How to raise attendance at ISU events

[TallyT]

Based of all the uh...bickering on this thread about Yuzuru and his fans, I think it's pretty clear that big stars sell tickets more than anything else, even if some people are unhappy about that. Unfortunately, Yuzuru's combination of ungodly talent, charisma, good looks, and likeable public persona....

And his remarkable good sense in being born Japanese at just the right time

I could be wrong - people with longer histories in the sport feel free to say so! - but I vaguely recall reading somewhere that when Takahashi, Nobu, Mura etc were starting out, men's skating in Japan was something of a poor relation and not nearly as popular as it became: these guys built a solid fan base of varying but much-loved star sizes just in time for Yuzuru to come along and go supernova. Don't get me wrong, he would probably have been a superstar of the sport from most countries, but being said superstar in a country which already adored the sport gave his fame quite a springboard - ice shows, publicity, personal awards, TV coverage - to go international.

This business of the men building a fan base also buys in to what someone said about longevity and building loyalty for favourites rather than trying to manufacture more supernovas (there were supernovas before Yuzu, there will be after him, maybe not as soon or as big as the ISU would want) Look at how dearly Nobu is still loved in Japan, people will pay to go and see him or Takahashi personally (he's also just plain lovable, which in this day of pr and social media helps enormously. Ask Shoma and Jason and Mao)

 

[narcissa]

This seems like a pretty unfair assessment of those of us who can't afford the great seats (or even the cheap seats if it involves expensive traveling to get there) but still consider ourselves pretty diehard skating fans.

No one thinks there's anything wrong to buy cheaper seats. And I would be the last person to judge skating fans on their acceptability in skating-fan society.

It was hard to get any good seats for CoR even right off the bat, and many people decided they couldn't afford the vacation days & visa costs & long plane ride for a bleacher seat.

But depending on how far away you live, whether you can afford it, and what you get out of the experience, you may still find it worth your while.

 

[jenaj]

How to raise attendance? Lower the price.

 

[jenaj]

I disagree. It's totally different in person, even if you have bad seats. Yes, you don't get the close-ups (except on the big screen), but you get much more of "the big picture": ice coverage, speed, height of jumps, etc. That big picture gets lost when the camera just follow the skater. I had bad seats for the last two comps I attended, and it was still better (for me) than watching on a screen.

Of course, I attend at most one comp per year, so have plenty of time to see programs "close up" as well as to have the live experience.

I also disagree. For one thing, do they even sell the upper-most seats for a skating competition other than Worlds or Nationals? And I sat in high-up seats for Worlds in Boston and thought the experience was way better than watching on TV (even leaving aside the fact that I didn't have to listen to Tara and Johnny).

 

[1795]

How to raise attendance? Lower the price.

legit.....

 

[Jeanie19]

I also disagree. For one thing, do they even sell the upper-most seats for a skating competition other than Worlds or Nationals? And I sat in high-up seats for Worlds in Boston and thought the experience was way better than watching on TV (even leaving aside the fact that I didn't have to listen to Tara and Johnny).

Me too! I still have my ticket stub, because I want the same seats, if it comes to Boston again.

 

[kiches]

I also disagree. For one thing, do they even sell the upper-most seats for a skating competition other than Worlds or Nationals? And I sat in high-up seats for Worlds in Boston and thought the experience was way better than watching on TV (even leaving aside the fact that I didn't have to listen to Tara and Johnny).

For 4CC in Anaheim they did not, they pulled a black curtain over the top seats (probably to hide it, it would look weird all empty). Actually this is the first comp I’ve been to where that has happened and I’m guessing they didn’t expect to fill the arena so they didn’t bother trying to sell all the seats. I think otherwise worlds would try to sell every seat, the only seats I think they may limit are ones with obstructed views or reserved for photographers or other VIPs. I haven’t seen the same for GP happen either but it probably depends on the organizers. There are pros and cons to watching live vs TV/stream but both are pretty different experiences with watching live being more of a luxury for most people since a lot of the time it requires travel. I’ve luckily had opportunities to be in lower bowl seats for most competitions, so I can’t really comment on the experience sitting that high, but if I were to have to travel to watch a competition I think I would only feel it would be worth the effort and money if I could see things from the lower bowl, otherwise I can see better on TV. For a casual local viewer the cheapest ticket in the upper seats could very well be good enough to justify going to an event if the view isn’t important to them, this is what I did with ice dance at US Nationals which was local. I just bought the cheapest tickets I could get off another fan so I would be able to watch, for that competition I didn’t feel the need to be as close as I could get. If I had to pay full price I may not have chosen to go so I do think pricing plays a big part in selling tickets to casual fans or locals.

 

[Mathman]

... I vaguely recall reading somewhere that when Takahashi, Nobu, Mura etc were starting out, men's skating in Japan was something of a poor relation and not nearly as popular as it became: these guys built a solid fan base of varying but much-loved star sizes just in time for Yuzuru to come along and go supernova.

The first Japanese man that I remember was Takeshi Honda. In the early 2000s he was always in the international mix, although never the very top because he had to compete with Yagudin, etc. He had a reliable quad, which not so many men could boast in those days. He got fourth at the 2002 Olympics (second in the short program).

