With Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHLPA now targeting a Jan. 1 start for the 2020-21 NHL season, team executives continue to press on with new season-ticket sales and plan for what a reimagined in-venue fan experience will look like for fans.
Kelly Cheeseman, chief operating officer for AEG and the Los Angeles Kings, said that moving toward 100% digital tickets, contactless payments and a cashless experience are “going to be the biggest changes” for Kings games at Staples Center. During the 2019-20 season, 83% of Kings fans already used digital tickets, he said.
For American Airlines Center, a venue co-owned by the Dallas Stars and Mavericks, executives are discussing similar options, though nothing has been implemented yet, according to Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts.
The Kings’ Kelly Cheeseman said fans can expect a cashless experience.getty images
“That’s where things were headed anyway,” said Alberts of the transition to digital. “All this does is speed it up.”
The Kings are also currently exploring a new “all-in-one” team app versus the current NHL league-based app. It would be free for fans to use and is a direct result of the various safety measures that’ll be in place heading into next season. Cheeseman wouldn’t say which companies are being evaluated to develop the app or what the cost might be, but the plan is for it to house new digital technologies, like payment systems and fans’ tickets, as well as provide more digital content for fans and sponsorship opportunities for brands. The goal is to have the new app rolled out, at least in some capacity, by this upcoming season’s start date.
“That’s where our focus has been,” Cheeseman said of the Kings evaluating a centralized app that would give the franchise “more freedom” around the in-stadium fan experience. “Otherwise, you’re sending people to 12 different spots.”
He added that the technology upgrades will likely expedite foot traffic through concession and merchandise lines and enable fans to have “a more unique, entrenched digital experience” at the arena. Beyond the in-venue dynamic, which will vary from market-to-market based on guidelines set forth by local health experts, government officials and the NHL, both the Stars and Kings have continued to press on with new season ticket sales.
Despite the pandemic the Kings have not changed the type of season-ticket plans they’re offering. The plans they have sold throughout the summer and into the fall include credit protections in place for fans should next season have reduced in-venue capacity and a limited game schedule. Compared to a typical calendar year at this time, Cheeseman estimated that the Kings have banked about 20%-30% of the total revenue from new season ticket business. Cheeseman also said renewals for half season and 10-game plans heading into the 2020-21 season were now “double” what the Kings originally projected before the pandemic hit.
“We’re fairly happy with the new business world,” said Cheeseman, though he and Alberts both echoed similar feelings about it being hard to compare the current business metrics to normal times. “Fans are excited about the future as we’ve been transparent about our rebuild with championship-level expectations.”
Still, it’s difficult for executives like the Stars’ Alberts to project and forecast what the team’s overall business might look like without any certainty on the season’s length and the status of fan attendance, which affects at least 50% of league revenue, according to Bettman. Alberts is closely following the NFL as the league navigates cross-country travel, works through numerous positive COVID-19 tests and operates with reduced stadium capacity.
Said Alberts: “How is ticketing working in the buildings where people are attending games? Is there any secondary market action? What’s the consumer and fan interest level? What are fans actually paying to attend games? We’re keeping a close eye on all of that.”
