Rams new strategy of attracting season ticket buyers

Rams open up 2017 season ticket sales with new strategy after getting feedback from fans

Rams open up 2017 season ticket sales with new strategy after getting feedback from fans
By Vincent Bonsignore Orange County Register/SCNG PUBLISHED: June 26, 2017 at 10:00 am

At this point last year, the Rams had arrived back in Los Angeles to much pomp and circumstance, as well as open arms and checkbooks wide enough to gobble up more than 70,000 season tickets.

That isn’t the case this year.

The Rams opened season-ticket sales to the general public at 10 a.m. Monday — at TheRams.com/Tickets — but with a much different thought process.

The Rams fully expect to again be among the top-selling and attended teams in the NFL, but they’ve also come to the conclusion there is a point of diminished returns at a fully packed Coliseum. So don’t expect them to consistently make 80,000 or more tickets available to home games as they did last season.

If at all.

“The environment in the building was spectacular,” said Jake Bye, the Rams vice president of ticket sales. “But what we learned was that the tradeoff at times came in ways that sometimes compromised the fan experience. The ability to purchase concessions in a quick orderly manner. Or the challenge of parking around the building, which was strained by putting that many people in the building.

“Now that we have a year’s worth of research in that building and seeing how NFL fans behave and when they arrive and what gates they are going through and what items they are buying at concessions stands, we can really take all that information and be so much smarter in how we approach the building and delivering the best experience in year two compared to year one.”

The Rams enjoyed record-breaking crowds at the Coliseum that exceeded 90,000 for the season opener, topped more than 80,000 five times, and averaged 80,000 tickets distributed over their eight-game schedule.

One year later, the combination of a disappointing 4-12 season and the frank realities of the game-day experience at the 96-year-old Coliseum left customers and the Rams rethinking things moving into the 2017 season.

As expected, some fans opted not to renew their season-ticket packages, either dismayed by the product on the field or how the Coliseum strained to accommodate large crowds week after week.

That was plainly evidenced by overcrowded concession areas and lines that sometimes stretched more than 20 yards outside restrooms. On top of that, a dismal season ultimately cost Coach Jeff Fisher and his staff their jobs and meant sweeping personnel changes via free agency and the draft.

Upon analyzing their 2016 game-day fan experience — including the candid assessment they received from customers — the Rams have opted to cap ticket sales to individual games.

The objective, according to team officials, is to ensure a more comfortable experience for their paying customers each week. That means ticket availability more along the lines of the league average and the capacity of their future home in Inglewood — approximately 70,000 — rather than the 80,000 plus they routinely made available last year.

The Rams are leaving open the possibility of increasing ticket availability to select games in which more popular opponents are involved. But even in those cases, they say accommodating their fans’ comfort will trump the opportunity to fill the Coliseum.

“What we learned after last year is, operationally the building is at its best, and can deliver the best fan experience, when you are around that 70,000 number,” Bye said. “So if we’re evaluating what that sellout number will be in a building that massive, the driver of that decision is delivering the best possible fan experience that we can.”

The Rams have also made some changes to their ticket sales approach to reflect their fans’ desire for more flexibility.

They will now make available a season-ticket payment plan in which fans can pay half at the point of purchase and the remainder in July.

In addition, the Rams are setting aside blocks of tickets to individual games to accommodate fans wishing to attend games in large groups.

As far as the actual game-day experience, expect some subtle changes.

Fans will now be allowed to bring in seat cushions provided they have no metal, pockets or compartments. There will be an increased point-of-sale, particularly on the peristyle end of the Coliseum, by activating what was previously a private tailgate space and opening it to all fans. And in response to fans’ concession- and retail-purchasing habits, the Rams will put more emphasis on popular fan favorites by offering them at more locations throughout the Coliseum.

For their season-ticket customers, the Rams are providing:

-Exclusive trips and experiences, including to the NFL draft and Pro Bowl;
-Special access at training camp;
-Year-round discounts at their official store;
-Right of first refusal for seats to Rams home playoff games;
-Discounted prices versus the general public tickets;
-Priority access to purchase season tickets at the new L.A. Stadium at Hollywood Park, which is scheduled to open in 2020.

• This topic was modified 7 years, 6 months ago by JackPMiller.