Coming off back-to-back dropping seasons, the Chicago Cubs are decreasing ticket costs for full-season packages.
Season tickets at Wrigley Field for 2023 have been lower by a mean of 5%, stated Cale Vennum, senior vp of Marquee 360, which oversees the group’s ticketing. All 22 season ticket sections, together with the bleachers, are receiving a worth discount, starting from 2.7% to six.7%.
The Cubs’ annual evaluation of tendencies and assessment of ticket costs — at the side of suggestions from present season ticket holders after a disappointing season — factored into the choice.
“We definitely do hear that it’s a more competitive environment,” Vennum stated. “People have quite a lot of alternative of their alternatives and the issues they wish to exit and do of their lives. And quite a lot of them are selecting to come back to Wrigley Field, however we noticed that there was a chance that we might lower costs heading into subsequent yr.
“Fans have a lot of choice and they’re making a big commitment to us when they decide to have season tickets, and we wanted to be responsive to the competitive environment and economic environment that they’re seeing today.”
The paid attendance this yr at Wrigley of two,616,780 (32,306 per recreation) was the Cubs’ lowest residence complete since 1997, excluding the pandemic-affected 2020 and 2021 seasons. The determine ranked ninth in Major League Baseball, and solely 5 residence video games exceeded 40,000 paid followers. The Cubs didn’t hit Wrigley’s 41,374 capability for any sellouts.
It’s unclear how a lot the Cubs season ticket base has declined since 2019. The group has not offered a selected quantity or vary of its present season ticket base; Vennum stated the 2021 complete “ended up really strong.”
Some Cubs followers expressed blended emotions to the Tribune earlier this yr about whether or not season tickets are nonetheless definitely worth the funding. While a number of cited fulfilling a lifelong dream and having fun with the chance to attend video games at Wrigley, others have been annoyed by poor resale return on the secondary market and uncertainty about when the Cubs would once more area a successful group.
The Cubs are protecting their half-season ticket package deal choice they launched final yr in restricted sections for first-time season ticket holders, permitting them to pick from a crimson or blue 41-game plan, although these packages don’t assure postseason tickets. The group is also protecting in place an choice for full season ticket holders to swap a choose variety of video games for added flexibility.
As a part of being a season ticket holder, the Cubs wish to reincorporate extra experience-focused perks, which dwindled through the pandemic amid ballpark restrictions. Vennum stated they hope to “double down” on that side in 2023.
“All of those things really play into and impact the show rate and how many people are coming,” Vennum stated. “And then returning some value and lowering the price of the tickets, it does make them more affordable if you’re trying to have a friend or a neighbor come or if you need to put them on the secondary market because you’re not able to attend the game. So I think all of those things taken together will really help improve the in-park attendance next year.”
Winning is the final word attendance booster, and large offseason strikes might bolster these figures heading into subsequent season. Many Cubs followers might want to make selections on 2023 season tickets earlier than participant acquisitions are made. Season ticket renewals start Thursday with a 20% first cost due Nov. 16, adopted by the ultimate cost in mid-January. New season ticket consumers will begin processing early subsequent yr as spring coaching approaches.
“At the end of the day, season tickets are not really a year-to-year purchase, although we go through this invoicing process,” Vennum stated. “It’s about a relationship and being on a journey with this team, and it’s part of that journey as we’ve seen before.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com