We don’t have anything, and won’t if we don’t get 3000 season ticket holders.
This isn’t being dramatic. It’s reality. We all need to get going now.
For the past year, many of you have asked “what can I do to help bring another team to Worcester?” Well, now is the time. It’s time for ALL of us.
I understand that many of you could not make the press conference/rally or meeting. I can recap – along with what we are being asked to do.
The city and SMG (managers of the DCU Center) have been working with the AHL since we all found out that we were losing the IceCats. They took our surveys as to what we wanted, what would work here. They went to the business, the Chamber of Commerce to find out what the issues were and what can be improved upon. When the city officials went to the AHL All Star game last year, it wasn’t just to speak with potential team which could move here. It was to speak with the entire league’s governors to ask what Worcester can do to attract a team – looking at it from all different directions.
What the city and SMG came up with was this:
The new video board (already in place).
Renovations of bathrooms and concessions.
Curtains to block off the 300’s and all but several rows of 200’s seats. (to create demand).
Sharing concession revenue with the team.
Team will get 100% of all merchandise sales in the DCU Center.
The union took a 20% reduction in their rates.
The DCU Center has guaranteed 33 of 40 weekend dates available for hockey.
An enhanced lease agreement. When the lease structure was presented to the AHL for review (as in – “will this work”). The AHL came back with a resounding “YES”. They said the lease would be “more than competitive” in this market.
Getting the word out:
The Worcester Telegram ran those ads for this past meeting for free (for them - that is a BIG deal).
Beginning next week, the media blitz starts. You will hear 10 and 30 seconds spots on the radio – WTAG, WXLO, WSRS, The Fox, The Pike, and I think I’m forgetting some. Charter and WTAG will be talking this whole drive up as well right up until the end – 12/31.
As you can see, the city and SMG are stepping up BIG TIME.
IT IS NOW OUR TURN.
We are being asked – (practically begged) to help in making this season ticket drive successful. They’ve put together ideas of things we can do – as well as a very important Telemarketing Drive to call past season ticket holders and businesses to pledge. All we need to do is show up to the DCU Center and man the phones, and make the calls. This is over the span of 2 days.
Tuesday November 29th from 1PM to 4PM and 5PM to 8PM
Wednesday November 30th from 1PM to 4PM and 5PM to 8PM
Please volunteer to help!
Call 508-755-6800 or email me at saveourhockey@aol.com for more info.
Sure, maybe calling people isn’t your thing, but 3 hours of your time for at least 5 more years of AHL hockey? The decision is easy.
Now for other ideas. The DCU Center has posters, flyers, sign-up sheets, FAQ Sheets – everything you need to start your own min-drive. If you can’t make it down there – I will pick up and deliver to you myself (just email me).
Take the posters, but them up at your place of work, you school, your church, a friends business. A business your frequent often. Places were you meet for scouts, youth groups, the Y, union meeting places, bars, restaurants, or any other place you can think of. We need to SATURATE Worcester County! It doesn’t hurt to ask someone to put the poster up. Ask your local paper or school paper to run an ad.
Go and ask your employer about setting up a signup table. The DCU Center will allow us to use the poster board with the great logo on it for signup drives. If there’s a church function, or maybe go to one of the many hockey rinks around here for the afternoon and man a table for signups. Anywhere you can think a signup drive would work. There are no wrong answers on this.
And YOU need to talk to your friends, relatives, and place of work and ask them to pledge.
People can buy tickets and donate them to charity – tax deductible.
Get a group – say from work of 20 people to put in $120 to buy 4 plegdes and then over the course of the season, raffle them off to those people who pledged.
Buy a pair of season tickets and then give out the seats as gifts.
Go to you friend’s business, or your favorite business and ask them to buy season tickets. They are always great giveaway – and with the curtain limiting seating to 6000-6500, seats will be limited.
For those stubborn that say they only make 10 games, or for those that said “I had a 20 (or a 10) flex pack but that isn’t an option with this drive, I have two solutions. 1st, push the full season ticket. Remember, no pledge, no team! If they still don’t want to, here’s what I am setting up. A MATCH SERVICE for those who only want 10 or 20 games. Basically a time share. I will up on my website by Monday (www.saveourhockey.com) a message board, where people can post someone like “I will go in with someone on 4 tickets – I want 10 games” Or “I want 3 tickets for 20 games a piece” And hopefully, we can get other people together that want the same thing – and they can work out details – and signup! So spread the word on that.
This should be easy – there’s over 1 MILLION people in a 25 mile radius! All we need is 3000 Season tickets!
WE NEED TO GET THE WORD OUT!
This is not the time to be shy. We need to be aggressive (I mean just got out and ask – don’t force anyone), and go out and solicit as much as we can! And when you ask others to pledge, ask them if they can help just as much as you are>
We can’t look around for others to do this work for us! If you just sit back and watch, you could be watching the LAST chance for hockey in Worcester. It is all up to US FANS now! The city and SMG have done and are doing their part. It is up to step up. ASAP! Time is something we don’t have.
If you have questions, either call the DCU Center at the number above or email me. If you aren’t sure how to go about approaching people, there are people that can help you get started! Work as team if need be. Buddy up and solicit pledges.
We are a forest. But we need each individual tree to do its part.