For many sports teams, ticketing can be more of a back-burner project that gets set up and then left until something breaks. We get it, you have a hundred other fires to put out and things to fix - however, you may be leaving money on the table. We’ve compiled a list of the most common mistakes sports teams make with ticketing and how to fix them to help you realize your full potential.
1. Not Offering Online Ticket Sales
This is the most costly and the most common mistake we see with sports teams. But luckily, it’s the easiest one to fix.
We’ve found that guests will spend up to 80% more when they make a purchase online vs. in person. Plus, if you’re only selling tickets at the door, you’re missing out on sales from:
- Fans who like to plan in advance or want a guaranteed seat
- Groups like birthday parties and team outings
- The chance to upsell guests (add on a t-shirt, for example) during the checkout process
2. Not Selling Merchandise
Most sports fans want to show support for their favorite teams, especially when they attend games. If your team isn’t offering merch, you’re leaving money on the table. You can offer one-off purchases or create bundles where guests have the option to purchase a t-shirt and ticket. You’ll probably be amazed at how many of your guests will jump at the chance to represent your team.
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3. Using the Wrong Seating Option
In many cases, teams don’t fully understand their seating options and end up using the wrong one which can lead to other issues. For example, if your team is regularly selling out (or close to it) you would have more success with assigned seating than a small team selling out half of their stadium would. Realistically, setting up and managing assigned seating is a lot of work and if it isn’t really necessary, it may not be worth the time investment. Therefore, if your team is smaller, you just started, or you tend to have a smaller crowd, sectional or free-for-all seating may be a better option.
Read our recent blog post if you’re looking for help deciding which seating option is right for your team.
4. Not Offering Season Passes
Season passes allow your most enthusiastic fans access to all of your home games throughout the season. This is a great way to increase revenue and attendance, offering fans an incentive to attend as many games as they can. Many teams make the mistake of not setting up season passes for their team which can result in lost revenue.
5. Ignoring The Numbers
When you engage in online ticket sales most ticketing platforms offer automatically generated reports that can offer you a wealth of information. When properly utilized, this data could be a real game-changer for your team. In most cases you’ll be able to see purchasing trends, which products or tickets were most popular, and so much more.
Of course, this is contingent upon what reporting and analytics your ticketing provider offers. At Passage, we understand the value good reports can bring to the table so we’ve worked hard to make that available to all our clients. Unfortunately not everyone has the same idea so you’ll have to switch to Passage or check with your current ticketing provider to see what they offer.
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6. Not Asking for Help
There’s no shame in asking for a little help or guidance when you need it. If you’ve never set up online ticketing or are looking to switch and don’t know the first thing about starting the process, don’t hesitate to ask. A huge mistake that you may be making is thinking you have to figure everything out on your own and refusing to ask for help if you need it. Well, if you can find the resources and the help, take it.
7. Not Utilizing Social Media Discounts
If you’ve never heard of social media discounts, we’ll give you a quick rundown. Essentially, these are immediate discounts of either a set percentage or set dollar amount that you offer to fans who share your event on their social media. It’s a great incentive that encourages your fans to post about your team’s events and hopefully draw in new fans. Not to mention everyone loves a discount - especially ones that are immediately applied to a purchase.
For more information on social media discounts and how to use them, check out our Event Producer’s Guide to Social Media series.
8. Jumping In Too Quickly
Choosing the right ticketing provider can be a big deal and isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly - it can often make or break the gameday experience for you and your fans. It’s crucial to do your research and find a ticketing partner that fits all your needs as well as the needs of your fans (which are equally important). Don’t make the mistake of getting stuck with a ticketing platform that isn’t going to offer you all the features you need and work for your team.
If you’re wondering if Passage is the right ticketing solution for your team, we’ve compiled a list of 5 Reasons Why Passage is the Best Ticketing Platform for Sports as well as a list of 10 Questions to Ask Your Sports Ticketing Partner.
Make No Mistake - We’re Always Here to Help!
It’s literally in our DNA to want to help sports teams like yours succeed and get the most out of a ticketing platform (not really but close enough). You’ve probably made at least one of these 7 mistakes but there’s plenty of time to get back on track with your ticketing solution.
Set up a virtual demo or onboarding call with our team today to see if Passage could be the right fit for your team.
