The Suns coaches and players are trying to make the product more attractive, winning four games in a row to try to climb into the playoff race on the strength of 30-somethings. As for the lockout, it has not been a pressing issue from fans.
So until the basketball is a better sell, the Suns made the package a better deal. The Suns opened the season ticket renewal season Tuesday, about a month earlier than usual, with an announcement that 6,900 of US Airways Center's seats (about 35 percent of capacity) would take a 15 percent to 25 percent cut in pricing.
The rest of the season ticket prices would hold, making it the third consecutive season Suns have not hiked season ticket prices. The average ticket price will be $70.50, $1.15 lower than this season. It was not long ago that the Suns had a sellout streak of 153 home games that ended at the start of last season.
The NBA has never undergone this sort of anticipation because fans and teams were naпve to the possibility that games would be missed when the 1998-99 lockout occurred. But selling a season that might not happen apparently is not a hard sell.
"There is not a strong awareness of it yet," Suns President and Chief Executive Officer Rick Welts said. "There is a single line in the materials that in the event games are lost, that season ticket holders will have an opportunity to get a refund at ticket price plus interest. It is not a risk at all to the season ticket holder. We haven't had a lot of questions. It hasn't been an issue that's key to our season ticket holders."
More of a lure
What the Suns hope appeals to season ticket holders and new season ticket purchasing, which begins soon, is lower prices and incentives. After reducing ticket prices on 4,500 seats last year, the Suns picked 6,900 seats for cuts this year on the lower and upper levels. Most of the reductions are in the lower bowl and the largest reduction came in Club Annexus, where an average $120 seat was cut by $30.
The Suns kept a block of 1,661 seats at $10 each.
"It's one of the best-kept secrets," said Jay Parry, the Suns' senior vice president of brand and business development.
Fans can get their largest discounts and better perks, like free parking, through Feb. 17 and a lesser price break through March 31. Welts said the Feb. 17 date being selected had nothing to do with the Feb. 24 league trade deadline and was not even brought up in selecting it.
Each renewal will be submitted into a lottery that will determine participants in seven in-game contests that reward a $10,000 prize each time.
One contest will be confined to online renewals, which is more of a focus this season.
With benefits
Online renewals receive $100 in arena food and merchandise credit and are set up with a personal URL showing their benefits and pricing. In the first two days after the campaign's e-mail, 40 percent of recipients opened the e-mail and 70 percent of those went to the personal link.
"It really is easy," Welts said. "We're trying to make it as appealing as possible."
Welts said the early start on renewals is a league trend that the Suns had not followed.
"I think you're going to see all the teams doing it earlier than usual," Welts said. "That's been a progressive thing over the past five years, Like any retail business, people are looking to take advantage of special offers. We thought it might be a great incentive to give people a chance to renew early."
By starting earlier, the Suns added a seven-month payment plan.
"It gave us a chance to extend our payment plans, something we wanted to offer based on the economic stress in our community," Parry said.
The most popular renewal option last season was to pay in full because of the free parking it included. The team had a 72 percent season-ticket renewal rate last season, a drop from previous seasons in the 90s. New season ticket purchases spiked during the conference finals run.
"Team performance has a lot to do with new season ticket purchases," Welts said.
Top tweets
Suns guard Steve Nash
- "Room service came as I was getting in the shower. Went in the room nekkid for some shorts and dude is standing there. #awkward"
- On Tuesday from the team's Cleveland hotel
- "Channing Frye just said he needs to work on taking charges this summer. Yeah right. #Smh"
- Nash on Monday in New York
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