Attendance Decline

[RedTails]

Can someone please tell me where we got our current tailgating strategy from? I can't find any other university that has this ridiculous model?

Alden Report

[cajun4life]

That's my point. If we aren't explicit about how that leads to a better and more effective university, then we will become like so many other sports-addled colleges, pouring money and attention into athletics to the detriment of the central mission.

You can see it across the country. I will say it again: We have 1/3 of LSU's faculty, 1/4 of her funding, 1/5 of her doctoral programs, and we have passed them up in research funding.

Ask yourself how that could possibly happen. I believe it happened because of what I am proposing: If we don't clearly articulate how athletics supports our core mission, it won't.

Which means that while we are focusing on sports, we are ignoring our core mission.

Why is it when sports become more successful, which in turns becomes more visible, you feel the need to remind everyone about Academic Excellence?

No one will deny the primary function of the university is to educate people. But while we are talking about attendance decreases, what about the drastic decline in degree seeking students? Isn’t that a bigger problem?

[Ragin9221]

It starts with the obvious fact that no one in athletics knows how to run a business, much less how to promote FB games to a relatively small group of students and fans. Anyone who attends a game is a customer of UL, willing to pay for an enjoyable experience...UL has all the assets within it's reach to change the culture of a game experience...People don't mind spending a reasonable amount of money IF some benefit was gained from the experience...part of that experience is customer service and satisfaction by the customer

Nothing with attendance will improve, ever, with the current Athletic Dept team that's in place...they care nothing about customer service or experience....what they do care about is $$$. Any local business that puts profit ahead of customer happiness is doomed to go broke..
Aside from the football being played, they care nothing about their customers...this is so easy to fix, it's not funny...once the customer experience and attention to detail return so will the fans. Until then, fans will continue to get fleeced . Damn the Fans, let's make money seems to be the attitude. Theyre ripping fans off with this 'Premium Experiance' BS. A new stadium is nice, but it's not going to solve the attendance issue...

Well if the administration is wondering why we will not get a great crowd with a 7-1 record and a chance to host a conference championship game. All they have to do is look 50 miles across the basin at TSAB when they are hosting Alabama, and wonder why we only have 14k at the game.

Blame the fans! Administration hurts my head seriously $”it is not rocket science, it really isnt hard to figure out!

They probably think everyone on this board is just being a cheap skate, and trying to get over on them.

I promise it is not the case.

[Turbine]

They probably think everyone on this board is just being a cheap skate, and trying to get over on them.

I promise it is not the case.

Cypess Swamp froze over in the 1960's.

That was a cheap skate.

[RedTails]

Well if the administration is wondering why we will not get a great crowd with a 7-1 record and a chance to host a conference championship game. All they have to do is look 50 miles across the basin at TSAB when they are hosting Alabama, and wonder why we only have 14k at the game.

We won't be able to stop anyone from going across the basin to watch the game within tiger stadium, but we should be able to keep anyone from crossing the basin to go tailgate and watch a game on TV in a parking lot.

[Turbine]

We won't be able to stop anyone from going across the basin to watch the game within tiger stadium, but we should be able to keep anyone from crossing the basin to go tailgate and watch a game on TV in a parking lot.

Louisiana had that

[Cajunsmike]

If you break down the population of Louisiana and consider that LSU's popularity is equal throughout the state and greater in parts where there is no option.... Then Tiger Stadium only has room for 14,000 from Acadiana.

They have room for hundreds of thousands more watching their games on TV. Having all the LSU games on TV (where viewers don't have to search for it) hurst us more than having all our games available for viewing. Once again that is due to all the attention paid to the SEC by the entire media landscape.

[GreatestStory]

Alden Report

I have a copy of the Alden report in hand. The only mentions of tailgating I see are:

- Tailgating spots sales efforts creates confusion and frustration among targets and often reduces sales potential.

- Create Tailgate Tent for people who do not have a tailgate space. Subscription based or incremental fee to enter.

- Create pre-game tailgate area for families with small children at Blackham.

- Create new tailgate area for students at Bourgeois Park

Maybe I am missing the part that recommends increasing tailgating prices until a ghost town atmosphere is created.

