Red Hawk
JUST WIN!
Cards box office buzzing
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 11, 2006 12:00 AM
The Cardinals ticket office has been a tranquil place for most of the team's 18 years in Arizona, the quiet usually interrupted only by the sound of the nearby elevator. The parking spots reserved out front for ticket buyers have sat vacant on most days.
That solitude has made the flurry of activity at the team's Tempe headquarters in the past two weeks even more startling. A security guard directs fans to parking spots, and the lobby is filled with customers eager to buy tickets for the 2006 season.
These are unusual times, to say the least, for a franchise that has finished last in the NFL attendance every season since 2000.
"We're pretty bullish on where this thing is going," said Ron Minegar, vice president of marketing and sales.
"This thing" is season ticket sales for the new stadium in Glendale, set to open for football in August. The Cardinals spent more than three years devising a plan to relocate their existing season ticket holders from Sun Devil Stadium, and two weeks into it, they couldn't be more pleased.
The results of the past two weeks have been so encouraging that team officials are trying to hold their enthusiasm in check. Minegar declined to reveal sales numbers, but he said the Cardinals' most optimistic projections are being exceeded.
The Cardinals haven't released season ticket totals in years, but it's believed they sold about 32,000 in 2005. Renewals are running higher than expected, Minegar said, as are the number of current ticket holders who want to buy additional seats. Also, the team's list of new customers, who have paid $100 deposits, is longer than the club forecasted.
"We're not going to get overly ahead of ourselves right now," Minegar said, "but suffice it to say we feel really good about where this is tracking."
The objective is to sell out the 63,400-seat stadium for the 2006 season, but selling out just one game would be an accomplishment. The NFL requires a sellout for a team's home games to be broadcast locally, and that hasn't happened for the Cardinals since Green Bay played here in 2000.
In developing the relocation plan, the Cardinals consulted other teams that moved into new stadiums in recent years, such as Denver, Pittsburgh and Seattle, and learned what worked and what didn't.
Priority was determined by seniority, how long a person had continuously held season tickets. Relocation packets were mailed and the team bought software that allows fans to visit the Cardinals Web site and check out the view from different seats.
Fans are scheduled for 20-minute sessions with sales representatives at the team's facility. Twelve stations operate 10 hours a day, Monday through Saturday, and the team added 26 salespeople to handle the load.
This is the one time the team's small fan base has worked in its favor. If it had 50,000 or 60,000 season ticket holders, as is common in the rest of the league, the Cardinals probably wouldn't be able to conduct business face to face.
The smaller number has given the process a personal touch. Owner Bill Bidwill has served fans coffee as they wait for appointments. Coach Dennis Green and members of his staff have stopped by to visit. In fact, one of the conference rooms used for the sessions is just around the corner from Green's office.
Most fans seem happy with the process, and most sessions have taken fewer than the 20 allotted minutes, because fans did their homework before arriving.
"I was amazed at how quick it was," Will Glover, a season ticket holder from Ahwatukee, said after his session last Thursday.
Not everyone leaves happy, however. The average ticket price has increased 19.1 percent over last year, irritating some fans. And as with any relocation plan, some people aren't pleased with their new seats or the selection process.
Take the guy who showed up on the second day of relocation. He bought four seats since 1988 and two more in 1994. He thought he could purchase all six seats at the same time, with the rest of the 1988 class of ticket holders.
When told he'd have to wait to select the other two, he loudly voiced his displeasure in the team lobby.
Minegar likened it to standing in a line for a movie and watching eight people join someone in front of you. The Cardinals didn't give in and the man had calmed down by the time he left. When he left, ticket holders in the lobby clapped.
"It would be disingenuous if I told you that everybody who came in here got exactly the seat they were looking for," Minegar said. "But I think at least 98 percent of the people have walked out of here happy."
Jeannette and Charlie Uriarte did, despite spending about $2,000 on two seats. They knew they wanted club seats, but they wanted to make sure they were near the tunnel the Cardinals would use to enter and exit the field.
Both grew up in Guadalupe and now live in Tempe. They've attended Cardinals games since the team moved here in 1988, and have had tickets in their names since 1994.
Jeannette has missed only one game in 18 years, including preseason contests, and that was because of a death in the family.
Charlie wore an Anquan Boldin jersey to the session Thursday, and Jeannette wore a Cardinals red jacket.
"This is our little getaway entertainment thing," she said. "We both enjoy football so it's something we share in common."
Family and friends tease them about spending so much money on a team that has had one winning season since moving to Arizona, but the Uriartes were smiling as they walked to the ticket window Thursday.
"We get blasted all the time," Jeannette said. "People say, 'I can't believe you spend your money on that.' We hear it from all our family members all the time. But we love football."
Cardinals officials are trying to contain their glee over how things have gone so far. They haven't even started their major promotional push and expect it will take through March to get through the new buyers who have already placed deposits.
A cynic would say no team official is ever going to admit if sales fall below expectations. And it behooves the team to create a buzz and convince people that if they want a seat, they had better starting lining up now.
Minegar can point to a busy parking lot and a full lobby as evidence that this excitement is real.
"I can just tell you the activity level and the trends we're seeing now are markedly different than any other year I've been here," he said.
"The interesting thing is the stuff we're seeing hasn't been a one-week occurrence. The activity level we've seen has been sustained, and that's encouraging."
