Hornets Hope To Make Gains In Ticket Sales For '17-18 Despite Missing Out On Playoffs

The Hornets this offseason "hope to make at least some small gains in ticket sales after several years of robust increases," according to Erik Spanberg of the CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL. This past season, full-season ticket sales "reached 11,000 while the partial-season packages equated to another 1,000 full-season tickets." But because of the team missing the playoffs, Hornets President & COO Fred Whitfield and Exec VP and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Pete Guelli "expect it will be harder to make large gains in ticket sales." The "long-term goal is to get to 13,000 full-season equivalents." The past couple of years, the Hornets "ranked among the NBA’s top sellers in new season tickets." In January, the team "announced ticket prices would go up by a minimum of 9% on many seats next season." Hornets execs said that revenue from corporate sponsor sales "grew over the previous year." Recent additions include Walmart, Swiss watchmaker Tissot and Kumho Tire (BIZJOURNALS.com, 5/1).