Season tickets: We write to the board PDF Print E-mail
Wednesday, 27 January 2010 22:33
Below is the text of the letter which QPR1st has written to each member of the Club's Board of Directors

 

We are writing this open letter to you in regard to your impending discussion regarding next season's ticket prices in order to ensure that the views and interests of  your most valuable asset, QPR supporters, will be given due consideration. 

In the past couple of years we feel that certain mistakes have been made which have resulted in widespread discontent amongst the fan base and falling attendances. We fully understand that, like any business, it is important to maximise revenue, but we would like to make the point that a decline in ticket sales clearly runs counter to this objective and it is in all parties' best interests (club and fans) for upcoming decisions to be made with the clear intention of reversing this trend. 

With this in mind, we would like to present a number of recommendations:

1/ Ticket Prices

 

It is imperative that ticket prices not be increased for the upcoming season. Recent increases have made QPR one of the most expensive teams to watch in the Championship and we are convinced that further increases would not result in increased revenue, as the additional income from each ticket would be offset against a reduced number of tickets sold.

Our recommendation is that existing ticket prices for each pricing band are maintained or ideally reduced in order to stimulate demand.

2/ Price Banding

One of the major complaints amongst supporters is that the price banding that has been applied to the Loftus Road end of the ground is unfair and unreasonable. The view from behind the goal is clearly not as good as the view from along the side: you are a long way from the play at the far end of the ground and the depth perception for play in that area is difficult. This is why ticket prices for seats behind the goal have traditionally always been less than ticket prices along the side of the pitch. This is also QPR's end of the ground and as such is the place where many of the team's most loyal fans have chosen to sit. It is easy to see why many of these fans feel that they are being taken advantage of: it seems as though they are being charged a premium for showing their loyalty to the team by sitting in the QPR end of the ground rather than on the side, which presents a better view of the match. Re-classification of the Loft Upper and Loft Lower would go a long way towards improving the club's relationship with its most loyal fans. Furthermore, a suitable re-classification of the Loft Lower could make it an attractively priced family section.

Our recommendation is to re-classify the Loft Upper to Silver (the restricted view corner should remain Bronze) and the Loft Lower to Bronze.

 

3/ Early Bird Discount.

 

The Early Bird Discount provides a clear benefit to those who support the team year after year and it is vitally important to continue to retain these loyal fans. It is also important that these fans can see the benefit provided by the Early Bird Discount by making the non-discounted price available at the same time as the Early Bird Discount price. Failure to do this leaves a credibility question mark over the whole process and leaves fans unable to determine what benefit, if any, will be gained from renewing early. This offer could also be extended to recently lapsed season ticket holders to encourage them to become season ticket holders again.

Our recommendation is to provide an Early Bird Discount for season ticket renewals and to publish both the Early Bird Discount price and the non-discounted price at the same time. We also recommend that the Early Bird Discount offer is extended to recently lapsed season ticket holders.

 

4/ Interest on Instalments

Making season tickets available via instalment payments makes it easier for fans to buy season tickets, which should certainly result in increased season ticket sales. It is hard to see how this does not benefit everybody. The only issue here is that of interest on the instalments. Fans that choose this option are already stretching their budget to support the team and we feel that it is important for the club to offer favourable terms as an incentive to take advantage of the scheme, in line with that offered at other Clubs.

Our recommendation is to provide the ability to pay for season tickets in instalments whilst minimising any interest that is charged.

 

To conclude, we appreciate that reducing season ticket prices and the re-classification of the price banding for the Loftus Road end of the ground will result in reduced revenue for each ticket sold. However, we believe that even in the short term this may be offset by increased revenue from additional tickets sold. It will also have the long term benefit of reversing the trend of decreasing attendances, which in turn will eventually result in increased total revenue, both from ticket sales and merchandise.

We look forward to receiving your feedback and would welcome the opportunity to meet with the Board of Directors to discuss our recommendations in more detail.

 

 

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