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Are the Bulls a hot enough ticket to fill Key Bank Center?


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57 minutes ago, BullsFan14 said:

Nope. Students start the 28th

I think the bar was set last week when we drew large crowds without the students.  This is the 16th ranked team in the nation, we should now expect a sellout every home game.  A Friday night game should draw the community in and once the students get back AA should be loud af!

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Just for comparisons sake, Bonna moves a home game to Rochester every year. This past weekend they played Fordham and it drew 4.9k fan at the BCA.  (Capacity at the BCA is 13,000). I would expect UB to be relatively the same at the Key Bank Centre. Maybe a few thousand more but nowhere near the 19k it would take to fill the Key Bank Centre. I think they're better off just staying at Alumni and packing the house.

 

https://gobonnies.sbu.edu/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190112sucoc4

 

 

 

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58 minutes ago, DooleyBull06 said:

I think the bar was set last week when we drew large crowds without the students.  This is the 16th ranked team in the nation, we should now expect a sellout every home game.  A Friday night game should draw the community in and once the students get back AA should be loud af!

There's only 1 bad thing about this.  UB sold extra General Admission tickets for the past few games while the students were out.  When the students come back, we're likely to be turning away the general public because of saving room for the students.  It would be nice if we had the room for everyone, but i fear that won't be the case.  It's a good problem to have, but once you turn people away, you may not get them back.   Get your tickets early.  This is a fun ride to be on.

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Spring semesters were pushed back so that they don't start on MLK week. It gives 15 full weeks with no days off during the week (unlike fall semester). 

Sucks that it kills the student atmosphere for basketball. They can start the chants. People look at me weird in my season ticket section when I try to start one.. 

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4 hours ago, RochBull said:

Just for comparisons sake, Bonna moves a home game to Rochester every year. This past weekend they played Fordham and it drew 4.9k fan at the BCA.  (Capacity at the BCA is 13,000). I would expect UB to be relatively the same at the Key Bank Centre. Maybe a few thousand more but nowhere near the 19k it would take to fill the Key Bank Centre. I think they're better off just staying at Alumni and packing the house.

 

https://gobonnies.sbu.edu/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190112sucoc4

 

 

 

Couple things. One, Bona isn't ranked. We are. Two, I don't know why Bona plays in Rochester. Maybe it's a recruiting thing? But They have no connection to the city. Buffalo wears the city's name on their jersey. (Oh how we fought over that!)

I'm not saying move every game to KBC. But how about all the games during school breaks, plus a few marquee opponents?

Watching the crowd on TV my guess is most of the non-student fans look like older alums who are getting their school spirit rekindled. And that's great. But we also need area kids to get invested. They are your future fans.

Mom and dad can't afford $300+ to take the family to a Sabres game, but they can do a UB game for under $80.

Also, we need to get Bulls swag into the Wegman's stores and Walmarts.

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24 minutes ago, promotherobot said:

Couple things. One, Bona isn't ranked. We are. Two, I don't know why Bona plays in Rochester. Maybe it's a recruiting thing? But They have no connection to the city. Buffalo wears the city's name on their jersey. (Oh how we fought over that!)

I'm not saying move every game to KBC. But how about all the games during school breaks, plus a few marquee opponents?

Watching the crowd on TV my guess is most of the non-student fans look like older alums who are getting their school spirit rekindled. And that's great. But we also need area kids to get invested. They are your future fans.

Mom and dad can't afford $300+ to take the family to a Sabres game, but they can do a UB game for under $80.

Also, we need to get Bulls swag into the Wegman's stores and Walmarts.

All the games during break and some marquee non break games this year would have been like more then half the schedule  

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6 hours ago, ChubbyHubby said:

There's only 1 bad thing about this.  UB sold extra General Admission tickets for the past few games while the students were out.  When the students come back, we're likely to be turning away the general public because of saving room for the students.  It would be nice if we had the room for everyone, but i fear that won't be the case.  It's a good problem to have, but once you turn people away, you may not get them back.   Get your tickets early.  This is a fun ride to be on.

Any idea what they would cap it at?  I imagine that it will come down to where to physically put people, since we fit 7200 when Obama came to town and there were no complaints from the fire marshall (it was super stuffy/hot though).

 

2 hours ago, promotherobot said:

Also, we need to get Bulls swag into the Wegman's stores and Walmarts.