If anyone has access to the report, can you please point me to where it says to increase tailgating prices. I am not trying to be a smarty-pants, just genuinely curious if the Alden report was what actually led to the tailgating price increases and demise of tailgating.

GEAUX CAJUNS

[GreatestStory]

We won't be able to stop anyone from going across the basin to watch the game within tiger stadium, but we should be able to keep anyone from crossing the basin to go tailgate and watch a game on TV in a parking lot.

This is the comment that speaks the most about the current tailgating situation!

They have completely neutered the tailgating atmosphere and people are now driving across the bridge to be a part of what we used to have at Cajun Field.

[Cajunsmike]

They have room for hundreds of thousands more watching their games on TV. Having all the LSU games on TV (where viewers don't have to search for it) hurst us more than having all our games available for viewing. Once again that is due to all the attention paid to the SEC by the entire media landscape. Also, this problem is in no way unique to us. Majority of G5 schools and many lower level P4 schools have the issue of declining in game attendance. The big TV games are not reflective of what is happening at most stadiums. Now, we may have one of the better teams this year of those in that number. Perhaps winning CONSISTENTLY will address the problem to some degree.

Sorry about duplicate message.

[jaxmc1023]

Can someone please tell me where we got our current tailgating strategy from? I can't find any other university that has this ridiculous model?

Remember the drawings from the Master Plan that showed the tailgating area whittled down to a small space between CF and the practice facility?

Everything this admin does is exactly what I would do if I wanted to eliminate average Joe tailgaters and keep a spot for your donors and politicians to smell each other's farts

[RedTails]

- Create Tailgate Tent for people who do not have a tailgate space. Subscription based or incremental fee to enter.

- Create pre-game tailgate area for families with small children at Blackham.
[/b]

I think Alumni Association tent covers first part, and they converted Russo Park to be a family tailgate area. Just not well reported/advertised. We need to pay a Gerald Gruenig or someone else with a good social media following to make some content of options for TG'ing for a home game.

[Duckster]

I'm not trying to be combative, but I genuinely would like to know what you think the new stadium changes.

Taking the temperature of the people at games tells you what your dwindling hardcore fan base wants. Those aren't the people who fill the stadium. You need to take the temperature of the 1000s of people who stopped going to games, and figure out what it would take to get them back. I have a feeling that "more legroom and comfortable chairs" arent' going to be high on the list.

Sure thing, glad to clarify my post. First with the survey suggestion was thinking more a 'survey monkey' type of thing. Certainly survey season ticket holders, students, alumni, etc., but not at the stadium type of thing. Sort of what was done about 6 or 7 years ago when stadium plan ideas were being formulated. I could be wrong about the timeline but recall giving my own feedback in a survey. Agree, sample size needs to be large. Fan of 71 made astute comments about the need for athletic administration to focus on customer service. Its possible to raise money and focus on service at the same time! Without fan satisfaction they will hit the wall with fundraising and agree they are missing the boat with majority of folks on a budget. Sometimes in a tight budget discretionary items like season tickets and tailgate passes are the first cut. If there is a continued unwillingness to seek out everyman fan feedback and act on prioritizing/solving at least top three issues, then no the new stadium will not attract more attendance. We all like to be asked for our business, that needs to happen regularly. Seems off and on. The stadium renovation is long overdue. I liken it from moving a business from a rundown building to a new space. Assuming its well done, it attracts new attention and more customers. We don't know if the stadium fan noise will be louder or if the PA will be toned down, can you have the freedom to come and go, or even it enough bottled water will be available. Alot can go south if management doesn't step up and execute better policies tailored to fan satisfaction on gameday inside and outside the stadium. Coach Des getting his program on track is a big plus. I'm trying to remain optimistic the biggest undertaking in Cajun athletics in recent years will be make us proud and make a difference to our football program. Most people are fair minded, may give things another chance. Beforehand, management needs to dig into problem solving or the stadium reno quickly becomes a lost opportunity to reengage the fan base. We shall see.

[VObserver]

It is not rocket science.

