[Ticket Line] How does everyone else do it?

I suggested in another thread that it would be a good idea for someone to survey other schools and pro teams distribute tickets when supply outstrips demand. A story I spotted on CHN made me start this thread as a way to compile similar information in one place.

Please add stories (anectodal or press) regarding different policies. Try to make the subject reflect the school/sport in question so the thread keeps some organization.

Hopefully it will help generate some good ideas and let us (and CU athletics) learn from the mistakes made elsewhere.

Looks like they screwed this up pretty good. An online distribution policy was scrapped when the technology failed.

Then they announced a sale for 7am at Conte and said they'd leave the building open all night (implying an overnight wait for tickets). Then they started the sale at midnight. Read more: [www.bcheights.com]
(Thanks to the CHN wire for the link)

This is as safe as safe gets... University of Florida students used to have to phone in to get tickets to football games. It's the same thing as trying to get tickets to Lynah East. I think also they do not offer season tickets for students, so this madness goes on every week. They have since modified the system to be some kind of online credit card thing.

[www.gatorzone.com]

Interestingly, the phone-in wait on a busy signal for eight hours system is how University of Central Florida does course registration. Thank God for coursenroll.

UCONN changed their policy this year to eliminate the "camp out." They announced the time wrist bands would be given out and said that any line created before a certain time would be broken up (sound familiar yet?).

Turns out they weren't true to their word and they let the line form early to the point where people who believed athletics and showed up on time for the line were shut out. And of course when wrist bands started being handed out there was a crush on the location. While the paper seemed to have a positive impression of the event, the studetns quoted seemed pretty pissed.

Here's the report from the Daily Campus (reg may be required):
[www.dailycampus.com]
and the editorial:
[www.dailycampus.com]

"By not recognizing and staffing such a line, the Division of Athletics also allowed a mob rush to occur only minutes before the set time of 2 p.m. "

South Carolina allots 15,000 seats a game to students. Students don't get season tickets, they just go pick up a ticket beginning the monday before each home game. While it seems that for most games getting a ticket isn't a problem (there are enough seats to meet demand), they still manage to make people upset because there is only one place to get tickets and for the first game this year, 9,000 students waited in line for tickets and it took hours just to give them their ticket.

Imagine doing that for each home hockey weekend...

My favorite quote: "It was absurd," said Ryan Shaw, a fourth-year sports management student. "I cut in line and still had to wait an hour."

[www.dailygamecock.com]
[www.dailygamecock.com]

[Q]Chris '03 Wrote:


UCONN changed their policy this year to eliminate the "camp out." They announced the time wrist bands would be given out and said that any line created before a certain time would be broken up (sound familiar yet?).

Turns out they weren't true to their word and they let the line form early to the point where people who believed athletics and showed up on time for the line were shut out. And of course when wrist bands started being handed out there was a crush on the location. While the paper seemed to have a positive impression of the event, the studetns quoted seemed pretty pissed.

Here's the report from the Daily Campus (reg may be required):

and the editorial:


"By not recognizing and staffing such a line, the Division of Athletics also allowed a mob rush to occur only minutes before the set time of 2 p.m. "
[/q]

Wow, that story seems to combine all the worst things about the lines the past few years!

We keep on using Duke bball as an example, but I had no idea of the actual details, and I suspect many others don't know them either.

Student newspaper acticle discussing changes to policy:
[www.chronicle.duke.edu]

The official K-ville website:
[dsg.duke.edu]

There are references to the policy all over the place, but I can't actually find it.
[Edit: Found. 2004-2005 policy: [dsg.duke.edu] ]


From what I can gather, it's general admission to each game. Students typically get in line for most games a few hours in advance. There are two official tenting games (UNC and Maryland, usually). Tenting for the second game isn't allowed until the first game is complete, but tenting for the first game starts whenever you want. The line is official but monitored only by the residents of Tent 1 until the the University takes over in the guise of the Head Line Monitor, an elected student govt official, and his/her minions (Line Monitors - a job for which you must apply) during "Blue tenting."

Grace periods (times when your tent may be empty) include all men's and women's home bball games, locally televised away games, bad weather (at the discretion of the Head Line Monitor, though mandatory when the temp is 20F or below), and anything else the HLM decides. The second missed tent check leads to your tent being bumped to the back of the line.

