Jets ticket sales continue to improve

On the ice, the Winnipeg Jets are looking to raise a Stanley Cup. In the seats, fans can now sip from a Slurpee cup — the latest addition to Canada Life Centre’s concessions and a syrupy-sweet symbol of the organization’s broader push to keep fans in their seats.

“It’s been very, very well received to date,” Rob Mullowney, the senior vice president of ticket sales and service for True North, told the Free Press in a wide-ranging interview on Friday.

Who knew a brainstorming session aimed at boosting the box office would include adding brain freezes to the menu? But an official partnership with 7-Eleven makes plenty of sense in the Slurpee capital of the world.

That’s just one of several changes this year as the Jets try to keep heating up sales which had grown cold and put them on the National Hockey League’s radar.

No disrespect to frosty concoctions, but the bigger news is the team’s season-ticket base, which is expected to hit 10,500 this season. That’s up from 10,000 a year ago and a franchise-low of 9,500 in 2023-24 — a number that prompted an in-season visit from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to publicly sound the alarm.

“We had a really strong renewal rate this summer of 95 per cent. We were very pleased with that. And then we built on top of that with new sales,” said Mullowney, who is about to begin his second full season at the helm after coming over from the Vancouver Canucks organization.

Still, there are no victory laps at the downtown headquarters. Co-owner and chairman Mark Chipman has said the ultimate goal is to get back to a season-ticket base of 13,000 — a level not seen since the pandemic.

“We feel that we have momentum, but we’re not where we need to be,” Mullowney cautioned. “We need to continue to build, and that’s what we’re focused on.”

That’s more important than ever with the NHL salary cap jumping to US$95 million this year — up from US$83.5 million just two years ago and projected to hit US$113.5 million by 2027-28. For a Winnipeg organization trying to remain competitive, that’s a steep price to pay if the building is less than packed.

To that end, the club has revamped its approach to ticket sales. No longer are fans required to choose between just full, half or quarter-season packages. Instead, the new “Jets Passport” allows ticket holders to select which games to attend based on a set budget.

“It’s our most flexible program we’ve ever offered,” said Mullowney, noting it was a direct response to feedback they’ve received from both current and former customers.

Think of it like the old multi-person partnerships which were the norm around here when the NHL returned back in 2011, then largely fell apart around the time COVID struck. Now, individuals don’t have to worry about finding enough friends to split a season. The Jets essentially become the partner.

There are four price levels of investment — $750, $1,500, $3,000 and $7,500 — which can be used however the fan chooses. Season-ticket totals are calculated by “equivalents,” meaning, for example, selling four 10-game packages equals one full seat.

“This is an evolution within the broader sports and entertainment marketplace with ticketing. And we feel this is a really good step forward within our program for what we’re trying to do in our market,” said Mullowney.

Corporate support has been another focus. Two years ago, only about 15 per cent of the Jets’ season-ticket base was tied to businesses; now that number has climbed to north of 20 per cent. By comparison, some Canadian clubs, like the Toronto Maple Leafs, are well above 50 per cent corporate.

“It has grown, which is encouraging,” said Mullowney.

“Over the past year, when I was personally reaching out to potential (businesses), I’d learn that some actually have tickets already in their personal name. So it could be the business investment is higher. At the same time, this remains an area we are very focused on and need to continue to grow for our long-term success.

Striking now, while the proverbial iron is red hot, would seem to be a sound strategy.

The Jets are coming off a season in which they set franchise records for wins (56) and points (116), captured the Central Division, the Western Conference and the Presidents’ Trophy, and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for only the third time, thanks to the “Manitoba Miracle” in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues.

The Jets sold out 15 straight games to end the year — the final eight in the regular season and all seven in the playoffs — while average regular-season attendance jumped to 14,366 per game, up from 13,370 the year before. Winnipeg recorded the largest year-over-year rise in crowd size of any NHL city.

“You always consider performance when talking about ticket renewals or ticket growth,” said Mullowney. “I would say it’s really been a combination of things: obviously team performance, but also customer and fan experience and positive growth there. And an enhanced sales culture around our approach and our work.”

Civic pride was on full display during the Whiteout street parties.

“We’re seeing more folks that were attending those events that are not necessarily ticket buyers today, but they were very engaged and came away with a really, really wonderful experience,” said Mullowney. “It’s about opportunity and the potential for growth we have in the future.”

Chipman is on record as saying perhaps True North took its customers for granted in the past. Those days, they hope, are long gone.

Rewards for season-ticket holders have expanded, with recent examples including attendance at Jonathan Toews’ first public media conference this summer to joining the team on the road for pre-season games in Edmonton and Calgary. Reduced concession pricing and early access to playoff tickets are also perks.

“It really comes down to it being an experience as opposed to just being a ticket. And I think that’s something we want to continue to tweak and improve,” said Mullowney.

Speaking of Toews, signing one of the most decorated player in Manitoba hockey history and playing host to his comeback story certainly doesn’t hurt the cause.

“That’s just another example of momentum and a really positive, encouraging thing for our market,” said Mullowney.

Arena upgrades, enhanced game-day entertainment, trying to reach new fans through culture and heritage nights, and proactive outreach to former season-ticket holders are all part of the strategy to continue growth.

“We still have a lot more work to do, but we hope we can encourage more of those lapsed customers to return in the future,” said Mullowney.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg