REGINA – Saskatchewan Roughriders season ticket holders have completed surveys to gauge what they want from their experience at the new Mosaic Stadium when it opens for the 2017 CFL season.
Many questions zeroed in on the transfer of roughly 27,000 season tickets and what’s more important to people: sitting with their friends or keeping the same view of the field.
The Riders front office has been meeting with other football clubs who have made the move to a new stadium recently, including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings, who will open a new facility in 2016.
Gregg Sauter, the Riders Vice President of Business Development and Marketing, said the team is taking the good and the bad from those experiences. The season ticket holder survey is about “trying to build as much information as possible” and keeping as close to 100 per cent of fans happy with the move as he can.
How will sightlines and seat locations change for season ticket holders?
Sauter said preliminary results from the survey have revealed two main themes: fans want to see the field the same way they do now and they want to sit around the same group of people they’ve shared the stadium with for many years, or what he calls their “Rider family.”
“Our objective is to get you as close to where you’re currently sitting in this stadium to where you’ll sit in the new stadium,” Sauter said. “In an ideal world, if we could put you in the exact same seat … that’s what we’d like to do.”
When it comes down to seat location versus seniority, Sauter said location will take priority; longtime ticket holders may have an opportunity to select their seats ahead of others, but not to displace someone with a better seat. Someone with a 30-year season ticket at the five-yard line will not be given priority over a 10-year ticket holder sitting at mid-field.
WATCH BELOW: Portions of our raw interview with Gregg Sauter on what season ticket holders can expect
Will there be an ‘open house’ at the new stadium for people to view their seats?
Often season ticket holders have a chance to see for themselves where their seats will be and what potential upgrades might look like. A “soft opening” of the new Mosaic Stadium is planned for fall 2016, but Sauter couldn’t guarantee an opportunity for fans to get an in-person look before choosing their tickets.
“Where and when we’ll be able to get people into the new stadium will depend on the construction timeline,” he said. “Everything seems to be on time, but we don’t know for sure.”
Most season ticket holders can expect a face-to-face meeting with staff to provide a 3D image of where they’ll be sitting and a view of the field.
Are tickets going to cost more at Mosaic 2.0?
In many cases, the perks of a new facility also mean a pricier ticket. Sauter wouldn’t reveal if season ticket holders will have to pay more in the new stadium, saying it’ll be “into next year” before Rider brass makes that decision.
“We don’t want to be the most expensive ticket out there and we don’t want to be the least expensive,” Sauter said. “I can tell you there will be seats in this stadium that will be affordable for the average family.”
Will the team offer additional perks to season ticket holders in the new stadium?
Depending on the CFL city, season ticket holders are usually given a little extra reward for their commitment to a 9-10 game package including merchandise discounts or additional tickets to concerts or CIS football games.
The Riders have already started offering additional rewards to season ticket holders including a “loyalty program” which Sauter expects will be ramped up later in 2015.
“We’re looking at things like allowing season ticket holders to put their name on their seats,” he said. Also in the works may be other perks including a season ticket holder “honour wall.”
What’s in store for new technology?
Being able to access Wi-Fi internet from your seat won’t be the only technological advancement for fans when the Riders move across the street. Expect swipe cards which will offer the ability to pay at concessions without cash.
“If you look at the latest and greatest in stadium technology, it’s all in our plan.”
A physical ticket may be on the way out too for fans who enjoy collecting ticket stubs. “The expectation is that will change,” Sauter said, citing convenience reasons. Instead, fans would be given plastic cards which have all games programmed into the card.
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