I am beyond amazed at how little of this is out there.  Wegmans only put UB stuff out front at the Alberta Dr store after we won the game vs Arizona.  Was at Cracker Barrel last week - bunch of Cuse stuff.  Same at Dick's, though I did see a few UB things there last trip I made.  Though I don't give them credit since I saw some Miami Redhawks shirts too.  What the hell.....

Continuing my bitchfest.  If we have capacity crowds, we need to move the DJ over to where it isn't taking up a ton of space (or just 86 it, nothing personal, just not a fan of DJs at live sporting events 99% of the time).  Something needs to be done about purchased seats that aren't used either.  Seems like a ton of 100's level seats are empty, despite 6100+ tickets being sold last game.

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DC7 made me change my mind about needing a 10k arena...I do worry about students being shut out..BUT that is good for business. A lot of the mystique about the Cameron Crazies is that it is impossible to see games, don't even try to get to the UNC game. If you're in the arena, you better go nuts cause you can't take it forgranted..

So lets keep our games intimate and keep the value high. UB games become a privilege. If we could get our games off ESPN+ and on in all the local bars that would help.

Anyone who can't get in, put the game up at the student union and start having watch parties.

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3 hours ago, rma said:

I am beyond amazed at how little of this is out there.  Wegmans only put UB stuff out front at the Alberta Dr store after we won the game vs Arizona.  Was at Cracker Barrel last week - bunch of Cuse stuff.  Same at Dick's, though I did see a few UB things there last trip I made.  Though I don't give them credit since I saw some Miami Redhawks shirts too.  What the hell.....

Continuing my bitchfest.  If we have capacity crowds, we need to move the DJ over to where it isn't taking up a ton of space (or just 86 it, nothing personal, just not a fan of DJs at live sporting events 99% of the time).  Something needs to be done about purchased seats that aren't used either.  Seems like a ton of 100's level seats are empty, despite 6100+ tickets being sold last game.

Somebody (ADMA?) got caught flatfooted here, although the Bulls were expected to be good this year. How hard would it be to crank out some T's in a hurry? The athletic Department needs to be looking to maximize revenue every way possible. Does anyone know what the concession situation is at Alumni these days? Do they have satellite stands set up so the 6K in attendance can get grub? Hate to admit it I've only been in town for one UB game and that was at Koessler High School Gymnasium.

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5 minutes ago, promotherobot said:

Somebody (ADMA?) got caught flatfooted here, although the Bulls were expected to be good this year. How hard would it be to crank out some T's in a hurry? The athletic Department needs to be looking to maximize revenue every way possible. Does anyone know what the concession situation is at Alumni these days? Do they have satellite stands set up so the 6K in attendance can get grub? Hate to admit it I've only been in town for one UB game and that was at Koessler High School Gymnasium.

They do.  Though I can say I've had AA concessions maybe once or twice ever, it isn't too bad of a wait.  The beer line needs to be more efficient.

I think the apparel problem is one that has stretched over many administrations.  Seems like we don't have the licensing deals to get our stuff on shelves.  We can't just send Nate to Wegmans with a bunch of tee shirts.

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4 hours ago, promotherobot said:

Somebody (ADMA?) got caught flatfooted here, although the Bulls were expected to be good this year. How hard would it be to crank out some T's in a hurry? The athletic Department needs to be looking to maximize revenue every way possible. Does anyone know what the concession situation is at Alumni these days? Do they have satellite stands set up so the 6K in attendance can get grub? Hate to admit it I've only been in town for one UB game and that was at Koessler High School Gymnasium.

In my experience, whoever is in charge of concessions will do their own estimate of concessions needed based on expected sales...I think they usually budget conservatively margins are small, labor costs high...so better to send a few fans home thirsty or hungry than to over-order and have to eat thousands in unused food.

So you'd really have to blame I assume A) Campus Dining and Shops and B) Fans for not buying 6,100 season tickets for a team that beat freaking Arizona and brought everyone back.

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5 hours ago, bull_trojan said:

In my experience, whoever is in charge of concessions will do their own estimate of concessions needed based on expected sales...I think they usually budget conservatively margins are small, labor costs high...so better to send a few fans home thirsty or hungry than to over-order and have to eat thousands in unused food.

So you'd really have to blame I assume A) Campus Dining and Shops and B) Fans for not buying 6,100 season tickets for a team that beat freaking Arizona and brought everyone back.

Concessions margins aren't as tight as you think.

