Well, ideally, you'd have more lower price points for admission but to do that in an already full to capacity stadium, you have to expand the stadium. As we know, Fosun have put the team ahead of that and invested in the team. American sport is more inclusive for fans and does the whole fan experience better IMO but there again, it doesn't have the football culture we have.
So I'd look to Yankee land a bit more and see what some of their leading sports teams do to embrace their fans. I know there are sports forums that some Prem. teams go to to learn more about sports marketing and stadium management. Pretty sure we do some of those things but our execution is lacking.
Also, in my dealings with corporate Wolves, I'd say they are really limited in the match day experiences they offer. I'd definitely take a look at that with a view to improvement but again, space is limited. One improvement I definitely would make is the museum experience where those who partake have to leave the museum and enter the stadium with everyone else. That experience is unsatisfactory.
As for fans who simply want to turn up, watch the game and go home, I think you need to look at why they behave that way and why you can't get them in the ground earlier or keep them after. I know the stadium restrictions, Police restrictions and H&S come into play but time and time again I'm just bemused by seeing lines of vehicles queue up to leave Mol. after a game when that 30 or 40 mins sitting in a car could lead to a better experience and more revenue for the club.
I'd also take a hard look at a rewards program that wasn't just based on sales in the club shop or ticket sales. Further, embracing folks with free stuff or experiences that cost little would be something else I'd be looking at.
A lot comes down to marketing and relationships. The club does some stuff really well. In other areas it is lacking. That is why I am asking what you would do because it appears no-one from the club asks the question. That in itself is a disconnect.
How's that for starters?
Apologies as I asked for this then rudely missed it.
A bit like some other replies down the thread, found that interesting and probably not what I was expecting. However, there are some themes there that, if I think about it, I guess they resonate. Much of what follows might sound a bit removed from reality, but if you want to put in their terms and play the game, let's look at it through the PE prism of lifetime value and converting customers to ambassadors. They all love that.
Rewards and loyalty is interesting. I imagine Wolves are no different to other clubs and sports in that I feel there is a massive schism between the hospitality market and the humble joe. I'm the latter. That's not least as I've been on plenty of 'bribery days' in my time across major sports and I hate them, mainly as I love watching sport and not having it interrupted by some clowns talking about some M&A bullsht. However, from time to time I've looked into taking an elderly relative, friend or hec, even the four of us (I speak paying for four humble joe STs) as I know that as a one off it would be really memorable. It's just not a cost I'd go for given I'm already invested in the match. That would be the kind of product that it would be good to see discounted for people who have a great track record of attendance. It would have to be time limited, and plenty wouldn't want it, but if that email landed along the lines of 'Mel Evo, we at Wolves really appreciate.... time / people introduced / whatever' so we'd like to offer you a [significant %] off a basic hospitality package I'd likely respond to that call to action and you'd be buying loyalty cheap.
Overall, when it comes to hospitality I'm no expert. My thinking though would be that, for sure, squeeze the pips on blokes who can't tell the difference between a £5 bottle of Hardy juice and a Ribera Gran Reserva. However, the fudamental draw for them has to be the product on the pitch (see above for my view on their taste). For the parasites out there that means the opposition, so perhaps best not to be budgetting for a season or more against Millwall and Barnsley. It also goes for humble, and not so humble, joes. Take a listen to the three blokey blokesters on the Talking Wolves podcast this week. One of them, for reasons that escape me, appears to be paid by a brewery to go. So he didn't turn up on Saturday cos he couldn't be bothered, he turns to his first guest who also didn't go (he's 'getting into golf' -
aside: great target for a marked up bottle of poor wine). The third talking head did go, but had to leave at 75 minutes as he'd 'booked a haircut'. They obviously then proceed to tell the attending fan what to think of Kilman ("harshly judged"), but that's a different matter. Fail to invest in the core product and lose the customers, let alone persuade them to turn up early and buy some Doritos coated in something that looks like it's come out of ICI Billingham.
So my three point proposal would be as follows, none of which will happen, but I'd argue do live in the realm of the possible:
1. Freeze ST prices for the next season or apply a nominal increase. Make a song and dance of listening and responding and making a gesture in trying times and rewarding incredible support. Generate an incredible wave of support washing over all sorts of mismanagement, explain it to the Board as a requirement for customer loyalty based on survey data (they'll have it if they want it). Cost for this is the ops cost for 4 months of a Guedes. Blame that one on some poor punter long given the tin tack.
2. Let people know you share the view that Wolves are not just a club, but a statement of civic pride, therefore you'll be doing some basic maintenenance in the summer so that fans share the pride of their owners on their approach to ground. They don't need to apologise or anything like that, even though it's their doing that Molinuex looks like a giant Mick George has dropped a skip by the ring road, presumably waiting for us to fill it up with Fabio and Goncalo.
3. Get the manager on board with a new deal and back on the the same hymn sheet in a presser. Now I'd rather we appointed someone else (yeah, kneejerk old me), but no doubt this would go down well with most, add an air of stability, stop the bad vibes leaking from the manager - and cost next to rock all as you've lucked out already on someone with a super-low basic who is unlikely to be wanted anywhere else right now.
Clear strategic turnaround FOC.
PS - OK, the hospitality at Espanyol was incredible and making the most of it meant I ran a long way down a gangway to celebrate what turned out to be Neto's clonking miss.
