Hornets247, Hornets Report Will Help You Be In

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Published: July 16, 2011

Since the Hornets lauched their hundred day campaign, we have been tracking the progress of the season ticket sales daily in the News. As of the time of this writing, we need to sell 1550 season tickets in 62 days to reach the original goal, ignoring the effect of the lockout. The goal was made with the idea in mind of selling the team in principle before the season started. As the lockout draws on, the potential for a delayed, shortened, or canceled season increases, and fans’ and sponsors’ money has largely stopped flowing in from the sidelines.

As you may know, Hornets247 is a season ticket holder. We’re in. Additionally, I am a season ticket holder and have been for years, just like many members of the community here at this site and Hornets Report. We know how important it is to support the team, and being a season ticket holder is one of most direct ways to do so.

In the spirit of the “I’m in, Are You?” campaign, which encourages season ticket holders to host events for non-holders aimed at getting some of those lost souls to smell the cayenne and see the creole blue light, we are throwing a party.

Who: Anyone interested in season tickets

When: 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., Monday July 18, 2011

Where: 4305 Annunciation St. (Run’s House Joe’s House)

Why: Hang out and talk Hornets . . . and buy tickets

Attire: Whatever. Come as you are after work, no matter the job.

Lagniappe: Free food and drink, Hugh Weber and Hornets Brass

Buying Tickets at the Party

For anyone who came to a watch party, you know that we throw a fine party. And by we, I don’t just mean Joe, even though that’s true. I mean us. All of us. If you show up, it’ll be a good party. If you bring a friend, it’ll be better.

This is first and foremost a season ticket selling event, but that’s not to say that it will be a high pressure sales environment. Hugh Weber isn’t going to be hounding you to get you to part with a couple hundred dollars. He’ll say a few words, sure, but he’s there to be available to you. He’s there so you can look at the man cashing your check right in the eyes if you want. He’s there to answer your questions, not wrangle you into a sale.

The incentive to buy is going to come from Hornets fans talking about how great the games are with folks we’ve met over the years. The only pressure is going to come from friends reminiscing among themselves about game nights and assorted team events. This is one of the “the product sells itself” sort of things, but the product isn’t tickets. It’s something else. It’s entertainment. It’s good times. It’s fun. It’s memories.

Even though I just said the real product is not tickets . . . you still have to buy the tickets, so here is an info sheet detailing the costs and benefits of being a season ticket holder. There is additonal info on the benefits here. These will be available at the party.

When you are there, you will have a few options of how to proceed, as you can see here. They can take payment at the party: cash, check, or charge. They require a 5% deposit. After that, they require the other 95% in 4 equal payments of 23.75% each.

For example, let’s say you want a pair in the upper corner. This will run you a total of $1696. You would have to put down 5%, or $84.80, at the party. You would then pay $402.05 in August, September, October and November to total the other 95% of the amount due.

I could go on and on, but you should check the sites and come the party to really get some good information . . . and some exclusive deals.

Making it Happen

Just like everyone else, this is not chump change to me. However, though the initial cost is a little steep, there are ways to make this work in the long term, and that’s how you have to think about being a season ticket holder. First, there is a 10 game buy back program. So automatically, you can go into the season and get 10 games worth of credit towards next season and ease your schedule. That’s essentially a 25% discount right out of the gate.

Beyond that, season ticket holders can take advantage of the ticket exchange, a website used to sell tickets. Between this great tool to build credit in your account and other means to sell tickets to give you money in your pocket immediately, season ticket holders lower the overall cost of being a season ticket holder.

Also, by committing to be a season ticket holder going forward, one can personally budget the cost over the year. It costs the same, but the pinch is less than the initial purchase this way. All totaled, a pair of the above seats can be had for about $20 a week, about the cost of two people going to the movies.

In this particular season, the cost could be . . . $0. Because of the lockout, there are two options available to tell the Hornets how to handle your money in the event of missed games. Under one option, you get your money back with a small amount of interest. In this case, the money applied to games that are missed comes back to you with interest from the Banque du Hornets. So if you have money laying around in a savings account and are considering buying tickets, go ahead and buy the tickets. If the season ends up being missed, which some people suspect it will, you could end up being a season ticket holder at no cost.

Under the other option, the Hornets will apply the money paid for missed games plus 10% to future purchases, plus they Hornets will use 5% of that amount (of their money, not yours) for charitable purposes. This really is less than no cost, but you are tying up your funds for use on future games.

Additionally, you don’t have to buy tickets at the party. You can always just start a relationship with a rep and go from there.

Getting In Any Which Way

Despite all this, being a full season ticket holder isn’t for everyone. So how to help with the season ticket holder drive without buying season tickets? Good question.

Let’s assume you can’t afford a full set of season tickets or can’t attend all the games no matter how you slice it. Waiting for partial plans to go on sale may help you, but you may be able to help yourself more by splitting a set of season tickets. I split 12 seats among friends and coworkers, for instance. Seek out friends, family members, or coworkers to split the tickets and cost with. Don’t worry about who’s going to get what games . . . put the commonly desired games in a hat and draw them out, then do some reasonable trading for games-on-occasions, such as birthdays and the like. Remember, you can always buy singles BEFORE the public at FACE value when you are IN, so you can always go to any game you want until we sell the Arena out comepletely on a season ticket basis. In this case, you should count your lucky stars you bought in when you did.

The Hornets can set up payment plans with individual ticket sharing participants. They will need a point of contact, but they can put folks `on the account’ and take payments directly from the sharing participants, so money does not have to change hands more than necessary.

What if you just aren’t going to buy tickets . . . maybe you are too far away or just had a baby. That’s ok. Each fan plays a role, the ones in the Arena and ones a world away. Talk up the team. Wear your Hornets gear. Tell people about these sites or this party if nothing else.

If you don’t do what you can this year, in possibly our darkest hour, we may not be able to enjoy the team next year or ever again.

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