Chris Heck - President of Business Operations

[ThornburyVilla]

2 minutes ago, Dale said:

Unless they're silly that'd be on a sale or return basis. So the club doesn't count the income regardless of an individual picking up the ticket. 

no, they are sold seasonally, so all games included whether sold or not

 

[El Segundo]

1 hour ago, allani said:

PSR and its UEFA equivalent are the reasons behind most of the off-field decisions at the moment.  If we're earning more in match-day revenue (including shop earnings / food & drinks / etc) than we were previously then those decisions are valid (at least in the short-term) if we aren't then those decisions will have been wrong.  I also suspect that if the revenues are not meeting the targets then adjustments to pricing will follow.  These are issues that the clubs we are trying to compete against have had 20 seasons to adapt and tweak (and they almost all have higher ticket prices than Villa) whereas we are trying to catch up in a hurry.  As much as arguing that some unsold seats are a sign that Heck has the pricing wrong - you could also argue that if we were selling out every match to capacity then he must also have got the pricing wrong the other way.  It's a bit of a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario.  And it's easier to fix having overpriced tickets than it is to fix having underpriced tickets.

I think that the financial restrictions are going to come under more pressure and even if they are not lifted I do think that a compromise will be made that will make it easier for clubs to underwrite projects proven to be about improving the sustainability of clubs.  Whilst some of these infrastructure costs can be excluded from PSR others (for example lost revenues - seats, shop sales, drinks, etc - due to reduced attendance) remain pretty grey and unclear - but the punishments in terms of points deductions, etc have been pretty harsh.  It would be foolish to finish in a CL spot and then lose out because of a points deduction for a "misunderstanding" about direct or indirect costs and what is deemed acceptable (and whilst Everton mismanaged in many areas - the reason they thought that they were OK and the PL didn't was down to indirect costs linked to their new stadium - or at least partially down to that).

I fully agree the ultimate reasons is PSR and FFP.   What NSWE are doing seems to be paying the price of achieving sustained success.  As can be seen at the likes of Arsenal (Tarquins central), United, Liverpool, and City, all with bigger stadiums and all struggling for atmosphere, success inevitably ends up with a ground at least half full of tourists and corporate glory hunters at the expense of the ordinary fan. 

I think that's the trajectory regardless of whether we get the new stand or not.    I guess we need to ask ourselves if that success is worth the price in terms of our fan experience in the longer term.       

[Risso]

1 hour ago, allani said:

Also worth pointing at that if you've attended a sporting event as a corporate client then you might never take your seat.  The worst sports event I ever attended was a T20 match (England v West Indies) when I was invited by a client of ours.  I missed the first 2 overs because everyone was doing a "meet and greet", watched the next 6 overs (slightly to the disappointment of my boss who thought I should be doing more chatting to other guests) and then missed the last 12 overs of the first innings and all of the second innings because we were inside eating dinner.  Anyone looking at our seats would have seen them empty and might conclude that the pricing of those seats must have been wrong.  But we were there and our client was spending a lot more money by us not being sat watching the game.  Now you can argue that this is completely the wrong way of treating a sports event (and I wouldn't disagree) but when so many of the rules imposed by the sporting body force revenue into being THE single most important metric that's what happens.

Obviously my example above may have no relevance at all to the empty seats at VP - but it is just one example of times when I've been at an event when it looks like there are empty spaces only for the official numbers to then say that it was a complete sell-out.

That's really not usually the case at Villa Park. I had a season ticket in hospitality for the last few years, and you never, ever got whole blocks of seats empty for the entire match. Occasionally people would be a bit late out for the second half, but other than that it was nearly always rammed. Of course you'd get a few people going in a bit before the final whistle, but then you get that in the standard seats as well. A football match is very different from a cricket match.

[The Fun Factory]

59 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

The streets will never forget when the club used to put about 10k tickets on seatwave for 15 quid.

Oh, on topic.

Chris Heck is a sock cooker.

Oh yes, happy days paying £13  inn the upper trinity to watch us come 15th under Paul Lambert. It was a bit mad that they were selling tickets at a lower price than either the official match day prices or season ticket price per game. A lot of changes since then.

[ender4]

1 hour ago, choffer said:

Arrive, dump your coat in the box, repair to the bar until the final whistle. 

Once you've repaired the bar, can you also deal with the toilets?

[Colin79]

I can certainly understand empty seats. I’m not going to the CL game against Bologna because I can’t justify the price, so if I wasn’t a ST holder there’s no way on earth I’d be finding £60/70 for the likes of Leicester, Palace and Everton. 

When you’re in the middle of the most successful period in maybe 2 decades and a 3pm KO against a local rival doesn’t sell out, you’ve got the pricing all wrong. 
 

 

[Tomaszk]

1 minute ago, Colin79 said:

I can certainly understand empty seats. I’m not going to the CL game against Bologna because I can’t justify the price, so if I wasn’t a ST holder there’s no way on earth I’d be finding £60/70 for the likes of Leicester, Palace and Everton. 

When you’re in the middle of the most successful period in maybe 2 decades and a 3pm KO against a local rival doesn’t sell out, you’ve got the pricing all wrong. 
 

 

He's made a massive mess.

[Colin79]

11 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

He's made a massive mess.