Can't find anything on paying for the games...perhaps they get in free with student ID?

I reported on Duke two years ago. [elf.elynah.com]
Most of the links are dead now, but the story is similar.

Note the comment on the Chronicle article. [www.chronicle.duke.edu] [q]I think it is about time for the powers that be, to step in and put an end to this pointless waste of time. The strongest argument in favor of tenting is that it proves that the sheep at Duke yearn for a line to join,[/q]

RPI has taken care of their season ticket line by sucking.

This has had the desired effect of making more time available for the Engineers to grind away at the books as no line is necessary.


RPI AD Ken Ralph
Coach Fridgen

Duke's undergrad system leads to many empty seats in the undergrad section for all but the biggest games. So many, in fact, that Coach K has threatened to give some of those seats to grad students. He only manages to avoid embarassment by getting the TV people to conspire with him to minimize views of the empty seats on the sides and focus only on the bunches of Cameron Crazies at center court. Imagine having large sections of uncovered benches for the U18 game in preseason.

The Duke grad system may be better for us, though has an obvious negative as well. In that system groups of grad students camp out from Friday night to Sunday for a spot in a lottery. Then the lottery is drawn to determine who has the right to buy season tickets. Not everyone gets a chance to buy, so the campout groups divide the seats amongst all of the people in the group. There is an advantage for seniority and for personal failures to win the lottery in previous years. Of course, if a bunch of die hard Cornellians camped together, only some could go to each game. And the facetimers would do just as well as the truly loyal.

Just when you thought this thread was dead...

[graphics.fansonly.com]

This is the Pitt basketball ticket distribution system. Everyone initially has the same shot at getting tickets via lottery. The more events you go to, the more priority you have in getting tickets. If you get a ticket to an event and don't go (Cornell could make it if you are later than 7pm to a game for example), you lose priority. This is all done electronically, there is never a line and therefore no liability risk for the school. You pay for the tickets to each game individually. It is explained in better detail at the link.

This wouldn't necessarily work exactly as it is for Cornell Hockey, but what if other athletics events are required to build priority (like Women's Ice Hockey)? Could this system be carried over from year to year ensuring a heavy supply of upperclassmen?

So you're essentially saying that we should use the band system for all fans. Not necessarily a bad idea, but I'd prefer to restrict this specifically to attendance at (men's) hockey games, including arrival time. I proposed something similar last month here, although in the context of season tickets, not individual games.

just out of curiosity, what prevents you from showing up at these "other" athletics events at the beginning, and leave right after punching in (for lack of a better word)?

[Q]just out of curiosity, what prevents you from showing up at these "other" athletics events at the beginning, and leave right after punching in (for lack of a better word)?[/q]Easy to address if that's a concern. Have people punch in when entering and when leaving. Or you could lock the doors and prevent anyone from leaving...

But I think simply getting people to show up at other events would be an accomplishment. If you bothered to make an appearance at a game you are much more likely to stay and watch than someone who never shows up.

[Q]min Wrote:

just out of curiosity, what prevents you from showing up at these "other" athletics events at the beginning, and leave right after punching in (for lack of a better word)?[/q]The incredible hassle of setting your schedule to show up at games you don't want to see, perhaps?

[Q]The incredible hassle of setting your schedule to show up at games you don't want to see, perhaps?[/q]Is it really that much of a hassle to stroll up to the east end of campus for a few minutes of facetime when it's something you want? People are willing to sit in line overnight, which seems like more of an imposition. A hassle yes, but not that big of a deal.

But then again, a majority of current students seem to think it's an incredible hassle to get to the rink at game time for an event they really want to see...

[Q]KeithK Wrote:

The incredible hassle of setting your schedule to show up at games you don't want to see, perhaps?[/Q]
Is it really that much of a hassle to stroll up to the east end of campus for a few minutes of facetime when it's something you want? [/q]Every week? For multiple sports? Forget about the stroll - this policy forces you to be in town when you might not be otherwise. I don't think too many people would go to events that they don't actually attend.

It might be a promising business idea, though.

 

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