By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
Vegas Golden Knights season ticket holders received their playoff ticket information Tuesday and the message was clear that VGK officials would like season ticket holders to buy playoff tickets and not resell them so that home Knights playoff tickets aren’t gobbled up by opposition fans.
LVSportsBiz.com took a look at emails the Golden Knights sent to season ticket holders, who were asked to buy into something the team has dubbed the “Knights Vow.” Season ticket holders received the emails just a day after the first-year team beat the Colorado Avalanche, 4-1, to clinch the historic inaugural season playoff berth.
Here’s the statement straight from the Golden Knights email to the season ticket holder: “Members will receive the lowest price/seat per game off the Single Game Playoff Price by vowing not to resell their tickets. Under the Knights Vow, online ticket resell features will be disabled for the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.”
The bottom line is that if you’re a Golden Knights season ticket holder and you take the “Knights Vow,” your playoff tickets will cost about an average $25 more per game than what you’re paying for a regular season ticket.
But if you don’t take the vow and choose another option that would allow you to resell your tickets on the secondary market then the ticket price increase per game goes up by an average of about $75-$80, Golden Knights VP for Ticketing and Suites Todd Pollock said Tuesday.
Here are the playoff ticket costs for the typical upper bowl season ticket holder.
And check out this chunk from the email to a season ticketholder:
It’s a comprehensive, multi-layered approach to rewarding the Golden Knights’ 14,000 season ticket equivalents, while also giving them the flexibility — though at a higher ticket cost if you don’t take the “vow” — to resell the tickets.
During the Stanley Cup playoffs in Las Vegas, expect SRO packed houses at T-Mobile Arena with extra-capacity crowds approaching 18,400 in a venue that has a 100 percent capacity for hockey at 17,367. The team is drawing 103.7 percent of capacity after 38 regular-season home dates — the fourth highest capacity in the NHL.
Team President Kerry Bubolz and Pollock have analyzed Golden Knights ticket sales data from the team’s secondary ticket sales broker and corporate partner/sponsor StubHub and came up with this playoff ticket-selling approach that has already grabbed the attention of other pro teams.
From a team email to a Golden Knights season ticket holder:
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Pollock said Golden Knights owner Bill Foley instructed staff to reward season ticket holders by giving them first crack at buying playoff tickets. The email to season ticket holders said, in part, “As a full Season Ticket Member, you are automatically enrolled for all postseason games played at T-Mobile Arena. You will benefit from our ‘Cheer Now, Pay Later’ payment plan that defers payments until the conclusion of each round and the launch of the ‘Knights Vow’ campaign. In addition, you will have the opportunity to purchase additional postseason tickets prior to the general public.”
The Golden Knights are trying to motivate season ticket holders to not sell their tickets because there were many games during the regular season when the T-Mobile Arena crowds were split at least 50/50 between Golden Knights fans and supporters of visiting teams such as the Penguins, Blackhawks, Red Wings, Flyers and Wild.
During the playoffs, the Golden Knights management wants a home ice advantage with mostly Golden Knights fans and do not want the cheers of fans in opposition colors to fill the arena when the visiting team scores. But the team understands, Pollock noted, that Las Vegas is a unique tourism market that will attract NHL fans from major hockey markets.
The playoff ticket policy could face a challenge right in the first round. There’s a chance the Golden Knights might play the LA Kings or Anaheim Ducks — two teams with big regional fan followings that would be hungry to buy playoff tickets at T-Mobile Arena if their teams play the Golden Knights.
The NHL will determine exact dates, times and the opponent for Golden Knights playoff games once the playoff seeding is set. The Knights have three games left on this final homestand and then three final games on the road.
Any questions can be directed to the Vegas Golden Knights Membership Services Team by calling 702-645-4259, emailing members@vegasgoldenknights.com or by contacting their personal Account Executive. Something to keep in mind: Check the Vegas Golden Knights team website and T-Mobile Arena box office regularly because tickets may become available throughout the playoff period after NHL and visiting team holds are released.
LVSportsBiz.com will be at T-Mobile Arena Wednesday, so expect more coverage tomorrow.
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