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Carver arena
- Thread starter braves16
- Start date
Good question, but drawing only 3500 anymore and not getting any cut of concessions, surely BU is losing money.
Recall the decline started as soon as JKG started firing people in 2009 and really hit the slippery slope after 2011
Covid played a part but BU was headed towards the 3500 figure inevitably, due to the reasons cited so many times.
Dr. Reynolds & Coach Wardle have done their part by restoring good basketball, a winning program, the events like Itoo that fans love and other things, but Bradley still needs to get someone in the Athletic Dept. who knows how to run the marketing, fan engagement, promoting the program and boosting ticket sales. I know I am not the only one who is a long time season ticket holder who is considering ending it and just buying single game tickets because of the way many in their department treat the loyal, long time fans with such disrespect.
This is going to be the first year in decades that our home attendance drops a couple notches and lands below SIU, Missouri State and even possibly others, and yet nobody seems to even notice.
From 2014
Recall the decline started as soon as JKG started firing people in 2009 and really hit the slippery slope after 2011
Covid played a part but BU was headed towards the 3500 figure inevitably, due to the reasons cited so many times.
Dr. Reynolds & Coach Wardle have done their part by restoring good basketball, a winning program, the events like Itoo that fans love and other things, but Bradley still needs to get someone in the Athletic Dept. who knows how to run the marketing, fan engagement, promoting the program and boosting ticket sales. I know I am not the only one who is a long time season ticket holder who is considering ending it and just buying single game tickets because of the way many in their department treat the loyal, long time fans with such disrespect.
This is going to be the first year in decades that our home attendance drops a couple notches and lands below SIU, Missouri State and even possibly others, and yet nobody seems to even notice.
From 2014
I partly read an article, got cut off by not being a subscriber, on the sharp decline in attendance at Iowa Hawkeye games despite having the leading scorer in the country. Part of the reason is that Iowa has had more than a couple of 8pm start times. 8pm is a killer for the people living in Des Moines almost 2 hours away or even Cedar Rapids a half hour drive or the Quad Cities about an hour away.
BUBraves2006
Well-known member
Why is there basically no student section anymore? I know this was probably discussed ages ago, but when I was there, BU made it a thing - there were always shuttle buses running from the student center and we filled both sides next to the band. Now there aren't even many seats for the students if they went. Does anyone have connections to students going now? I can't imagine they don't just care at all - is there no promotion?
Dub
Well-known member
disagree. We don't have the data and models to demonstrate that. There are intangibles and recruiting considerations here too. One key driver of my level of fandom is tied to my being in a full carver arena in the mid 80's. Ren col does not do it.
Check your Private Messages
I'm going to come off as an idiot, but I have no idea how to do that.
Haha, sorry. No problem. I just assumed you've used the Private Message function before.
Scroll all the way back to the top and look at the top right of the Bradleyfans screen, and there should be a tab titled "Messages".
Click on the word Messages, and a drop-down menu should show up and there should be a message titled "Rental for Carver Arena".
You can click on that title, or you could click on "Go to Message Center", and you'll find the message there. Hope that works!
For those wondering what we're talking about, I messaged Braves16 some info I heard about the Carver rental from a previous AD.
Braves2006
Member
I’d be interested in that info as well DC if you are able to shoot me a message.
Renaissance Coliseum is a great facility, better than many in the MVC that are being used as primary basketball venues.
Reminder, since it inevitably comes up, that Renaissance Coliseum was planned, funded and mostly built BEFORE the people who took credit for it were even on the scene at Bradley. Even the name "Renaissance" predated the arrival of the people who subsequently took credit for it. LINK
basketball nut
Well-known member
Last night's game was fun as we had the biggest crowd this season. It was loud.
I say that knowing the crowd was probably a little over half of what we drew 12-15 years ago.
I say that knowing the crowd was probably a little over half of what we drew 12-15 years ago.
Seems like in the past there were more high school groups, grade school groups in the upper bowl at games. Do they make any kind of effort to get more people to the games?? With all the problems with people getting ahold of the ticket office the answer is no! Who’s fault is that? Seems like Chris Reynolds. The attendance is embarrassing, you can keep blaming Glasser but it shouldn’t take this long to get fans back in the stands! I get Covid had something to do with it but if u turn on the Illinois game the games are sold out. Id be interested in the deal with the civic center too. I don’t know why it has to be a secret and sent as dm
BradleyBiz
Member
Three points on this topic:
1. Attendance decline is a systemic issue among mid major conferences. It's happening everywhere. And success does not mean greater attendance with these programs. Look at Loyola. Many games, they barely fill half of a 5,000 seat arena.
