Ways to save our Bills

[Mitchy moo]

All this talk of the Bills moving eventually got me thinking of economic ideas to help generate new capital and keep the Bills in WNY. Here are some of my proposed idea's & please add you own as well:

1.) Double ticket prices at RWS for season tickets - However painful this may seem, alot of people spent a fortune for Sabres season tickets this past year. It cost alot more to go to 41 NHL games in total than 8 NFL games, I'll assure you. Then add in NHL playoff games of at least 2 at home and maybe 3 or 4 and now you have a bundle. You have some pretty good size expenses like parking at 41 games and all the other fun stuff.

By doubling the prices from the current level, anything above half the stadium now is more profitable than filling it the whole way. People will still come and even though they won't like paying extra for the tickets, building a great football team that actually WINS will still fill all the seats.

2.) Sell the naming rights to the stadium and collect a annual fee for it. Toyota has $40 Billion in the bank and their name on some poles, put it on the wall.

3.) Fire the whole current marketing department and hire a new staff that knows how to talk to all the businesses. Start naming the boxes that the businesses buy and placing the company logo's above all the boxes to advertise their name and explain that this will get national coverage on a weekly basis. Use the field goal area's as a premium TV view and lower bowl area's as a ring of advertising for all the teams sponsors as well. All the fans attending will get to see all of them supporting the team as well as the people on TV. We share common ground and businesses with many teams that come to town, target them and call them for the money.

4.) Find a new catchy team fight song instead of "making me shout". This gets our players and the fans pumped and they'll be happier to be there. No whammie weenies or anything weird like that, advertising items only that make sense and have been paid for by sponsors at a profit. Items that are junk get tossed, items that are useful get used.

5.) Build parking garages 4 stories high that actually attach to the stadium and offer some shelter from the elements and convienent entry to it. Call it premium parking and charge extra to pay for the garages so after 5 years they are paid for in full and generating a substantial revenue for the team. Full season ticket holders get a guaranteed spot at a discounted rate and can stake out their turf. Offer outlets and free electricity for people to bring heaters or fans depending on the time of year.

6.) Use part of the parking area to build a large multi-story facility commercial / restaurants for specialized dining and catering events that allow people to come eat well before hand and after to bring in a better atmosphere of class. It will give people after the game a place to hang their hat and help alleviate the traffic that people hate so much after the game by entertaining them and give them somewhere to go. Gameticket gets you your first 2 drinks free and the place will be packed from head to toe.

7.) Erie county needs to add a tax on every home of $100 to be used for stadium upkeep and for a general fund for the Bills to be in town.

[YardRat]

1)Although a ticket price increase is probably warranted, doubling them would empty the stadium...You might as well bring in the moving vans in the middle of the night and move everything north.

2)The naming rights should be sold, but in a judicious manner...you don't want to get snagged in a long-term deal from a local company for peanuts when a bigger deal may be only a couple of years down the road. Unless it's for surprisingly killer money (which is unlikely at this point) the revenue from naming rights is just a drop in the bucket anyway and won't generate enough $ for the signing bonus for a second tier FA.

3)Unlikely, considering they are all VP's at the moment as a result of the recent re-structuring. Quantity over quality may help a little, but there isn't a whole lot of advertising money in WNY right now just lying around looking for somewhere to be spent.

4)Fight songs and gimmicks aren't going to have any long-term fiscal affect.

5)Not a bad idea, but it takes up-front money and you risk not only the tail-gating atmosphere but furthering the gap betwen the haves and the have-nots. Buffalo doesn't have enogh 'have's' to necessarily pull it off.

6)Another empty mall-plaza...Just what Buffalo needs.

7)Seriously? An area that is already being crushed by high taxes should raise them even more? I don't think so.

Putting the horse back in front of the cart...local economic leaders have to work together to lower the tax burden, increase industry and increase the number of decent paying jobs. Get more businesses in the area, more jobs, more people with more disposable income and the rest can fall in line after that.

[Jan Reimers]

Thanks, YR, you saved me a long response, in which I would have made the same general points.

I would add only that ticket prices should be raised gradually - no more than 10% per year - over a five year period. I also think the Bills' marketing people have done an excellent job of regionalizing this franchise, bringing in corporate sponsors, and selling premium seats and luxury boxes in a very tough market.

[don137]

Your only realistic method is to sell the naming rights.

Doubling season ticket proces will raise an uproar and not good econimics. They won't sell out most of the games which means they will not be on TV locally. Not a bright idea.

Parking garages is not a good idea either. The fans like partying outside in the elements. Can not get the grill going, throw the football in a parking deck. In Carolina the parking decks are never filled and are the cheapest method of parking becasue you can not tailgate. If people are cold they can go to the fieldhouse.
The marketing department is doing a great job in maximizing regional revenue.
A new fight song will help save the Bills. Do not see a correlation. People don't spend money because they like a fight song.
Why would they build restaurants to be used less than 10 times a year? People can buy box suites if they want to eat in warm conditions.
Please don't go into the marketing field Skooby. You will bankrupt some company or yourself.

[dannyek71]

Thanks, YR, you saved me a long response, in which I would have made the same general points.

I would add only that ticket prices should be raised gradually - no more than 10% per year - over a five year period. I also think the Bills' marketing people have done an excellent job of regionalizing this franchise, bringing in corporate sponsors, and selling premium seats and luxury boxes in a very tough market.

For anyone who has ever been to a game there, Id find it hard to believe that many of them could afford $80-100 for each game + parking.

Whats wrong with the shout song? I love singing that after a Marshawn TD!