However, I would say that the first Japanese skater who was actually swoon-worthy was Takahashi. (Oda was lovable in a Keegan Messing kind of way. )

(This is a view from the outside -- I don't know anything about the popularity of skating super-stars in Japan at the time.)

By the way (Google is your friend) the first Japanese skater to win a world medal was Minoru Sano. He took the bronze in 1977 in (coincidentally) Tokyo. Later he became a skating entrepreneur, founding what became the Prince Ice Tour. I guess he was the Scott Hamilton of Japanese figure skating.

 

[yude]

Speaking mostly about Junior competitions who are usually the emptiest events...since the goal of ISU is to expand the figure skating knowledge, why don't they give some free tickets to children of local schools? That way, junior skater wouldn't have to skate in an empty rink and, who knows, maybe some child could choose figure skating as sport.

I've read that Japan actually did that at their first NHK Trophy because they couldn't sell their tickets at all (I couldn't believe it at first since it is very hard to get the tickets of NHK now). At that time, they really made an effort in everything to hold the competition in this country every year.

 

[Sydney Rose]

The sad fact is that for most competitions, no matter how big the arena is, only the first n rows are worth buying. Other than that, you're better off watching it on TV.

Sadly, I have to agree with this. I'm not interested in just the "experience" of being at a skating competition; I actually want to be able to really see the skaters on the ice. And for my eyes that means getting a ticket that's as close to the ice as possible.

 

[noskates]

How to raise attendance? Lower the price.

Amen!!!

 

[tothepointe]

For 4CC in Anaheim they did not, they pulled a black curtain over the top seats (probably to hide it, it would look weird all empty). Actually this is the first comp I’ve been to where that has happened and I’m guessing they didn’t expect to fill the arena so they didn’t bother trying to sell all the seats. I think otherwise worlds would try to sell every seat, the only seats I think they may limit are ones with obstructed views or reserved for photographers or other VIPs. I haven’t seen the same for GP happen either but it probably depends on the organizers. There are pros and cons to watching live vs TV/stream but both are pretty different experiences with watching live being more of a luxury for most people since a lot of the time it requires travel. I’ve luckily had opportunities to be in lower bowl seats for most competitions, so I can’t really comment on the experience sitting that high, but if I were to have to travel to watch a competition I think I would only feel it would be worth the effort and money if I could see things from the lower bowl, otherwise I can see better on TV. For a casual local viewer the cheapest ticket in the upper seats could very well be good enough to justify going to an event if the view isn’t important to them, this is what I did with ice dance at US Nationals which was local. I just bought the cheapest tickets I could get off another fan so I would be able to watch, for that competition I didn’t feel the need to be as close as I could get. If I had to pay full price I may not have chosen to go so I do think pricing plays a big part in selling tickets to casual fans or locals.

For 4CC the only way you could get tickets on the Club level up where the ISU host lounge was etc was if you got them through a company that owns all session tickets or has a corporate box. That's how I got mine through a sales rep and they have a box but they didn't want to open it for that event so we got the seats that were right outside the box. It was eerily quiet up there and to be honest it felt a little uncomfortable because we were the only people in our section. The view is good though.

Worlds in 2009 at the Staples Center was much better. I had similar seats then too. I feel that arena is set up a little better.

 

[tothepointe]

I think they need to sell tickets at the rinks themselves. Encourage clubs to buy blocks of tickets etc.

 

[Lamente Ariane]

The sad fact is that for most competitions, no matter how big the arena is, only the first n rows are worth buying. Other than that, you're better off watching it on TV. So even if Yuzuru attends, it's unlikely the rafters will sell out.

I don't agree. I've been to competitions where I sat in the eighteenth row and I could still see the skater's expressions plus actually comprehending their ice coverage in a way I never can on TV. Also I went to practices every day where I sat in the second row. Could've had first but second was better for taking photos on my phone

 

[karne]

I prefer a higher up, further back seat for ice dance and pairs. Better view of the whole ice. Corner seats for singles. Jason was just as beautiful eighteen rows back as he was two rows back.

I attended every event at 4CC. I applauded and cheered for the lower-ranked skaters doing their best. It was a better crowd than most - but still, in at the second-last group came the influx of snobs who think only the last groups are worth their time, particularly in the men's, and yes, I witnessed several examples of Shoma fans coming in blithely during other skaters. Of course, some blame goes to the ushers for not doing their jobs properly, but all the same. It reminded me of that awful incident at ACI when the Hanyu fans started leaving during Harrison Wong's short program. Ugh. Don't be rude.

Price was an issue with Anaheim. I was appalled at the Ticketmaster fees. But it wasn't just that. Hotels were expensive, getting to the rink required either forty minutes of public transportation or spending $$$ on an Uber every day, and the food at the rink was ludicrously priced - I've been to stadiums in Australia that charged less, and everyone knows Australian stadiums love to rip people off.

I was also surprised they didn't bus in a few school groups. We did it at Nationals. Why not?

