Topic: HERDZONE: BOGACZYK: Football Season Ticket Selection Time Is Here!

[biggreenarms]

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - While most of you are looking forward to the long Memorial Day weekend, Marshall Athletics is pointed toward the days immediately after the holiday.

You've heard of "Selection Sunday." Well, the Thundering Herd is getting ready for "Selection Tuesday" ... and beyond.

Beginning next Tuesday, Big Green Scholarship Foundation members who filed football season-ticket intent forms in recent months will begin selecting their Edwards Stadium seats.

It's part of the Herd's reseating and reparking plan - the first in the stadium's 24 years -- that has boosted fundraising for the Vision Campaign, scholarships, facility enhancement and athletics operations.

All members who have returned the ticket intent forms - another Herd first - will have a "reservation" time to select seat location, based on Big Green Priority Points via lifetime giving to MU Athletics. The "ticket selection line" - so to speak - is based upon that longtime commitment to the Big Green.

The number of seats each member may select is based upon annual giving.

The Big Green reports that all contributors of $1,500 or more who have requested a single parking space will be accommodated as well.

With Coach Doc Holliday's football program coming off a 10-win season and Military Bowl victory over Maryland and predictions of big success in 2014, there is much anticipation about the coming season - and it has shown in the interest in securing quality seats among the 38,127 capacity in "The Joan," where the installation of new a AstroTurf surface continues this week.

"It's the first time, on Tuesday, that our top donors may select their new seats and parking for 2014 season, so it's a little bit of a paramount occasion for us," said MU Associate Athletic Director Aaron Goebbel, who also is the Herd's ticket chief. "As far as an official structured reseating in the stadium, this is definitely something that is new to our donors and fan base.


 

 

"There's been a lot of buildup to it, and we all know the Vision Campaign has been the driving force behind allowing individuals to increase their Priority Points total to position themselves with the best opportunities to select the top seats.
"We have encouraged people to join the Annual Fund, and they have in increasing numbers."

Goebbel said the trepidation about the reseating process has dwindled over time.

"This is good, productive for our athletic program," Goebbel said. "Our supporters are helping us be competitive. I think what people have to understand is this isn't set up, whatsoever, just to automatically remove people from their seats. The facilities going up - like the Indoor Athletic Facility and its components and the soccer complex - are due in part to this process.

"All of the fans who have supported us the most for a long time are on board. It's not set up to rattle everyone's cages. It's a process set up that's allowed us to fund-raise with greater effectiveness, something many schools have done and are doing in major college athletics, and will allow us to go above and beyond our expectations and the expectations of our fans.

"We can build these facilities and that is a huge part of it. There's been some worry that this is something we're going to do every year. There is no way that's going to happen. The ticket intent forms -- what that's done is with our people who have premium seats, the renewal rate was almost 95 percent."

The seat selection process begins Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.

Those Big Green members with reservations have three options to make their seat selections - go online with the 3-D Ballena Technologies Seat Relocation Management System for selections; call 1-800-THE-HERD for assistance; or come to the Cam Henderson Center lobby outside the Big Green office, where members will be directed to a nearby location to make selections with the help of Big Green staffers.

The Big Green staff asks that if a football-season ticket member intends to make his or her seat selections in person at the Henderson Center, that they arrive a half-hour before their reservation time slot, as well as call in advance to the Big Green (304-696-4661) so staffers are prepared to assist.

"In order to select in Round 1 of the process, you only needed to be a $50 donor to the Big Green - the minimum to belong - to get a spot to pick before anyone who is not a Big Green member," Goebbel said.

He said Marshall has roughly 1,800 Big Green members who are season-ticket holders. The club has about 3,200 total members. Goebbel said the Herd has about 400 football season ticket accounts that belong to non-Big Green members.

Teddy Kluemper, Director of Athletic Development for the Big Green said several numbers depict the pluses in the reseating/reparking program to benefit Herd athletics.

Kluemper said the Big Green has 357 new members already in 2014, primarily because the chance to get new or improved football season seats accompanied those enrollments. He said the membership increase also has resulted in $64,000 in new contributions.

