Coming off back-to-back shedding seasons, the Chicago Cubs are lowering ticket prices for full-season applications.
Season tickets at Wrigley Field for 2023 were minimize by an average of 5%, stated Cale Vennum, senior vp of Marquee 360, which oversees the crew’s ticketing. All 22 season ticket sections, together with the bleachers, are receiving a value relief, starting from 2.7% to 6.7%.
The Cubs’ annual research of developments and overview of ticket prices — together with comments from present season ticket holders after a disappointing season — factored into the determination.
“We definitely do hear that it’s a more competitive environment,” Vennum stated. “People have a lot of choice in their opportunities and the things they want to go out and do in their lives. And a lot of them are choosing to come to Wrigley Field, but we saw that there was an opportunity that we could decrease prices heading into next year.
“Fans have a lot of choice and they’re making a big commitment to us when they decide to have season tickets, and we wanted to be responsive to the competitive environment and economic environment that they’re seeing today.”
The paid attendance this 12 months at Wrigley of 2,616,780 (32,306 according to sport) used to be the Cubs’ lowest house general since 1997, aside from the pandemic-affected 2020 and 2021 seasons. The determine ranked 9th in Major League Baseball, and most effective 5 house video games exceeded 40,000 paid lovers. The Cubs didn’t hit Wrigley’s 41,374 capability for any sellouts.
It’s unclear how a lot the Cubs season ticket base has declined since 2019. The crew has no longer supplied a particular quantity or vary of its present season ticket base; Vennum stated the 2021 general “ended up really strong.”
Some Cubs lovers expressed combined emotions to the Tribune previous this 12 months about whether or not season tickets are nonetheless value the funding. While a couple of cited pleasing a lifelong dream and playing the alternative to attend video games at Wrigley, others have been annoyed by deficient resale go back on the secondary marketplace and uncertainty about when the Cubs would once more box a successful crew.
The Cubs are holding their half-season ticket package deal possibility they offered remaining 12 months in restricted sections for first-time season ticket holders, permitting them to make a selection from a purple or blue 41-game plan, although the ones applications don’t ensure postseason tickets. The crew is also holding in position an possibility for complete season ticket holders to switch a make a selection quantity of video games for added flexibility.
As phase of being a season ticket holder, the Cubs need to reincorporate extra experience-focused perks, which dwindled throughout the pandemic amid ballpark restrictions. Vennum stated they hope to “double down” on that facet in 2023.
“All of those things really play into and impact the show rate and how many people are coming,” Vennum stated. “And then returning some value and lowering the price of the tickets, it does make them more affordable if you’re trying to have a friend or a neighbor come or if you need to put them on the secondary market because you’re not able to attend the game. So I think all of those things taken together will really help improve the in-park attendance next year.”
Winning is the final attendance booster, and large offseason strikes may bolster the ones figures heading into subsequent season. Many Cubs lovers will want to make choices on 2023 season tickets ahead of participant acquisitions are made. Season ticket renewals start Thursday with a 20% first cost due Nov. 16, adopted by the ultimate cost in mid-January. New season ticket consumers will get started processing early subsequent 12 months as spring coaching approaches.
“At the end of the day, season tickets are not really a year-to-year purchase, although we go through this invoicing process,” Vennum stated. “It’s about a relationship and being on a journey with this team, and it’s part of that journey as we’ve seen before.”