Capitals Expect Fan Fest To Sell Out Thanks To Rising Popularity
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Capitals Will Limit Fan Fest Crowd To
5,000 So All Fans Can Get Autographs |
The Capitals are "so popular these days that even their fan fest looks as if it will be a sellout," according to Tim Lemke of the WASHINGTON TIMES. The Capitals "began selling tickets last week for a daylong convention on Saturday, Sept. 26, featuring guaranteed player autographs and an array of interactive sessions for fans." The event will be held at Gaylord Convention Center at National Harbor, and details of the convention "suggest it will be impressive in size and scope." There will be "games for kids on four full-size rinks, question-and-answer sessions with coaches and memorabilia and equipment sales." There also "will be a series of panels" with Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis, VP & GM George McPhee and Assistant GM Don Fishman. Tickets went on sale July 9 and are "already more than half gone." Tickets cost $40 for adults and $25 for kids. The team "will limit the crowd to 5,000 and expects to sell out." Capitals officials said that they "capped the number of tickets sold to guarantee that each fan admitted receives at least two autographs from players." The team's full roster is "expected to attend." Capitals Senior VP & CMO Tim McDermott: "It's one thing to sell out the event, but it's another to make sure everyone has an awesome experience." The Capitals are "following a model created" by the Blackhawks, who "earned rave reviews for a big convention last year," and the team "hired the same event production company, Hat-Trick Productions." The Capitals are "spending more than $300,000 to put on the event, virtually ensuring it will lose money" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 7/17).
ALL ABOUT THE FANS: The Blackhawks are holding their second fan convention this weekend, and Senior VP/Business Operations Jay Blunk said the event is again sold out. Blunk: "We didn't know what we had last year. We had 5 or 6,000 people last year. It was an absolute mob scene. We are expecting almost 10,000 this year. Tickets went almost in less than a week for this event this year." Blunk said that Blackhawks management will attend the convention, despite the recent dismissal of GM Dale Tallon. Blunk: "We want to hear the fans. We froze season ticket prices this year even though the demand has never been higher in the history of the franchise because we heard from our fans. This is a chance for management to really interact with the fans one on one to listen to what they want. ... What we have learned is it's very important to listen to what they say and sometimes we can't take care of that. But most of the time we'll try, and this convention provides a vehicle for that" ("Chicago Tribune Live," CSN Chicago, 7/16).
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