2024 Seating Changes

[upperdeck]

So I am in the end zone where the student section resided for years. I have 4 tickets on aisle and family all in same row. When people get to choose seats, the seats I have had for 20 years may go away? ( realize the seats / rows are all changing) so my deposit is really for a lottery of getting seats in the general area and I may not sit next to the same people? Am I misinterpreting this?

thats what makes it hard is they dont really have a way to keep people together who might well have groups sitting together for years.

 

[Jake]

You can’t get bumped the following year.

Once you have your seats you can drop back down to the normal donation required for those seats and just renew year after year

This is why we keep saying that using donor level to determine the choice of order isn’t a good way to do it. You can game the system to beat out long time fans.

If they used actual donor rank/priority points it would include LIFETIME giving (longevity) as well as using points for this last year of giving.

Syracuse than could give the extra points for having seasons longer which would encourage longevity even more

However, Syracuse is NOT using that system as the most important criteria

They don’t have records that go back very far. They can’t verify “long term donors”.

Essentially their shitty record keeping screwed long time season ticket holders.

There is no doubt in my mind that if they had records going back to the 80s, they’d use them.

The arbitrary “20 year longevity cap” isn’t arbitrary. It’s how long they kept complete records. It seems to coincide with the transition from my favorite chain smoking AD.

 

[Jcuse_44]

i beg to differ but I take the upper endzone seats over any seat in the lower bowl all day long.

Never left a game early in my life. The MAJORITY of the non students leaving games early are not STH, or they are 90 years old. It's the one game a year people.

 

[upperdeck]

They don’t have records that go back very far. They can’t verify “long term donors”.

Essentially their shitty record keeping screwed long time season ticket holders.

There is no doubt in my mind that if they had records going back to the 80s, they’d use them.

The arbitrary “20 year longevity cap” isn’t arbitrary. It’s how long they kept records. It seems to coincide with the transition from my favorite chain smoking AD.

this makes no sense though.. I know that one time not that long ago they had records going back into the 90s when they did one of these re-org type things because I talked to them and they had 90s but not into the 80s.. it was during Gross's day I remember because I actually talked to him about it and they gave me credit for when my tickets in the 80s started.

Again that make no sense either because unless they were keeping notes on napkins where did all the data go?

the amount of data would fit on a small thumb drive.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

View attachment 236630
More than doubled my seat prices

The sections now appear to go from aisle to aisle as opposed to ending in the middle.

I bought 4 seasons in 2022 in what would now be 129 (around the 20 yard line) and I was as far up the field as I could be without going into the next section. The seat right next to me was in the next section and was paying a substantial premium.

I looked at what I paid and it was $400 per ticket. Those tix now look like they cost 575. That is a 44% increase.

I will also say that, if I'm sitting in the lower bowl, I want to be as high up as possible. I think we were row T or U. Those club seats look awful. I sat in the first row for the Oklahoma game back in 94? and I couldn't see a thing because the OU players were standing on the benches. They finally all got off the benches around the end of the first quarter.

When I was recovering from knee surgery, sat in the ADA seating for a game. Best seats in the house.

 

[OburgOrange]

So I am in the end zone where the student section resided for years. I have 4 tickets on aisle and family all in same row. When people get to choose seats, the seats I have had for 20 years may go away? ( realize the seats / rows are all changing) so my deposit is really for a lottery of getting seats in the general area and I may not sit next to the same people? Am I misinterpreting this?

You are correct

 

[JRHEETER]

this makes no sense though.. I know that one time not that long ago they had records going back into the 90s when they did one of these re-org type things because I talked to them and they had 90s but not into the 80s.. it was during Gross's day I remember because I actually talked to him about it and they gave me credit for when my tickets in the 80s started.

Again that make no sense either because unless they were keeping notes on napkins where did all the data go?

the amount of data would fit on a small thumb drive.

Jake is correct

The AD doesn’t have records that go further back then 20 years.

Can confirm

 

[JeremyCuse]

So I am in the end zone where the student section resided for years. I have 4 tickets on aisle and family all in same row. When people get to choose seats, the seats I have had for 20 years may go away? ( realize the seats / rows are all changing) so my deposit is really for a lottery of getting seats in the general area and I may not sit next to the same people? Am I misinterpreting this?