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Woah a lot to digest here:

17 hours ago, promotherobot said:

Watching the crowd on TV my guess is most of the non-student fans look like older alums who are getting their school spirit rekindled. And that's great. But we also need area kids to get invested. They are your future fans.

 

Tons of kids have been going to the games. A baby sits behind me in my seasons and they always have kids play basketball at halftime. If anything, MORE kids have been coming out this season. I am not disagreeing with your statement about older alums, we are getting those too. As we can tell with a 6,177 crowd without students. 

17 hours ago, promotherobot said:

Also, we need to get Bulls swag into the Wegman's stores and Walmarts.

They do. It might not be right in the front but they sell them. Usually in the sections close to the registers after your purchase. It has been there since 2010 (when I moved to Buffalo). How do I know? I bought a shirt there. They do need to get it out more but it goes back to RMA point about licensing 

14 hours ago, rma said:

just not a fan of DJs at live sporting events 99% of the time

I agree with you here until last game. If they have a guy who is a little better at hyping a crowd, I can see it as a huge success. That is how you get the public into it. I noticed they tried it last game against Miami. They had the DJ come out to the main floor and try to hype people up. But I swear all he kept on saying was "Let's Get It". This is where you get a Let's Go Buffalo going. (Go to a Bandits game where they do an amazing job with a DJ getting you into the game. "Whats he got???")

12 hours ago, bull_trojan said:

So lets keep our games intimate and keep the value high. UB games become a privilege. If we could get our games off ESPN+ and on in all the local bars that would help.

 

THIS! This is what we should be striving for within the next 2 or 3 years. Once we reach this, then we can go to Keybank (who knows it might have a different name by then). No person will say, "I couldn't go to a UB game, therefore I will never go." If anything, it makes them want to go to a game more. 

 

Go Bulls

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Two or three years ago UB played Canisius at KBC or whatever it was called for a few years running in some doubleheaders. If I remember correctly, UB season ticket holders had to fork over $20, which may be due to the fact that it was considered a Griff home game (I can’t remember). Twenty bucks isn’t outlandish by any means, but it is roughly double what the price of a season ticket at AA is per game (Don’t know what a ticket costs for non season ticket holder). The GA slots at AA may be good for youths, but I wouldn’t sit there. A friend of mine and his wife and family sat there for the Miami game - they weren’t exactly thrilled.

If, in the future, the Bulls decide to hold some games at KBC, the tickets, parking, food and beverages are going to cost more. If they can attract a minimum of 12,000 fans, go for it. Otherwise, I don’t like the idea.

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Campus dining and shops runs concessions. Based on the contract, Athletics has limited input to what they do and how they do. Athletics gets a set percentage of the revenue, which under the current contract is a shockingly low percentage.  Right now concessions are not a major a revenue stream for the department, but that could change w a new agreement in future.  Beer sales should give them better leverage on getting a higher percentage 

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5 hours ago, promotherobot said:

Concessions margins aren't as tight as you think.

Well Jacobs doesn't seem to be hurting for money so I'm sure you're right.

I have never really dove into it, but I always think about how concessions are a very big touchpoint for fans, yet most orgs at the NCAA and pro level outsource it to companies that offer generic, boring, and often bad food. I think the Delaware Norths and Aramarks and Sodexo's have recently gotten better at being less generic and more regional in their offerings...

Campus Dining and Shops was nothing special when I was a student, which is a shame, cause I'd walk from the Union to NSC outside in February to get to Berts, but I wouldn't leave my seat to eat anything at Alumni...granted my last game was 12 years ago, so it may have gotten better since then...

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52 minutes ago, bull_trojan said:

Well Jacobs doesn't seem to be hurting for money so I'm sure you're right.

I have never really dove into it, but I always think about how concessions are a very big touchpoint for fans, yet most orgs at the NCAA and pro level outsource it to companies that offer generic, boring, and often bad food. I think the Delaware Norths and Aramarks and Sodexo's have recently gotten better at being less generic and more regional in their offerings...

Campus Dining and Shops was nothing special when I was a student, which is a shame, cause I'd walk from the Union to NSC outside in February to get to Berts, but I wouldn't leave my seat to eat anything at Alumni...granted my last game was 12 years ago, so it may have gotten better since then...

Not really, at least at Alumni. At UB Stadium they have Red Osier beef on weck and Johnsonville brats which are good. But Alumni fare is your basic pretzel/nachos/hot dog menu. At least they are selling beer now.

