2023 Season Ticket Prices

[Sectionq]

Holy moly I agree with Q!

Get them off the field and into the stands. By whatever means make the lower bowl look full.

I have been in those tents before and the watching the game is terrible. It's great when they are coming at you but when they are moving away or once the place got to the 20 it was tough to see so all I was doing was watching the big screen to see most of the game.

[Esks4ever]

I have been in those tents before and the watching the game is terrible. It's great when they are coming at you but when they are moving away or once the place got to the 20 it was tough to see so all I was doing was watching the big screen to see most of the game.

I agree the tents suck. I love the idea to turn the seats in the North Endzone as a party zone.

[Looner]

I agree the tents suck. I love the idea to turn the seats in the North Endzone as a party zone.

agreed. Back in the day people used to hang around that concession and drink beer all game.

[Sectionq]

Another thing they should do and this doesn't involve ticket prices is reduce the cost of food, especially drinks. If the goal is to get people into the games, you need to make it affordable and make it so people want to go vs staying at home or going to a bar to watch the game.

I am sure you all agree that going to the game is just different than watching it at home or in a bar. But for I assume a lot of people, the experience of going to the live game is worth only so much. When you go to a bar, you usually get in for free vs buying a ticket regardless of the price to get into the game. Everything is expensive but generally to get food at the game vs a bar, you play a little more at the game. Same with drinks. So going to the game, even if you get cheap tickets is always going to be more expensive than going to a bar. So IMO, if you want people to come to the games, you need to close that gap. No matter what you do, you can't ever make it equal because you have to charge for tickets vs free entry at a bar but if you close the gap in drinks and food, that would help. I don't see how the cost to make a burger and fries at the stadium is more expensive that at a bar. I would think it's probably less. So why do you charge more for it? Same for drinks.

[Esks4ever]

Another thing they should do and this doesn't involve ticket prices is reduce the cost of food, especially drinks. If the goal is to get people into the games, you need to make it affordable and make it so people want to go vs staying at home or going to a bar to watch the game.

I am sure you all agree that going to the game is just different than watching it at home or in a bar. But for I assume a lot of people, the experience of going to the live game is worth only so much. When you go to a bar, you usually get in for free vs buying a ticket regardless of the price to get into the game. Everything is expensive but generally to get food at the game vs a bar, you play a little more at the game. Same with drinks. So going to the game, even if you get cheap tickets is always going to be more expensive than going to a bar. So IMO, if you want people to come to the games, you need to close that gap. No matter what you do, you can't ever make it equal because you have to charge for tickets vs free entry at a bar but if you close the gap in drinks and food, that would help. I don't see how the cost to make a burger and fries at the stadium is more expensive that at a bar. I would think it's probably less. So why do you charge more for it? Same for drinks.

Elks do not have any control over the concessions. That is a city issue. It'd be different if it was a private stadium owned by Elks, but alas its a city owned venue and the Elks are only a tenant.

[Sectionq]

Elks do not have any control over the concessions. That is a city issue. It'd be different if it was a private stadium owned by Elks, but alas its a city owned venue and the Elks are only a tenant.

I understand that but I think that is a cop out for the Elks to throw up their hands and say "We can't do anything about it." The Elks are the one and only tenant. Yes there are the odd outdoor concerts or there is the odd big soccer game. But generally, the Elks are the ones that use the field and their games generate the revenue for the stadium. I have a hard time believing that if your one and only tenant went to the City and said, we need to decrease prices a little to attract more people, the City would say no way in hell.

If the City refused a request to reduce food and drink prices then they are stupid because they are literally turning away business. You make food and drink more affordable, people will buy more. If you reduce a bottle of water as an example, fans are probably more likely to buy 2, than sip away at 1 to make it last the whole game.

[Esks4ever]

I understand that but I think that is a cop out for the Elks to throw up their hands and say "We can't do anything about it." The Elks are the one and only tenant. Yes there are the odd outdoor concerts or there is the odd big soccer game. But generally, the Elks are the ones that use the field and their games generate the revenue for the stadium. I have a hard time believing that if your one and only tenant went to the City and said, we need to decrease prices a little to attract more people, the City would say no way in hell.

If the City refused a request to reduce food and drink prices then they are stupid because they are literally turning away business. You make food and drink more affordable, people will buy more. If you reduce a bottle of water as an example, fans are probably more likely to buy 2, than sip away at 1 to make it last the whole game.

rofl.. you give the city too much credit of being smart. I mean look at the stupid as **** LRT planning thats been **** since day 1. :0

[Hugoagogo]

I believe discussions regarding concessions have been ongoing between the Elks and the city. I expect a little more movement hopefully next year.

On/off topic, my brother and his wife took their three little ones to the Oiler pre-season game yesterday. Counting upper deck tickets and concessions it set them back well over 300 bucks.

