mike1944 Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Would speedway gain in the long run with reduced admission prices. We keep seeing admission prices rising with people having less money to spare. If admission prices were considerably reduced would they attract more people, once in the stadium they would then buy a programme, drink, hot dog, etc. Tracks are nowhere near filled to capacity, so would say reducing to admission something like £8, overall generate more money through increased attendances. Speedway is run whether there are 500 of 5000 supporters and many who do not go now would be maybe willing to pay say £8 rather than £14. Anyone got any views on this? There are often venues and places open to the public, not only speedway, where I look at the admission price and say, no way, too expensive, I cannot afford that. This is OK for the venue if by charging high prices they can run at crowd capacity level but if people are reluctant to pay these high prices and do not turn up, it then it soon becomes a loss making event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foamfence Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Would speedway gain in the long run with reduced admission prices. We keep seeing admission prices rising with people having less money to spare. If admission prices were considerably reduced would they attract more people, once in the stadium they would then buy a programme, drink, hot dog, etc. Tracks are nowhere near filled to capacity, so would say reducing to admission something like £8, overall generate more money through increased attendances. Speedway is run whether there are 500 of 5000 supporters and many who do not go now would be maybe willing to pay say £8 rather than £14. Anyone got any views on this? There are often venues and places open to the public, not only speedway, where I look at the admission price and say, no way, too expensive, I cannot afford that. This is OK for the venue if by charging high prices they can run at crowd capacity level but if people are reluctant to pay these high prices and do not turn up, it then it soon becomes a loss making event. To be honest, I think it would make very little difference. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 (edited) I've always said, it doesn't matter how cheap something is, if you don't enjoy it. I know that it can be expensive these days, but people will be more inclined to go if they are being entertained. Improving the product is more important than reducing the admission. Steve Edited April 8, 2013 by chunky 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmas Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Problem is a lot of promoters don't get the drink and hot dog money mate. There income cones through the gate so it's a tricky one. I come back to the UK 2times a year and try to watch a bit but to be honest it's not great value for money no more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhoundp Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Its not solely about reduced admission, maybe promoters could have graded entrance costs, ie £16 versus Poole, and £12 versus BV, for Me £10 for PL and £12 for EL is the going rate for the current product, but also the product needs to be improved, and ALL kids under 15, should be free, they are Speedways future, and as someone else has said, usually only the gate money goes to the Speedway, apart from maybe The Car Parking charges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob tatum Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Sorry but league speedway is too expensive ,especially a family with kids. Had to make a financial decision last wkd speedway at somerset or bristol rovers ,under 16s at rovers got in for a £1. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch958 Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 cinemas in the late 70s used price cuts as a way of getting people back theres been a boom ever since and most films are rubbish however price cuts can only work if the costs to promoters are lessened there are ways of doing that of course but the will doesnt seem to be there it all needs leadership and thats the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelcroucher Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 It not so much the price to expensive if you live so close but for some fans / people travel 120+ miles to see a speedway match and that might be there nearest track. Last night i wanted to go to swindon to see they race. I think the match would of been great for the price but its not just the price i have to think about. It getting there ie fuel then car parking fee, programme and may be a hot drink. I live just over 140 mile round trip and to do this would cost me nearly £40 - £50 for the night. The thing is Swindon is the 2nd or 3rd EL track near me so its not so much the price getting in but the travel and everything else that goes with it. If reading was still racing and i know that might be plans for them to come back then i would attend there more as this is not far for me and would pay the full amount week in week out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_t Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Reducing admission didn't seem to work at Swindon last night.Being on telly didn't help either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveLyric2 Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Reducing admission didn't seem to work at Swindon last night.Being on telly didn't help either. Promotions need a planned approach to 'promote' their special offers on a regular basis - not just announce a '£5 off' admission a few days before the meeting on speedway websites! To be factual, Swindon only did that because the crowd was so low the previous week! Patch was probably very worried he wouldn't have enough to pay Peterborough/Glasgow!! I don't agree with 'staggered' pricing, as what appears a less attractive fixture on paper often turns out the opposite, but a different 'special offer' every week, promoted to non-regulars/schools/colleges/clubs etc etc would help. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonB Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 The problem for promoters with this is that cutting prices in half means that you would need to double your attendance to make the same amount of income. And that just wouldn't happen. Is it overpriced as compared to the alternative forms of entertainment? I pay £20 on average to watch Leeds United at Elland Road, £15 to watch as many films as possible every month and £10 to £15 to watch university theatre in Cambridge or £17 to watch Elite League Speedway. Apart from when I go to Peterborough (which is about 200 yards away) the cost of running the car is generally more that the cost of the entrance ticket. To me the issue is costs primarily the riders wages, so you have to do something to bring these down if ever you are going to bring admission prices down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 The problem for promoters with this is that cutting prices in half means that you would need to double your attendance to make the same amount of income. And that just wouldn't happen. Is it overpriced as compared to the alternative forms of entertainment? I pay £20 on average to watch Leeds United at Elland Road, £15 to watch as many films as possible every month and £10 to £15 to watch university theatre in Cambridge or £17 to watch Elite League Speedway. Apart from when I go to Peterborough (which is about 200 yards away) the cost of running the car is generally more that the cost of the entrance ticket. To me the issue is costs primarily the riders wages, so you have to do something to bring these down if ever you are going to bring admission prices down. .................... and there's the rub. The Riders aren't going to take too kindly to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Smith Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 (edited) .................... and