Went to the Rapids "Meet & Greet" party today for season ticket holders. I've bee to over a dozen of these, but the last time was in 2013 when I wanted to cancel but was sucked back in to have my name on the jerseys (those who don't know me, I've been to over 300 home matches and dozens of away matches since 1996 even though I haven't been an official "season ticket holder" for the last 5 years). First 30 minutes was spent with Pooregg's speech and Anthony's short "I'm sorry". Then Q&A. Couldn't take listening to it. IMHO, this party was supposed to be: o Access to all players (rare) o Autograph signings o Positive feedback from your best supporters ("stiff upper lip" & "we're cheering for you through thick & thin") o FO attempt to pamper their best customers Instead, we get "town hall" speeches?!? We get a flyer when we enter that says (I quote) "Meet The Team Party Rules", ..."No merchandise will be provided for fans to have signed..." (also of note "lines for autographs will be cut at 12:30pm" which meant you probably had 2 or 3 tables you could hit with 5 players at each)?!? A concourse booth to PURCHASE $1 single player autograph cards and $10 team posters. GB handing out 1/4 stick of fish (no chips) with a dollop of tartar. Free (soft) drinks. Tables with player access and huge Disneyland ride lines with large "No Photos" signs, open team store with 30% off authentics/replicas, and photo access with our 2010 MLS Cup (no touching!). Basically, it was such a short event from 10am to 1pm (12:30pm) that you only had time for the 30 minute speeches and standing in line (no time for a lunch, and none really was provided, during lunch time). Easily the worst season ticket holder "Meet & Greet" party I've ever attended. I went by each table and said "Keep on fighting" clapping my hands for each table behind the autograph people. I went by the coaches table and got a little geeky with Connor and then shook Anthony's hand saying "RTID". Took picture with the Cup with my son (first time we've had access since being in Toronto to watch them win it). Then left early. What were your impressions of this (& past years) event?
Definitely not a waste of time if done right. You could help grow a season ticket holder base and there are lots of people that relish the signing tables (even if we're not among them).
To be fair the ones I went to were the ones held in the downtown hotel and in the bowling alley on the 16th St. Mall. Maybe at the stadium is better.
Anthony was mostly "sorry". Pooregg was "sorry", "we know we can turn this around", "thanks for patience", "no excuses philosophy", blah, blah, blah... This was not an interactive forum. Qs in advance on paper asked to the two of them by a FO rep. No follow-up (thank God).
They did have free hot dogs (w/ stale buns), nachos, and pretzels, if you can call that lunch. In past years they organized drills and small-sided games on the pitch, but couldn't be bothered this year, I guess. When Vicente Sanchez was just signed in 2013 (from memory?) he played tirelessly with all the kids, making sure everyone got a touch, etc. Total class act, made an impression on me. My kids absolutely love these things, I guess it's the face-to-face time with the players. I felt bad for Boateng, Azira, Wynne and Jackson seated at a table with no line. The marquee player was supposed to be Aigner, whose name was in the signage, but was a no-show. Walking through the empty stadium, I couldn't help but notice it's in need of some maintenance, the shine is off. Our benches are embarrassing compared to the rest of the league. How many other sports venues have a dirt lot surrounded by plastic fencing in front of the main entrance?
Yikes! Do we have that few marquee players? I guess it's hard to have fan favorites with so much turnover, and poor performances to boot. Was Tim Howard there? I suppose his group would have a long line.
My son tried to get a pretzel and had to surrender his entry ticket for the privilege (which meant he couldn't get anything else). If there was any info to explain how to actually eat during the event, that would've helped. This is what has made these events fun for me in the past. I remember a soccer-tennis field setup once that was SUPER cool.
Yeah, Tim was there with the longest line. If you waited in that line, the event was probably over when you finally got to the table (Howard, Smith, Colvey, Ford, & MacMath).
The previous round of events at dsg (several years ago prior to the move to Elitches) were actually worth it.. interaction with the players all over the stadium (games, photos, autographs), they'd give out free stuff to everyone, raffle off prizes, and it lasted long enough to actually enjoy it. The last one I remember was right after Vincente was signed, and most people had no clue who he was. But that was when the Rapids seemed to actually care about their STH (like points you could cash in on things like jerseys and jackets, real ticket swap options, etc..) These days, every "benefit" given to the STH seems just like they're going through the motions, just like everything else about the organization. It really is a shame; back then, even when they were losing I really didn't care. I was trying to think what happened around 2013/2014 where my opinion on the organization turned south.. I'm not sure if that was when Hinchey settled in, or some change with one of the Kroenke's involvement, or what..
Right, but I'm wondering if it took him a few years to change the direction of the organization to where I really noticed, or if some other factor came into play and Hinchey wasn't the cause. If 2013 was the year did they did the jersey with all the sth members names on it, that seems to be the last pro-sth thing I can remember the team really doing.
Back in 2015, I wrote a piece on Burgundy Wave about the Season Ticket Member's party, basically making the case for it to be a preseason event that helps everyone get set up for the new season. 3 years later, my opinion hasn't changed. https://www.burgundywave.com/2015/9/16/9330903/the-meet-the-team-party-a-missed-opportunity