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Predators owner Craig Leipold selling 40% of the team

built_ford_tough

By built_ford_tough
in Nashville Coffee House

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built_ford_tough Unincorporated Area

built_ford_tough

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Any ideas of what local companies could buy up at least part of the 40% of the team Leipold wants to sell.

Nissan is an obvious choice, but what about different individuals. Personally, I don't think there is that many individuals in Nashville who would want to invest in a sports team. I mean the Ingrams, Frists, and Turners are more of the philanthropist type, so any ideas?

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franktown Hamlet

franktown

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Part of me loves this idea, because one would think that local ownership couldn't be a bad thing, but it scares me immensely because if you read the articles in the Tennessean yesterday, it seems there's a good chance that if attendance doesn't pick up that HE may pick up and move my beloved Preds. I just don't know if there will be investors in a thing like this, I mean Ingrams, Turners, Frists, Gordan Innman, Hardings, etc. are very interested in the arts and philanthropy (not that it's a bad thing), and I don't know if the country music folks would be interested in an investment like this. Could Bud Adams buy a piece? I really wish that the CITY would buy the 40% so we could guarantee that it stays here, but I know that would never happen....people would be furious. I really just wish more people would go to games, but I know that over time we'll continue to pick up more fans. It seems very unfair to me that we have to hit 14K per game when our arena's capacity is 17K, but some teams have arenas of over 21K so it's easier for them to hit the 14K number.

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Jeeper12 Hamlet

Jeeper12

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I don't see Leipold finding much local interest in being a minority partner in the team. I think he knows that but is just positioning himself to break the lease next year and move the team if attendance doesn't pick up. It's hard to blame the guy though. He's spent the money to put one of the best NHL hockey teams on the ice and attendance is still crappy. Nashville fans had better step up support of the team or be prepared to lose them. I have to say, just the possiblity of losing the Preds and not getting a Sounds deal done is pretty scary for downtown Nashville if you think about it.

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frankliner Whistle-Stop

frankliner

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Bud Adams wouldn't technically be a local investor since he is from Houston. I think one of the large shames is that almost all of the restaurants downtown that directly benefit from Predators games don't have any season tickets. ZERO. That is horrific, and that's one reason why I don't eat there, ever.
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Lexy Town

Lexy

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I think you guys are reading too much in to this. I am a season ticket holder for quite some time now, used to work in the media, and have spoke to Craig a number of times. He has had that 40% stake up for sale for some time, but has held it close to the collar. It's just now that he has really gone public with it.

How many of you, or your offices, are season ticket holders??

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Hankster Town

Hankster

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I think you guys are reading too much in to this. I am a season ticket holder for quite some time now, used to work in the media, and have spoke to Craig a number of times. He has had that 40% stake up for sale for some time, but has held it close to the collar. It's just now that he has really gone public with it.

How many of you, or your offices, are season ticket holders??

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producer2 Hamlet

producer2

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I also agree that attendance will rise, but the fact that the Preds have lost somewhere in the 4,000 to 5,000 season tickets per year in corporate ticket sales is astounding to me. The season ticket base was 12,000 plus the first year and it is now around 8500. This figure includes more personal fan tickets than ever before. It is a write off for most businesses so I do not understand the reluctance when asked. I am proud to say my company has 5 season tickets and has since day one.

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Hankster Town

Hankster

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I also agree that attendance will rise, but the fact that the Preds have lost somewhere in the 4,000 to 5,000 season tickets per year in corporate ticket sales is astounding to me. The season ticket base was 12,000 plus the first year and it is now around 8500. This figure includes more personal fan tickets than ever before. It is a write off for most businesses so I do not understand the reluctance when asked. I am proud to say my company has 5 season tickets and has since day one.
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Lexy Town