there's the rub. The Riders aren't going to take too kindly to that. To make a living riders can't afford to do that. The problem is, every promoters excuse is riders wages. To be quite frank, that is absolute garbage and lazy promoting to make comments like that. The sport can improve & become cheaper but it has to be done by the BSPA. The first job is to get rid of GoSpeed. Employ somebody to go out there and market British Speedway as a whole, not individual teams. Get out there & ask, ask again, ask again, ask again, ask again, ask again, ask again, ask again, ask again & ask again. Somebody will sponsor speedway. The Redbull Elite League The EasyJet Premier League Energy drinks & Aviation is the main route I'd start with. 1000's of flights taken per season by riders, these guys could easily create good business for these airlines. The point is the BSPA overall are responsible for saving speedway and not individual clubs & riders cutting there wages. Get a major sponsorship and people will come. It's how things work these days. Today people are sucked in & follow brands even if the product is garbage. Just blind the public with razzle dazzle and they'll want a bit of it. Edited April 9, 2013 by screamer 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 To make a living riders can't afford to do that. The problem is, every promoters excuse is riders wages. To be quite frank, that is absolute garbage and lazy promoting to make comments like that. The sport can improve & become cheaper but it has to be done by the BSPA. The first job is to get rid of GoSpeed. Employ somebody to go out there and market British Speedway as a whole, not individual teams. Get out there & ask, ask again, ask again, ask again, ask again, ask again, ask again, ask again, ask again & ask again. Somebody will sponsor speedway. The Redbull Elite League The EasyJet Premier League Energy drinks & Aviation is the main route I'd start with. 1000's of flights taken per season by riders, these guys could easily create good business for these airlines. The point is the BSPA overall are responsible for saving speedway and not individual clubs & riders cutting there wages. Get a major sponsorship and people will come. It's how things work these days. Today people are sucked in & follow brands even if the product is garbage. Just blind the public with razzle dazzle and they'll want a bit of it. you are 100% correct.... look at the crowds at the darts comps... great hype and promotion from barry hearn has taken the sport to a new level, simply the sport hasnt changed but the way it is sold has... speedway truly is the ultimate extreme sport, with many participants 18 - 25, therefore it should be followed manically by the 'monster/red bull' generation yet the stadiums are still 'full' of 40+ somethings. with hardly a teenager in sight... not down to the sport that, simply to its marketing... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch958 Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 you're right about darts but its one competition in one city - then on to the next - its not in the same place weekly marketing properly is probably the only way if price reduction is not realistic i've said it before but give people free tickets in return for their contact details and market to them - short term cost but long term benefit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymondbudd Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Not sure about the way forward, however there is no doubt that this is a very tricky climate for promoters. The entrance fee cost is ultimately a calculation driven by the costs of running a meeting. I'd say that anything over £15 entrance and it all becomes very expensive for your average person (taking into consideration fuel, programme etc). How that translates onto the balance sheet, I don't know? However there may be some merit in suggesting that some people (promoters) must be making something out of it. I mean, there are many promoters (Machin, CVS, Ford, Louis, Morton, Pairman etc) whom are in the game year in, year out. If promotions are losing so much money, why are these people still there? Any sensible business head would run a mile at the very whiff of such losses. I'm in no way suggesting every promoter is making a killing. I was a Scunthorpe last year and I head RG on the mic thanking the public for attending. It was very clear that he really meant it, and I doubt the club are massively in the black. As far as GoSpeed are concerned, on professional grounds alone they have demonstrated that they are incompetent (the old website) and are not in the same league as other organisations (BSI/IMG). Questions should certainly be asked of the merit of keeping this organisation on board promoting British Speedway. On a personal level, its far to say I'm an ABC1 male and could probably afford to provide significant sponsorship or even buy a club. Will I pay £15 a week to see Sheffield, no, because its just not value for money. Will I ever invest in anything associated with the BSPA, not a chance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 You may be right about getting rid of GoSpeed - but - they probably have Speedway Promoters over a barrel with Legal Contracts etc. It may not be so easy to do......................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 you're right about darts but its one competition in one city - then on to the next - its not in the same place weekly That only applies to the Premier League, which is still a relatively short season. marketing properly is probably the only way if price reduction is not realistic Absolutely. i've said it before but give people free tickets in return for their contact details and market to them - short term cost but long term benefit That will still only work if the product is attractive and entertaining. Those of us who have spent a lifetime supporting the sport do so partly because of our love for it, and the desire to see speedway thrive. However, that doesn't apply to new or potential supporters. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebee Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 It's not just about money it's also about product. Speedway still suffers from first out of the gate wins view from outsiders. And to be honest, if Brandon last Friday is anything to go by, it might not be from the gate but first out of turn two lap one usually wins. The other three laps could be dispensed with - unless you have Kasperjack (sic) in your side and decided that the run to the lan on lap four wasn't woth bothering with! Efforts to improve the racing would not be wasted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted April 9, 2013 Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 you're right about darts but its one competition in one city - then on to the next - its not in the same place weekly marketing properly is probably the only way if price reduction is not realistic i've said it before but give people free tickets in return for their contact details and market to them - short term cost but long term benefit speedway has just launched its 2013 season with the usual 'bumper' easter crowds... yet I bet hardly any track had any plan to carry out market research as to who these people are that come 'once a year' and why they then drift away.. as you say, there should be names, addresses, emails taken and then followed up with special offers to get these people back into the 'habit' of attending speedway, even football does 'next four matches' tickets at discount so why doesnt speedway? cannot believe that the amount of season tickets sold makes a huge difference given the low number so why not do quarter season/half season tickets? those in the 'bumper crowd' are by definition of being there 'speedway fans' so the market you need is there... it just needs to be attracted back more regularly using a proper marketing plan .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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