Tailgating is what helps to make the game fun! This isnt Miami. People here enjoy the cold and getting fires going.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

To save the team, you must first save the city.

That will only happen by overthrowing state government.

Barring that... it's off to T-O.

[User Manuel]

http://www.impawards.com/1995/posters/canadian_bacon.jpg

Easy, Nuke Toronto!!

[Meathead]

the key is and always will be the luxury suites

other teams routinely get 5/10/20 up to 50k just for a seat license in those boxes. theres absolutely no way the team can stay here long term without selling out those boxes at a reasonably high corporate rate and bflo simply doesnt have the wealthy corporations to do that

thats why the toronto thing is so important because playing a game or two or eventually more will give the bills leverage to get them to pony up for suites at both places. just like with tickets where they make you buy preseason games they will eventually be able to demand the same for suites

if that fails its bye bye bills for good

[Meathead]

"Professional football is not just a sport, it’s a business. As reported, the Bills think that games played in Toronto can translate into more corporate support from Canadian businesses buying highend seats at the Ralph. That could be important to saving the franchise."

http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/editorials/story/269624.html

:rockout:

[gr8slayer]

Here's a bold idea, win a championship, gain some national support.

[Mitchy moo]

Please don't go into the marketing field Skooby. You will bankrupt some company or yourself.

Tom G. (Sabres) was a neighbor down here recently, I'll be Ok in marketing. These are just very general ideas I thought of off the top of my head, not all that well thought out but all debateable none the less.

The new fight song was to help marketing and create spirit in the team, indirect way of raising awareness and getting the mesage out. The Bills make we want to shout has new meanings from the time it was created.

[Mitchy moo]

Here's a bold idea, win a championship, gain some national support.

That was my point as well, winning will bring them in at any price. NE became even more successful and sold things out after winning, Kraft had a marketing mind. RW has a mind that's long past it's prime, henceforth the limited capability to understand how to market the team.

Please spare me the great marketing team BS, we have banks all over the place in Buffalo that can sponsor the stadium and get kiosks placed all over the place for new clients and call it a write off. They have roots everywhere and make money everywhere, so it's a matter of making the right calls.

[ddaryl]

Here's a bold idea, win a championship, gain some national support.

that is not going to change the fiscal reality of Buffalo. it is not going to put 20K - 100K a year or more into families pockets.

This comment is a joke if it is supposed to solve Buffalo's financial situation. Championships don't do squat for a town that has more people leaving then coming.

Jobs is what is needed. Lots of them at respectable wages with pensions/401K's and benefits.

[gr8slayer]

that is not going to change the fiscal reality of Buffalo. it is not going to put 20K - 100K a year or more into families pockets.

This comment is a joke if it is supposed to solve Buffalo's financial situation. Championships don't do squat for a town that has more people leaving then coming.

Jobs is what is needed. Lots of them at respectable wages with pensions/401K's and benefits.
What part of my comment had anything to do with poor people and their financial situation?

It's pretty ****ing common sense that winning a SB in the next couple of years will make it a little harder for the NFL to justify letting the Bills go.

[ddaryl]

That was my point as well, winning will bring them in at any price. NE became even more successful and sold things out after winning, Kraft had a marketing mind. RW has a mind that's long past it's prime, henceforth the limited capability to understand how to market the team.

.

Yuo can sell $100 tickets to an area that simply must make hard choices on where they will spend there money.

We are already selling out 8 games a year. Sure winning a championship might allow us a 25% increase over a few years but by that time the big markets will be charging $200+ per ticket and we'll still be behind.

Jobs, and tax cuts are the only way Buffalo has a big enough turn around to make the Bills fiscally successful

[ddaryl]

What part of my comment had anything to do with poor people and their financial situation?

It's pretty ****ing common sense that winning a SB in the next couple of years will make it a little harder for the NFL to justify letting the Bills go.

BS

if the team is struggling finacially the NFL will gladly take the team to a bigger market regardless if it won a championship or 2.

Cash is king, championship or no, it won't make even the slightest difference unless local fans pony up much more coin.

[gr8slayer]

BS

if the team is struggling finacially the NFL will gladly take the team to a bigger market regardless if it won a championship or 2.

Cash is king, championship or no, it won't make even the slightest difference unless local fans pony up much more coin.
Yet more common sense, winning will make those same cheap ass fans open up their pockets more. Why the **** would anyone want to pony up anything more for an owner who isn't serious about winning, he has no credibility.

[Meathead]

if a team needs to win a championship to survive they are in big trouble

i will concur that just getting some playoff seasons going will help but even that wouldnt draw in the high end corporate support they need. its unreasonable to expect a team to win the championship on demand in order to survive. even if they did they would need to win several championships to even sniff at the kind of money teams get elsewhere for their suites

in todays climate any nfl team should be able to count on fans buying tickets and corporations ponying up the big bucks for the product almost regardless of record. its a sad fact for bflo that there are cities just waiting to throw huge money around - even for a team that won four games a year for a decade

yall better get behind the toronto connection cuz its the last gasp for this team to stay here. its the only way they are going to get what they need from those luxury boxes

[helmetguy]

NYS could do what "Fast Eddie" Rendell did for PA. The Pens were as good as gone if Rendell didn't float 'em the money for a nre arena. BTW, my tax dollars pay for the new "Igloo" Heinz Field, PNC Park and those castles in Philly. Personally, I wouldn't lose a night's sleep if Pittsburgh got consumed in the so-called "confluence."

[HHURRICANE]

I didn't read Skoobys whole thread.

I stopped at doubling ticket prices. I would say that raising prices to a level that is in the middle of the league makes sense.