WF SEMII 3.04

Types of ticket-sales programs Many factors are used to estimate ticket sales for sporting events, such as corporate sponsorships and promotional events, facility size, and past ticket sales. In addition, a very important aspect to consider is how well the team is performing. If the team is winning, sales tend to go up. If the team is experiencing a losing streak, the ticket sales tend to go down.

Reasons for bundling/packaging extra amenities with tickets Bundling extra amenities with tickets involves including certain additional products along with the ticket. For example, a ticket to an event might also provide the individual with a souvenir T-shirt and a boxed lunch. The price for the bundle is a little more than the price of only a ticket, but people are willing to pay more to obtain the extra amenities. The higher price of the bundle increases revenue, which is one reason why sport/event marketers often bundle amenities with tickets.

Reasons for bundling/packaging extra amenities with tickets Product bundling is a pricing strategy in which a business packages products together and sells the package for a lower price than if the consumer were to buy each product in the package separately. For example, a professional ice hockey team might offer a family package that includes four tickets, four meals, and four T-shirts for $89. If families were to purchase each item separately, they would pay more than $89. Businesses use product bundling to increase income, get consumers to try a new product (e.g., ticket) that they wouldn't normally purchase, or to deplete stock for slow-moving products.

Need for pre-season booking strategy Sport organizations often develop pre-season booking strategies to sell as many tickets as possible before the season begins. An effective way to do this is to target current ticket holders, who are the spectators who have tickets for the season and regularly attend. These spectators are more likely than other groups to buy tickets for next season in advance.

Need for pre-season booking strategy Preseason booking is used when a sport/event organization sells or obtains purchasing commitments from its fans/customers before a sport season begins. For example, professional football teams (e.g., NFL) generally play games between September and January. To fill the stadium and generate revenue, teams begin selling tickets before the first game. The teams want to make sure they do not begin selling too early or too late, so timing is an important factor. Target markets might include corporate luxury box owners, season ticket owners, and tourist groups. Selling methods often vary by target market. For example, direct mail might be used to communicate with season ticket holders. Since luxury box owners spend more money for their seating accommodations, personal selling techniques are often more effective to communicate information about the sport product.

3.05 Employ sales processes and techniques to enhance customer relationships and to increase the likelihood of making sales. Cultivate group sales

TOPICS a.Discuss techniques that can be used to cultivate group sales. b.Identify incentives that can be used to cultivate group sales. c.Explain the use of technology in cultivating group sales. d.Demonstrate procedures for cultivating group sales.

9 Practical Steps to Increase Your Group Sales #1. Find hot prospects. There are group prospects “right in your own backyard”. Existing clients who are members of organizations, clubs or associations may be taking part in group trips that have been arranged through another agency.

#2. Do your homework. Before approaching a prospect, find out whether the organization has done a group trip before and whether it was a success. If they have never tried a group trip, find out why.

#3. Supersize your group business. Focusing on groups business is efficient only when agents sell to multiple people at the same time. One way to do that is by scheduling your own webinars.

#4. Manage groups wisely. You can’t sell or manage groups the same way you manage individual travelers.

# 5. Work with pre-existing groups. Don’t bother creating your own groups. Taking group space and filling it with individuals is a losing proposition. Find that organization, pick one date, one product, one rate and sell it out.

#6. Watch your bottom line. One huge area that most agents never consider are profits and losses. Agents can create a really simple P&L, so they know how to price out a group intelligently. Best of all, when the group is completed, they know precisely how much money they’ve made.

#7. Ask for the business. Develop the habit of asking for repeat business and referrals. Whenever you touch that client by , in person or when you send a thank you note, ask for referrals.

#8. Never close a sale. Don’t rejoice in closing a sale, rejoice in opening it. It’s only the beginning of the relationship

#9. Reap the rewards. When group clients love their travel agency, they are likely to start booking all their trips through the agency, even if they already have a personal travel agent elsewhere. Groups can deliver serious, exponential growth for an agency.

One incentive to offer groups is discounts based on the size of the group.