Prem League Entrance Fee

[bigeddiechek]

Refusing good sponsorship deals?

In terms of the tipping point with regard to entrance fee, certainly lowering to £10 had no effect on numbers at Berwick, it's not unreasonable to assume that similar increase would make no different to attendance either, but help out the finances.

[Shadders]

Attracting and more importantly keeping a good sponsor is always going to be a problem at Berwick

[erimus11]

Refusing good sponsorship deals?

 

In terms of the tipping point with regard to entrance fee, certainly lowering to £10 had no effect on numbers at Berwick, it's not unreasonable to assume that similar increase would make no different to attendance either, but help out the finances.

 

"Refusing" is probably the wrong word but the point I'm trying to make is that the promoters make it extremely difficult for anybody to help them.

I agree, lowering prices is a no-go, unless it's on special occasions or selected matches. What you're basically saying is that the sport isn't attracting additional supporters therefore it falls upon existing fans to keep speedway alive. Sadly I would have to agree with you.

[StevePark]

Refusing good sponsorship deals?

 

In terms of the tipping point with regard to entrance fee, certainly lowering to £10 had no effect on numbers at Berwick, it's not unreasonable to assume that similar increase would make no different to attendance either, but help out the finances.

 

 

Those who can't afford £20 will stop going, so how would that "make no difference"?

 

We should be trying to attract new fans, not getting rid of the current ones.

[bigeddiechek]

"Refusing" is probably the wrong word but the point I'm trying to make is that the promoters make it extremely difficult for anybody to help them.

I agree, lowering prices is a no-go, unless it's on special occasions or selected matches. What you're basically saying is that the sport isn't attracting additional supporters therefore it falls upon existing fans to keep speedway alive. Sadly I would have to agree with you.

 

Yes, it is basically what I am saying.

It's a very sad fact, and it is not of the fans' making either.

[Tardis]

OK you are in bussiness, yes thats what speedway is, and your product is not selling what do you do put the price up or improve the product.

Option 1 put the price up well if you cant sell it at the present level how does this help because if there is a problem with the productputting the price up will tip the balance the wrong way

Option 2, improve the product so people buying your product will recomend it to others and maybe they will try it and buy it.

 

 

Its a sad state of affairs but in all sport now you need some form of sponsorship to survive, lets face it if it wasn't for sponsorship and the TV money football would be dead, because I think its safe to say that without a sponsor coming on board it could well be the end of the Bandits

[bigeddiechek]

There is also a very well tried and tested business strategy whereby making something expensive increases the customers' perceived value of the product.

Business is far from being about low prices, or quality of product.

 

If we (the fans) rely on the club getting a major sponsor, then that is high-risk.

 

This is the point I keep coming back to. I'd happily pay a wee bit extra each week to help the stability of the sport.

[DSC67]

 

That's what we have at the moment.

It will either boost the sport's finances, or kill it off more quickly.

 

Either way, better than the slow painful death at the moment?

 

£20 isn't a lot of money for a night of entertainment.

If folk really don't think it is worth that, then I truly can't understand why they go. They cannot value the sport that much.

 

Before anyone jumps on me, let me be clear that I do not think a price hike should include concessions.

You may not think that £20 is a lot of money but I certainly do, add to your £20 the cost of fuel for those of us who don't live within walking distance of the stadium and starts to add up to an expensive night, money is tight as it is for some folks and push the price up by that much may just tip them over the edge and they may well decide to stay at home .

[bigeddiechek]

If doesn't tip people over the edge, it could make a massive difference to the club.

We have to keep our minds open to all options, in my opinion.

 

I'm not saying you're wrong, just that there could be a flipside.

[scaramanga]

There is also a very well tried and tested business strategy whereby making something expensive increases the customers' perceived value of the product.

Business is far from being about low prices, or quality of product.

 

If we (the fans) rely on the club getting a major sponsor, then that is high-risk.

 

This is the point I keep coming back to. I'd happily pay a wee bit extra each week to help the stability of the sport.

most people i know just cant afford £100 a month for liesure activitys and the current cost of speedway for me is very close to my limits im allready noticing the extra cash and the season has only been over a month

not everyone has a well paid job that gives them plenty of spare cash

im not on a good wage but i am on more than minimum wage(so higher paid than a lot of people now a days) im single but have my son living with me who is at collage with no income at all and believe me its not easy paying the bills and having enough to pay for speedway aswell

[Fromafar]

Refusing good sponsorship deals?

In terms of the tipping point with regard to entrance fee, certainly lowering to £10 had no effect on numbers at Berwick, it's not unreasonable to assume that similar increase would make no different to attendance either, but help out the finances.

 

You really have to come out of your virtual world .

[Tardis]

There is also a very well tried and tested business strategy whereby making something expensive increases the customers' perceived value of the product.

Business is far from being about low prices, or quality of product.

 

If we (the fans) rely on the club getting a major sponsor, then that is high-risk.

 

This is the point I keep coming back to. I'd happily pay a wee bit extra each week to help the stability of the sport.

I take it by this statement you are not in business yourself if you think that it has nothing to do with the quality of the product. look at Ranters he said his stuff was c**p and the next thing the company went bust.

You say you would be happy to pay a WEE BIT more so would others but a wee bit is not a 40% increase get a grip and start living in the real world

[Shadders]

Is there any news on a sponsor for next year? Can the club afford to run without one?

[YAMYAMBANDIT]

I take it by this statement you are not in business yourself if you think that it has nothing to do with the quality of the product. look at Ranters he said his stuff was c**p and the next thing the company went bust.

You say you would be happy to pay a WEE BIT more so would others but a wee bit is not a 40% increase get a grip and start living in the real world

Strangely Gerald Ratner is still in business, sadly what he said was about a decanter and 4 glasses, the question if I remember correctly was ''How can you produce this for £4.99'', his reply ''If you pay crap prices you get crap. It was The Daily Herald in those days (The Sun today), tore him apart.

Big Eddie is correct premium products command a premium price, they are aiming their products at a very niche market, and in general a very wealthy group ( a minority). I aim what I sell at the lower end of the market, the ordinary working man & women, in Berwicks case the vast majority are on low pay, so I have to get my product range and price range right. Berwick and the immediate Borders 60 % of it's population is over 50, so I have learnt by making some mistakes I must admit, that you cater for the majority not the minority.. Big Eddie has lots of theoretical ideas, but in reality few would work in the real world. One valuable lesson I learnt, is, look at what the big boys are doing and scale it down to suit my business, they spend millions in getting their product right.

Speedway in Berwicks case needs to cater for the majority in this area, most of which have low quality low paid jobs, a family coming to Berwick using his criteria, would cost them about £70, thats a big chunk out of an incone in this area, and they would very quickly cut their cloth to suit.

Speedway in Berwick is cetainly not a premium product, I enjoy in general what I get, but it can be borderline sometimes, I think at £14 the price is about right, so they only now need to improve the product, to attract more £14s

Edited November 17, 2014 by TOURETTES

[bigeddiechek]

Take Stella Artois for a perfect example of a poor quality product (well packaged, nonetheless), marketed as price driven.
Huge success, officially one of the worst beers going according to many World beer experts.

 

I stuck my prices up considerably last year, won a contract 10 x my previous biggest, and 5 x my usual hourly rate.

It opened up a hugely different market.

 

My product has always been good, but I am able to make it excellent due to the extra resources at can utilise due to higher revenue.

That's the smart way to do business.

 

Year after year there is talk of improving the product.

I have yet to see anything radical enough to really attract new supporters.

 

Furthermore, attracting new supporters is a long-term strategy and takes a lot of hard work for small returns.

You do not suddenly change the product (which costs a lot of cash), and then magically get a massive increase in crowds.

It takes a lot of hard yards. Incidentally, I think this is something that Berwick does very well.

 

Now, we know drops in prices do not work.

We know sponsorship is getting harder.

Dropping rider costs, lowers the quality of the product, and that can only go so far as well.

 

So what do we do?

 

If we were to stick by higher pricing, there might be extra cash to the push the product forwards, and start building a larger - and very different - fan base.

I have seen pricing increases work time and time again in business. You don't see many bargain basement businesses around, and supermarkets are masters at being expensive, yet tricking the masses into thinking they are cheap.

