Upgrades to BBVA Compass Stadium

Discussion in 'Houston Dynamo' started by Penwyth, Jan 15, 2018.

  1. Penwyth

    Penwyth Member

    Mar 10, 1999
    Earth
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hearing things about some upgrades at BBVA Compass Stadium.

    There is an "exclusive" article in in Houston Business Journal, but I don't have a subscription to read the article.

    https://www.bizjournals.com/houston...-bbva-compass-stadium-to-undergo-further.html

    Hopefully the article says that St Arnolds will be building out a dedicated draft beer area.

    Anyone with a subscription willing to give us a synopsis of what they've read?
     
    7seven7 and ei1marti repped this.
  2. el nordissimo

    el nordissimo Member

    Jul 31, 2008
    "018"
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm your huckleberry

     
    NDS10, ei1marti and ChrizG13 repped this.
  3. Westside Cosmo

    Westside Cosmo Member+

    Oct 4, 2007
    H-Town
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I’m notifying HBJ on you;) I have a sub but didn’t want to bust the paywall too hard
     
  4. nbrooks503

    nbrooks503 Previously Held @Dynamo Hostage From 2008-2019

    Jun 1, 2008
    Disgruntled Former STH - Fairweather Bandwaggoner
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    "Premium seats, such as club and suite seats, in BBVA are also being replaced by the end of May. The seats will be "nicer" and more "quality," but the total number of seats are not expected to change after the improvements, Canetti said."

    Houston Dynamo Stadium filed a lawsuit against the builder of the stadium and the supplier of the seats. Apparently they were advertised as being outdoor, but in fact they're indoor and the supplier of the seats has refused to honor any warranty

    By 2015 they had deteriorated badly, color fading etc. Now they look in terrible shape with ripped seams, mold, etc.
     
    ei1marti repped this.
  5. Westside Cosmo

    Westside Cosmo Member+

    Oct 4, 2007
    H-Town
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Canetti’s quote sounds better than “the seats are fading and failing and we are going to replace them on the contractor’s nickel”
     
  6. Heft

    Heft BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 20, 2011
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    I though for sure you were going to tell us they replaced the seats with aluminum bleachers in honor of Houston’s first manager.
     
    naranjableeder, CeltTexan and ei1marti repped this.
  7. slycat

    slycat Member

    Jul 12, 2008
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Season ticket sales are on pace with internal goals, as the team has sold north of 10,000 season tickets, Canetti said. The stadium has about 22,000 seats. The team's goal is to sell about 12,000 season tickets, which it expects it can do in the next few years, he said.

    So your goal over "years" is to increase season ticket sales by 20%. Seems like selling 2,000 extra season tickets would be easy with any kind of effort and better player signings. I mean 20% sounds like a lot until it is only 2,000.
     
  8. ChrizG13

    ChrizG13 Member+

    Mar 1, 2010
    Humble
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have always said the growth of attendance for our specific team will be a great one because it will be truly organic, most people that attend games and buy season tickets actually want to be there because they love the team.

    With us being around since 2006 it almost seems like that first Generation of fans mixed with this new one from the latter years should be able to pack our relatively small stadium regularly but of course that hasn't happened. The FO's incompetence mixed with our old owners really did us in for a good stretch and hopefully now seem to be steering in the right direction.

    What I haven't lost faith in is that in the future generation we will have three decades of Dynamo fans packing the stadium regularly. I see ATL, MINN, Orlando etc more like "Man City & PSG" type clubs that have built manufactured excitement but don't have long term vested fans (I.E. as soon as they do bad their stadium will be empty).
    I would love for the Dynamo fan base to be more tight knight and organic akin
    to what Liverpool are for example.
     
  9. Westside Cosmo

    Westside Cosmo Member+

    Oct 4, 2007
    H-Town
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Good article, shows some vision - could see how this wouldn’t necessarily work economically and functionally everywhere - something the Dynamo or an MLS team should have tried but lacked the balls and foresight to try it. The Dynamo fail to see how getting 0% of $7.00 sodas is worse than getting 20% of $3.00 sodas



    http://alsd.com/content/yes-its-story-about-pricing-its-really-story-about
     
  10. juvechelsea

    juvechelsea Member+

    Feb 15, 2006
    Kube, good deal, stable place to find them, not getting shoved over to the alternate channel half the time.
     
  11. juvechelsea

    juvechelsea Member+

    Feb 15, 2006
    Just going to point out that rather than talking about improving experience we're talking "upgraded amenities" to justify ticket prices and our sales approach.
     
  12. CeltTexan

    CeltTexan Member+

    Sep 21, 2000
    Houston, TX USA
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The quote that stood out from that article:

    “It’s amazing how much positive feedback you get after you make one, little, tiny change.”

