Hornets Season Ticket Deposits Gaining Steam In New Orleans

The Hornets "are expected to release their first total on season-ticket and luxury-suites deposits" in New Orleans tomorrow, according to John Reid of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, who noted the Hornets began contacting more than 7,000 fans who made a pledge to buy season tickets, and have contacted existing New Orleans Arena club seats and suite holders. New Orleans Hornets Dir of Business Operations Alex Martins said, "Most expansion team campaigns don't reach 7,600 ticket requests after the first initial burst. We're very comfortable with the responses, and we hope to convert them all to deposits." Martins added that the team will resume a full-scale advertising blitz following Super Bowl weekend (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 1/29). However, in Charlotte, Tim Whitmire reported that the team "will not announce the number of season-ticket commitments until it has finished calling back all 7,000-plus people who registered interest ... [which is] expected to conclude by the middle of next week." But Martins noted that more than 70% of people who expressed interest in Hornets season tickets are placing deposits, and that an additional 500 people have called to "make unsolicited deposits." Season ticket prices range from $800-$10,750 for courtside seats (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/30). ADWEEK's J. Dee Hill reports New Orleans-based agency Keating Magee "has won a key 60-day ticket sales project for the management group seeking to bring" the Hornets to New Orleans. Martins, on the agency: "We felt [Keating Magee] was most suited to go from zero to 60 in less than a minute. We were also impressed by the creative team and their initial concepts" (ADWEEK, 1/28).