Chris Heck - President of Business Operations

[UK Redsox]

Blimey, if the club are alienating supporters like Risso, what kind of people are they trying to attract ?

Were you offered the chance to downgrade your hospitality to something more GA+ ?

[Brazilian Villain]

Well our hospitality package has been hit with a 110% price increase, so we won't be renewing it, and neither will all the people we've got to know around us.

That is a ridiculous increase on what I assume was a pretty expensive package already. Pricing the middle-class fans out of the game seems a daft approach to adopt.

[Chris Harte]

I know its a very well trodden path but the fans Heck is going all out to attract at the inconvenience of everyone else, are the ones most likely to bail at the first sign on returning to being shit and least likely to play a part in creating the sort of atmosphere that makes the PL so saleable around the world. And so pays all the bills. 

It seems to me that Heck thinks he is putting in the infrastructure to see to it that we're never shit again.

It just seems so short-term, though. No apparent plan to make provision for an expanded family area (something a new NS would have allowed) to get more younger fans in to the habit.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Nice bit of PR, that article. Only 1 line of it is devoted to the shifting of 900 season ticket holders from their seats. Fixtures out next week and nearly 1000 loyal fans don’t know where they’ll be sitting. Never mind though,  Heck’s meeting his targets and getting himself some good press.

[Nev]

Blimey, if the club are alienating supporters like Risso, what kind of people are they trying to attract ?

Were you offered the chance to downgrade your hospitality to something more GA+ ?

People with more money. It's all relative, I don't spend enough with a standard ST and it moves up the chain. Heck is there to increase revenue, keeping fans happy is really not a priority and their reasoning will always be the same, if you want success you need to pay for it.

Fans will walk away, from the Holte to hospitality, and in years to come, when that success melts away we will suddenly be vital to the Club again.

[cdward]

It makes sense, to be able to compete with "the big 6", Heck has estimated we need to generate £400m revenue per year, so an increase on current levels of £200m per year
Unai is doing his bit by getting us in the CL and top 4, Heck is doing his bit, in year 1 revenue increased by £50m, so on target so far.
Unfortunately the prawn sandwich brigade comes with all this.
It's a double edged sword, we want sustainable success right at the top of the game, but don't want the corporate BS that goes with it.
It's all about compromise, if we're winning trophies can we put up with the rest.
As a non season ticket holder, it's easier to say yes, but i do feel season ticket holders will be hardest hit in all of this.

[PeterWithe]

Perhaps the important bit we are missing is what timeframe Heck has been given for getting to his bonus figure of £400m turnover, if its in the next two years, then perhaps that sheds a little more light on why NS is cancelled.

[algy]

Perhaps the important bit we are missing is what timeframe Heck has been given for getting to his bonus figure of £400m turnover, if its in the next two years, then perhaps that sheds a little more light on why NS is cancelled.

Yeah, I think in this case you can kind of see why the short term approach has been taken.

If our aim is to install ourselves as Champions League regulars, then we need the cash now so that we don't end up being forced in to selling one of our better players each season - which would make us an upmarket version of Brighton.  Get up to whatever figure it is that we don't need to do that (£400m by the sound of things).  Once we're there - that's when we start thinking longer term.

[Dogtanian]

Yep, at the moment, missing out on europe for a season would really set us back. But Spurs and Man U and Chelsea and the like can eat that up and still spend.

That's where we are aiming to be

[Flamingo Lane]

Have I understood this correctly, that the Lower North section closest to the away fans is now being reserved exclusively for fans taking up the new Cells hospitality? The idea seems so ridiculous I'm thinking it can't be so, but on the GA+ season tickets part of the website it's what it looks like.

[Dante Lavelli]

In round numbers we need to find an extra £150m. Which revenue streams will he be targeting?

£150m divided by 40,000 seats = £3750/season or about £200 per game. That’s never going to happen so wonder where the rest will be generated.

[Risso]

In round numbers we need to find an extra £150m. Which revenue streams will he be targeting?

£150m divided by 40,000 seats = £3750/season or about £200 per game. That’s never going to happen so wonder where the rest will be logically be generated.

It's not all coming from tickets though, obviously we've got Champions League income this year, and hopefully for future years.

[Dogtanian]

In round numbers we need to find an extra £150m. Which revenue streams will he be targeting?

£150m divided by 40,000 seats = £3750/season or about £200 per game. That’s never going to happen so wonder where the rest will be logically be generated.

The plan isn't to get it all from matchday revenue. Taking his figures, we're about £270m now, and on-course to add £50m to that next season. So that's about £320m, leaving £80m shy of the target and two seasons to achieve it.

You have the new venue coming in 2026, so they'll be looking to exploit that. We will also need a new main sponsor that year, so the expectation will be that our profile will command a considerably larger fee there.

They're talking about making us a global brand, which means raising the profile and our success to build the fanbase abroad, which then means more shirt sales and things like Villa TV increase.

[London Villan]

I'm more positive about this summer's transfers based on that interview. There is no-way they are going to want to derail what Emery is doing, so I expect a lot of incomings once June 30th passes and we move on a couple of players to free up some FFP/PSR headroom.

[Ads]

I think we'll sell a lot more gear under Adidas. Not £80m worth, but even snobs like me will pick up a jacket and shirt.