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 11, 2006 12:00 AM
The Cardinals ticket office has been a tranquil place for most of the team's 18 years in Arizona, the quiet usually interrupted only by the sound of the nearby elevator. The parking spots reserved out front for ticket buyers have sat vacant on most days.
That solitude has made the flurry of activity at the team's Tempe headquarters in the past two weeks even more startling. A security guard directs fans to parking spots, and the lobby is filled with customers eager to buy tickets for the 2006 season.
These are unusual times, to say the least, for a franchise that has finished last in the NFL attendance every season since 2000.
"We're pretty bullish on where this thing is going," said Ron Minegar, vice president of marketing and sales.
"This thing" is season ticket sales for the new stadium in Glendale, set to open for football in August. The Cardinals spent more than three years devising a plan to relocate their existing season ticket holders from Sun Devil Stadium, and two weeks into it, they couldn't be more pleased.
The results of the past two weeks have been so encouraging that team officials are trying to hold their enthusiasm in check. Minegar declined to reveal sales numbers, but he said the Cardinals' most optimistic projections are being exceeded.
The Cardinals haven't released season ticket totals in years, but it's believed they sold about 32,000 in 2005. Renewals are running higher than expected, Minegar said, as are the number of current ticket holders who want to buy additional seats. Also, the team's list of new customers, who have paid $100 deposits, is longer than the club forecasted.
"We're not going to get overly ahead of ourselves right now," Minegar said, "but suffice it to say we feel really good about where this is tracking."
The objective is to sell out the 63,400-seat stadium for the 2006 season, but selling out just one game would be an accomplishment. The NFL requires a sellout for a team's home games to be broadcast locally, and that hasn't happened for the Cardinals since Green Bay played here in 2000.
In developing the relocation plan, the Cardinals consulted other teams that moved into new stadiums in recent years, such as Denver, Pittsburgh and Seattle, and learned what worked and what didn't.
Priority was determined by seniority, how long a person had continuously held season tickets. Relocation packets were mailed and the team bought software that allows fans to visit the Cardinals Web site and check out the view from different seats.
Fans are scheduled for 20-minute sessions with sales representatives at the team's facility. Twelve stations operate 10 hours a day, Monday through Saturday, and the team added 26 salespeople to handle the load.
This is the one time the team's small fan base has worked in its favor. If it had 50,000 or 60,000 season ticket holders, as is common in the rest of the league, the Cardinals probably wouldn't be able to conduct business face to face.
The smaller number has given the process a personal touch. Owner Bill Bidwill has served fans coffee as they wait for appointments. Coach Dennis Green and members of his staff have stopped by to visit. In fact, one of the conference rooms used for the sessions is just around the corner from Green's office.
Most fans seem happy with the process, and most sessions have taken fewer than the 20 allotted minutes, because fans did their homework before arriving.
"I was amazed at how quick it was," Will Glover, a season ticket holder from Ahwatukee, said after his session last Thursday.
Not everyone leaves happy, however. The average ticket price has increased 19.1 percent over last year, irritating some fans. And as with any relocation plan, some people aren't pleased with their new seats or the selection process.
Take the guy who showed up on the second day of relocation. He bought four seats since 1988 and two more in 1994. He thought he could purchase all six seats at the same time, with the rest of the 1988 class of ticket holders.
When told he'd have to wait to select the other two, he loudly voiced his displeasure in the team lobby.
Minegar likened it to standing in a line for a movie and watching eight people join someone in front of you. The Cardinals didn't give in and the man had calmed down by the time he left. When he left, ticket holders in the lobby clapped.
"It would be disingenuous if I told you that everybody who came in here got exactly the seat they were looking for," Minegar said. "But I think at least 98 percent of the people have walked out of here happy."
Jeannette and Charlie Uriarte did, despite spending about $2,000 on two seats. They knew they wanted club seats, but they wanted to make sure they were near the tunnel the Cardinals would use to enter and exit the field.
Both grew up in Guadalupe and now live in Tempe. They've attended Cardinals games since the team moved here in 1988, and have had tickets in their names since 1994.
Jeannette has missed only one game in 18 years, including preseason contests, and that was because of a death in the family.
Charlie wore an Anquan Boldin jersey to the session Thursday, and Jeannette wore a Cardinals red jacket.
"This is our little getaway entertainment thing," she said. "We both enjoy football so it's something we share in common."
Family and friends tease them about spending so much money on a team that has had one winning season since moving to Arizona, but the Uriartes were smiling as they walked to the ticket window Thursday.
"We get blasted all the time," Jeannette said. "People say, 'I can't believe you spend your money on that.' We hear it from all our family members all the time. But we love football."
Cardinals officials are trying to contain their glee over how things have gone so far. They haven't even started their major promotional push and expect it will take through March to get through the new buyers who have already placed deposits.
A cynic would say no team official is ever going to admit if sales fall below expectations. And it behooves the team to create a buzz and convince people that if they want a seat, they had better starting lining up now.
Minegar can point to a busy parking lot and a full lobby as evidence that this excitement is real.
"I can just tell you the activity level and the trends we're seeing now are markedly different than any other year I've been here," he said.
"The interesting thing is the stuff we're seeing hasn't been a one-week occurrence. The activity level we've seen has been sustained, and that's encouraging."
