huskerhaze
Special Teams Player
Football first: Wake Forest smells sellouts
"I'd be very surprised if we didn't sell out."
Craig Keilitz,
Wake's associate athletics director for marketing and promotions.
WINSTON-SALEM -- A couple of years ago, when winning regularly was just a concept and seats needed to be filled, Wake Forest welcomed paying football customers regardless of their rooting interest. Join the party. The box office is to the left.
It was the "Entourage" approach to marketing college football.
In 2007, however, the message to opposing fans is closer to "Curb Your Enthusiasm." In the aftermath of an ACC championship and a successful premium-seating sales drive, the Demon Deacons are confident they will sell out season tickets for the first time. They're so convinced, in fact, that they won't immediately guarantee seats to any applicant who might inquire from, say, Omaha. A four-pronged priority system designed to reward obvious Wake Forest constituents is in place, and administrators hope the rolls will be filled entirely by those inclined to "Paint It Black," the 2007 season slogan and the title of a 1966 Rolling Stones hit.
"That's the next step," said Barry Faircloth, chief administrator of the Deacon Club. "Look at the Virginia Tech and Clemson games (last year). We're trying to create a home-field advantage, and the crowds at those games certainly cause you to reflect and try to change that."
Mick Jagger could not be reached for comment, by the way, but Wake officials saw plenty of maroon and orange and other colors at a couple of home games and are seeking a more friendly palette.
Therefore, they implemented the checks and balances. Season-ticket requests will be prioritized to the benefit of current Deacon Club members, Wake Forest alumni and previous season-ticket holders. The final criterion will be the order in which a ticket request was received.
Having received orders for 6,000 of the 16,500 available season tickets, Wake is far ahead of the pace established in any previous year on record. Those requests have all come online; printed order forms won't arrive in constituents' mailboxes until later this week.
"I'd be very surprised if we didn't sell out," said Craig Keilitz, the school's associate athletics director for marketing and promotions.
The biggest target of the pre-emptive measures is probably Nebraska, which comes to Groves Stadium on Sept. 8. The Cornhuskers have sold out every home game in Lincoln since the Cuban Missile Crisis, which means some fans will go to any length -- geographic and otherwise -- to see their team.
Last year, an estimated 20,000 Cornhuskers fans attended their team's game at Southern California. About 3,400 of them purchased single-game seats and another 300 went all in for season tickets through USC before the Trojans put a stop to the commerce.
Of course, if Nebraska fans really want to get into a football game at Wake, they can go the scalping route. In 2000, more than 30,000 of them did that at Notre Dame, creating a "Red-Out" scene that caused the Fighting Irish considerable embarrassment and helped turn then-Notre Dame coach Bob Davie into an ESPN broadcaster two years later.
Wake doubts the demand for this one will approximate the Nebraska-Notre Dame game. By contract, every visiting team gets 4,500 seats at Groves.
Another noteworthy element of Wake's 2007 ticket package is the price structure, which didn't change radically in the aftermath of the greatest football season in school history. Two packages increased by $20 and the Deacon Hill plan, which offers two adult and two children's admissions, is now $249 -- up from $209 a year ago. Even with the increase, the average cost of each ticket in the package is a little more than $10.
"We know we could have done more (revenue)," Keilitz said, "but our first priority is to fill the stadium up with Wake Forest fans."
"I'd be very surprised if we didn't sell out."
Craig Keilitz,
Wake's associate athletics director for marketing and promotions.
WINSTON-SALEM -- A couple of years ago, when winning regularly was just a concept and seats needed to be filled, Wake Forest welcomed paying football customers regardless of their rooting interest. Join the party. The box office is to the left.
It was the "Entourage" approach to marketing college football.
In 2007, however, the message to opposing fans is closer to "Curb Your Enthusiasm." In the aftermath of an ACC championship and a successful premium-seating sales drive, the Demon Deacons are confident they will sell out season tickets for the first time. They're so convinced, in fact, that they won't immediately guarantee seats to any applicant who might inquire from, say, Omaha. A four-pronged priority system designed to reward obvious Wake Forest constituents is in place, and administrators hope the rolls will be filled entirely by those inclined to "Paint It Black," the 2007 season slogan and the title of a 1966 Rolling Stones hit.
"That's the next step," said Barry Faircloth, chief administrator of the Deacon Club. "Look at the Virginia Tech and Clemson games (last year). We're trying to create a home-field advantage, and the crowds at those games certainly cause you to reflect and try to change that."
Mick Jagger could not be reached for comment, by the way, but Wake officials saw plenty of maroon and orange and other colors at a couple of home games and are seeking a more friendly palette.
Therefore, they implemented the checks and balances. Season-ticket requests will be prioritized to the benefit of current Deacon Club members, Wake Forest alumni and previous season-ticket holders. The final criterion will be the order in which a ticket request was received.
Having received orders for 6,000 of the 16,500 available season tickets, Wake is far ahead of the pace established in any previous year on record. Those requests have all come online; printed order forms won't arrive in constituents' mailboxes until later this week.
"I'd be very surprised if we didn't sell out," said Craig Keilitz, the school's associate athletics director for marketing and promotions.
The biggest target of the pre-emptive measures is probably Nebraska, which comes to Groves Stadium on Sept. 8. The Cornhuskers have sold out every home game in Lincoln since the Cuban Missile Crisis, which means some fans will go to any length -- geographic and otherwise -- to see their team.
Last year, an estimated 20,000 Cornhuskers fans attended their team's game at Southern California. About 3,400 of them purchased single-game seats and another 300 went all in for season tickets through USC before the Trojans put a stop to the commerce.
Of course, if Nebraska fans really want to get into a football game at Wake, they can go the scalping route. In 2000, more than 30,000 of them did that at Notre Dame, creating a "Red-Out" scene that caused the Fighting Irish considerable embarrassment and helped turn then-Notre Dame coach Bob Davie into an ESPN broadcaster two years later.
Wake doubts the demand for this one will approximate the Nebraska-Notre Dame game. By contract, every visiting team gets 4,500 seats at Groves.
Another noteworthy element of Wake's 2007 ticket package is the price structure, which didn't change radically in the aftermath of the greatest football season in school history. Two packages increased by $20 and the Deacon Hill plan, which offers two adult and two children's admissions, is now $249 -- up from $209 a year ago. Even with the increase, the average cost of each ticket in the package is a little more than $10.
"We know we could have done more (revenue)," Keilitz said, "but our first priority is to fill the stadium up with Wake Forest fans."
