Charlotte 49ers Athletic Facilities Master Plan discussion

Lack of premium seating is a big revenue killer. The suites also enhance the aesthetics, it provide a more “big time program” feel when you look at the stadium/arena.

I think i saw that odu sells suites for like 25k per season. If millions are spent building them, it would take a long time to recoup that money. Im skeptical we ever would honestly. Not playing in cusa anyway.

I feel like Halton would need to be completely gutted if there were to be any substantial renovations such as luxury seating. The design does not seem feasible to be renovated while still being open.

It’s also very interesting that when buying tickets at Halton, that each section’s row are the same price. Row A and Row K are the same price…in my mind that’s a lost of revenue too. Could create a more premium seat within the same section without spending a dime. Create a tiered pricing structure depending upon what row. Just an example, but call the first 5 or so rows of the lower bowl, the “inner club” or something idk (and throw in some extra perks). Wouldn’t cost the school much to do and would increase revenue.

*Best example: row A vs row Z at a Hornets game…pricing is drastically different. Not all rows are created equal.

Been saying this since we opened the stadium, but we need to add temp suites like they have a golf tournaments and gauge the interest in how many suites need to be built. I am sure we could sell enough to make it worthwhile, especially on our 10000 degree September home games.

This is what they put in the LA Coliseum. We have huge concourses with great sight lines. Plenty of places to put these, and I’m sure they would at the very least pay for themselves. NC State did something similar when they were building their tower with suites in it.

EDIT --More suite info:
https://www.shelterstructuresamerica.com/the-2017-2018-season-at-the-los-angeles-memorial-coliseum/

Lower Level seating location is based on 49er Club giving (and who you are), so in theory the better seats equate to a higher giving level.

If you are a season ticket holder…but if you’re just going to packthemine49.com and buying single game tickets, every row is the same price.

The number one thing to remember when it comes to most athletic facility upgrades is that the money is typically not yet there. Once a plan is put together then the plans are shared with major donors to bring in the funds. The changes will be prioritized by what the donors want done and not necessarily the AD. That said I am sure that Hill is putting together plans to make us have something similar to SEC athletic facilities. I am not worried about what comes first or fourth, but the quality it is done with.

Hill has always said there’s only so much you can do about wins and losses, but you can control the gameday experience, make people want to come back for that despite losing.

Cameron Indoor Stadium doesn’t have suites, and Duke seems to do okay.

1 Like

Again, there is a reason most everyone has them.

It’s also a death trap, right @Jimmyhat49er?

1 Like

No offense, but your number has got to be way off. There are 350+ “DI” schools now. I’d wager less than 100 have luxury boxes at their basketball arenas. I’m not sure what luxury seating is in a basketball arena our size without a box. If it means lower level with vendor service to your seat, I’m down with that. If it means spending a lot of money, I’d guess 25% tops of the 350+ DI schools have luxury seating.

It’s only lost revenue if you can make money on it. We can’t give away tickets at Halton right now. I’m not sure how spending millions to build suites we can’t sell, and ones that sit empty even when we do makes us look big time.

We need to stop looking for flashy and shiny objects to catch out attention and work on fixing our problems. Suites don’t begin to do that.

I think having a plan in place with the facilities master plan that could include conversion to suites in say 10 years if we are up and winning and there is potential demand is reasonable, but anything beyond that is throwing money in the trash.

2 Likes

I would like to hear about an example of a peer program, what they offer, and what it would cost me to sit there. Conceptually, better seats always sounds good, but what does it actually take to get into them?

Cue someone claiming Xavier or Dayton comparison, pretending they are our peers in 3…2…1…

https://www.olddominionaf.com/giving/premium-seating-options/

1 Like
1 Like

Don’t forget capital donations.

We’re on their TV. We’re living rent free in their heads since J. Cruz assassinated their 2018 dreams!

2 Likes