    – Tom Crocker, Levy Restaurants
     
  13. naranjableeder

    naranjableeder Member+

    Houston Dynamo
    United States
    Jul 30, 2006
    In the Terraces
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There's the cheap, clueless bastard we know! ha!

    As for the season ticket push of 2k more of the course of a couple years... that's fine. This is soccer.....in America.... in Houston, our fans are notoriously fickle. To think we would have more than 12k in season tickets in ridiculous. Setting goals is important and they are saying (hopefully) based on what we have seen and the fact that this is the best season we've had in 5 years or so, this is what we expect.

    We feel a certian way about our team and maybe it is jaded at times. Juve places wild expectations on the team and players. I just don't want us to look like fools and try to progress. Most of you meet somewhere in the middle of that. I think we need some patients and see if they will try to build off whatever actually happened last year, because I don't think any of us saw them making that run.
     
  14. Westside Cosmo

    Westside Cosmo Member+

    Oct 4, 2007
    H-Town
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Funny coming from Levy (runs concessions at BBVA). If you read the article, the Atlanta team took on much of the risk on this because the way I believe most of these deals are written, the teams get a guaranteed minimum or fee but turn over control of much of it to Levy and others.

    I’m gonna guess the Dynamo deal has limited team control because that is the easy short-term decision to make
     
  15. ChrizG13

    ChrizG13 Member+

    Mar 1, 2010
    Humble
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I love the ATL model, really FAN friendly, but apples to apples this isn't feasible for a smaller venue that needs that extra revenue.

    This is something that NRG could possibly try to do but why would they when people buy concessions at Texans game and Rodeo "as if they are going out of style".

    Also, I feel ATL is eventually going to raise prices even if by a dollar or two, prices seem excessively cheap.
     
  16. Westside Cosmo

    Westside Cosmo Member+

    Oct 4, 2007
    H-Town
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I generally agree but right now as I see it - and maybe I’m discounting all the Taste of EaDo increase in sales vs. payback - this is more one of efficiency and proper pricing than being in a small stadium. People buy less at BBVA because it usually takes too long considering the price and the quality. Watching 95 IQ Betty take 25 seconds to fill my soda and put a top on is not efficient but it gets them $6 every fill and refill. ATL has more self-serve stuff and people buy more of it but with less margin.
     
  17. *rey*

    *rey* Member+

    Feb 22, 2006
    Houston
    I also love to beat up on the F.O. and modern football, but I have to say that concession times improved immensely in 2017.

    2014-2016 was brutal. You can miss a ¼ of the game just buying some popcorn and a RC. Also, the beer prices and selection improved with that market place on the south end.

    The $56 hotdog and the current roster is still bullsht tho.
     
  18. Westside Cosmo

    Westside Cosmo Member+

    Oct 4, 2007
    H-Town
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I will agree it was better the game I went to, at least reasonably staffed; but 2014-16 showed me they didn’t care about their customers at all
     
  19. ChrizG13

    ChrizG13 Member+

    Mar 1, 2010
    Humble
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I apologize, I was making the comparison from the ATL price model because being a small venue they need to pull in more revenue so can't really bring down the prices just that low, but as far as the efficiency, we definitely need to and can improve massively.
    I believe the new model they sampled last year definitely did help out. I am glad they are trying to implement it on a bigger scale it seems.
    With that said can they please drop the beer prices a few bucks?!
     
  20. juvechelsea

    juvechelsea Member+

    Feb 15, 2006
    Wild expectations? Dude, I was the lonely one last preseason saying this looks like a playoff team. I don't generally advocate massively expensive acquisitions, and every winter I usually point out American NT pool types who are struggling and likely to consider return, who are generally good values with some talent.

    I don't think it's "wild" to expect competitive spending or that a team that won twice before should have the goal of getting back there. We're already a good chunk of the way back without matching elite payroll. "Well, you know we won't spend that last matching chunk." I am not asking for EPL money. I am not even necessarily asking for TFC money, which is really not too much to ask in MLS.

    At a certain point here, going along without a grumble at payroll levels or fan experience or whatnot, "because you know how they are," is accepting the way they are. The team has been more competitive than this, it would not be that expensive to go back there, so I don't have to settle. When the part of the experience is presented where I am offered a crap sandwich, I don't have to eat it and smile, or just grumble that this is what EaDo menus.

    I think we have learned over the past 3 years the rather bland lesson that there is a such thing as being not ambitious enough with salary and the means used to acquire players. Like the Astros before them, they have learned you cannot even be close to competitive clamping down payroll and searching the domestic remainder bin. I think moderate payroll increases, to a point, will pay for themselves in increased postseason games, participation in earned tournaments, and increased attendance and merchandising.

    I also think, and no one has seemed to acknowledge or grasp this point yet, THAT WE ARE ALREADY SPENDING MILLIONS ANNUALLY ON THESE LOAN-AND-BUY DEALS. We are not strictly speaking a $4.5 million team (payroll alone). The story goes we spent $7.5 million to acquire Torres. The story goes that acquiring Elis and Cabezas may have also extended into 7 figures.

