How to Increase Attendance?

[Ragin9221]

It’s not rocket science; we just have to stick with what works.
We are not going to beat LSU in attendance, but we can take what P4 universities do and incorporate it into our experience. We can also take what these festivals do, which is the most important, and incorporate it into our game day atmosphere. The winning recipe is doing both!
People want an event. I want to go to a place where I can take my family and hang out all day.

Like Festival Acadians, or International i can go on a Saturday get there at 9 and stay there all day till 9 that night. I am gonna have to spend money while i am there i expect that.

Now if you charge me 1500 to do that i wont pay that, not when i am only going to 2 or 3 games a year, but say i spend 200 on one saturday to do that, by buying food and drinks etc. i will do that. If i go to 3 games a year I still be spending 600 to 800 dollars for those 3 games.

You better nickel and dime me because i am not spending 1,500 bucks up front. That is how the average fan thinks.

Kinda seeing where i am going with this.

[RaisingCajun08]

It’s not rocket science; we just have to stick with what works.
We are not going to beat LSU in attendance, but we can take what P4 universities do and incorporate it into our experience. We can also take what these festivals do, which is the most important, and incorporate it into our game day atmosphere. The winning recipe is doing both!
People want an event. I want to go to a place where I can take my family and hang out all day.

Like Festival Acadians, or International i can go on a Saturday get there at 9 and stay there all day till 9 that night. I am gonna have to spend money while i am there i expect that.

Now if you charge me 1500 to do that i wont pay that, not when i am only going to 2 or 3 games a year, but say i spend 200 on one saturday to do that, by buying food and drinks etc. i will do that. If i go to 3 games a year I still be spending 600 to 800 dollars for those 3 games.

You better nickel and dime me because i am not spending 1,500 bucks up front. That is how the average fan thinks.

Kinda seeing where i am going with this.

Agree 100%. I've said it before and I will say it again. Its ECON101. There is a time and a place for price increases. But at the end of the day its all about fan experiences and making UL sports the event to go to.

Look back at the Ice Gators. How many people knew anything about hockey when they came to the Cajundome the 1st year? It was cheap and the event to go to so people went. Many people still didnt know much about hockey many years later. But they knew they would have a great experience there and had a great time.

[Jacob81]

The HUD era was during the birth of espn+. Like Amazon, some people said they would never shop online. Now everyone has an Amazon account, smart phone, and espn+(if you watch football) I promise you it’s the biggest reason crowds aren’t there. Mom and dad can spend north of $100 to take the kids to the game or stay home and watch it with his espn+ account that is practically free when bundled with his Disney+ account. No packing cars, waiting in lines, parking….. only the fans that feel like being there helps the team win and feel obligated to do so will make all the games in this day and age.

I’ll ride that dead horse into the sunset now.

Geaux Cajuns !!!!!

[angeleast]

When fossil Jr, aka T-slow leaves and a real president is chosen this will come to pass.

[HoustonCajun]

We've seen in the HUD years that people can show up, no matter what some on this board believe I dont buy into the "people just dont want to go to games anymore." I think that is an excuse and is lazy. They do and they will, but its as simple as giving them a reason to show up and then more importantly give them a reason to COME BACK. We have failed on both of those levels and continue to fail.

HUD went out in the public and got people excited about UL football. Tailgating was awesome. That first bowl game in NO was fantastic. It was all HUD. We don't have anyone like that now to promote football. It doesn't have to be the football coach who has too many other duties. But we need someone to promote and do all the great things that are mentioned in this thread. Someone has to lead the charge.

[Ragin9221]

The HUD era was during the birth of espn+. Like Amazon, some people said they would never shop online. Now everyone has an Amazon account, smart phone, and espn+(if you watch football) I promise you it’s the biggest reason crowds aren’t there. Mom and dad can spend north of $100 to take the kids to the game or stay home and watch it with his espn+ account that is practically free when bundled with his Disney+ account. No packing cars, waiting in lines, parking….. only the fans that feel like being there helps the team win and feel obligated to do so will make all the games in this day and age.

I’ll ride that dead horse into the sunset now.

Geaux Cajuns !!!!!

.
I don't agree with this. LSU fans can watch it on television on ABC; they don't even have to have ESPN+. People want to do things—just look at Lafayette on a Friday or Saturday night, or LSU on a Saturday. The problem is, a football game isn't enough. I hate to use a generational term, but I will. This isn't the Baby Boom generation where a football game is enough. People want to go for other things. What proves that are the festivals we have that get 100k people, or look at Moncla Park on a Saturday afternoon, or a Top Golf.

