New Arena Ticket Prices

[Section 101]

Well, had a meeting about the new arena's season tickets. My enthusiasm just took a hit.

My current seats are 9 rows up $140/ticket. The next row below me is the price jump that gets the in seat service.

In the new ESC the first 12 rows are club seating. Club seating gets 2 lounges with food and non alcoholic beverages and private restrooms. The food does appear to be fine dining and high quality. You get access to preferred parking 1 block away, but it's not included in the new prices. Estimated to be $30. You get extra stuff like renting the lounges and first offers for luxury seats for special events.

They had me reserved for 6 rows up in the new ESC. $234/ticket. The 12th row is $217/ticket.

They also want a 3 or 5 year commitment with 3% and 4% increases respectively.

I try to avoid the arena food as much as possible and don't drink soda so the food wasn't that appealing, the lounge is cool, but I could see it getting old 43 times a year. So the extra benefits are definitely not worth an extra $77 a game plus the right to buy a more expensive parking pass.

Having been in my general area for seats for the past 17 years and seeing the people around me, I don't see how they will be selling out the club seats. Seeing how I got moved up 3 rows from my current seats I'm assuming others are in the same boat as me. Many share tickets or use them as a company write off.

I won't find out until August what my new reserved seats are outside the club, but right now I'm not hopefully that they haven't priced me out while moving farther from the court.

 

[John Galt]

Thanks so much for that update - I've been waiting anxiously for info. I'm about 9 rows further back from you and won't hear anything at all till August I suppose, but last year when I was jockeying around about whether to renew I kept trying in vain to extract some kind of promise about the comparability of seats I would be offered (I tried really really hard). Phil Horn flat refused to commit to ANYTHING AT ALL and it was so disconcerting. I had decided I would not renew at all because I didn't trust these guys. The Karl hire changed my mind. But all along I smelled a rat as far as the "comparable seating" BS was concerned.

I anticipated it would be something like this - you are offered "comparable" seats closer to the court for a ridiculous price that you would likely not accept. I mean they did you hard with like a 68% increase. How is that "offering comparable seats" lol. It is reprehensible. But now it opens up the shell game, so the guys who know a guy who knows a guy... he can schmooove into the sweet seats - without having to pay season tickets these last 10 years as ransom for his priority spot.

So now all the guys who get screwed this way will pack what is left of the lower level and everyone else will get pushed around.

Sigh... pretty much a bummer but it is great to get some info. I'll report back here when my turn comes.

68% increase... ouch!! Will be interesting to hear Granger and his boys spin this as reasonable and appropriate.

Hey Kings shills, if any of you are left on this board... chime in with some spin ok. Or at least pass the lube.

 

[pshn80]

Well, had a meeting about the new arena's season tickets. My enthusiasm just took a hit.

My current seats are 9 rows up $140/ticket. The next row below me is the price jump that gets the in seat service.

In the new ESC the first 12 rows are club seating. Club seating gets 2 lounges with food and non alcoholic beverages and private restrooms. The food does appear to be fine dining and high quality. You get access to preferred parking 1 block away, but it's not included in the new prices. Estimated to be $30. You get extra stuff like renting the lounges and first offers for luxury seats for special events.

They had me reserved for 6 rows up in the new ESC. $234/ticket. The 12th row is $217/ticket.

They also want a 3 or 5 year commitment with 3% and 4% increases respectively.

I try to avoid the arena food as much as possible and don't drink soda so the food wasn't that appealing, the lounge is cool, but I could see it getting old 43 times a year. So the extra benefits are definitely not worth an extra $77 a game plus the right to buy a more expensive parking pass.

Having been in my general area for seats for the past 17 years and seeing the people around me, I don't see how they will be selling out the club seats. Seeing how I got moved up 3 rows from my current seats I'm assuming others are in the same boat as me. Many share tickets or use them as a company write off.

I won't find out until August what my new reserved seats are outside the club, but right now I'm not hopefully that they haven't priced me out while moving farther from the court.

Bad news. I haven't heard yet where my $75 seat price is going in the new arena. I'm sure I won't be long.

 

[IfAt1st]

I just don't see how this area can support the $$$ expected with this new arena.
It's like the NBA is moving everything in place for a world-class team, including the ticket prices, but they forgot two major things:
1) The team is a laughingstock still, considered a losing cesspool of the NBA.
2) The area is economically depressed, and doesn't have the corporate or upper class hordes needed to patronize all these luxury accouterments common in new arenas.

Sacramento is a working class city (on average) - hell, the old Arco Arena exactly fit the mentality.
This abomination of an arena that was basically forced on us by the Maloofs and the NBA, extorted by the threat of leaving, may well be a colossal failure.

 

[VladFather]

I highly doubt the Sacramento area will support such price increases. I'm sure Granger and team did a lot of research into pricing for the new arena, but I think they miscalculated here. I've been a season ticket holder for the past 4-5 years, and kept them in part to be in-line for the new arena...and I'm thinking about dropping them now. I think everyone expected higher priced tickets, but I think more in the 20-25% increase range, not 70%. However, if Granger and Co. start seeing people not renewing because of the large price increase, they may be forced to adjust prices downward. The arena is a sunk cost at this point and they can't go anywhere, prices will go lower. When you're the Sacramento Kings (as much as I love them), you can't pretend you're a company like Disney or else you're setting yourself up for failure.

