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Test ticket prices

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I like to watch

David Codey (61)
If they were smart, in addition to allowing the grassroots to purchase tickets early (which is no big deal for an event that won't sell out)
They would give a say 20% discount, to the grassroots.
It would probably be revenue neutral, with more grassroots participants more likely to buy theses discounted tickets.
Win,win, a concept seemingly alien to the ARU.....
 
T

TOCC

Guest
I understand the point your making here and no way will I be paying that either - but I was just looking at some highlights from Carozza's 1992 Bled at Ballymore.

Great game, and sold out but relatively tiny crowd!

Sorry, should have specified in the 'professional era', or at least in the 21st century..
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
Here is a range of prices for Sydney shows for the best category tickets. All of these are without booking fees.

A standard Sydney Swans game is $80

Jessica Mauboy $101.75

Cat Stevens $209.20

Australian Open Tennis - Men's Final $774 (cheapest was $413)

SCG Ashes test - $179

AFL Grand Final cheapest adult ticket is $180 - can't find details on most expensive.

I think the ARU could drop the price of the cheapest category ticket and maybe shave a few dollars off the platinum tickets but I really don't think they are out of kilter with the rest of the entertainment landscape.

Ticket prices are expensive in general. Any premium concert is generally $200 plus for the premium tickets and often a lot higher.
 

Mr Wobbly

Alan Cameron (40)
Here is a range of prices for Sydney shows for the best category tickets. All of these are without booking fees.

A standard Sydney Swans game is $80

Jessica Mauboy $101.75

Cat Stevens $209.20

Australian Open Tennis - Men's Final $774 (cheapest was $413)

SCG Ashes test - $179

AFL Grand Final cheapest adult ticket is $180 - can't find details on most expensive.

I think the ARU could drop the price of the cheapest category ticket and maybe shave a few dollars off the platinum tickets but I really don't think they are out of kilter with the rest of the entertainment landscape.

Ticket prices are expensive in general. Any premium concert is generally $200 plus for the premium tickets and often a lot higher.
Re AFL Grand Final tickets - Members of clubs that make a preliminary final can go into a ballot to buy a ticket. There are only 15,000 seats available for members of each of the two GF teams (last year's teams had nearly 100,000 members between them). There are other allocations to AFL members, MCC members and non-competing clubs. If you are general public and want a ticket you need to buy a "package", these go for between $950 and $2,650.
 

I like to watch

David Codey (61)
I agree that the platinum tickets will get sold.
The market will tell you that the cheap seats are overpriced.
Otherwise it would be a sellout.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
I agree that the platinum tickets will get sold.
The market will tell you that the cheap seats are overpriced.
Otherwise it would be a sellout.


It is pretty standard that for most events the best tickets sell out first.

There's some economic theory behind the pricing for the cheapest tickets in relation to the most expensive tickets. If you price those too cheaply relative to your most expensive tickets you risk damaging those sales because people think they are paying too much of a premium for the best tickets.
 

I like to watch

David Codey (61)
That may be correct for a Neil Diamond concert.
Not so much for Rugby.
If you are purchasing platinum tickets for a bled game, you're not even looking at bronze prices.
Look at the Tahs GF as the best indicator.
Bronze tickets were very cheap in comparison to platinum tickets.
That worked out ok.
 

Tangawizi

Peter Fenwicke (45)
If we don't win in Sydney or Dunners & the cup is safely in NZ hands by the time the Brisbane Test is played, I'm not sure the platinums will sell out even though there's plenty of Kiwis living here.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
 

A mutterer

Desmond Connor (43)
I'd maybe shave a few dollars off the platinum tickets but I really don't think they are out of kilter with the rest of the entertainment landscape.

Ticket prices are expensive in general. Any premium concert is generally $200 plus for the premium tickets and often a lot higher.

Except that each of those events has a >90% chance of selling out across all categories, and as such are priced accordingly.

And are, dare I say guaranteed entertainment for the respective fans.

Whereas for a wallabies supporter its more akin to ritualistic flagellation wearing a green and gold hessian bag.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
Except that each of those events has a >90% chance of selling out across all categories, and as such are priced accordingly.

And are, dare I say guaranteed entertainment for the respective fans.

Whereas for a wallabies supporter its more akin to ritualistic flagellation wearing a green and gold hessian bag.


Day 1 and 2 of the Sydney test sure and the AFL Grand Final and Australian Open Final.

None of those other events will.

It is rare that a big concert completely sells out. A lot of them don't go close but the revenue is made because the premium seats sell out.
 

RedsHappy

Tony Shaw (54)
Except that each of those events has a >90% chance of selling out across all categories, and as such are priced accordingly.

And are, dare I say guaranteed entertainment for the respective fans.

Whereas for a wallabies supporter its more akin to ritualistic flagellation wearing a green and gold hessian bag.

