Banker36 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 My idea is for the stands prices at THR to be lowered to the prices I specified above for lets say one night to see how many seats they fill. I know 12 dollars is cheap but if you filled the stands with 3000 people at $7 versus 1000 at $12 Id say with concessions youd make a better profit and still be affordable for people. Just the ideas of a crew member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
direct-flo Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 how about bring a friend for half price night. 2 cents worth. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banker36 Posted May 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Yea or a 1 dollar a beer night. Any ideas to lower the prices for people. I mean CC has low prices and when Ive been there the stands were full. Heres the cost for lets says a guy who wants to bring his 2 kids and wife to the races = $48.00 now lets add $15 for cocessions = $63 then lets say him and the wife want a beer( I think they go for 3 bucks dont they?) 2 beers at 3 bucks = $6 plus the other $63 = $69. So lets say the average working class person wants to bring the family to the races he has to pay around $70 dollars. Granted Im only 16 and dont have a family to support but I know $70 dollars is hard to come by. Just my 2 cents worth I hope it doesnt go in one ear and out the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SASPEEDRACER24 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Havnt we gone over this before or am I having Deja Vu....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banker36 Posted May 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 I dont know Marc. Not that Ive seen and if we have o well I just braught it up again. Maybe its time people speak up and say what they have to say about prices cause there sure is something holding them back from the races if not prices then what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEGACY Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Hey look at the bright side at HMP 35 per car,25 per pit pass including NEW BORNS . Don't know about pets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SASPEEDRACER24 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 LOL @Newborns now thats bad... Matt we seem to have this converstation each year about lowering the prices to bring in more fans. Im not saying not talk about it just that were treading over the same water...If you think that Chuck, Nick or Mr. Calloway are not trying to get people in the stands hard enough that is your opinion but I am pretty sure they have a plate full of things they are trying to work on. Just give em some time to get the ball rolling. Drasticly reducing the price didnt bring a rush of fans to SAS last year when they dropped thier prices. Now that is only my opinion and this was from seeing the stands there at SAS from before to after. If they added 3-400 fans on any given night then that would be my best guess but they never had an increase of 1500 to 1000 fans... Just adding perspective to what you are saying dont take it the wrong way Matt... The fans issue is going to take time to cultivate there is no panacea that will correct the problem instantly and keep the fans there on an ongoing basis. It just going to take a lot of paticence and alot more trying different ideas. JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer52 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 I know 12 dollars is cheap . I have to disagree about $12 being cheap for stands for a regular show. Most of the tracks we go to it's $10. I was surprised when we went to THR a couple of weeks ago to watch & saw the $12 price. I think it's high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SASPEEDRACER24 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 AJ , just curious did you think it was high as a whole or high for the show that you paid for? Just curious I know you come from dirt and there are alot of great shows on dirt I.E. Texas Nationals , Texas Grand, Southern Challenge, Icebreaker, Miller Mod Nats. Most of them from what I saw had a walk up price no more than 15. I am still trying to figure out how Abilene can do the Icebreaker with hardly anyone in the stands unless they make alot of it off the backgate. Now the Miller Mods, and Texas Nats usually have a good amt. of fans. Since I will be in Waco for the Texas Nationals I will try to shed some perspective on what they do... Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banker36 Posted May 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Dancer, If you read my post correctly you would see that I was saying lower the prices from $12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racegirl Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 As for Houston, I believe at thunderhill you had to pay for a pit pass regardless of the age of the child. Given that yes it is high for a child that is not even going to watch the race, but when i worked at THR it was the same as HMP. I've never understood that, but the tracks have to keep insurance and they do need to make money! I agree with the price of general admission though, if you have a family of four you could go broke at any track....Tracks should look at certain nights, like giving price breaks for different nights, like have a college night ( with student ID) Dell night, different places. Pick a place that a driver works or a driver goes to school and have them advertise, send email things like that. I know HMP has done this with my moms office, they are having Allstate employee night.....even if you give them a price break you are still getting the food, drinks and beer money and those are people that normally wouldn't be there but with racing once your hooked your hooked!!Just a thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdilling1 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 I am a fan, not a racer, but I'll post my thoughts. Price of the ticket does not matter much to me. I know it does to some folks. Quality of the program matters. The factors that matter to me are these: 1. Car count, especially in the upper tier divisions. I would rather pay more money to see a better car count than I would pay a cheaper price at the gate, but see a slim car count. 