I can only use myself and my friends and relatives as examples of UL fans, and I admit that the sample size is small and seriously slanted toward older people. That being said, this is what I think should be done to make the Cajun Field experience something that people want to do.

1. First and foremost: Remember that fans are both your customers and your investors. Everything you do should be done to strengthen this bond rather than weaken it.

2. Remember that the vast majority of your customers and investors have limited entertainment dollars. If the in-stadium experience is less than outstanding, the customer will stop spending his limited funds in your venue.

3. Open the gates to the parking lot at 8:00 am game days; fans who tailgate want to be able to make it a day long event. Have a section of first-come first served free parking inside the stadium fence. Open it only from 8:00 am until noon.

4. Close off Cajundome Blvd. at 8:00 am game days and establish first-come first served tailgating from Blackham to the Cajun Dome.

5. Keep doing what we are doing with tailgating on the Bertrand side of the stadium. Some people are more than willing to pay for a reserved tailgate spot.

6. Fix the cell phone/internet problem at the stadium.

7. Take cash or card for concessions at all locations in or out of the stadium.

8. NEVER, under any set of circumstances, run out of water in concessions.

9. Double the size of the band, and re-name it the Pride of Louisiana. Turn off all canned music inside the stadium when the band enters the stadium; keep it off for the rest of the game. Fans want to feel like they are at a college football game, not trapped in a 4 hour video game. Fill the time-outs and dead ball pauses with music from the band.

10. Make whoever is on the PA quit being a damn cheerleader; we have kids on scholarship to do that job. The PA cheerleading is another thing that promotes the video game atmosphere.

11. Let the student section do student section things; by making the student section a jail, we discourage student involvement.

12. Utilize some portion of the ribbon board and/or the big board to show scores of other games, particularly other games involving conference mates or in state schools.

I could go on, but this dozen suggestions would make the Cajun Field experience much better for me, and I assume for most other fans as well.

[CajunJack55]

It is not rocket science.

I can only use myself and my friends and relatives as examples of UL fans, and I admit that the sample size is small and seriously slanted toward older people. That being said, this is what I think should be done to make the Cajun Field experience something that people want to do.

1. First and foremost: Remember that fans are both your customers and your investors. Everything you do should be done to strengthen this bond rather than weaken it.

2. Remember that the vast majority of your customers and investors have limited entertainment dollars. If the in-stadium experience is less than outstanding, the customer will stop spending his limited funds in your venue.

3. Open the gates to the parking lot at 8:00 am game days; fans who tailgate want to be able to make it a day long event. Have a section of first-come first served free parking inside the stadium fence. Open it only from 8:00 am until noon.

4. Close off Cajundome Blvd. at 8:00 am game days and establish first-come first served tailgating from Blackham to the Cajun Dome.

5. Keep doing what we are doing with tailgating on the Bertrand side of the stadium. Some people are more than willing to pay for a reserved tailgate spot.

6. Fix the cell phone/internet problem at the stadium.

7. Take cash or card for concessions at all locations in or out of the stadium.

8. NEVER, under any set of circumstances, run out of water in concessions.

9. Double the size of the band, and re-name it the Pride of Louisiana. Turn off all canned music inside the stadium when the band enters the stadium; keep it off for the rest of the game. Fans want to feel like they are at a college football game, not trapped in a 4 hour video game. Fill the time-outs and dead ball pauses with music from the band.

10. Make whoever is on the PA quit being a damn cheerleader; we have kids on scholarship to do that job. The PA cheerleading is another thing that promotes the video game atmosphere.

11. Let the student section do student section things; by making the student section a jail, we discourage student involvement.

12. Utilize some portion of the ribbon board and/or the big board to show scores of other games, particularly other games involving conference mates or in state schools.

I could go on, but this dozen suggestions would make the Cajun Field experience much better for me, and I assume for most other fans as well.

Agree with all these except the last part of #9. Students/kids and those just out of college love the music/light shows etc for the "party" atmosphere. We just aren't quite there yet. We can implement that and still leave room for the band to play as well. We have to have both to create the atmosphere needed to attract the younger crowd. Even the SEC stadiums have to do this now.