Chris Heck - President of Business Operations

[AV84]

I suppose the point I was making is not the monetary gain from the Everton game, more if all these 30k on the waiting list are desperate for tickets why didn’t they come to that game.
And secondly if the priority is squeezing more money out of those that come, even if it means less attend matches (like on Saturday) and continuing to corporatising the Holte, the smaller attendance and dire atmosphere at the Everton game will be a more frequent occurrence. Im not sure how attractive that would be to elite players or the elite manager we have, and without either the whole thing starts to unravel and we’ll see how many lower grounds tickets they sell then on a Wednesday night against Stoke.

I mean, I don't want it to seem like I'm defending the Everton thing, but I'm sure a lot of season ticket holders didn't show up either, so it would be interesting to know what the demographic of the 23,000 actually was.

But generally yeah, I agree, it wasn't a great look, and it'll be interesting to see how they approach the FA Cup in the new year, if necessary.

[astonvilla82]

One flaw here…where were the fabled 30k for the Everton game??

If you want to look at the future of the current strategy then look at the direness of that shambles. Maybe the 23k or whatever it was brought in as much cash as 40k on a lower price, although ChrisW has pointed out one flaw in less catering stuff being purchased.

However, if the future for Emery and the players is playing in front of 2/3rds full stadium with a silent holte end, then I’d suggest those extra thousands soon become largely irrelevant.

Purely on ticket sales the Everton game probably did make as much as it would have selling more for less £.

I'd assume they plan the catering based on expected attendance, and maybe staffing too. So maybe they're not selling as much, but they're probably saving in other ways there too.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't like the pricing for the Everton game, but again, from a business POV, the league cup isn't exactly a money maker.

I suppose the point I was making is not the monetary gain from the Everton game, more if all these 30k on the waiting list are desperate for tickets why didn’t they come to that game.
And secondly if the priority is squeezing more money out of those that come, even if it means less attend matches (like on Saturday) and continuing to corporatising the Holte, the smaller attendance and dire atmosphere at the Everton game will be a more frequent occurrence. Im not sure how attractive that would be to elite players or the elite manager we have, and without either the whole thing starts to unravel and we’ll see how many lower grounds tickets they sell then on a Wednesday night against Stoke.

I was away for the Everton game, but would have went if here, after that performance I asked myself if they put that team out for the FA cup would I pay money to watch it, especially after Stevenage last season and I would have to say no

[tomd2103]

I agree about that, but not sure if the Lower Grounds and Terrace View are going to make that huge a financial  impact are they?

I'm not sure how many tickets are available for each option, but let's say there's 500 sold for TV at the full £140, that's £70,000.
Say those seats are normal seats again and they sell 500 at £50 each, that's £25,000.
Even allowing for there being empty seats, they're probably still making a lot more money than they were.

This is what's listed as left for the upcoming games. Makes sense that the league games sell more given the ko times probably allow for more socialising before and after.

273 - Mostar
99 - West Ham
82 - Luton
593 - Alkmaar
550 - Legia

Assuming they're actually selling them and not giving them away to try and get a bit of publicity, then I'd say it's working for them, and it is going to bring in a lot of money.

That's fair enough, but on the face of it, they don't seem the kind of figures that will bridge that commercial.gap with other clubs.  I guess the question would be whether those figures are worth the impact it is going to have on the relationship with the fan base.

As I said earlier the thread, I have been one of the people on here saying for a number of years that the club is way behind commercially and needs to.perform better in that area.  Maybe all of this is just inevitable to achieve that and it us something that has to be accepted, even if it isn't liked.

[AV84]

^ well I don't think anyone is thinking a few match day experiences is going to make us billionaires, but presumably it's one step in a bigger plan. I was looking it up earlier and after TV rights, most club's main income is from matchday revenue.

If it brings in a few million extra a season, and allows us to meet a big player's wage demands, or offer a couple of million more to secure a transfer, then that's the start of moving things forward on the pitch too.

Or maybe they'll take the profits from TV and LG and reinvest it into facilities for the average punter to eek some more cash out of them. 

[tomd2103]

^ well I don't think anyone is thinking a few match day experiences is going to make us billionaires, but presumably it's one step in a bigger plan. I was looking it up earlier and after TV rights, most club's main income is from matchday revenue.

If it brings in a few million extra a season, and allows us to meet a big player's wage demands, or offer a couple of million more to secure a transfer, then that's the start of moving things forward on the pitch too.

Or maybe they'll take the profits from TV and LG and reinvest it into facilities for the average punter to eek some more cash out of them.

True.  The increase in capacity should also help on that front.

[Dante Lavelli]

And that's the crux of the matter - long-standing supporters getting elbowed out in favour of big-spending new fans. 

Are they new fans, or just existing fans that are being offered a new price-point/product that didn’t exist before?

[AV84]

And that's the crux of the matter - long-standing supporters getting elbowed out in favour of big-spending new fans. 

Are they new fans, or just existing fans that are being offered a new price-point/product that didn’t exist before?

Not conclusive evidence, obviously, but I was reading a piece in the Brum Mail about the first day the TV was open, the day the women's WC final was on, whoever we were playing that day.... and they talked to a few people who had used it and asked them the same questions. Mixed reviews, mostly positive, but a few of them were existing season ticket holders who opted for the add on, which one guy said worked out at £25 extra a game. A couple of them had bought, I think, the TV season ticket option.

[Des Little]

Here’s a glimpse of the future, from Old Trafford this evening…

https://x.com/justinmoorhouse/status/1709302086498689496?s=61

Looks like they’re selling executive seating in the Stretford End as well.

[Dante Lavelli]

A clumsy way of doing it, but isn’t the terrace view/LG basically a big experiment/sample/market research to test what will be successful when the north stand and the warehouse are finished?  The current offerings feel like temporary ‘improvements’.  Or am I giving them too much credit that there is strategy in place.

[AV84]

Here’s a glimpse of the future, from Old Trafford this evening…

https://x.com/justinmoorhouse/status/1709302086498689496?s=61

Looks like they’re selling executive seating in the Stretford End as well.

What are we looking at here? I don't understand the relevance? Genuine question.

[Dante Lavelli]

Here’s a glimpse of the future, from Old Trafford this evening…

https://x.com/justinmoorhouse/status/1709302086498689496?s=61

Looks like they’re selling executive seating in the Stretford End as well.

What are we looking at here? I don't understand the relevance? Genuine question.

Me neither.

[ChicagoLion]

Here’s a glimpse of the future, from Old Trafford this evening…

https://x.com/justinmoorhouse/status/1709302086498689496?s=61

Looks like they’re selling executive seating in the Stretford End as well.

Coming to a ground near you soon.

[Exeter 77]

Here’s a glimpse of the future, from Old Trafford this evening…

https://x.com/justinmoorhouse/status/1709302086498689496?s=61

Looks like they’re selling executive seating in the Stretford End as well.

What are we looking at here? I don't understand the relevance? Genuine question.

Me neither.

I think the suggestion is this is the thicker end of the wedge which started with Terrace View on the Holte.

[Brazilian Villain]

What are we looking at here? I don't understand the relevance? Genuine question.

Tickets in the Stratford End sold as hospitality. Gala fans bought them, then cheered when they scored and the Yanited fans didn't take kindly to it.

[AV84]

What are we looking at here? I don't understand the relevance? Genuine question.

Tickets in the Stratford End sold as hospitality. Gala fans bought them, then cheered when they scored and the Yanited fans didn't take kindly to it.

Ah, OK, I see.

Is there no requirement for booking history or fan ID to buy the TV or LG tickets then?