The San Diego Padres will introduce stored-value tickets at Petco Park this season and are revamping their all-inclusive ticket program, which now has a sponsor.
Together, the two ticket campaigns are aimed at filling seats where sales have been hit or miss in the ballpark’s first four years of operation, said Jeff Overton, Padres executive vice president of business operations.
Stored-value tickets are new for 645 right-field pavilion seats on the Toyota Terrace club level. They are priced the same as last season, $45, but now contain a $20 concession credit toward food, drink and merchandise.
The tickets’ bar codes are scanned when fans buy items at Delaware North Sportservice stands on the club level and at the Padres’ retail store inside the Western Metal Building, the historic warehouse in left field that is part of the ballpark design.
The Padres’ Toyota Terrace club level now offers
stored-value tickets with money toward
concessions and merchandise.
The loaded tickets are restricted to those two areas, Overton said.
The 180 tiered, bleacher-style seats on top of the Western Metal Building are now a $39 all-you-can-eat ticket package available to individuals and groups. Alcohol is not included in the patio spread of hot dogs, nachos, soda and other standard ballpark fare.
Last year, those all-inclusive seats cost $85, including beer and wine, and were available for groups only, said Dawson Hughes, Padres director of ticket sales. For Friday and Saturday games, the rooftop tickets were available to the general public for $10 without food and drink.
The Padres sold a two-year sponsorship to am/pm for the all-you-can-eat seats, the same convenience store chain that sponsors the Los Angeles Dodgers’ all-inclusive ticket for 3,000 outfield seats. Dodger Stadium’s successful program in 2007 spawned half a dozen others during the season.
The Padres’ deal with am/pm helped offset the mid-six-figure cost to develop the new all-inclusive format, Overton said. The project is part of $3 million in upgrades at Petco, including remodeling concessions stands, rebranding clubs and installing a glass railing on the terrace level.
The Padres are just the third team in big league baseball to initiate stored-value tickets, following the Phillies and Red Sox.
“We are hopeful that this will make it easier for our fans to spend a little more money in the park,” Overton said.
