Gies Memorial Stadium

#201      
Dan
#204      
AirTran
Fighter of the Nightman said:
I get that we need to focus on other things, I just wish they would articulate a vision. If Josh said the goal is the renovation floated in 2016 but we can’t make any progress with the SEZ until $X million dollars are secured … fine! But IF there isn’t some long term vision for the SEZ, then some of this $100 million should go toward relatively inexpensive fixes like filling in the stands so they go closer to the field.

In other words, the “do nothing to the Horseshoe until we can REALLY renovate it” only makes sense if there is some long term plan to renovate it. And when I hear the DIA talk about it, they seem 110% fine with the SEZ as is, which would be really disappointing if true.
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Have you been to Memorial Stadium in the past 2 years? There has been quite a bit of renovation.

With less than 60,000 of average attendance - spending over $100mm to upgrade seated (and one side of Memorial Stadium has been upgraded in the past 20 years) has a negative return on investment. You need to donors to have a plan and we don't have the donors. Not yet anyway.

Josh is doing EXACTLY what any intelligent CEO would do:

(1) Improving the product. 3 bowl games in 4 years. This year's schedule is challenge however.
(2) Improve the game attendance experience. Terrific job there.
(3) As the improvement to concessions, egress, bathrooms, wifi etc continue, use Memorial for more revenue generating events.
(4) Keep Memorial Stadium as full as possible to preserve premium pricing if we don't make it to a bowl game.

Digging up a field that was just installed and spending $100mm to lower the playing surface to improve sight - lines would be the next most obvious step. But that's not going to happen until we sell out season tickets for consecutive years. Season tickets for 2026 are still available.
 
#205      
Saturdaze
Bucktown said:
I think we have the least expensive seats in the Big Ten.
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KBLEE said:
Yes - but everyone seem to want the cheapest of the least expensive seats.
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It think this is the disconnect between the DIA and fans. The DIA sees we have the cheapest seats and feels entitled to raise prices.

The problem is it’s hard to raise prices when you don’t have a demand constraint (sellouts).

The price a Purdue fan pays for a ticket has no influence over what an Illinois fan is willing to pay for a ticket. It just doesn’t work that way.
 
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