Football is important, but just not as important. My experience and quality time are more important to me than a football game. I'm not saying it isn't important to the older generation, but that's the reason why I am not going, is to have that quality time with my family.

I'm not going to leave my wife and kid at home so I can go to a football game, especially when I have so few Saturdays off in a year.

Now Festival International, or Festival Acadian that is something i can go to and all my family will enjoy.

I think the generation born in the 90”s and 2000’s most will not leave there wife and kids at home to go hunting, or go to a bar, or football game to leave there wife and kids at home. That family dynamic really doesnt exist anymore in the younger generations. If i work offshore, or a job i am working on most weekends, my idea of having fun isnt spending more time away from my family when i work every friday, saturday, and sunday, and that is most people in this area do.

Thats what they need to understand.

[ULvictory]

The HUD era was during the birth of espn+. Like Amazon, some people said they would never shop online. Now everyone has an Amazon account, smart phone, and espn+(if you watch football) I promise you it’s the biggest reason crowds aren’t there. Mom and dad can spend north of $100 to take the kids to the game or stay home and watch it with his espn+ account that is practically free when bundled with his Disney+ account. No packing cars, waiting in lines, parking….. only the fans that feel like being there helps the team win and feel obligated to do so will make all the games in this day and age.

I’ll ride that dead horse into the sunset now.

Geaux Cajuns !!!!!

There's many people that live here (some of which are UL alumni) will drive an hour to fight traffic and tailgate all day in Baton Rouge in spite of ESPN+ because it's an event. For the Alabama game on November 9th, there will be an estimated 150-200k on campus. That means 50-100k won't even be in the stadium. Why? Because it's more than just the game. It's an event.

We need to find a way to create something similar.

[CajunT]

The HUD era was during the birth of espn+. Like Amazon, some people said they would never shop online. Now everyone has an Amazon account, smart phone, and espn+(if you watch football) I promise you it’s the biggest reason crowds aren’t there. Mom and dad can spend north of $100 to take the kids to the game or stay home and watch it with his espn+ account that is practically free when bundled with his Disney+ account. No packing cars, waiting in lines, parking….. only the fans that feel like being there helps the team win and feel obligated to do so will make all the games in this day and age.

I’ll ride that dead horse into the sunset now.

Geaux Cajuns !!!!!

Agree! This has been beat to death. This year they have done more than ever in game promotion and people didn't show up last weekend. Same story, the festival and LSU games. Win and I'm there, the rest is nothing more that give me this, free stuff and $2 Natty. Wait, they have $2 Natty. Just win and I'm there.

[Ragin9221]

Agree! This has been beat to death. This year they have done more than ever in game promotion and people didn't show up last weekend. Same story, the festival and LSU games. Win and I'm there, the rest is nothing more that give me this, free stuff and $2 Natty. Wait, they have $2 Natty. Just win and I'm there.

They can give out free stuff all day long it will not move the needle because that isnt what it is about. Hell most younger generations don’t even watch television. They want to do things that are interactive. Youtube, Tiktok, video games but that is just sitting at home, if they gonna go they need to be involved in some way.

We have to get them involved!! That is what is missing, they want to do things but it has to be community based, or family based it cant just be catered to just one group.

[CajunT]

They can give out free stuff all day long it will not move the needle because that isnt what it is about. Hell most younger generations don’t even watch television. They want to do things that are interactive. Youtube, Tiktok, video games but that is just sitting at home, if they gonna go they need to be involved in some way.

We have to get them involved!! That is what is missing, they want to do things but it has to be community based, or family based it cant just be catered to just one group.

Sir, $2 Natty is not catering to my demographic. I could give a crap about cheap bear. Parking is readily available, but people want it free. And while I have no problem with a number of your suggestions, people in this area are cheap. Sorry, even the old group have similar views on cost. Why, because when this program was losing frequently people could just drive up and park anywhere except around the parking lot next to the stadium.

With your suggestions and I applaud your efforts, there is no suggestions on how to raise revenue. This program is without student fees and continually robs Petter to pay Paul from the RCAF General Fund. Sorry, but I'm willing to listen to your or anyone else's suggestions but I need to see tangle ways to raise revenue to take any of it seriously. And finding revenue streams usually doesn't began with giving things away to attract the low-end casual fan to walk into Cajun Field.