game, season ticket holders would get a ticket if they choose to go or donate it if they don't.  If USF doesn't make a bowl game, it gets carried into the next year and no surcharge in included when renewing tickets for that year.

This would more than cover the cost of bowl tickets. 

Thoughts?  Would it keep you from buying season tickets?  Or is this already built into the price we pay now and I don't know it?

I have been championing this idea for the past 4+ years. I don't think a $25 to $50 bowl deposit for all donor levels would keep many from renewing their seats. If the Bulls don't make a bowl game then the money would just carry over to the next season's bowl.

I have 8 seats, not sure I am a fan of shelling out $400 more for tickets when there is no way I would ever use 8 bowl tickets (unless it were a bcs bowl game).

I would be okay with upping the per game tickets price by 5% or something like that, to help offset it a bit (if it were put into a fund for that purpose) but don't think I like the idea of being forced to pay for bowl tix.

For instance, this past season I couldn't go to charlotte.  I would have been screwed on the cost.

Sell 'em on Stubhub

[Bull94]

Not sure if this is possible, but I think USF should add a "bowl surcharge" to all season tickets.  Make it $45 (probably the average cost of most bowl tickets?) per season ticket, which comes out to an extra $6.43 ($45 divided by 7 home games) per game per ticket. 

If USF makes a bowl game, season ticket holders would get a ticket if they choose to go or donate it if they don't.  If USF doesn't make a bowl game, it gets carried into the next year and no surcharge in included when renewing tickets for that year.

This would more than cover the cost of bowl tickets. 

Thoughts?  Would it keep you from buying season tickets?  Or is this already built into the price we pay now and I don't know it?

I have been championing this idea for the past 4+ years. I don't think a $25 to $50 bowl deposit for all donor levels would keep many from renewing their seats. If the Bulls don't make a bowl game then the money would just carry over to the next season's bowl.

I have 8 seats, not sure I am a fan of shelling out $400 more for tickets when there is no way I would ever use 8 bowl tickets (unless it were a bcs bowl game).

I would be okay with upping the per game tickets price by 5% or something like that, to help offset it a bit (if it were put into a fund for that purpose) but don't think I like the idea of being forced to pay for bowl tix.

For instance, this past season I couldn't go to charlotte.  I would have been screwed on the cost.

Sell 'em on Stubhub

might be a problem when you have 15k other south florida fans doing the same.

at least the bowl committees give the schools good seats.

[Guest nybullsfan]

Obviously, the following numbers are wrong (i.e. made-up) and the model is over-simplified, but this is how you should approach it, from a Finance perspective

Current Sales = 20,000 tickets

Price = $350 per ticket

Revenue = 20,000 x 350 = $7,000,000

Expected losses due to unsold bowl tickets = 5,000 x $50 = $250,000

Net: $6.75m

Plan A: Make every season ticket buy a bowl ticket

Sales = 18,000 (lose 10% of sales, for people who can't/won't buy)

Price = 350 + 50 = $400

Revenue = 18,000 x 400 = $7,200,000

Losses due to unsold bowl tickets = 0

Net: $7.2m

Adjust the variables as needed (to cover differential seat prices, etc) and play "what if" with various levels of lost sales, and the associated probabilities. Choose the most profitable estimate and run with it

it's $242 for a ticket at my level. If you charged me an additional $50 that would be a 20% increase. assume you lose 20% for those that don't want to pay anymore to see the bulls.

that's 16k at $292 per or $4.672M compared to 20k at $242 or $4.84M

sooner or later it needs to be about the fans and not the money.

for a board that bitches about attendance so much it sure is odd that people want a stealth increase in ticket prices that will surely lower attendance. give me bigger home attendance. who cares about the bowls.

You forgot the losses due to unsold bowl tix

that's 16k at $292 per or $4.672M compared to 20k at $242 or $4.84M - 0.25 = $4.59