Hospitality V MK

[BarrowLad71]

15 people yesterday in the hospitality suites; that is a poor turnout for first game of the season & will be a loss to revenue if it continues.

It was mentioned at the Q&A they were getting an outside company in to review all this and improve?

Was always a good day when it was kept cheap and simple

[bluessupporter]

15 people yesterday in the hospitality suites; that is a poor turnout for first game of the season & will be a loss to revenue if it continues.

It was mentioned at the Q&A they were getting an outside company in to review all this and improve?

Was always a good day when it was kept cheap and simple

It's gone too dear for a lot of people. I used to get a table together but most are not interested at those prices.

[Red Patch Bluebirds]

Was in the Fred Else yesterday, which had 4 full tables, but one of the rooms was completely closed, which agreed isn’t a great sign.

Been 18 months since I was last in Hospitality and do have to say the food was significantly better than last time, if not a bit of a random plateful.

Agreed on the cost increase, but was still a positive experience nonetheless.

[HenneysKnee]

15 people yesterday in the hospitality suites; that is a poor turnout for first game of the season & will be a loss to revenue if it continues.

It was mentioned at the Q&A they were getting an outside company in to review all this and improve?

Was always a good day when it was kept cheap and simple

15 people? Christ that is poor

[Jonty]

Was always a good day when it was kept cheap and simple

There’s the reason right there

[Wintergreen]

Lots of faces missing from our little patch too, put down to summer holiday excesses. Will be bollocking stay-aways in due course.

[Main Stand SeasonTct]

Lots of faces missing from our little patch too, put down to summer holiday excesses. Will be bollocking stay-aways in due course.

Plenty away on holiday summer team sports such as cricket and bowls still in full swing. Always takes until mid September before many get into the swing of attending both In the ground and hospitality

[bluessupporter]

Plenty away on holiday summer team sports such as cricket and bowls still in full swing. Always takes until mid September before many get into the swing of attending both In the ground and hospitality

How many were in Hospitality at the first home fixture last year?

I seem to remember it was verging on being full, so those excuses are just that - excuses.

What was yesterday's match attendance compared to last year year's first home fixture?

[Main Stand SeasonTct]

Plenty away on holiday summer team sports such as cricket and bowls still in full swing. Always takes until mid September before many get into the swing of attending both In the ground and hospitality

How many were in Hospitality at the first home fixture last year?

I seem to remember it was verging on being full, so those excuses are just that - excuses.

IIRC I don’t think it was. There were big gaps in the stands where hospitality is at start of last season too, Took a few home matches before hospitality was filling up.

[Jonty]

Ive been a few times and really enjoy it but if they’re only getting 15 in for a Saturday game with a near on 3k home crowd then that should inform whoever’s in charge of it that it’s time to look again at what’s on offer.
We have the fanzone now and the club is offering more food options around the ground so the club hospitality is competing with other match day offerings.

[bluessupporter]

Ive been a few times and really enjoy it but if they’re only getting 15 in for a Saturday game with a near on 3k home crowd then that should inform whoever’s in charge of it that it’s time to look again at what’s on offer.

Attendance 3218 so it is indeed time to take another look!

[Hadrian]

Hospitality packages cost £55 (buffet) or £70 (meal). In rough terms, £9 of the buffet package goes in VAT to UK Gov, as does £12 of the meal package so the club receives £46 (buffet) and £58 (meal)..

There is longer a programme to include in the package.

The provided adult stand seat costs ~£19 without VAT so the club is left with £27 or £39 from which to provide a buffet or meal, a range of bottomless drinks throughout the day (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options) refreshments at half time (for those taking the meal package) and to create a worthwhile profit for the club.

These prices do not seem unreasonable. A group (8+) Pie & Peas package at Accrington with a pay bar costs £35 inc VAT per person and the Bronze group package (8+ persons again includes three-course meal, pay bar, quiz, matchday compere, a signed shirt for the host of the group, photos and other 'bits' of little consequence) costs #£120 inc VAT.

I was invited last season to enjoy an excellent hospitality visit to a EPL club recently including very good seat behind a goal, a three course buffet of restaurant quality, cheese and biscuits at half time, coffee after the game, a pay bar, programme. It was a very good experience indeed but I have just checked the price for a similar game this season (v Bournemouth so not a top category game) and was shocked and somewhat embarrassed to find it costs £599 inc VAT. The top package costs £5500 inc VAT. Presumably for that, the club captain will come and cut one's toenails and advise on nightclubs in Marbella.