This is a few years old (2018 ), but a good snapshot of what is going on. The departure of WSU and Creighton has hurt the MVC - both in losing programs that fill their arenas and draw strong crowds at away games. Next year, Belmont will replace Loyola as far as % of seats filled (a wash). Murray will help the MVC, UIC will hurt the conference.
Full article is here: https://athleticdirectoru.com/articl...bb-attendance/
2. Bring back the mobile season ticket option. It provided a lot of flexibility for families who can't make games because of their kids' activities or 8 p.m. starting times (which I know are rare). This was a great offering...please make it happen again for 2022-23. That went away with the pandemic.
3. Bradley does not have a football program, so they should be able to focus their marketing efforts on getting basketball fans to Carver. Do more promotions with companies in and around Peoria (CAT, RLI, OSF, Unitypoint, Pekin Insurance, etc.). Provide discounted tickets to these companies for every home game and give out free red Bradley tshirts for their employees to wear to the game. Partner with the local arts community to do indoor art fairs after weekend afternoon games. Create a package with the Riverfront Museum where you get museum admission and a game ticket all in one (plus free parking if you don't mind walking 3 blocks). Collaborate with the Peoria Home Builders to do a package for the Home Show and going to the Valpo game that Saturday. Have two local high schools play a quick game during halftime (which gets high school kids and their families to attend). Provide family 4-packs with food included for a single game price (not just season tickets). Just some potential ideas.
Bottom line: the marketing for basketball has to improve.
1. Attendance decline is a systemic issue among mid major conferences. It's happening everywhere. And success does not mean greater attendance with these programs. Look at Loyola. Many games, they barely fill half of a 5,000 seat arena.
This is a few years old (2018 ), but a good snapshot of what is going on. The departure of WSU and Creighton has hurt the MVC - both in losing programs that fill their arenas and draw strong crowds at away games. Next year, Belmont will replace Loyola as far as % of seats filled (a wash). Murray will help the MVC, UIC will hurt the conference.
Full article is here: https://athleticdirectoru.com/articl...bb-attendance/
2. Bring back the mobile season ticket option. It provided a lot of flexibility for families who can't make games because of their kids' activities or 8 p.m. starting times (which I know are rare). This was a great offering...please make it happen again for 2022-23. That went away with the pandemic.
3. Bradley does not have a football program, so they should be able to focus their marketing efforts on getting basketball fans to Carver. Do more promotions with companies in and around Peoria (CAT, RLI, OSF, Unitypoint, Pekin Insurance, etc.). Provide discounted tickets to these companies for every home game and give out free red Bradley tshirts for their employees to wear to the game. Partner with the local arts community to do indoor art fairs after weekend afternoon games. Create a package with the Riverfront Museum where you get museum admission and a game ticket all in one (plus free parking if you don't mind walking 3 blocks). Collaborate with the Peoria Home Builders to do a package for the Home Show and going to the Valpo game that Saturday. Have two local high schools play a quick game during halftime (which gets high school kids and their families to attend). Provide family 4-packs with food included for a single game price (not just season tickets). Just some potential ideas.
Bottom line: the marketing for basketball has to improve.
Tommy
Well-known member
That's really interesting, so thanks for posting BradleyBiz. Losing Creighton and Wichita State was certainly a huge hit to our overall attendance. I wonder what the capacity was then and now, as well? Either way, when we continually lose our most competitive teams it isn't going to help us in the attendance stat, and the power conferences just keep poaching until there's nothing left.
I still think the day is coming when the mid-majors create their own league, but that's probably just wishful thinking.
I still think the day is coming when the mid-majors create their own league, but that's probably just wishful thinking.
BradleyBiz, or anyone else, what is this is referring to?
I have had season tickets for 44 years and I never heard of this until Bradley teamed up with Ticketmaster to offer the current mobile (paperless) season ticket deal.
Is that what is being referred to? Because it is available this season and a lot of season ticket buyers use this option.
The tickets are digital, can be displayed on a cellphone screen to be scanned for entry to games, but can also be emailed to anyone you want to give your tickets to.
BradleyBiz
Member
Da Coach - https://bradleybraves.com/news/2018/10/1/mens-basketball-kaboom-mobile-pass-available-now
It was a great ticket option that they had in 2018-19 and 2019-20. Not promoted enough I would imagine.