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There’s a common belief in town the Flames’ second-half collapse will leave the club scrambling to keep or attract season ticket holders.
It seems everyone has a story about a friend or employer who plans to give up their seats, citing the fragile economy or their ongoing frustration with the team.
Ken King has heard those stories, too.
But the reality is that’s all they are: Stories.
“While there is talk anecdotally of some unhappy fans, in actuality, the numbers haven’t manifested as much as the talk,” said the Flames president and CEO, whose club recently completed the renewal process.
“We take every call and e-mail seriously, but often times, I follow up a call I’ve received with threats to cancel and cannot find that person in our database. Maybe they share tickets with someone, I don’t know. But in terms of the renewal process, we’re ahead of previous years in percentage and lack of cancellations.”
Every year, between 100 and 200 season tickets are cancelled due largely to people moving, retiring or dying.
By last month’s ticket renewal deadline, that number was on the low side of that spectrum.
At the same time, the number of people added to the list of more than 4,000 waiting to buy season tickets grew by more than 300.
In other words, despite the fact five years of relatively smooth sailing on the ice came to an abrupt halt with a nine-game losing string that essentially cost the club a playoff spot, the popularity of the Flames has actually grown of late.
“We’re very pleased with the renewals,” said King.
“Even in the best of times, this organization cares deeply for its fans, whether they are ticket buyers or not. We don’t go a day not being concerned about that, and we work hard to keep people on board.
I want happy fans. After all, the game was only ever meant to be fun.”
And fun it generally is for those fortunate enough to be part of the Sea or Red with any regularity.
Win or lose, on game days, the club provides an entertaining atmosphere that has been transformed from The Library to the Sea of Red.
“My definition of this market is a pure hockey market in that they understand, appreciate and respect the game,” said King, who cited 1% to 3% price hikes for season tickets.
“With that comes a lot of people with strong opinions, and we certainly hear from some of them. The fact that there are unhappy people — we know that. We don’t have to read it in the paper or online or see it on TV — we talk to them. All in all, the lesson is to listen to our customers, which we do. We’re hearing from more people, for sure, but I hear as much positive as I do negative.”
The growing popularity of the club speaks to the passion and dedication of Calgary hockey fans as well as the fact it’s still the biggest game in town.
En route to building a brilliant business model that has the well-run club at the forefront of many community endeavours, the Flames have done a great job marketing, promoting and building a brand associated with class.And the locals continue to buy in.
That’s not to say the club hasn’t had to work harder at selling game day tickets or takes fans for granted like the Toronto Maple Leafs have long done. King insists the club has been able to sell out 259 games in a row by listening carefully to the type of feedback they receive daily.
Yes, it’s a tad easier to find tickets these days. Yes, scalpers are charging less. And yes, there is mounting frustration over the direction of the team.
But the most important thing for any franchise to have is support — and the Flames are still amongst league leaders in that department.