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Events and Attractions

Indianapolis 500 Organizers Prepare For Future Of Event After Sunday's 100th Running

The 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday is "a hallmark moment in the history" of IMS, but next year's race "might be more important as an indicator of whether it becomes a revitalized center of a revitalized sport or a fading icon," according to Brant James of USA TODAY. IMS President Doug Boles said, "A hundred years is sort of a tent pole year, and that's why we've all along tried to position it as 'This isn't an ending point, this is just one more in what has so far been 99 really important events.' The hundredth will be an important one. So will the 101st." Boles said that repeat ticket customers "are the main driver of the audience each year, and he has spoken with a few subscribers who said they will not return after this running." A "mass exodus of long-time subscribers, each eliminating multiple-ticket accounts from the stands, could produce a stark reduction in attendance" in '17. Boles' hope is that fans who "do not renew will pass the mantle of ticker buyer to the next generation as it had been to them." Boles: "There are people who are getting to the point where coming with 400,000 people in a venue and parking and walking is taxing. But those are the same folks who have introduced their kids and their grandkids to the event." James notes Boles since January has "attempted to make roughly 10 calls daily to some of the 235,000-plus who have purchased grandstand tickets for the race this year, targeting those who purchased that day, renewed tickets for seven to 15 years and long-term buyers" (USA TODAY, 5/27).

START YOUR ENGINES: In Milwaukee, Dave Kallmann writes Sunday's race "will be big." Kallman: "But then what? What about the 101st? What about Detroit and Fort Worth, Texas, and Elkhart Lake, Wis., where the Verizon IndyCar Series will race next month?" The series has "built advertising for the other events that plays off the 500." Fans who have "watched the first five races of the season have seen it; far more will Sunday." Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles said, "Anything that's positive that comes from here, we're working to convey it's the same thing at the other places we run even if it's not quite the same venue." But Kallman writes if there is "going to be one singular event that gives Indy-car racing its best chance creep back into the consciousness of the average sports fan, a scintillating race for this sold-out celebration would offer the best chance." Driver James Hinchcliffe: "I meet a lot of people that come to their first Indy-car race and every single one of them leaves a lifelong fan. The biggest problem we've had for the last 10 years is not enough people see it" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/27).

BUYER'S MARKET: In Indianapolis, Anthony Schoettle noted Indy 500 general admission tickets on the secondary market "soared Wednesday and Thursday in the wake of the announcement that the race has been completely sold out." General admission tickets for $40 as late as Tuesday afternoon "were selling for more than triple that amount on the secondary market by Wednesday morning." General admission ticket prices on StubHub on Thursday morning "ranged from $156 to $173." Indianapolis-based Circle City Tickets President Mike Peduto "thinks ticket prices for this year's Indy 500 could go even higher." Peduto said one thing that will not hurt demand is the "fact that the race is being broadcast live locally." Peduto: "The race is not something you can fully experience on TV. There are just so many people who feel they have to be there to experience the 100th running." Indiana-based FanFare Tickets Owner Renny Harrison said that tickets in the fourth turn and front stretch with a face value in the $100-$120 range are "selling for as high as $375." Harrison added that penthouse seats with a face value of $200 are "going as high as $600" (IBJ.com, 5/26).

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