Written By: Steve Macy, NM State Associate Athletic Director

Last week, I received the final 2009 softball ticket sales numbers. I was pleased not only because of the 95% revenue increase over 2008, but also because we are growing the sport. I expect baseball numbers to be up as well.

This bucks the national trend of decreased spending on entertainment that many sports teams have been dealing with over the past several months. We are not immune to economic conditions, but certainly the entertainment value found at Aggie athletic events is slotted at the right price point. The quality of the teams certainly helps as well.

In football, I have written about the dramatic pricing structure changes. We made vast changes in season ticket prices and in single-game prices. We did it differently that you would see anywhere else. We had some hard decisions to make to change buying behaviors and the numbers are telling me that we made the right choice.

We are seeing record numbers of new season ticket accounts flow into the ticket office. So, the pricing changes are working in incentivizing season tickets over single-game purchases. While the pricing structure changes came from the marketing office, Coach Walker’s leadership in engaging the community is making the marketing campaign successful. His involvement in the community is allowing our ticket message to get through. Without his efforts, I have no doubt that our record numbers would be hindered. I call it a two-pronged attack. Coach Walker engagement of the community makes our sales messages more susceptible to fight through the messaging clutter we all deal with on a daily basis.

Not only are the total numbers up, but there are some sections in Aggie Memorial Stadium approaching sold out status. We have not been in that position in the past. Our stated goal was to move total season tickets from 7,300 in 2008 to 12,000 in 2009. It is a lofty goal and much work still needs to be done. We have to continue to educate the public that season tickets are vastly superior economically to game-by-game purchases. We have to continue to reach our fan base by being in the community. We have to engage stake holders to elicit help in the sales process. We need to continue to support the sales process through our media campaign in print, radio and TV.

If you are considering your needs for football tickets in 2009, please give season tickets your consideration. It is by far the very best deal, as you save 60% off the single-game price.

We Are All Crimson