Originally Posted by powderjunkie
Do you think the arena experience is a really, really significant factor in renewal rates? The economy and on-ice product seem a lot more likely to be the culprit. It's worth noting the arena experience is relatively consistent over the years, while the other two factors are much more variable...it seems like an awfully big stretch to attribute renewal decreases to a building that has not changed, when both the team and economy have been poor. Assuming the on-ice stays strong through a decent playoff run, do you not think STH's will return next season, even if the economy remains unchanged or gets worse? If the Flames are smart, they'll sell this year's playoff & 2019-20 season packages together, and bring back a great many that they lost. For anyone with the means and interest, the building is not going to be the thing that holds them back.
And yes, I will give you credit for accurately identifying my point, that the current arena is good enough. My other point is, that if today's arena isn't good enough, tomorrow's arena won't be, either.
Put another way, if you ignore the on-ice product and anything not directly related to the building and it's logisitcal operation, an average grading of today's arena experience probably comes in around a C- for most people. I think it is highly unlikely that this grade will go any higher than a C+ for most people with a new building, even if you don't factor in the increased prices. For the 15000 cheapest seats in an arena, there is simply a ceiling to how 'enjoyable' the process of entering, competing for food & bathrooms, sitting shoulder to shoulder with others, and leaving is going to be. The only way to make it a lot better would be dropping to ~7000 'first-class' seats at twice the cost (and maybe 0-3000 cheaper seats for the unwashed masses); this might not have been totally insane a few years ago, but obviously not tenable now, nor is it a good look if you're trying to get public money).
It's a little bit like flying...look at the new airport terminal. It's a little cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than the old one, and does have quite a few improvements...but there are just as many new problems with it. The overall experience of getting from your house to the airplane door is not noticeably improved. We can complain all we want, and of course there are plenty of things they could have done better, but at the end of the day you're going to be herded through various procedures like cattle, then wait in a holding pen before getting into your metal tube.
What gives you confidence that CSEC will lead us to a venue that is significantly better than Edmonton's new arena or the Saddledome?
|