Tickets For '12 MLB All-Star Game In K.C. Are In High Demand, Short Supply

Nearly three months before the '12 MLB All-Star Game, neither the Royals nor MLB "has any seats at Kauffman Stadium left to sell before they go on sale to the general public," according to Mike Hendricks in a front-page piece for the K.C. STAR. Other than "a very limited number of standing-room-only tickets that will go up for general sale on Friday, seats are full up" for the July 10 ASG and the July 9 State Farm Home Run Derby. By some measures, the market for tickets to this year's All-Star Game is "the tightest it's been in recent years, and that's sending ticket re-seller prices into the stratosphere." A big factor leading to the limited ticket availability was the Royals' "aggressive marketing campaign aimed at building its season ticket base by promising current and new customers preference in buying All-Star tickets." Although the team "initially limited sales to one purchase per full- or partial-season ticket, the Royals later offered to sell multiple All-Star strips of event tickets, and many customers snapped them up." Prices for this year's All-Star Game "ranged from $377 to $1,077," but the Royals had "no problem selling them." The team felt that giving preference to season-ticket holders "rewarded the loyalty of longtime fans while making the packages more attractive to new buyers." Royals Senior Dir of Ticket Sales & Customer Service Steve Shiffman said that "between the promise of All-Star Game ticket preference and the hopes for the team's promising young squad, Royals season tickets have gone up" 24% in the past two years. Other factors include "the base of season ticket holders and the size of the stadium itself" (K.C. STAR, 4/17).