 

Business is sophisticated, and all I am saying is speedway is running out of things to try.

 

Want another benefit to higher prices?

Do not apply it to season tickets. It makes them more attractive and drives up-front revenue which is also very valuable.

 

Lots of it makes sense as part of an overall strategy.

 

In one scenario, you could lose 40% of your attendance, yet still have the same revenue.

In the same scenario, you maintain crowd levels, you are looking at an increase of revenue of circa £20k over a season.

 

The reality could lie somewhere in between.

 

It is not as pie in the sky as some may think.

[YAMYAMBANDIT]

Take Stella Artois for a perfect example of a poor quality product (well packaged, nonetheless), marketed as price driven.

Huge success, officially one of the worst beers going according to many World beer experts.

 

I stuck my prices up considerably last year, won a contract 10 x my previous biggest, and 5 x my usual hourly rate.

It opened up a hugely different market.

 

My product has always been good, but I am able to make it excellent due to the extra resources at can utilise due to higher revenue.

 

That's the smart way to do business.

 

Year after year there is talk of improving the product.

I have yet to see anything radical enough to really attract new supporters.

 

Furthermore, attracting new supporters is a long-term strategy and takes a lot of hard work for small returns.

You do not suddenly change the product (which costs a lot of cash), and then magically get a massive increase in crowds.

It takes a lot of hard yards. Incidentally, I think this is something that Berwick does very well.

 

Now, we know drops in prices do not work.

We know sponsorship is getting harder.

Dropping rider costs, lowers the quality of the product, and that can only go so far as well.

 

So what do we do?

 

If we were to stick by higher pricing, there might be extra cash to the push the product forwards, and start building a larger - and very different - fan base.

I have seen pricing increases work time and time again in business. You don't see many bargain basement businesses around, and supermarkets are masters at being expensive, yet tricking the masses into thinking they are cheap.

 

Business is sophisticated, and all I am saying is speedway is running out of things to try.

 

Want another benefit to higher prices?

Do not apply it to season tickets. It makes them more attractive and drives up-front revenue which is also very valuable.

 

Lots of it makes sense as part of an overall strategy.

 

In one scenario, you could lose 40% of your attendance, yet still have the same revenue.

In the same scenario, you maintain crowd levels, you are looking at an increase of revenue of circa £20k over a season.

 

The reality could lie somewhere in between.

 

It is not as pie in the sky as some may think.

Oh Yes It Is (pie in the sky)

In a more afluent society, perhaps, Berwick & The Borders are not by any stretch of the imagination an afluent society. There are people who are afluent but are in the very low percentages, and are they the type of people who go to speedway (unlikely), which traditionally has a lower working class following.

You make a good arguament on paper, but this is the real world. If you have found a niche market that you can over charge for, good luck. However in general the more popular something becomes the cheaper it becomes. To buy an Aston Martin is aspirational, but they aim the product at the top 1% of the population, and are very successful at it, can you however translate that to speedway which is aimed at the ordinary working man & women. Employed Tradesmen in the Berwick area are only on about £10 an hour, North Northumberland has the highest percentage of 'Self Employed People' in th UK, but is in the lowest bottom 10 areas for pay, this trend reflects accross the Eastern Borders.

I have tried many asprational brands in my shop, none of which worked, it has taken 20 years to learn to cater for what you have, and not what you would like. It is now doing better than ever, remember I am still trading, Northern Goldsmiths and H.Samuels have gone, and it is quite flattering when I get some opposition, they have tried to emulate what I do.

[bigeddiechek]

I'm not saying you haven't got your positioning right for you business, Taffy.

Based on what you mention above about the demographic, and I don't disagree with that for a second, why do you think dropping the price to £10 did not boost numbers?

 

Incidentally, I haven't found a niche market, far from it.

I just found that increased pricing took me to a different market.

 

Crucially it is a market with available spend.

Lower pricing had me in sectors that didn't have cash to spend, and were being increasing squeezed.

 

Once I had the increased revenue, I was able to further improve the services, make a higher margin, improve the end product, and secure an ongoing contract.

