It’s been widely publicized that the Vegas NHL hockey organization has sold more than 13,500 tickets to the beautiful Las Vegas Arena if/when a team is awarded. That leaves approximately 3,000-4,000 unsold.
There are currently four “sections” of the stadium in which season tickets are still available. Odds are those are not a large chunk of the remaining seats though.
So one has to wonder, where are the rest of them, and how they will be filled when the team is finally announced?
The reason I bring this up is because the mass of single game tickets will likely be scooped up (and quickly) by out-of-towners. I wonder where the league comes down on this, and what The Creator thinks of this.
Let’s start with the more important of the two, The Creator. Is he okay with allowing 2,000+ single game seats to be purchased by visiting fans? Is it worth the raised ticket price? Is there any concern that the home-ice advantage will disintegrate quickly?
They are all very interesting questions and in the end only time will tell the answers. Visiting fans will get their hands on tickets one way or the other, but the way tickets are handled will go a long way to show the mindset of the organization. If they are committed to W’s, they’ll do everything they can to get Vegas locals in the building, and forego the added $$$ they can take from raised prices and individual ticket fees. Or, they can go the other route, and honestly, sadly, we local fans will be the ones to catch the blame (though we would deserve some of it).
The other side of the coin is the NHL. Do they care if the stadium is 60/40 every game as long as the seats are sold? Do they care about the success of the Vegas franchise if there are butts in the seats night in and night out?
These answers are a little easier to figure out. The NHL wants it’s money, and they do not care if it’s Vegas locals or tourists buying up all the tickets. This is good news though for a potential Las Vegas franchise. Ticket sales may be a bit challenging as time goes for locals, but the out-of-towners will always be there. There’s a massive concern about “interest” in a team, but if the seats are all sold every night, does it really make a difference?
styth
I would think that a portion of those tickets would be sold to groups and mini plan buyers and you also have to remember that those deposits still need to be converted into actual buyers.
Ken Boehlke
Excellent point on the conversion rate of deposits. My hope is that it’s somewhere in the 90% range, but I know that may not be a reality.
Wonder how many people put down their deposit thinking we will never get a team and now basically just write if off as, at least I helped.
styth
This doesn’t look good…
http://www.sonicsrising.com/2015/11/2/9660000/nhl-expansion-quebec-vegas-seattle?_ga=1.86963864.1652506705.1413482511
Ken Boehlke
Not good at all. Probably worse for QC as they may lose out completely, but the wait looks like it will continue.