Yep. I’ve not spent a penny at the ground for maybe 2/3yrs now because I can’t be bothered with the queues. 

If he wants to raise revenue, maybe he could find sponsors for our training kit, our women’s team, or I don’t know, make it possible for me (and thousands like me) to buy a pint and pie at half time. The sort of stuff a President of Business Operations should be doing. 

Hiking prices is the lazy option, and like most lazy options I’m sure by the end of the season it will prove to be a failure as the attendances drop off. 

Edited 6 hours ago by Colin79

[The Moustache of Teale]

13 minutes ago, Colin79 said:

Yep. I’ve not spent a penny at the ground for maybe 2/3yrs now because I can’t be bothered with the queues. 

If he wants to raise revenue, maybe he could find sponsors for our training kit, our women’s team, or I don’t know, make it possible for me (and thousands like me) to buy a pint and pie at half time. The sort of stuff a President of Business Operations should be doing. 

Hiking prices is the lazy option, and like most lazy options I’m sure by the end of the season it will prove to be a failure as the attendances drop off. 

You must have excellent bladder control. I need to go before the game, at half time, and after the final whistle.

[Colin79]

Just now, The Moustache of Teale said:

You must have excellent bladder control. I need to go before the game, at half time, and after the final whistle.

Sadly not. I’ve just decided that it’s probably more hygienic to piss myself rather than wade through the piss of others 

[Stephen_Evans]

4 minutes ago, The Moustache of Teale said:

You must have excellent bladder control. I need to go before the game, at half time, and after the final whistle.

And, in my case, again at Warwick Services!

[nick76]

Hearing that Lee Preece, the Supporters Liaison Manager has resigned.

[Captain_Townsend]

37 minutes ago, nick76 said:

Hearing that Lee Preece, the Supporters Liaison Manager has resigned.

Awful. By all accounts an outstanding employee.

[rodders0223]

9 minutes ago, Captain_Townsend said:

Awful. By all accounts an outstanding employee.

I heard he had a penchant for sucking socks.

[pas5898]

1 hour ago, Tomaszk said:

He's made a massive mess.

I've had a season ticket in the upper Holte for 20 years. My 6 year old son has been on the season ticket waiting list since the day we named him and currently a member. He's football mad an wants to go to every game he can.

I checked Wolves, the cheapest seat I could find for resale in K4 was £72 for a 6 year old! He didn't go. 

He asked to go to Man U at home - cheapest ticket in K4 is currently £135 GA+. He wont go.

Checked Leicester vs Bournemouth the day before - It's £12 for him. We will probably go.

Christ Heck is playing a seriously dangerous game.

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by pas5898
grammar

[Captain_Townsend]

@pas5898Mr Heck doesn't care, he only cares about hitting certain targets in the 2 or 3 years he stays here before going off to piss off the fans of the next sports club impressed by the revenue numbers on his CV. Our medium term can get lost as far as he is concerned. That's why it's been such a divisive topic.

Edited 4 hours ago by Captain_Townsend

[Deano & Dalian's Umbrella]

1 minute ago, pas5898 said:

I have a season ticket in the upper Holte for 20 years. My 6 year old son has been on the season ticket waiting list since the day we named him and currently a member. He's football mad an wants to go to every game he can.

I checked Wolves, the cheapest seat I could find for resale in K4 was £72 for a 6 year old! He didn't go. 

He asked to go to Man U at home - cheapest ticket in K4 is currently £135 GA+. He wont go.

Checked Leicester vs Bournemouth the day before - It's £12 for him. We will probably go.

Christ Heck is playing a seriously dangerous game.

 

 

I find this really sad.

I remember going to my first game in 1987 in the North Stand family enclosure with my dad, when the evening mail were doing vouchers for ridiculously cheap tickets. My ticket might even have been free.

[TDR V2]

2 minutes ago, pas5898 said:

I have a season ticket in the upper Holte for 20 years. My 6 year old son has been on the season ticket waiting list since the day we named him and currently a member. He's football mad an wants to go to every game he can.

I checked Wolves, the cheapest seat I could find for resale in K4 was £72 for a 6 year old! He didn't go. 

He asked to go to Man U at home - cheapest ticket in K4 is currently £135 GA+. He wont go.

Checked Leicester vs Bournemouth the day before - It's £12 for him. We will probably go.

Christ Heck is playing a seriously dangerous game.

 

 

TBF to Heck the resale policy has always been bad, as in a previous adult seat can only be sold at adult price.... its always been wrong so can't blame that on Heck. He could fix it though 

[Deano & Dalian's Umbrella]

5 minutes ago, TDR V2 said:

TBF to Heck the resale policy has always been bad, as in a previous adult seat can only be sold at adult price.... its always been wrong so can't blame that on Heck. He could fix it though 

But the 3000 unsold seats per game can’t be helping matters, and presumably they aren’t all resale seats As they are clumped together in big batches.

[pas5898]

3 minutes ago, Deano & Dalian's Umbrella said:

But the 3000 unsold seats per game can’t be helping matters, and presumably they aren’t all resale seats As they are clumped together in big batches.

The irony is £4,000 empty seats for a CAT A game is around 300k in lost revenue. Enough to knock a tenner off every season ticket holders Bayern Munich ticket.

Guy is an absolute buffoon.