One of the big problems at Barrow is the lack of small/medium businesses in the area, given the dominance of BAe who put their support into community projects rather than sponsorship of other businesses. Could they be persuaded to offer visits to hospitality (a service rather than a sponsorship) as an employee incentive or reward scheme?

Another really issue is the lack of hinterland we have. Not only are there absolutely no small/medium businesses in an arc of 270° from Barrow, there is nobody at all and fishes would not be likely hospitality customers. The Irish Sea/Morecambe Bay Massives similarly do little for our gate figures.

[spirit of 1990]

15 people yesterday in the hospitality suites; that is a poor turnout for first game of the season & will be a loss to revenue if it continues.

It was mentioned at the Q&A they were getting an outside company in to review all this and improve?

Was always a good day when it was kept cheap and simple

I’m unsure how the number on a hospitality is reached, ie, are sponsors tables not counted? Anyway this what I saw on Saturday.
I was on a table of five in the Fred Else room, there were four other tables with between four and eight on them, probably 28 people in total. As I walked past the FAT room there were people in there also but unsure how many.
If sponsors tables aren’t included it will have been a low(ish) number, if they are included there must’ve been 40, perhaps more, so no where near the 15 mentioned. As has been highlighted, holiday season will definitely have an effect, that showed last week when we were missing probably 10 regulars off the GMV bus because of them being away.

A mention for the food, absolutely fine & not a complaint from anyone on our table.

[Main Stand SeasonTct]

15 people yesterday in the hospitality suites; that is a poor turnout for first game of the season & will be a loss to revenue if it continues.

It was mentioned at the Q&A they were getting an outside company in to review all this and improve?

Was always a good day when it was kept cheap and simple

I’m unsure how the number on a hospitality is reached, ie, are sponsors tables not counted? Anyway this what I saw on Saturday.
I was on a table of five in the Fred Else room, there were four other tables with between four and eight on them, probably 28 people in total. As I walked past the FAT room there were people in there also but unsure how many.
If sponsors tables aren’t included it will have been a low(ish) number, if they are included there must’ve been 40, perhaps more, so no where near the 15 mentioned. As has been highlighted, holiday season will definitely have an effect, that showed last week when we were missing probably 10 regulars off the GMV bus because of them being away.

A mention for the food, absolutely fine & not a complaint from anyone on our table.

That's great to hear from someone who was "actually" there in hospitality. I think the criticism of it is systematic of folk magnifying issues that are not really there after a couple of poor results. A couple of wins these things don't get a mention.

[blue nige]

Hospitality packages cost £55 (buffet) or £70 (meal). In rough terms, £9 of the buffet package goes in VAT to UK Gov, as does £12 of the meal package so the club receives £46 (buffet) and £58 (meal)..

There is longer a programme to include in the package.

The provided adult stand seat costs ~£19 without VAT so the club is left with £27 or £39 from which to provide a buffet or meal, a range of bottomless drinks throughout the day (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options) refreshments at half time (for those taking the meal package) and to create a worthwhile profit for the club.

These prices do not seem unreasonable. A group (8+) Pie & Peas package at Accrington with a pay bar costs £35 inc VAT per person and the Bronze group package (8+ persons again includes three-course meal, pay bar, quiz, matchday compere, a signed shirt for the host of the group, photos and other 'bits' of little consequence) costs #£120 inc VAT.

I was invited last season to enjoy an excellent hospitality visit to a EPL club recently including very good seat behind a goal, a three course buffet of restaurant quality, cheese and biscuits at half time, coffee after the game, a pay bar, programme. It was a very good experience indeed but I have just checked the price for a similar game this season (v Bournemouth so not a top category game) and was shocked and somewhat embarrassed to find it costs £599 inc VAT. The top package costs £5500 inc VAT. Presumably for that, the club captain will come and cut one's toenails and advise on nightclubs in Marbella.

One of the big problems at Barrow is the lack of small/medium businesses in the area, given the dominance of BAe who put their support into community projects rather than sponsorship of other businesses. Could they be persuaded to offer visits to hospitality (a service rather than a sponsorship) as an employee incentive or reward scheme?

Another really issue is the lack of hinterland we have. Not only are there absolutely no small/medium businesses in an arc of 270° from Barrow, there is nobody at all and fishes would not be likely hospitality customers. The Irish Sea/Morecambe Bay Massives similarly do little for our gate figures.

Re BAE I've suggested this ( as an incentive for various sections of the workforce), I didn't get anywhere but I don't give up easily, watch this space