August Magic Venues

[Man of Kent]

3 minutes ago, David Shepherd said:

I like your thinking.  Plenty of reasons to stay in the complex and spend money. Loads of hotels, fantastic public transport links. Throw in a stage with some proper bands on and a beer tent that sells interesting ale and it sounds like my perfect weekend away.

And mine

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, idrewthehaggis said:

Is it not IMG's suggestion to replace Magic with a Nines trophy and have group stages in the Cup?

Scarcity? 

 Not that we've been told

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

3 hours ago, JohnM said:

He's speaking about the silent majority, the many thousands who bought the tickets rather than the few on here who discuss the issue.

There is also plenty on here saying it's great....I think I must be reading the wrong parts of the forum!!

[Jughead]

1 hour ago, idrewthehaggis said:

Is it not IMG's suggestion to replace Magic with a Nines trophy and have group stages in the Cup?

Scarcity? 

It’s what’s been looked at though we’ve always been told it’s one of a few different options, such as two-legged cup ties, so never actually one concrete proposal by IMG. 

[Damien]

56 minutes ago, Jughead said:

If a massive cash prize was “easily sorted” why isn’t there any in northern hemisphere rugby league already? I don’t think it’s that easy. 

Money would solve most of the games issues and would certainly be needed for any 9s style event to work. That could come from TV funds to get such an event up and running if sponsorship is lacking. £100k is only £8,500 or so from each SL club. I think it would take such as amount for a 9s tournament to really be bought into, and which may then become more appealing to sponsors down the line.

I'm not necessarily saying to do this but I think it may take more of this thinking,  and I'm thinking of the World Club Challenge too, to build up some of these events when the game is so poor at attracting sponsors and a wider audience.

 

[Jughead]

Just now, Damien said:

Money would solve most of the games issues and would certainly be needed for any 9s style event to work. That could come from TV funds to get such an event up and running if sponsorship is lacking. £100k is only £8,500 or so from each SL club. I think it would take such as amount for a 9s tournament to really be bought into, and which may then become more appealing to sponsors down the line.

I'm not necessarily saying to do this but I think it may take more of this thinking,  and I'm thinking of the World Club Challenge too, to build up some of these events when the game is so poor at attracting sponsors and a wider audience.

 

You’re right in terms of numbers and the general idea but you’re forgetting that these very clubs wouldn’t/couldn’t pay to fly their team to play in France twice in one calendar year, so parting with £8,500 appears unlikely. 

[N2022]

Great that it got a bigger following. Sad though that a normal round of fixtures doesn't exceed 60,000. Newcastle seems to work, very comfortable, date better around now than in Aug. Another possible venue would be Nottingham, no further from M62, no veto from union. 30,000 and 20,000 seat stadia within 2 mins of each other.

[yipyee]

6 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

Not big enough 

It is if you limit attendance and drive up the price, at the moment its too easy to get tickets to events, the aim should be to sell out on the day tickets are released 

[yipyee]

6 hours ago, Damien said:

Surely the whole point and appeal of Magic is it being played in a big stadium? I really don't see the point of playing it at somewhere smaller than the DW, or anywhere less than 40k for that matter.

Start small, sell out early, create demand and a must go to event.

Also the point of magic was a marketing tool, not so bottom feeder clubs could have a big day out...

[yipyee]

5 hours ago, Jughead said:

If a massive cash prize was “easily sorted” why isn’t there any in northern hemisphere rugby league already? I don’t think it’s that easy. 

There is, but most of the revenue is shared between the clubs with the rfl taking a slice with prize money for winners and runners up. The Challenge cup has prize money for how far you get in the competition.

[Damien]

5 hours ago, yipyee said:

It is if you limit attendance and drive up the price, at the moment its too easy to get tickets to events, the aim should be to sell out on the day tickets are released 

How can you drive up the price for any event in Preston? It's not a marquee stadium or an attractive stadium to visit and Preston itself is hardly renowned as a city to go visit. From a marketing perspective its really poor.

Simply picking a random small stadium and expecting fans to want to go and sell it out is not a way to create demand. This is the type of thinking that led to test matches in Blackburn and Watford.

[FearTheVee]

Zero interest in a 9s competition.

I hope Magic stays and is revamped.

[Leyther_Matt]

6 hours ago, yipyee said:

Start small, sell out early, create demand and a must go to event.

Worked wonders with the international game, that one. 

[RP London]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

How can you drive up the price for any event in Preston? It's not a marquee stadium or an attractive stadium to visit and Preston itself is hardly renowned as a city to go visit. From a marketing perspective its really poor.

Simply picking a random small stadium and expecting fans to want to go and sell it out is not a way to create demand. This is the type of thinking that led to test matches in Blackburn and Watford.

This.

Newcastle is a good city for a night out. The stadium is slap bang in the centre so out of the stadium into a few hostelries and back to the hotel/air bnb etc is easy, and for those wanting to go back before then heading out that is pretty much doable too.. 

Manchester can be the same with the only draw back is we already get that evening with the Grand Final, but this may not be a big issue. Not quite so central stadium either but it looks like a great campus. 

Cardiff has the central stadium etc and would be a great night out, Edinburgh I remember being an utter pain.

I dont worry about the size of the stadium, I actually quite like the fact you dont have to stay in the same place for the whole thing and can wonder depending on who is playing and who's fans you want to be with.. 

[PEANUT HEAD]

Edinburgh. 

[David Shepherd]

27 minutes ago, PEANUT HEAD said:

Edinburgh. 

