how much should we pay for events?

[friendly skater]

How much should we pay to go see a skating show like Stars on ice and Champions on Ice. What are you ready to pay?
$20, $30, $40, $50 ?

[flippet]

I hate to pay more than $20, but then, I'm poor. Much more than that, and I can't go at all. :( Unfortunately though, these tours cost exorbitant amounts of money just to run--I can't imagine what it costs to ship the skaters and all the equipment around the country, not to mention what it costs to light and heat an arena, plus you have to pay wages for everyone working at the arena (although I guess concessions would help there ;)), wages for the truck drivers, lighting guys, etc., not to mention the skaters. $20 probably just doesn't cut it anymore in this economy. :(

[Bailey]

Perfect price for me would be about $40 for decent seats to SOI. What bothers me is that SOI blocks the lower bowl from blue line to blue line and to get any decent seats (this year, lower than row 20 along the sides of the ice) you need to pay $60. The past few years, I've gone with family and friends from work who enjoy skating but are not 'skating fans' like me. I always feel reluctant to tell them how much the tickets are because that's a lot of money for the casual skating fan to pay for a show. Given, it's less than many of the concerts but there are very few performers that I will pay to see (at the prices they charge for tickets).

I think it depends on what your target audience is - are you looking to attract families or young adults. If I had children, I would love to take my daughter to see the show but I wouldn't be able to attend Stars on Ice and pay $120.00 + tax for two seats. There is such competition out there for entertainment dollars (including competition between the many skating tours and shows that have developed over the past 10 years), to be competitive, the price needs to be good to attract people other than the die-hard skating fans. Especially when the sport is going through a 'slump' like we are experiencing now (just look at the attendance for nationals and the Grand Prix Final). I would think you would want to lower the cost of tickets to encourage people to come back to the sport. Like other professional sport, I worry that these events are pricing themselves out of reach for the fans - the reason why they exist in the first place. At some point, it's simply too much!!

For nationals, I have no problem paying $150-200 for lower bowl, all-event tickets. Personally, for a week-long event, I think that's a steal-of-a-deal.

[iceskaterdawn]

Originally posted by Bailey
For nationals, I have no problem paying $150-200 for lower bowl, all-event tickets. Personally, for a week-long event, I think that's a steal-of-a-deal.

But lower bowl for US Nationals is $600 to $700 dollars. The cheapest all event tickets are $195 and those are the upper bowl on the ends. I lvoe skating as much as the next person, but I certainly can not afford to shell out $600+ dollars, plus airfare, and hotel expenses. I always end up getting the cheap seats and hope to move down lower if it is empty.

[Bailey]

I went to Canadian nationals two years ago, and my all-event tickets were third row, about blue line, and I believe they cost $175Canadian. There were other packages for less. You are right, I would never pay that much for US nationals or worlds, especially if I have to travel. Now I know why the attendance was so poor in Atlanta!!

[schnood]

Originally posted by Bailey
Perfect price for me would be about $40 for decent seats to SOI. What bothers me is that SOI blocks the lower bowl from blue line to blue line and to get any decent seats (this year, lower than row 20 along the sides of the ice) you need to pay $60.

Why does SOI block so many seats? I guess that explains why I ended up with 5th row on the end 1 minute after they went on sale, but why must they do this?

Canadian nationals are far more reasonable than their U.S. counterparts....I've never paid more than $175 at Cdn nationals, and I've never had seats "further away" than row 3.

[skates fan]

I recently paid $140 (after some kind of weird fee) for an all event pass for Skate Canada in Oct about seven rows up from the ice. I thought it wasn't too bad considering the world junior hockey pass in 2003 was $600. Thank god I got to work at the tournament instead of paying for it!!!!

[iceskaterdawn]

Originally posted by schnood
Why does SOI block so many seats? I guess that explains why I ended up with 5th row on the end 1 minute after they went on sale, but why must they do this?


Also SOI has advance order forms so people can order their tickets months before they go on sale on Ticketmaster, which could also explain why you got 5th row seats.

[mikey]

Originally posted by flippet
[B]these tours cost exorbitant amounts of money just to run[B]

Do they? When I lived in Europe, I attended some similar events, such as Holiday On Ice. When I saw it in Munich, I paid the equivalent of US$18 for seats in the 4th row that I purchased the afternoon of the event. Does Holiday on Ice continually lose money, or are other events in North America overpriced?

I remember paying about $60 to see SOI and COI in Austin TX and Honolulu HI a few years back.

I spent next to nothing to attend Europeans each year from 1999-2001.