 

[Section 101]

I highly doubt the Sacramento area will support such price increases. I'm sure Granger and team did a lot of research into pricing for the new arena, but I think they miscalculated here. I've been a season ticket holder for the past 4-5 years, and kept them in part to be in-line for the new arena...and I'm thinking about dropping them now. I think everyone expected higher priced tickets, but I think more in the 20-25% increase range, not 70%. However, if Granger and Co. start seeing people not renewing because of the large price increase, they may be forced to adjust prices downward. The arena is a sunk cost at this point and they can't go anywhere, prices will go lower. When you're the Sacramento Kings (as much as I love them), you can't pretend you're a company like Disney or else you're setting yourself up for failure.

Well to be fair those are the club seats so it does include food etc like a box seat. What they may have miscalculated was the number of club seats and location of the seats. Some people don't want all the fluff and are there to actually watch the game.

 

[fansinceday1]

Well the beginning of this thread is looking exactly like the 49ers Levi stadium thread when their colossal failure of a stadium was completed.
These ticket issues are not solely a sacramento thing. 49ers fans are currently in full ticket price revolt. NY Jets/Giants fans stayed away in large numbers their first couple seasons because of ridiculous prices and PSL's and Yankee fans were shell shocked when ticket prices were released before they moved into their new stadium. You can still see plenty of empty low level seats during "sold out" yankee games.

 

[pshn80]

I'm still happy with basketball at STA. So they want a premium above my $75. They better make it a small premium even if they win 42 games this year. Reduce the price f parking, Kings dogs and beer would help me.

 

[Larry David]

This is why they desperately want to be good in 15 months. Their price points reflect what they need to make any money / break even based upon the debt they took on and revenue sharing going away ... more than the quality of team, fan excitement, and money in this town. They are pushing the basketball moves primarily / solely to meet those goals.

I think the team will be pretty good and there will be enough folks excited to see the new arena that they will do pretty well at these prices for a year and many will renew before an ugly summer. But, when they have to start all over again in year 2 and 3 when DMC leaves and they are in a bad spot asset wise from making 3-4 years of short terms moves trying to pump up ticket prices and keep DMC ... it's going to get ugly with the red ink, fan anger, and attendance for years 3 and 4 of a new building. I hope it doesn't go that way ... but they are all in with bad cards.

 

[Dreadnought]

There is no way they are going to sell out any game that's not promotional or a marquee game vs the Lakers/Warriors/Cavs with this price point. Even a marked up ticket from a scalper during the height of 2002-03, factoring inflation, tickets weren't that expensive. And now they want to charge that much for a perennial 25-win team? I paid something like $240 for two tickets 10 rows up vs. the Knicks in 2003. Do they realize how ugly it will be to have an empty arena for games vs. the Bucks on TV?

I absolutely love Arco Thunder but even I'm not leaving my house to be robbed.

 

[John Galt]

We can only hope the club pricing is aberrant - and the main level seating and upper level are sensible. We'll see in August.

 

[Gary]

I just don't see how this area can support the $$$ expected with this new arena.
It's like the NBA is moving everything in place for a world-class team, including the ticket prices, but they forgot two major things:
1) The team is a laughingstock still, considered a losing cesspool of the NBA.
2) The area is economically depressed, and doesn't have the corporate or upper class hordes needed to patronize all these luxury accouterments common in new arenas.

Sacramento is a working class city (on average) - hell, the old Arco Arena exactly fit the mentality.
This abomination of an arena that was basically forced on us by the Maloofs and the NBA, extorted by the threat of leaving, may well be a colossal failure.

uhhhhhhhh.... no.... It was time we got a new arena, and no, it's not going to be a colossal failure. Have you seen everything that's going in next to the arena? Supposedly going to be better than LA LIVE..

 

[John Galt]

It can fail.

The guys in charge have shown that they are out of touch with the local community. From the gummy bear sculpture out front to the ghastly expensive seating (in the first 12 rows anyway)... I mean unless they REALLY think that the rich and famous are gonna abandon Sausalito and Napa so they can come out and snob it up in Sacramento... they might whiff. There is not the kind of disposable income in Sacramento that these conceited movers and shakers seem to imagine. Time will tell. But so far there is no "down to earth"ness about this crowd - they are in fantasy land when it comes to the money. I'm just hoping I can get a nosebleed seat at a decent price now but don't have my hopes up. And I hope for Andy Miller and Mark Mastrov's sake that their money has not been wasted by chumming it up with Vivek. I just have the feeling that those two would have had sense to not go quite so elitist.

 

[pshn80]

Is there a model or some kind of a mockup of the new arena seating?

 

[Section 101]

Is there a model or some kind of a mockup of the new arena seating?

Yes. But I don't think they have released it for public view. You have to go down to the experience center to see it.

 

[pshn80]

Yes. But I don't think they have released it for public view. You have to go down to the experience center to see it.

.

I guess I'm out of touch as a STH but what is the experience center and where is it? I don't read everything I get from them. Thanks.

 

[Section 101]

.

I guess I'm out of touch as a STH but what is the experience center and where is it? I don't read everything I get from them. Thanks.

It's an office next to the new arena. They have mock ups of the lounge area bars, seats, videos of what the new ESC will look like. Stuff like that.

 

[John Galt]

.

I guess I'm out of touch as a STH but what is the experience center and where is it? I don't read everything I get from them. Thanks.

Bro you and I are low grade STH - we have to wait till August while they woo the deepest pockets with their donkey show ... err... I mean dog and pony show.

 

[kennadog]

Well, if they raise the price that much, I'm likely out as a STH. And there is no way I will commit to more than a year at a time. Too many things can happen. I could move, I could be in a nursing home, I could be dead. Or maybe I decide to go to Europe or Australia instead one year.

I mean, I'm pretty much in the rafters now.

 

[Gary]

I don't care what price. I am definitely back as a season ticket holder if I can. If not then I will buy a few game packs if available.