The Big Green also already has 68 percent of its 2013 membership renewed for 2014, a level of renewal the organization normally wouldn't reach until August or September.

The seat selection process for Big Green members will run through June 12. Goebbel said the football season ticket seat-selection process for those not enrolled in the Big Green will begin June 16.

"This new process also was a way for people to get involved who wanted to get tickets for the first time, by becoming a Big Green donor," Goebbel said. "In the past, during this time period, we wouldn't have even had tickets on sale (to prospective purchasers). We'd only have been doing renewals.

"Now, if you wanted to get season tickets, you could get into the process and get good seats to see what should be a great football season for the Herd. People had an opportunity to be part of the process when it wasn't possible before.

"We've had an excellent response, and we expect to surpass the number of season tickets we sold last year at some point during the summer. Our fans are excited about the coming season."

http://www.herdzone.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/052114aaa.html

SEAT SELECTION 3D MAP

http://seatselection.seats3d.com/ncaa/marshall_university/football/seat_selection/

[svherd]

DANG! Only 1800 of the 3200 BG members are season tix holders? I understand many are likely from out of town, but hell, at least buy 2 and give them to a local yocal. Only 400 season tix holders are non BG members. That tells me MU MUST do a better job marketing to the casual fan and young families. They have to have packages to appeal to that market segment. Mini packs would be nice as well. I thought they tried that a few years ago. Yeah, it won't make you a ton of money but you start to build the fan base and engage a possible future donor. jmo.

[goherd24]

I wont have season tix this year, purchased through ticket office anyway. I won an auction with 4 prime season tix and a helmet signed by dobson through IMG and all the money went to charity (foodbank). Ill be back in the fold next year again, I am not picky on seating location

[HerdBlizz]

DANG! Only 1800 of the 3200 BG members are season tix holders? I understand many are likely from out of town, but hell, at least buy 2 and give them to a local yocal. Only 400 season tix holders are non BG members. That tells me MU MUST do a better job marketing to the casual fan and young families. They have to have packages to appeal to that market segment. Mini packs would be nice as well. I thought they tried that a few years ago. Yeah, it won't make you a ton of money but you start to build the fan base and engage a possible future donor. jmo.

Sounds like a politician played with these numbers.  You can twist them anyway you want.  The 1400 BG members who are not season ticket holders are probably family member where only one in the group buys tickets in their name.  My group buys 9 sets of season tickets under one persons name (who is a BG member) and there are 5 other BG members who use them but are not listed as season ticket holders.  When all is said and done I'm willing to bet that less then 100 people move seats.

[The Right Stuff]

Not a big donor but I did increase my Big Green donation a little. I am retiring so I will be on the dreaded fixed income the rest of my life.  Bring On The Herd! ::)

TRS
MU 71

[svherd]

Sounds like a politician played with these numbers.  You can twist them anyway you want.  The 1400 BG members who are not season ticket holders are probably family member where only one in the group buys tickets in their name.  My group buys 9 sets of season tickets under one persons name (who is a BG member) and there are 5 other BG members who use them but are not listed as season ticket holders.  When all is said and done I'm willing to bet that less then 100 people move seats.

Good point Blizz.

[2xBison]

I bet more than 100 move

[iherdya]

I bet more than 100 move

Agree completely. I bet we piss off 100 seats worth of people, but oh well...

[2xBison]

Why would anyone be mad?  Blows my mind.  Whatever section you are in there are other good seats available.


I think most like their seats, I am just thinking chain reaction.   Mainly east and west side center sections.  What if one early selection grabs some seats early in process which forces others to move and it keeps going and going.  What if someone adds a seat which takes one seat of someone else's four?  It keeps going and going from there.


My seats are vulnerable but I think it's good, I will look to move a few rows or maybe grab some on an aisle.

[elginherd]

Not a big donor but I did increase my Big Green donation a little. I am retiring so I will be on the dreaded fixed income the rest of my life.  Bring On The Herd! ::)

TRS
MU 71

If you have some Detroit connections you could sell some blow or meth or run some girls for more scratch:-) 7th Ave & 15th St was & is a great location for an entrepreneur, where my wife & her sisters grew up & their mother spent her last years.