 

I know it is counter-intuitive, and it takes a hell of a lot of balls to do, but it invariable works.

 

I will give one example where it didn't. Travel Inn went 1p too far and it was a disaster for them.

[YAMYAMBANDIT]

I'm not saying you haven't got your positioning right for you business, Taffy.

Based on what you mention above about the demographic, and I don't disagree with that for a second, why do you think dropping the price to £10 did not boost numbers?

 

Incidentally, I haven't found a niche market, far from it.

I just found that increased pricing took me to a different market.

 

Crucially it is a market with available spend.

Lower pricing had me in sectors that didn't have cash to spend, and were being increasing squeezed.

 

Once I had the increased revenue, I was able to further improve the services, make a higher margin, improve the end product, and secure an ongoing contract.

 

I know it is counter-intuitive, and it takes a hell of a lot of balls to do, but it invariable works.

 

I will give one example where it didn't. Travel Inn went 1p too far and it was a disaster for them.

Scott, for this area I think the inbetween price of £14 is about right, perhaps an increase to £15. We both agree dropping the price to £10 did not work, as in general it is that 500+ that turn up week in week out, increasing it £20 in an area like this could be the straw that broke the camels back, ( as in your Travel Inn scenario). The conclusion for me is the product in general has lost favour with the paying public, the fans are predominantly in that older group, so what do you have to do to get the younger fans back to speedway. I don't have the answer, but speedway in general needs to change, Promoters have just had a jolly in Warwickshire, they have changed very little, just tweeked what they were doing wrong in the first place. I suppose as long as the Dinosaurs are still in charge, we will have to stay in 'The Ice Age'.

Edited November 17, 2014 by TOURETTES

[Fromafar]

Take Stella Artois for a perfect example of a poor quality product (well packaged, nonetheless), marketed as price driven.

Huge success, officially one of the worst beers going according to many World beer experts.

 

I stuck my prices up considerably last year, won a contract 10 x my previous biggest, and 5 x my usual hourly rate.

It opened up a hugely different market.

 

My product has always been good, but I am able to make it excellent due to the extra resources at can utilise due to higher revenue.

That's the smart way to do business.

 

Year after year there is talk of improving the product.

I have yet to see anything radical enough to really attract new supporters.

 

Furthermore, attracting new supporters is a long-term strategy and takes a lot of hard work for small returns.

You do not suddenly change the product (which costs a lot of cash), and then magically get a massive increase in crowds.

It takes a lot of hard yards. Incidentally, I think this is something that Berwick does very well.

 

Now, we know drops in prices do not work.

We know sponsorship is getting harder.

Dropping rider costs, lowers the quality of the product, and that can only go so far as well.

 

So what do we do?

 

If we were to stick by higher pricing, there might be extra cash to the push the product forwards, and start building a larger - and very different - fan base.

I have seen pricing increases work time and time again in business. You don't see many bargain basement businesses around, and supermarkets are masters at being expensive, yet tricking the masses into thinking they are cheap.

 

Business is sophisticated, and all I am saying is speedway is running out of things to try.

 

Want another benefit to higher prices?

Do not apply it to season tickets. It makes them more attractive and drives up-front revenue which is also very valuable.

 

Lots of it makes sense as part of an overall strategy.

 

In one scenario, you could lose 40% of your attendance, yet still have the same revenue.

In the same scenario, you maintain crowd levels, you are looking at an increase of revenue of circa £20k over a season.

 

The reality could lie somewhere in between.

 

It is not as pie in the sky as some may think.

The trouble with your 'pie in the sky theory' is you are not in the real world regarding running speedway as a business .Perhaps with you business doing so well you could shove all your profits in being Main Sponsors for the Bandits after all you think there is money to be made by hiking up the prices.This time next year we all be millionaires(dell boy)!!!!

[YAMYAMBANDIT]

The trouble with your 'pie in the sky theory' is you are not in the real world regarding running speedway as a business .Perhaps with you business doing so well you could shove all your profits in being Main Sponsors for the Bandits after all you think there is money to be made by hiking up the prices.This time next year we all be millionaires(dell boy)!!!!

I have worked out so many times what I would spend my lottery win on, in the mean time I spend what I have earned this week.