Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Wednesday Game, and other musings

I left the previous post up as the top post for a few extra days because I think it was an "impact post" that deserved the extra time. I said what I meant and I meant what I said. I offer no apologies.

Tonight is the first weeknight game of the season. Attendance will undoubtedly be lower than opening weekend. It will be a good indicator of thier marketing effort thus far, but it is not foolproof. I know this will sound like I'm being a complete stooge and apologist but I think it is accurate. If the attendance is high, that's fabulous and it means they are doing thing well. But if it is low, I'm not ready to be a Chicken Little and claim the sky is falling.

They have gotten the name out there up until now; but they need some more games to effectively generate any 'buzz' among the city. Weekday games are always lower on attendance and a casual fan is less likely to experiment with a week night. So, poor attendance is not the end of the world. But good attendance, obviously, is better.

I am impressed with the "Cricket Cup" concept. It is a little cheesey, but it is a good cause. More importantly it gets the Cyclones name out there and it good corporate partnerships and marketing. Cricket is spending a lot of money trying to carve a niche in the cellular market. It's good that they are spending some of that money with the Cyclones.

Anything to get the name out is a good thing. I have to think that this is one of the benefits of a behemoth organization like Nederlander owning the team. They have the contacts and are courted by other businesses for mutually beneficial campaigns. How can that be bad? I like Morella Raleigh handling the marketing. She has had to learn about hockey, but she can bring fresh ideas. This is another Nederlander asset to build on.

I like a lot of things this team is doing. Granted, I'm easy to win; but I will also be the first to be critical if it is warranted. So far, I have not been let down and I've been pretty stoked about things. Hopefully they can generate some of that almighty buzz and momentum. I think they are doing things mostly right.

One thing I have to criticize is the concession cost. They have to make it more affordable to students and families. I know that a top facility can command a higher price, but they are also competing against the cost of living, not just flexible income, in this economy.

Five Bucks for 23 cents worth of cotton candy? C'mon. That's insane. I think they could lower the prices, increase the volume, and thereby increase overall profit.

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