[Looner]

I understand that but I think that is a cop out for the Elks to throw up their hands and say "We can't do anything about it." The Elks are the one and only tenant. Yes there are the odd outdoor concerts or there is the odd big soccer game. But generally, the Elks are the ones that use the field and their games generate the revenue for the stadium. I have a hard time believing that if your one and only tenant went to the City and said, we need to decrease prices a little to attract more people, the City would say no way in hell.

If the City refused a request to reduce food and drink prices then they are stupid because they are literally turning away business. You make food and drink more affordable, people will buy more. If you reduce a bottle of water as an example, fans are probably more likely to buy 2, than sip away at 1 to make it last the whole game.

"The city is under contract but next year it will be an open tender as per city policies." Victors words. We aren't exactly coming at it from a position of strength as where else are we going to play? If there was another football stadium that held 20-30k we would be in the drivers seat.

[Looner]

I believe discussions regarding concessions have been ongoing between the Elks and the city. I expect a little more movement hopefully next year.

On/off topic, my brother and his wife took their three little ones to the Oiler pre-season game yesterday. Counting upper deck tickets and concessions it set them back well over 300 bucks.

for a preseason game. I just got 8 Elks season seats for $1,000 LOL

[Sectionq]

rofl.. you give the city too much credit of being smart. I mean look at the stupid as **** LRT planning thats been **** since day 1. :0

I am not giving the City any credit what so ever. I have no expectations that the City knows how to run a sports facility for a pro sports team nor have a clue what the Elks need. That's what the Elks board and the President are for. IMO, what has happened is the Elks have a board who don't know/don't give a damn about what the fans need. They, along with the last 2 flunkies that have had for Presidents, have for many, many years run this team with the assumption that people will just come no matter what. People like yourself or whoever have had your tickets for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 + years. You go no matter what. They raise tickets on you, food goes up, the on field product sucks, they change the name, they hire and fire stupid people, they piss on the legacy of former staff members, it doesn't matter what they do, you go because you've always went. It's what you do and good on you for sticking it out. But IMO, the organization has operated with the assumption that no matter what, 25,000+ season ticket holders will always be there. So what happened.

Well people like myself, a former 25 yr season ticket hold, the guy who grew up there as a kid and was supposed to carry the torch when my parents who are now 70, got to old. I got fed up. I got tired of the crap the Esks put on the field and the crap they did in the stands and all the other crap. I had enough. So I left and others did. Then the team kept sucking so others finally had enough. Then you factor in the name change which pissed people off. All the crap with past employees. The economy wasn't great. Then the worst. Covid. Covid gave people a taste of what it was like to not have Elks games for a whole season. People discovered that what they thought would be really hard, because they always went to game. After a year, wasn't that hard because they were forced to deal with it for a year. Then the economy was worse after covid, the team continues to suck.

NOW, a ton of people who the Elks thought wouldn't leave, have gone and they aren't coming back. WHY? Because they have had time to realize not going to games isn't has hard as they thought. They are tired of high ticket prices AND the team sucks still. So IMO, the board and the previous Pres's haven;'t had to ask for ANYTHING from the City. So I bet they haven't approached the City about prices yet. I have been saying for YEARS tickets were too high and they finally started doing something about it because they had too. The Elks and their board have never IMO operated like a business because they never had too. Now they have to start operating like a business and winning customers that they chased away with their lack of caring and try to get them back.

[Sectionq]

"The city is under contract but next year it will be an open tender as per city policies." Victors words. We aren't exactly coming at it from a position of strength as where else are we going to play? If there was another football stadium that held 20-30k we would be in the drivers seat.

I do not buy that if the Elks went to the City and said we can't operate with these prices, our fans aren't happy and we are losing fans because of it, the City would shrug their shoulders and tell the Elks too bad. Who's using that Stadium if the Elks aren't there? No one.

[Looner]

I do not buy that if the Elks went to the City and said we can't operate with these prices, our fans aren't happy and we are losing fans because of it, the City would shrug their shoulders and tell the Elks too bad. Who's using that Stadium if the Elks aren't there? No one.

I absolutely think they can and will, once the contract runs out but when someone has a signed contract it can be very tough to breach it and I doubt the city has the motivation to do that with it expiring right away

[Hugoagogo]

I think it would also be a different matter if the Elks were a privately owned team vs a community owned team. I fully expect Victor to make some headway with this sort of thing as soon as he can.

[bombervu]

Seems like a common problem around the league. BC deals with Pavco as landlord and is bound by those terms.

What Winnipeg did when they moved to IGF was to squeeze Winnipeg Enterprises out of the picture and have the Bombers manage the facility. Initially they still contracted out concessions but now look after that as well. Prices and quality did not improve. It's a good deal for the Bombers but not very good for fans and taxpayers. One of the shady areas is the use of Millers personnel company to staff the facility for events. He claimed to no longer be involved and no one questions Wade so who knows.

Edmonton has a good guy with Victor and it is only a question of when not if before the support is back to what it was. Costco in the news today saying that $1.50 hot dog and a drink are not going anywhere. Makes you think. Imagine how many you would sell.