Yesterday, future Sonics owner Chris Hansen announced on his website that a "Priority Ticket Waitlist Goes Live This Thursday".
We are excited to announce that we’re launching a Priority Ticket Waitlist for future Sonics tickets.
In addition to helping us understand and prioritize the demand for tickets, registering your interest will be a critical step in demonstrating to the NBA and basketball fans around the country the unbelievable passion that exists in the Emerald City to BRING BACK OUR SONICS!
The Priority Ticket Waitlist will go live here at SonicsArena.com on March 14 at 10 am SST (Sonics-Saving Time!). You will also be able to go to the list directly here. Requests will be taken in sequential order for each ticket type.
. . .
It’s also important that we reiterate that no inference should be drawn between our establishment of the Priority Ticket Waitlist and our efforts to close our acquisition of the Sacramento Kings. We are in the midst of working through the approval and relocation process with the NBA, and we would expect a determination to be made at the Board of Governors meeting in mid-April.If our efforts prove successful, we anticipate a Sonics sales team member will contact you in May to discuss available seating options. However, a confirmation of your status on the Priority Ticket Waitlist should in no way be seen as a guarantee of tickets.
Read the rest here: Priority Ticket Waitlist Goes Live This Thursday
To a great degree, it's just getting to be that time of year. If Chris Hansen is going to have a team play in Key Arena next season then he has to start acting like it.
There are a substantial number of people that would want their old seats, in fact, at one point some fans sued for seats after the Sonics left Seattle back in the dark ages. Building that marketing list from scratch with old season ticket holders accounted for will take some effort. There really is no way and no point in making this effort, or any other, without being up front about it, go big.
There is an obvious secondary benefit to this effort, a little PR, to fill what has mostly been a one sided affair. Unfortunately, attendance and ticket sale numbers are just not as important as corporate support, no matter how much you beat that topic to death, only fools place major emphasis on raw ticket numbers.
Come to think of it, last Friday David Stern didn't mention selling more tickets when he was letting Mastrov and Burkle know their effort was not worthy of consideration by the league. It was money.
Still, this ticket marketing effort will still get play in the media.
As Ryan Lillis reported in the Sacramento Bee on similar efforts by the Kings:
Sacramento launched its own season ticket pledge drive in January in an attempt to show the NBA a robust level of support for basketball exists here. As of 5:30 p.m. today, 5,561 fans had pledged to buy season tickets for a new arena in downtown Sacramento - including 14 in the first half-hour after Hansen made his announcement.
Read more here: Seattle takes page from Sacramento playbook on PR campaign for Kings
It is going to be interesting PR with Mastrov and Burkle lowball offer, and now this from Chris Hansen.
Other than money and fans, what else should the NBA Board of Governors consider?
Corporate support, and that's not likely going to be part of the public discussion.
At this point, everything is in Hansen's favor. If you have the money, sign up for tickets and . . . Go Sonics!