No your interpreting it correctly.

 

[OburgOrange]

Jake is correct

The AD doesn’t have records that go further back then 20 years.

Can confirm

Yup. True story

 

[JRHEETER]

So I am in the end zone where the student section resided for years. I have 4 tickets on aisle and family all in same row. When people get to choose seats, the seats I have had for 20 years may go away? ( realize the seats / rows are all changing) so my deposit is really for a lottery of getting seats in the general area and I may not sit next to the same people? Am I misinterpreting this?

I said it earlier and I’ll say it again.

Your seats DO NOT EXIST.

You are “renewing” but it’s not for your seats. You will be selecting new seats, no matter what.

You are renewing to stay a season ticket holder NOT for your seats.

In June you will be selecting new seats, somewhere within in the Dome

You are interpreting this 100% correct. Something MOST don’t understand yet, but will when they have to select new seats in June

 

[Offthedome]

Of course they didn't. The hard core football students got great seats on the sidelines. We have about 300 students who really get into Football. The rest are there for the event.

I guess on the positive side. When the "event students" leave at halftime it'll be end zone seats vacated.

I was in 327. If I end up with seats I don't really like, you can bet your can I'm going to go back to 327 at some point during the game to fill empty seats.

 

[Offthedome]

I’m currently 1988/ 3324 within Varsity. Was thinking about maybe donating an extra $100 or so but not sure if it will have enough of an impact. There’s no such thing as “wasted” donations to the CAF, but I do of course want any potential donation to serve my intended purpose.

Probably will keep everything as is and let the chips fall where they may and pick our seats from that. We’re relocating sections so this feels like an important step.

I am also 1988/3324. How does that work?

 

[Forza Azzurri]

I said it earlier and I’ll say it again.

Your seats DO NOT EXIST.

You are “renewing” but it’s not for your seats. You will be selecting new seats, no matter what.

You are renewing to stay a season ticket holder NOT for your seats.

In June you will be selecting new seats, somewhere within in the Dome

You are interpreting this 100% correct. Something MOST don’t understand yet, but will when they have to select new seats in June

This entire process looks so organized, well-thought out and well-run that I am just going to wait until I can actually choose my seats and, if there is nothing I like, well, I really like my couch too.

I do understand, however, why there are no records before 20 years ago...I mean computers and the internet were only invented about 20 years ago, so storing all that paper was really hard, right? Right? RIGHT?

 

[Cusefan95]

The arbitrary “20 year longevity cap” isn’t arbitrary. It’s how long they kept records. It seems to coincide with the transition from my favorite chain smoking AD.

Part of me is curious if other schools have records which go back more than 20 years. The other part doesn’t want to know because I expect the answer will be infuriating.

I suspect that Wildhack has had numerous conversations since he took this job go like this:
JW: “I need you to get me XYZ.”
Person A: “Yeah…we don’t have that.”
JW: “…are you serious?”
Person B: “Yep.”
JW: “Aw, sheet…”

That poor SOB couldn’t have possibly know what a dumpster fire he was willingly climbing into until it was too late.

 

[bnoro]

How were your season tickets affected?

Gave them up 3 years ago, I live 4 hours away. At the end of the day, if I had them, I would understand that this is a process that had to happen to have a nicer building and I can still have a great sightline to watch my team.

When I was a student I always sat at the 20, so I wouldn't have been happy if I was in otto's army now. But I get why they're doing it.

 

[TexanMark]

I am also 1988/3324. How does that work?

Ponzi Scheme?

 

[Cusefan95]

I feel for the long time fans who have had seats in the east end zone but my guess is that they can get equivalent seats in the western end zone and it might be a shorter walk and more convenient for many non student fans.

I’ve had the same seats in the east end zone since 1995. I’m not losing any sleep over having to move to a new location. You don’t need to feel sorry (for me at least).

 

[richmondcuse03]

the question will be do we get renewals a the 80-90% like normal. Thats a few hundred seats.. Will people who have 2 buy a 3rd now that they can actually get that one next to them thats been sold for 20 yrs.. There isn't room to move all the upperdeck endzone tickets at the same price point so something will give there.

Some people will buy up, some will buy down, some will opt out.

many will move a few seats and be ok with it.. Some here only want what they want and will not be happy.

