Petes attendance up 34% this season
Peterborough Petes attendance was up by 9,199 or 34 per cent after 12 games this season.
The only season since 1993-94 to have more fans through the doors after 12 games was 200506 when they won an OHL championship and set the franchise attendance mark with an average of 3,430.
Heading into Thursday’s game against Hamilton, seven of 12 crowds exceeded 3,000. Last season, the Petes had only nine all season and just one, the home opener, after 12 games.
Improved performance on the ice is a factor but Petes executive director of business Burton Lee believes it has more to do with efforts made by its expanded business staff.
“There are a lot of different factors,” Lee said. “The experience at a Petes’ game has changed drastically in the last number of years and people are starting to recognize that. There is a lot more to the game than just watching the product on the ice.”
Lee says fans are recognizing their efforts off the ice to service fans better with staff like Matt D’Agostini and Steve Nichols dedicated to ticket sales and serving.
“The days of us just hoping people will show up are gone,” Lee said.
“Now we’re really trying to match what we think people are looking for when they come to a game. You’ll notice at every game we have multiple different themes whether it’s charitable partners or community groups involved. Each home game this year has had some type of community involvement whether it’s service club night, or minor hockey or lacrosse night and groups like that. Tonight is Faith Night with church groups involved. On the group side, Matt is working hard to make sure everyone who might be interested in what we’re doing that night and making it a special night is here. In the past, we might have done themes but there was no outreach.”
Season ticket sales are up by more than 200 and Lee attributes that to Nichols.
“At no point in the history of the team has there been one dedicated person whose job it is to service season ticket members and flex-pack holders. Steve is doing that now. Whether it’s making calls to season ticket holders to check in on their game night experience or visiting them on a game night. We also have a tent set up every game for our valued fans to come and chat and give us feedback. It gives us an outlet to find out exactly what is going on and really react quickly. We’re being pro-active.
“It’s really our whole team from communications to game-night to sales, everyone is trying to put a better product on the ice.”
Lee said the teams with marked improvement in attendance in recent years were either new teams, had new stadiums or they had Connor McDavid in their lineup. He said the Petes’ growth is an outlier.
The hope, Lee said, is the numbers can be sustainable.
“What we’re trying to do is build it so the fans who are coming to the games don’t need to see a winning team. They’re coming because they are part of a group or because they want to have a social experience or are bonding with their friends. If we get a couple of hundred more because the team is playing well and they’re on the bandwagon, awesome. We’d love that.”