I am not opposed to paying $500 for all-event tickets to Nationals or Worlds if that guarantees me great seats and open practice sessions, but those are special events. Anything more than that is obscene. I would never even consider attending Skate America given the cost.

Sad thing is, we can complain about the cost all we want, but so far people are willing to pay it. Supply and demand...

[CherylS]

That's why I always watch skating in Canada! Much, much more of a bargain. I don't mind being a traitor if it saves me hundred of dollars!! Skate America isn't too bad but nationals tickets and worlds when they were in DC were just ridiculous! SOI and COI are getting a little expensive for me for just one show. I understand that they have a lot of skaters to pay but it's getting easier for me to just decide to skip it.

[twinsmom]

Originally posted by mikey
I would never even consider attending Skate America given the cost.

I went to Skate America in 2000 and IIRC the all-event ticket I bought was $90, and a few of my friends got the better tickets and paid something like $140. We were upper bowl but were always able to move down to better seats. I don't think either of those prices are unreasonable.

The prices for U.S. Nationals is out of control. I haven't been to Nationals since it was in SLC in 1999, and I volunteered so I didn't buy many tickets. I think they're going to have to do something differently. I really am in favor of having it at smaller arenas since they don't generally fill up the larger ones anyway and the cost is that much greater. If Nationals ever come to SLC again, I hope they have it at the E Center. The rink is great and there are no problems with site lines.

I haven't been to an SOI or COI for several years because the price has gotten so out of control. I'm not sure how they're going to fix that though because I'm sure it does cost a lot to run the tour.

[peaches]

Originally posted by Bailey
Perfect price for me would be about $40 for decent seats to SOI. What bothers me is that SOI blocks the lower bowl from blue line to blue line and to get any decent seats (this year, lower than row 20 along the sides of the ice) you need to pay $60.

Are you talking about blocking seats for groups and sponsor people?

If not, well.....I've been going to SOI since 1991 and I've never seen lower seats blocked off. Many years I was row 2/3/4 in the center. My parents ordered their tickets a week after they went on sale last year and got 2nd row center. I ordered, and got, on ice seats with no problem. I guess different venues do different things, but the arenas I've been in for SOI (Atlanta, Greenville, and Charleston) have never blocked seats.

I don't mind paying the $$ for good seats. After SLC, Nats looks inexpensive! :lol:

[Bailey]

I always ask for seats as close to the ice and near centre as possible. I could be wrong, and it may not always be the same for every venue. I'm always told that the lower bowl, certain sections (approximately blue line to blue line) are "not available" because they are "reserved" by IMG (I'm assuming for sponsors). There are no advance order tickets in my city, so that's not the problem. In the mid-early 90's, I remember paying $35-40 to sit along the sides in rows closer to the ice than in recent years.

This past year, I ordered tickets online. The cheapest $35 seats were in the end sections, high in the stands. I could get $50 seats along the ends or along the sides row 18 and higher (there may have been others in the corners, but then you can't see the other end and the computer would not find these seats for me). Thus, to get decent seats, we decided to pay the $60 and enjoy the show.

The one thing that I always used to but have stopped buying is a program. Last time I checked, the programs were $12. Given, the photos are beautiful and it has the order of skate, there is very little other information in the program that makes it meaningful enough to spend $12 (after having spent $60 on a ticket). I have not bought any other merchandise either because it's all very overpriced, IMO.

A curious question for friendly skater, having seen some replies, what you you consider paying for a skating tour?

[NJSk8Fan]

For the Philadelphia shows, my on-ice seats (first time in 10 years of going) for SOI were $102.50 a piece.
Our 3rd row seats for COI cost $95 a piece. It's a lot of money, but considering these two nights/afternoons out are about the only thing my husband and I spend money on for recreation, we can afford it as long as I budget all year for it.
I know it must cost bundles and bundles of money to run these shows, and just like everything else in life, I wish it DIDN'T cost so much.
$75 for on-ice and prices going down for the rest of the seats seems like it should be plenty. But that's still too much for families who want to bring their children, college students, etc. to afford decent seats.

[friendly skater]

Well, I got on-ice seat for Celebration on Ice in Canada (Medicine Hat). I paid $50.
I believe the audience seats are all $35. Which I think is awsome......Who is producing that show? Finally a show with Canadian stars at an affordable price. When I firt started this THREAD, it was because I was amazed at how much I paid.(cheap)I have been to Stars and to Champions on Ice and I'm sorry to say that it is way to expensive. For $35 you can see a show in a small rink where you know every seat in the house is a good seat. In Medicine Hat the people are so excited about this show coming....