2. What hurts fan attendance, especially at weekly shows, in my opinion are tracks that run five or six (or more, in some cases) divisions of cars where it is more than obvious that the track is making all their money at the pit gate. When you are running that many divisions, especially at a track that is not managed well, you know that the show will probably run well past midnight and they'll probably run the feature for the "headliner" class last. My patience for tracks that do this kind of thing is minimal. My experience base mostly resides with dirt tracks. 3. If you running a special event, DON'T RUN five of six additional classes of cars. Don't make the fans wait until the wee hours of the evening (or early morning) to see the feature race they came to the track to see. Just run two (or at the very most three) support classes of cars in addition to the featured class. Start your event on time. If you get off schedule, do everything possible to run the feature race that the fans really want to see at a decent hour. If this means shuffling things around a little, then do it. 4. Promote your track. Very few short tracks (dirt or asphalt) are doing much to promote their racing program and build a fan base. I read National Speedsport News weekly and have subscribed to it for many years. There is rarely coverage of short track racing events at tracks in Southeast Texas. Short tracks in our region rarely advertise their special events in NSSN. Forget even trying to find any information on local racing events in the newspaper (Houston Chronicle in my case). They do give some limited coverage to annual NHRA event at Houston Raceway Park and will occasionally have an article about the World of Outlaws when they are in town, but offer almost no coverage of local auto racing, even though there are numerous tracks in the area. Why? 5. Do anything you can to reduce further "fragmentation" of racing and do everything possible to build cooperation between race tracks in a certain region. I know the Texas asphalt tracks are trying to do this and that's great. Racing would be much stronger if you had one strong, well-managed track with good support from the racers and fans vs. several tracks in one area, all competing for the same base of race cars and fans, with each track having a different set of rules to try and keep racers from going to race at other tracks. Highlands Motor Speedway and Houston Raceway Park are within a few miles of each other and compete directly with other - I doubt either track is making much, if any, money on their weekly program. And the quality of the show is diminished for the fans, so they quit going to track, especially in a city like Houston where there are so many opportunities for your entertainment $$. 6. I know the weekly program is the "bread and butter" for most local tracks, but special events really help build fan interest and tracks should have an assortment of them throughout the racing season. Don't just throw open the gates and run the same program week after week. 7. I love open wheel racing. Is there any chance of an asphalt track in Texas bringing in an open wheel class (sprint or midget) for a special event? The Ford Focus entry level midget series is really taking off - are there any Texas cars in that group? I love, love, love to see sprint cars race at Houston Motorsports Park. I know I'm dreaming, but ..... 8. Don't waste my time. Respect it. Start your show on time. Finish it a reasonable hour. I don't have patience for tracks that can't do this. Getting started at 7:00 and finishing up at 10:30-11:00 is fine. Don't push it past midnight, especially if you want me to bring my kids to the track. I understand most tracks have an intermission, but don't sit there doing nothing for a half hour or more. Isn't there something you can do to maintain fan interest? Have a raffle and give away some track T-shirts and hats during the intermission. If that lucky fan wears your shirt or hat then you have a walking advertisement for your track. If a dad wins the raffle and he's at the track with his kids, GIVE HIS KIDS track T-shirts! They will want to come back to track. If you can't run your show in a timely fashion, I won't visit your track often and I sure won't bring my kids. All this being said, I love racing and only wish I had more time to go to more events! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdilling1 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Ooops I meant to say I "would" love to see sprint cars race at Houston Motorsports Park someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supertx Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 mdilling That was very well said and one of the truest statements put on this forum.But I will bet you it goes in one ear and out the other of these promotors. I hope for you and the other fans that they do listen to you.The fans are what counts if they don't put on a good show and everything else you listed asphalt racing is doomed in Texas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
97car Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 SS36 TAMS37 try more like $140 if it is a big show,I don't remember if adults were $15 or 18,but I do know that 3 adult tickets and 2 childrens,plus concessions,and $5 for the youngest to jump in the castle things all night we went thru $140 before the night was done with no beer. The $5 for the jumping thing was the best deal I got besides getting to see all the cars that night.I can't do that very often. Try buy one get one free like I37 did every now and then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banker36 Posted May 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 97car, My prices might be off a bit but on a regular night I was just trying to state a price that a family of 4 might spend. I havent sat in the stands in a long time a THR sense Im always in the pits every Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer52 Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 saspeedpic - I thought the price was high in general for a regular Saturday night show. If there was Romco or something there, then a $12 price would be expected (or maybe higher). I understood this post to be about a regular night show. (ps. This is not AJ, it's his wife) ss36_tams37 - The way I read your post was to lower the price from $12 occassionally, not every weekend (even though I think every weekend would be better) to try to fill the stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 Guys. Let's be reasonable here. A $2 difference in pricing for the grandstands is not going to make a difference in the stands. I am not sure if THR has this but CCMS has $9 ($2 off coupon at Firestone and Autzone's) so really $7 adult ticket and a child gets in free with paid adult. I really do not see $10 admission ticket at THR an instant crowd builder. Where will all the new fans come from? I doubt people stay away from THR because it is $2 higher than they want to pay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banker36 Posted May 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 Dancer, I said one night just to see how it works out then if it catches on it could be a permenant thing. I also said $7 not $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckLicata Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 Just my 2 cents on this subject... If we could increase our fan count at THR by 2,000 fans just by lowering our adult admission price to $10, you'd better believe we'd do it in a heartbeat!! As said in prevous posts (note to Chuckman: I WILL keep this short, ) **The main problem with the low fan count at THR is Name Recognition--as in, we don't have enough of that in the Central Texas area---YET. And when you're building Name Recognition, you're NOT going to do it overnight, or even in one season (unless, of course, you have a $1 million dollar advertising/marketing budget!) We are attacking this problem in many ways. Here are just a few: 1) We are advertising in the local media (and working on more) 2) We are working on making flyers to be handed out in all areas of Central Texas (folks like Bobby LaFont, White Knuckle Racing, Greg Gurley, Aaron and others) have volunteered their time to put them out in the public 3) We are making posters and coupons to distribute to our sponsors and to put in local businesses 4) We are efforting more Drivers Appearances with local businesses this summer 5) We are working with the local media to get more coverage (note: there will be a feature on Tracy Tschoerner in next Wednesday's Kyle Free Press) 6) And many, many more ways Again...you HAVE to be patient; we don't have the resources (aka, money) to turn things around in a short time frame. We're starting to see results, and we've got more programs coming this season. And if you think things are bad, realize this: things would have been this bad, this season ANYWAYS--at least we're working hard behind the scenes to lay a good foundation for future success. ((Sorry Chuckman, I went LONG again, didn't I? )) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
direct-flo Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 The price is fine......if you put a product in front of the customer he will buy it..(assuming the customer is looking to buy this product or one like it)..If the customer is a hard sale, demonstrate to the customer that your product is well worth his/her investment..When the customer buys the product - back it up with great customer care. Word gets around....( word of mouth, BEST-cheapest form of advertising)...kind of like AMWAY---1 person is happy - tells 5 others...they are happy customers--they tell 5 more,,,,so on and so on.. BUT!!!!!! you cannot just turn the lights on and expect people to show up... you have to advertise, promote-advertise, promote.... track owners, promoters, officials, DRIVERS, racing team members, everyone that is involved every Saturday night......has to hit the streets and sale the public on why they should spend 12.00 or whatever to come out to the race track and have a great time. customer = race fan product = watching you go around the track service = grandstands, great surroundings, good food, ice cold drinks, everything has to work hand in hand, tell enough people, give them more bang for the buck-----they will keep coming back....and they will talk about what a great time they had to their friends an so on.. just a thought: if the drivers would walk up to the stands in between races and just be seen....(fans always want to connect with a driver) all part of selling a product----> you the driver, your car, and the sport we all love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DVeit Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 I have always thought it would be cool if they broadcasted the races live on the "Public Access" channel. That would get the track more advertisement and if you cant make it to the track that night, you still can watch it on tv. I dont see why this couldnt happen, they show Kite surfing, and let people b!t@# about the dumbest stuff they can think of. Why not show some local racing? What do you think about this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SASPEEDRACER24 Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 (ps. This is not AJ, it's his wife) OOPS sorry about that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 DVeit, I have always thought it would be cool if they broadcasted the races live on the "Public Access" channel. That would get the track more advertisement and if you cant make it to the track that night, you still can watch it on tv. I dont see why this couldnt happen, they show Kite surfing, and let people b!t@# about the dumbest stuff they can think of. Why not show some local racing? What do you think about this? I think you should do it. Nick Holt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer52 Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 OOPS sorry about that... No problem. On here, it could be me or him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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