 

[kiches]

For 4CC the only way you could get tickets on the Club level up where the ISU host lounge was etc was if you got them through a company that owns all session tickets or has a corporate box. That's how I got mine through a sales rep and they have a box but they didn't want to open it for that event so we got the seats that were right outside the box. It was eerily quiet up there and to be honest it felt a little uncomfortable because we were the only people in our section. The view is good though.

Worlds in 2009 at the Staples Center was much better. I had similar seats then too. I feel that arena is set up a little better.

Yes I figured the club box/seats were available only to people who had owned a box, the friend I mentioned who bought a ticket off of Stubhub actually ended up with a ticket in this area for both Men and Pairs (turned out to be the same seller), she also mentioned it was a bit awkward up there but that the view wasn't bad. The seats I'm talking about that they didn't bother selling at all are the ones above even Club level - what I would call the nosebleeds - which were nearly all covered by a black curtain, here's a photo I took of the rink. You can see at the arrow the gap in the curtain showing the seats they never made available for sale, and I can only assume they would've had to price those seats much cheaper.

For 4CC I actually wish the staff would step in on several occasions. I kept hearing a crying baby, bursts of loud laughter, and generally noisy groups at the start of or middle of a skate. I kept hoping they'd ask those guests to step onto the concourse momentarily or ask people to shush while a program was starting or in progress. Also during the gala A LOT of people had their flash/blinking lights of their camera on. There were also persistent sound issues where music would get extremely loud mid-skate, then go back to normal level.

 

[tothepointe]

Yes I figured the club box/seats were available only to people who had owned a box, the friend I mentioned who bought a ticket off of Stubhub actually ended up with a ticket in this area for both Men and Pairs (turned out to be the same seller), she also mentioned it was a bit awkward up there but that the view wasn't bad. The seats I'm talking about that they didn't bother selling at all are the ones above even Club level - what I would call the nosebleeds - which were nearly all covered by a black curtain, here's a photo I took of the rink. You can see at the arrow the gap in the curtain showing the seats they never made available for sale, and I can only assume they would've had to price those seats much cheaper.

For 4CC I actually wish the staff would step in on several occasions. I kept hearing a crying baby, bursts of loud laughter, and generally noisy groups at the start of or middle of a skate. I kept hoping they'd ask those guests to step onto the concourse momentarily or ask people to shush while a program was starting or in progress. Also during the gala A LOT of people had their flash/blinking lights of their camera on. There were also persistent sound issues where music would get extremely loud mid-skate, then go back to normal level.

Yeah it was so empty they didn't even bother opening the special entrance they usually have for the club level for the first session which tbh is part of the perk of sitting there. I imagine though had the sold out the main seating they would have opened up the nosebleed seats.

The staff was basically non existant. At one point they asked ME if I worked there which tbh made me feel a little weird also.

It really was weird because I know so many people in the area that would have probably been interested in going but either had no idea it was going on or thought tickets would be / were sold out. I think Stars on Ice they usually curtain off the top section also. Though I remember back in the days of Champions on Ice they could sell out that arena.

Figure skating just ain't what it used to be and I'll be really honestly after the ladies short I was like a little tired of the same old layout of jumps and spins. I'm thinking maybe I now just enjoy it in the way that I follow it on the internet but am not a true die hard fan anymore.

 

[moonvine]

No, but let's be practical. If the competition lost money/was filmed with lots of empty seats, they need to rethink for next time, and seriously. If the sport wants to thrive, it needs to make money (even if not to the Japanese levels). If they want to make money... they need to sell out at least most competitions, especially the big ones. They need stars. Maybe not of Yuzu's/Mao's/Yuna's size, but definitely more of the ones that make serious numbers travel and pay to see them.

There may be another marketing phenom on the way, we don't know... but until then the organisers have to be practical (and remember there's only one of him to go around!)

The arena was *shockingly* empty. There were more spectators at Nationals, and I still thought the attendance there, with the exception of the ladies free, was terrible. Contrast that with Europeans where it looked like every seat was full for every event (of course I don't know the size of the arena plus the camera only goes up so high, but it sure LOOKED full).

 

[mikeko666]

Don't block or delete videos on YouTube. Most of the Euro performances are now gone. Outside the skating fan community, no one knows the competition even existed.

 

[iluvtodd]

The first Japanese man that I remember was Takeshi Honda. In the early 2000s he was always in the international mix, although never the very top because he had to compete with Yagudin, etc. He had a reliable quad, which not so many men could boast in those days. He got fourth at the 2002 Olympics (second in the short program).

Ah, Takeshi! I bought my little Japanese flag @ 2003 Worlds because of him (& to support all of Team Japan)!

Don't block or delete videos on YouTube. Most of the Euro performances are now gone. Outside the skating fan community, no one knows even the competition existed.

Amen X 1,000! A Japanese fan was kind enough to post Sean Rabbitt's terrific short program from last month's US Nationals. I shared it on my FB page (so that my skating buddy friends could enjoy it, not to mention that I always want to spread the good word about the charismatic, entertaining "Rabbitt" to my friends who don't really follow the sport & are/or just casual fans). That is not the first time the videos have been removed. It's SO infuriating!