    So next time you beef back about Juve that we don't spend the money on payroll, well, do we spend it on loan and transfer fees? Annualized over the past few years you're talking an additional $2-3 million each season in acquisition costs. Redirect those monies and you are a $6.5-7.5 million payroll team. And as I have stated you can always spend that on salary directly on a free as opposed to in fees for a player who is actually worth 6-figure salary in market evaluation of their quality.
     
  21. ChrizG13

    ChrizG13 Member+

    Mar 1, 2010
    Humble
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think you put this in the wrong thread?
     
  22. juvechelsea

    juvechelsea Member+

    Feb 15, 2006
    "We feel a certian way about our team and maybe it is jaded at times. Juve places wild expectations on the team and players. I just don't want us to look like fools and try to progress. Most of you meet somewhere in the middle of that. I think we need some patients and see if they will try to build off whatever actually happened last year, because I don't think any of us saw them making that run."

    So which are you suggesting is off topic, the unnecessary brick tossed my way or me responding to it?

    I feel like he's taking the quasi-Canetti team position that last year surprised and they should be given some slack in terms of team expectations, or more specifically in terms of this thread, season ticket sales.

    While I wouldn't disagree that the Portland series may have been flattering, this was a 4 seed coming in and SKC was repeatedly done and does not flatter. Being a 4 seed it was a top 8 team on its own two feet, whether it got lucky beyond that or not. It then in reality made the semifinal, where reality set in.

    Y'all are trying to discuss ST sales in this odd, narrow, abstracted sense. Back away. You are touting tickets to a conference semifinalist playing in a fairly nice and new soccer stadium. How hard should that be to sell? Maybe half the problem is this odd mix of cheap payroll and yet pressured sales tactics. If you want to act like this is our money worth hounding us for, fine, spend some money right back on the team or the game presentation.

    I feel like he's trying to say, we shouldn't ask too much, ergo the fan response will be a slow build. My expectations are less of a "settle" in terms of players, spending, placement, etc., and I think I speak to why the more jaded fans are at some ironic distance from the ticket sales. If you are not going to drop TFC coin on the team, I am still going to judge how competitive it looks. Because I sure as heck am not buying tickets to taste the chicken fingers. If they want to increase ticket sales regardless of performance, they need to get out of their -- and ironically, also your -- box of this being a team about how little can we spend and win (setting aside my argument that the loans and fees are disguised payroll, since I don't think we are broke ergo I ain't settling for low salaries like we don't have it). Part of that is what they don't concentrate on, and y'all ignore in playing the "how much should I expect" game. Game experience. More fan participation. Stuff where it is so fun who cares if we always win. Cause otherwise, I am judging it by what is on the field, alone, and in that context unless we have the trophy, we aren't there yet, and even then, what are we doing for next season.

    I mean, this is pro sports. To me trying not to pay too much payroll but still wanting my fan dollar is an odd approach to professional sports. it may make short term economic sense to some Chicago School type, who doesn't see what it does to fan bases over time. But it's like making a cheap summer movie and wanting strong box office returns. Your own strategy limits the chance people want to buy your tickets and make it a hit.

    Part of what they are selling is caliber of product. That is hard to do on the cheap. That is their job, not mine. My job is if they put a convincing product on the field, I buy tickets when it feels worth it. The onus is on them to "do enough," not me to figure out what my squeal point is.
     
  23. naranjableeder

    naranjableeder Member+

    Houston Dynamo
    United States
    Jul 30, 2006
    In the Terraces
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    lol you are rattled way to easily.... I make a comment based on spectrum of expectations, which ask anyone else will relatively agree with me about your opinions on this team.

    I don't think we should have made it as far as we did and don't see it happening this year at this moment in time. I am pretty sure most if not everyone on here thinks Canetti is a wack a doodle, along with most of the FO are running around without a clue in most cases.
     
  24. CeltTexan

    CeltTexan Member+

    Sep 21, 2000
    Houston, TX USA
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Such is the life of all us Houston Dynamo junkies, we have a passion for our players and our jersey so we of course want our team to find success this season but at the same time we know that our FO is cutting Dynamo Girls one minute, cutting community events the next minute and then even when our FO needs to sell tickets our Sales VP is gone the next! All while Canetti keeps his job n the upper echelon of our FO pats themselves on their collective backs! Sigh.
     
  25. naranjableeder

    naranjableeder Member+

    Houston Dynamo
    United States
    Jul 30, 2006
    In the Terraces
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The one redeeming quality is seems all FO's in Houston have is they don't bring in trouble making players to any of their teams. If they do start causing issues, they move them out fairly quickly.
     

Share This Page