Yep...........and it's not correct that 'all the premium tickets for Aus-based Bleds are selling out'.

Bled Tests are, sadly, by no means the 'premium' events they used to be.

For example, the October 2014 Bled at Suncorp had a 46,200 crowd and was not close to a sell-out (capacity 52,500). (I remember taking my son to the 2006 Bled there and you could not get a ticket at any price weeks before the game.). And that October 2014 Test had a huge QLD rugby favourite in Link coaching his first Bled there that day.

I remember clearly there were still 'A' tickets available on that October day and rusted-ons I know were declining to come via their view that ticket prices were just too high as they saw it, plus generally a declining and disillusioned conviction that the Wallabies might win.

I think there's a real risk that this year's Bled in Brisbane may see a 40,000 or less level crowd unless it's the 2017 BC decider.

We know that Bled crowds at ANZ in Sydney are now way under sell-out levels and falling year-on-year.

What the ARU should absolutely be doing is trying to seek an optimised combination of maximum crowds (to boost or at least preserve fan morale and encourage more positive media coverage vs the typical opposite) and maximum gross Test $ gate income and forget about historical pride and the theories of premium prices and premium BC events - those once-trustworthy golden days are gone for rugby in Australia.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
I paid $164 for a platinum ticket in 2009. Without looking up each year in between that represents a 2.7% price rise each year to get to $203 in 2017 which would be roughly CPI.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member


Just adding more information to the discussion.

I don't disagree that the ARU shouldn't knock something off the prices. Maybe keeping platinum just under $200 would be a good psychological move, Bronze tickets down from $91 to 80 and family bronze tickets from $228 to right around $200.

What if the level of interest is fairly price inelastic though and the number of attendees really doesn't change much?

If they dropped the price 10% and it barely moves the crowd figure, is that a good thing?

I think crowds are heavily driven around the level of interest in the event and the prospective of winning (or at least being competitive) rather than the price.

I'm sure if they halved the ticket prices it would sell out easily but no one is suggesting anything like that.
 

RedsHappy

Tony Shaw (54)
The masters of optimised seat pricing are airlines (it's called 'yield maximisation'), with each flight being a one-off, very high fixed cost event and the only thing that really matters is maximising the total $s flying on that flight that day.

That's why when airlines' advanced algorithms reflecting huge quantities of historical data tell them a flight is very likely to be sold out via demand and seasonal etc pattens, seat prices will tend to be higher overall with limited discounting (but still v careful seat pricing to ensure maximum yield in total), and when the opposite is likely to be true heavy discounting - especially in business and premium seats - is enacted to drive passengers to travel, and/or upgrade from cheaper seats, and/or not travel on competitor flights.

Key point: the plane leaves with less than optimised total $ revenue, losses on that flight can easily occur and the seats are totally perishable (just like a sports event on any day), once flown their value is gone forever.

So the art of yield optimisation is to adjust pricing - not guided by some a some irrational ideology of what a wonderful 'premium' airline it is - heavily and flexibly in relation to proven patterns of demand.

Just what the ARU needs to do now that the trusty old flight JO'N 001 to BC land is not what it used to be.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
Key point: the plane leaves with less than optimised total $ revenue, losses on that flight can easily occur and the seats are totally perishable (just like a sports event on any day), once flown their value is gone forever.

So the art of yield optimisation is to adjust pricing - not guided by some a some irrational ideology of what a wonderful 'premium' airline it is - heavily and flexibly in relation to proven patterns of demand.


Dynamic pricing has been used for quite a while in the MLB and more recently in NBA and NHL.

What is different for them is that their regular seasons are 162 and 82 games respectively.

I don't believe there are any ticketing companies who offer the service in Australia.
 

RedsHappy

Tony Shaw (54)
Just adding more information to the discussion.

I don't disagree that the ARU shouldn't knock something off the prices. Maybe keeping platinum just under $200 would be a good psychological move, Bronze tickets down from $91 to 80 and family bronze tickets from $228 to right around $200.

What if the level of interest is fairly price inelastic though and the number of attendees really doesn't change much?

If they dropped the price 10% and it barely moves the crowd figure, is that a good thing?

I think crowds are heavily driven around the level of interest in the event and the prospective of winning (or at least being competitive) rather than the price.

I'm sure if they halved the ticket prices it would sell out easily but no one is suggesting anything like that.

Agree with much of that, except I think price really does matter when an event is not 'the ultimate' in relative terms.

I'd also do (just principles below):

- material % discounts if any one buyer buys say 4 tickets (to incent groups of fans to team up and go)​
- big family deals at low-ish prices incl full meal and drink vouchers and transport​
- excellently priced Test packages for rugby clubs to market whereby they get say 30% of whatever they sell​
- say (guessing) 10,000 'D' tickets at $10 each allocated to every kid who played a local rugby game on the three weekends prior to the Test AND those $s all go their respective clubs directly and undiluted​

......things like that
 
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