For "one of the few times since they moved to downtown San Jose to what is now SAP Center, the Sharks are having to rethink how they engage their fan base," according to Curtis Pashelka of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. The team saw season-ticket renewal rates from last year to this year "dip" to approximately 85%. Last Saturday's announced crowd for a game against the Hurricanes was 15,814, the "smallest paid attendance figure" since '06. The Sharks "entered the season with a season ticket base of between 11,000 and 12,000 subscribers, leaving a lot of inventory available before the building’s capacity for an NHL game is reached at 17,562." Away from the ice, Sharks COO John Tortora "recognized the team needed to beef up its sales and marketing staff, and approached ownership with that idea" before the end of the '14-15 regular season. Tortora said that the franchise "added 40-45 people to its payroll," including Exec VP and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Flavil Hampsten. Tortora said that the payroll for non-hockey operations "has been increased" by $3-4M. Pashelka noted the Sharks are also "holding more promotions now than in recent seasons, and have more people available during games to talk to season ticket holders." Right now, the Sharks "have a table at Section 106, with other representatives visiting people in their seats" (MERCURYNEWS.com, 10/28).
