Coordinated promotions are one of the changes the team has made to keep fans interestedgetty images
There is a "growing buzz" around the Canucks this season despite missing the playoffs for four straight years, as the team has focused on creating a "better fan experience" at Rogers Arena, according to Ben Kuzma of the VANCOUVER SUN. There are "better food and beverage options in the concourse, bars and lounges, enhanced lighting and multimedia presentations," and the club is celebrating its 50th anniversary this season. Canucks COO Trent Carroll said, "We were starting to panic with people hanging out in the concourse and not racing back to their seats. The flip side was to make it a night out for the millennials, who are way more social. You create bars and lounges with bigger televisions so they can still hang out. You enhance it and don't inhibit it." Kuzma noted that brought about The Sports Bar in one end of Rogers Arena -- where fans can "watch the game on TV or far below -- and popular lounges for patrons willing to pay higher prices for premium lounges and loge-club services." Another key component is "fan interaction." Carroll: "The hockey ops and business sides are starting to work a lot together and that has changed since I've been in the business here, almost 10 years." The Canucks had 17,000 season-ticket holders in '10 and then saw the "percentage of renewals dip before a recent resurgence" (VANCOUVER PROVINCE, 10/14).