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6 hours ago, squire17 said:

Two or three years ago UB played Canisius at KBC or whatever it was called for a few years running in some doubleheaders. If I remember correctly, UB season ticket holders had to fork over $20, which may be due to the fact that it was considered a Griff home game (I can’t remember). Twenty bucks isn’t outlandish by any means, but it is roughly double what the price of a season ticket at AA is per game (Don’t know what a ticket costs for non season ticket holder). The GA slots at AA may be good for youths, but I wouldn’t sit there. A friend of mine and his wife and family sat there for the Miami game - they weren’t exactly thrilled.

If, in the future, the Bulls decide to hold some games at KBC, the tickets, parking, food and beverages are going to cost more. If they can attract a minimum of 12,000 fans, go for it. Otherwise, I don’t like the idea.

The reason for that game was because the arena and the MAAC were hosting the NCAA tournament and every venue is required to do a dry run during the season where they host a college basketball game prior to the NCAA tournament.

The first year the MAAC and the Arena hosted an NCAA tournament game the dry run was Niagara vs Davidson and Canisius vs Buffalo.  The two MAAC schools used home games for the event with Niagara convincing Davidson to come in as part of a home/home agreement and Canisius just moving the already scheduled Buffalo game to the arena.  Attendance was reported at about 4.7k or about 2.5k per game.

The next year the MAAC again needed to host a game and decided to try to get Western New York fans to come out.  The MAAC convinced UB to move the Canisius home game downtown and the Niagara home game already schedule with St. Bona was moved to the arena.

According to the Buffalo News all four schools were given 3,000 tickets to sell for the event (which is probably how many would fill the lower bowl--trying to save money by not opening the upper level).  St. Bona was the only school to sell all of their tickets. Not sure what the actual attendance for the two games was since the UB box score says 7.1k but the Buffalo News says 5.8k.

 

 

Edited by dutchcountry7
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4 hours ago, bull_trojan said:

Well Jacobs doesn't seem to be hurting for money so I'm sure you're right.

I have never really dove into it, but I always think about how concessions are a very big touchpoint for fans, yet most orgs at the NCAA and pro level outsource it to companies that offer generic, boring, and often bad food. I think the Delaware Norths and Aramarks and Sodexo's have recently gotten better at being less generic and more regional in their offerings...

Campus Dining and Shops was nothing special when I was a student, which is a shame, cause I'd walk from the Union to NSC outside in February to get to Berts, but I wouldn't leave my seat to eat anything at Alumni...granted my last game was 12 years ago, so it may have gotten better since then...

The funny thing is CDS has improved across the board except concession stands.  I was a freshman when Richmond dining hall closed (or when I stopped going there) and was one of the first people to go to the new Red Jacket dining hall (C3).  Night and day difference.  Putnam's has had at least 2 renovations since my freshman year (8 years ago), and it seems like the selection got better each time.  The food trucks actually have pretty good food, I would say somewhat comparable to a real food truck.

The stadium food has remained the same for at least 8 years.  I might have been a student the last time I had it - it's just so bad.  I'll walk to the Commons for something better.

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19 hours ago, dutchcountry7 said:

The reason for that game was because the arena and the MAAC were hosting the NCAA tournament and every venue is required to do a dry run during the season where they host a college basketball game prior to the NCAA tournament.

The first year the MAAC and the Arena hosted an NCAA tournament game the dry run was Niagara vs Davidson and Canisius vs Buffalo.  The two MAAC schools used home games for the event with Niagara convincing Davidson to come in as part of a home/home agreement and Canisius just moving the already scheduled Buffalo game to the arena.  Attendance was reported at about 4.7k or about 2.5k per game.

The next year the MAAC again needed to host a game and decided to try to get Western New York fans to come out.  The MAAC convinced UB to move the Canisius home game downtown and the Niagara home game already schedule with St. Bona was moved to the arena.

According to the Buffalo News all four schools were given 3,000 tickets to sell for the event (which is probably how many would fill the lower bowl--trying to save money by not opening the upper level).  St. Bona was the only school to sell all of their tickets. Not sure what the actual attendance for the two games was since the UB box score says 7.1k but the Buffalo News says 5.8k.

 

 

But how many fans bought tickets away from the school? For example, I wasn't even aware UB had an allotment of tickets and I went right to the arena and bought mine.

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