Lexy

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If corporate sales had stayed up where they were in the beginning, all the Predator games would be sell outs today. Either marketing efforts by the Predators to Nashville businesses has been below par or the Nashville business sector has willingly walked away. It's difficult to understand why businesses would not be purchasing more season tickets because of the exciting hockey the Predators are now playing. They may well be the best team in the league right now.
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producer2 Hamlet

producer2

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Lexy,

I beg to differ with you on the sales effort of the Preds. They brought in one of the best sports sales people in the industry with Steve Violetta. He worked previously with the San Diego Padres and has worked in the NHL with other franchises. They also spent a ton of money just on marketing materials in order to just get meetings with corporate leaders. Once they got the meetings they were only able to close about 10% of that business and the reasoning for some of the comapnies was pathetic. We are spoiled as a sports town (see empty seats at LP Field) and if we want more for our city we need to quit being fair weather fans and support something!

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Lexy Town

Lexy

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Lexy,

I beg to differ with you on the sales effort of the Preds. They brought in one of the best sports sales people in the industry with Steve Violetta. He worked previously with the San Diego Padres and has worked in the NHL with other franchises. They also spent a ton of money just on marketing materials in order to just get meetings with corporate leaders. Once they got the meetings they were only able to close about 10% of that business and the reasoning for some of the comapnies was pathetic. We are spoiled as a sports town (see empty seats at LP Field) and if we want more for our city we need to quit being fair weather fans and support something!

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producer2 Hamlet

producer2

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This from today's NHL section of ESPN.com:

NHL says attendance OK, but do Preds have problem?

But what about Nashville?

One place fans are curiously avoiding is the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, home to the NHL's No. 1 team, the Predators. Owner Craig Leipold has put out a call to the city's corporate community and told them the team needs its support to boost season-ticket sales.

Leipold took pains to ensure that the call was not seen as a threat of any kind, but the subtext is clear -- without significant help from the corporate community, the Predators' future is uncertain.

When asked about the level of concern, Leipold said Tuesday, "It's high enough that we're raising the dialogue to a little higher level and making the corporate community know that we need more support from them. We need more season-ticket holders that basically come from the corporate community. We think that they're listening to us now. There's no threats out there. But we just want to make sure that we get a bigger corporate support than we've had in the past."

The Predators have 8,600 season tickets and would like to get to 10,000, a number that's still 2,000 short of their high-water level when they first entered the league, in 1998.

"We're still 1,400 away and that's a big number for us and that's an important objective that we achieve that," Leipold said.

He said Kansas City, Mo., which has a new rink and is angling to bring the Penguins to town if they can't strike a deal for a new arena in Pittsburgh, isn't on the Predators' radar. However, he would not speculate on what might happen if the team doesn't meet its season-ticket target.

"We don't deal in hypotheticals. We deal in reality," he said.

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Hankster Town

Hankster

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This from today's NHL section of ESPN.com:

NHL says attendance OK, but do Preds have problem?

But what about Nashville?

One place fans are curiously avoiding is the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, home to the NHL's No. 1 team, the Predators. Owner Craig Leipold has put out a call to the city's corporate community and told them the team needs its support to boost season-ticket sales.

Leipold took pains to ensure that the call was not seen as a threat of any kind, but the subtext is clear -- without significant help from the corporate community, the Predators' future is uncertain.

When asked about the level of concern, Leipold said Tuesday, "It's high enough that we're raising the dialogue to a little higher level and making the corporate community know that we need more support from them. We need more season-ticket holders that basically come from the corporate community. We think that they're listening to us now. There's no threats out there. But we just want to make sure that we get a bigger corporate support than we've had in the past."

The Predators have 8,600 season tickets and would like to get to 10,000, a number that's still 2,000 short of their high-water level when they first entered the league, in 1998.

"We're still 1,400 away and that's a big number for us and that's an important objective that we achieve that," Leipold said.

He said Kansas City, Mo., which has a new rink and is angling to bring the Penguins to town if they can't strike a deal for a new arena in Pittsburgh, isn't on the Predators' radar. However, he would not speculate on what might happen if the team doesn't meet its season-ticket target.

"We don't deal in hypotheticals. We deal in reality," he said.

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