We’ve had an extra seat to have more room that now with more space, will give up. Not sure how many are like us but we added it during Covid and liked being able to move around.

 

[Jake]

Gave them up 3 years ago, I live 4 hours away. At the end of the day, if I had them, I would understand that this is a process that had to happen to have a nicer building and I can still have a great sightline to watch my team.

When I was a student I always sat at the 20, so I wouldn't have been happy if I was in otto's army now. But I get why they're doing it.

I get it too. I just feel for those who’ve had tickets since the dome opened and it’s as if the first 25 years of the dome didn’t happen.

I don’t think it’s a nefarious scheme by the SU either, they’re just making due with the imperfect information that they have.

I also think it’s short sighted incompetence that they didn’t keep records of important information like season ticket holders prior to the early 2000s.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Gave them up 3 years ago, I live 4 hours away. At the end of the day, if I had them, I would understand that this is a process that had to happen to have a nicer building and I can still have a great sightline to watch my team.

When I was a student I always sat at the 20, so I wouldn't have been happy if I was in otto's army now. But I get why they're doing it.

I have them five hours away. Suck it up and get back to campus!

But agree. The students aren’t getting a better situation here. I do think it’ll be better for TV. And they’ll learn to love their new home.

Change is hard folks but will all get through itIf the product on the field is better, we won’t care as the seats are all pretty good. I could barely see the field when we were at Clemson two years ago and felt like I was getting vertigo up there.

 

[richmondcuse03]

I get it too. I just feel for those who’ve had tickets since the dome opened and it’s as if the first 25 years of the dome didn’t happen.

I don’t think it’s a nefarious scheme by the SU either, they’re just making due with the imperfect information that they have.

I also think it’s short sighted incompetence that they didn’t keep records of important information like season ticket holders prior to the early 2000s.

I’m not terribly surprised that the data isn’t perfect. Companies go through different systems, upgrades and transitions all the time. How many companies have 20 years of your data? Then say 45 to go back to the Dome opening? If they knew the loyalty piece would have mattered 25 years ago, they could have built better structures but I suspect this has all been cobbled together and moved from one system to another.

Now there are other workarounds they could have used to figure it out if they really cared but I don’t think it matters much if you’re going based on the overall donation figure.

 

[CU44SE]

Not to change subjects. Anyone know the situation with the seat colors? My understanding was they are blue because they don’t have a matching Orange. But in the pictures, they show two sections of orange seats. But it sounds like those seats are potentially padded? So they could find our colors in padded seats but not regular seats?

Just seams like a lost opportunity that a company couldnt create seats with that same orange color. It would stand out and be a marketing avenue like the blue turf at Boise State. The blue seats will look better, but I worry it may make the dome feel really dark. Not to mention my ultimate concern about decreasing sound because of the diminished noise reflective properties.

 

[OburgOrange]

I also think it’s short sighted incompetence that they didn’t keep records of important information like season ticket holders prior to the early 2000s.

They have a record of my season ticket account being opened in 1995, but specific info about my account only goes back 20 years. So I was told

 

[hoopsupstate]

Not to change subjects. Anyone know the situation with the seat colors? My understanding was they are blue because they don’t have a matching Orange. But in the pictures, they show two sections of orange seats. But it sounds like those seats are potentially padded? So they could find our colors in padded seats but not regular seats?

Just seams like a lost opportunity that a company couldnt create seats with that same orange color. It would stand out and be a marketing avenue like the blue turf at Boise State. The blue seats will look better, but I worry it may make the dome feel really dark. Not to mention my ultimate concern about decreasing sound because of the diminished noise reflective properties.

I think it would have looked neat if they alternated each section blue and orange.

 

[bnoro]

I have them five hours away. Suck it up and get back to campus!

But agree. The students aren’t getting a better situation here. I do think it’ll be better for TV. And they’ll learn to love their new home.

Change is hard folks but will all get through itIf the product on the field is better, we won’t care as the seats are all pretty good. I could barely see the field when we were at Clemson two years ago and felt like I was getting vertigo up there.

I'd love to, especially this season. Unfortunately I work weekends in the fall and can't make more than a game or two. But know a few STH buddies that can hook me up whenever I go back.