Wouldn’t be my preference. Always pick up a bad vibe there. One of my least favourite cities and not somewhere that RL is likely to take off any time soon. 
 

Cardiff or Newcastle for me

[Guest]

Royal Tunbridge Wells

Not bothered if nobody else goes.

I've done enough hard yards travelling.

[yipyee]

12 hours ago, Damien said:

How can you drive up the price for any event in Preston? It's not a marquee stadium or an attractive stadium to visit and Preston itself is hardly renowned as a city to go visit. From a marketing perspective its really poor.

Simply picking a random small stadium and expecting fans to want to go and sell it out is not a way to create demand. This is the type of thinking that led to test matches in Blackburn and Watford.

You are thinking of it as attracting current fans, the purpose of Magic was to spread the word to new fans...

The NFL doesn't expect Americans to fly to Germany London, Dublin and Mexico, they are looking to attract new fans.

Preston is close enough for current fans but would spread the RL word into the black hole between wigan and barrow.

When you say drive up the price you do this by limiting supply not by making something more attractive.

[yipyee]

10 hours ago, RP London said:

This.

Newcastle is a good city for a night out. The stadium is slap bang in the centre so out of the stadium into a few hostelries and back to the hotel/air bnb etc is easy, and for those wanting to go back before then heading out that is pretty much doable too.. 

Manchester can be the same with the only draw back is we already get that evening with the Grand Final, but this may not be a big issue. Not quite so central stadium either but it looks like a great campus. 

Cardiff has the central stadium etc and would be a great night out, Edinburgh I remember being an utter pain.

I dont worry about the size of the stadium, I actually quite like the fact you dont have to stay in the same place for the whole thing and can wonder depending on who is playing and who's fans you want to be with.. 

Host city should be part of a targeted approach to spread the game in that area.

Manchester already play the game and is a world soccer capital,

Cardiff could work but not at the millennium stadium, needs to be sub 30k

Edinburgh...what legacy would it generate, better in Aberdeen where the game has a bit of a presence ?

[yipyee]

11 hours ago, Leyther_Matt said:

Worked wonders with the international game, that one. 

Yes because Newcastle, Anfield,OT and Arsenal are all small stadiums aren't they 

If 36k went day 1 this tear and next year its in a 25-30k stadium it would sell out the same day.

The other negative is tickets for next year should be available now whilst people are on a high after this year, instead we are talking about if it will happen at all.

 

 

 

[Damien]

10 minutes ago, yipyee said:

You are thinking of it as attracting current fans, the purpose of Magic was to spread the word to new fans...

The NFL doesn't expect Americans to fly to Germany London, Dublin and Mexico, they are looking to attract new fans.

Preston is close enough for current fans but would spread the RL word into the black hole between wigan and barrow.

When you say drive up the price you do this by limiting supply not by making something more attractive.

No, I am thinking of it attracting any fans. New fans would be even less inclined to go to Magic at Preston.

Fans would certainly not pay more just because its in a small stadium in a small city. Quite the opposite.

[yipyee]

1 minute ago, Damien said:

No, I am thinking of it attracting any fans. New fans would be even less inclined to go to Magic at Preston.

Fans would certainly not pay more just because its in a small stadium in a small city. Quite the opposite.

Disagree your saying fans from Preston and surrounding areas wouldn't pop down the road to watch ?

Fans who want to watch magic would pay to watch magic the small stadium is to reduce ticket sales, reduce supply you increase demand...

Again Preston is an example of a good target area, ideally for me the new target area should be Coventry or Birmingham.

[Jughead]

3 minutes ago, yipyee said:

Disagree your saying fans from Preston and surrounding areas wouldn't pop down the road to watch ?

Fans who want to watch magic would pay to watch magic the small stadium is to reduce ticket sales, reduce supply you increase demand...

Again Preston is an example of a good target area, ideally for me the new target area should be Coventry or Birmingham.

Tell us how trying to charge people more for tickets during the World Cup went?

13 minutes ago, yipyee said:

Yes because Newcastle, Anfield,OT and Arsenal are all small stadiums aren't they 

If 36k went day 1 this tear and next year its in a 25-30k stadium it would sell out the same day.

The other negative is tickets for next year should be available now whilst people are on a high after this year, instead we are talking about if it will happen at all.

 

 

 

You’d be locking 6k people out and losing upwards of £200,000. It’s a terrible idea. 

[yipyee]

1 hour ago, Jughead said:

Tell us how trying to charge people more for tickets during the World Cup went?

You’d be locking 6k people out and losing upwards of £200,000. It’s a terrible idea. 

Nope you would be guaranteeing a sell out and creating a demand year on year.

Selling 50% off to current fans is not a great tactic and certainly isn't 200k off revenue.

Also charging more in big stadiums that won't sell out aka the world cup is not a good tactic as everyone was waiting for discounts closer to the time.

People will pay more for tickets if they can't get hold of one, its how theres a resale market with rip off prices (not that I am saying this is good).

100 average price per day at 30k stadium is 6 million in gate receipts, 

50% off tickets so would be around 30 per ticket with 64k sold is 1.92 million in gate receipts, thats before other positive sales tactics of pairing tickets with partner hotels and transport partners.

 

 

[Leyther_Matt]

With all respect @yipyee, I don’t think you are acknowledging the nature of Magic Weekend and the (perfectly plausible) habits of those attending. We need to be making the game as accessible as possible, not creating false barriers. If people don’t get a first taste of such events then they’ll just find something else to do.