The Trail Blazers will "increase season ticket prices" by an average of 5% for the '14-15 season, one of "several steps the organization is taking in revamping its off-court operations," according to Allan Brettman of the Portland OREGONIAN. The Blazers "raised ticket prices on some groups of seats and lowered prices on others," and the increases "apply only to season-ticket prices." The team last season "raised nearly all ticket prices" by 2.5%. Blazers officials said that the "biggest driver in determining whether a seat's price went up or down was customer demand." Blazers President & CEO Chris McGowan said that the team's winning record this season "contributed to the decision to announce the price hikes at this time." Brettman notes the Blazers next season also will see "a renovated interior for the Moda Center, upgraded landscaping for the Rose Quarter and the addition of two more local vendors to the Blazers roster of food and beverage providers." McGowan: "We've changed our business drastically and, with our play on the court, we've seen big spikes in the metrics we use to track the organization. ... We're getting our business in order, we're generating incremental revenue, and we're investing it right back into the fan experience" (Portland OREGONIAN, 2/19).
THAT'S THE TICKET: The Blazers have signed a multiyear agreement with Ticketmaster to return the team and Moda Center to the ticketing giant. The team was previously with Ticketmaster before aligning with Paciolan several years ago. Ticketmaster now works with 25 of 30 NBA teams. McGowan in a statement said, "As we continue to look to the future of digital ticketing, extensive data and analytics, it is clear that Ticketmaster has the vision and capacity to help us achieve our goals" (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer).
