But that doesn’t mean that they can’t give their fans a good reason to come out to the ballpark to enjoy a game.
Let’s just say that I wasn’t surprised to see this article in the Times this morning.
Having been involved in tickets for the last 7+ years, and having perfected the skill of getting into any game or concert that I wanted to, there isn’t anything earth shattering in this article.
But, what I do want to talk about here is a couple of ideas that the Mets could use to create a better fan experience this season, while attendance is down and which might help them weather the storm of consistently poor play to gain traction with the fan base and not lose out on a whole generation of fans to the Yankees.
Here’s my prescription for the Mets:
1. Remember that marketing is everything. While the team on the field isn’t playing very well right now and the fans are rightfully disheartened because of the team’s poor performance the last few seasons, that doesn’t give the team the right to skimp on other aspects of the fan experience just because the attendance has been down.
The greeters outside of the stadium, saying ‘hello’ and ‘enjoy the game’ as people walked off the 7 was a nice touch. I went to the doubleheader on Thursday afternoon and it was nice to be greeted with the backdrop of Citi Field as I got of the train.
Do more of that! Welcome people the ballpark, don’t let the first impression people get of their game day experience be something negative, let it be a warm and welcoming greeting from a Mets’ employee.
2. Reward your die-hard fans. This year the Mets created some perks for their season package holders. This is a nice touch, even though I don’t know how they are really going to roll them out and whether or not some of the perks are things that fans are really going to be too interested in.
When I lived in Seattle, I was a Supersonics season ticket holder. Let me tell you, that was the best entertainment investment I ever made. If the team played 41 home games, I really went to 39. Seriously! I loved those Supersonics games!
BTW, Bring Back Our Sonics!
The one thing that really was awesome as a fan and someone just getting started, basically, in my career was all of the perks that the Sonics offered their fans. Because I was a season ticket holder, there were monthly programs with business leaders, talking about their projects, how they got started, where they got their ideas from and so on and so forth. Through this program, I met Howard Schultz, Magic Johnson, and Richard Tait.
There was also a Sonics rewards card that was open to all fans. Through that I got bobbleheads, T-shirts, and to meet Sonics legends through accumulating points by swiping my card at the games.
The technology can only have improved in the past 10 years. The Mets have a rich history, lots of business leaders are fans of the team, or, even if they aren’t fans of the team, would probably be willing to come out and speak to season ticket holders in a more informal setting, if only because it would help their ties with the team.
Plus, by allowing fans to have a rewards program for attending games, you create a system that rewards fans for their attendance and might be the impetus to get someone to go to a game as opposed to Scream 9.
3. Don’t kill everyone on the concessions and make the stadium dining experience unique. One of my dreams in high school was to become an architect that designed sports stadiums. (Obviously looking at the explosion of stadiums, I should have followed that dream, huh?)
But as I walked around Citi Field to see what has been improved and changed in the new season, I noticed that most of the concessions had their prices increased this season. Specifically, the beer had gone up $1.50 per beer, which is about 30%+. And, most of the local beers had been replaced, swapping out Blue Point for Jimmy Buffet’s beer, Landshark.
Which leads me to saying this, Shake Shack and Blue Smoke are awesome, but don’t let that be the only touch of New York City that we have at the ballpark. I can get an overpriced stadium hot dog and a nasty, flat Bud Light at any stadium. One of the appeals of Citi Field was the food and beverage options, don’t lose that and don’t jack the prices up 30% when the tickets have been reduced or you might piss off your fans that are still coming to the games and lose out on the concession dollars that are going to be even more important this season.
This are just three quick thoughts on the stadium experience at Citi Field and quick ideas about how to maybe capture a little bit of the fan awareness this season.