Suites could, should and will be done. The demand was established pre-covid and hopefully will be re-checked and the trigger pulled.
Should We Build a Bigger Stadium
- Thread starter Rotonda Jim
- Start date
I agree and share the complaint. But it's simply supply and demand, right? Bloomington is a small city that doesn't need/have many hotel rooms except for large IU events. Also, the increase in prices and two-night minimum are required in many other college towns. There have been several new hotels added within the past decade but unfortunately those lack the amenities found in most big cities.
What's required is more and consistent visitors to Bloomington. The long-discussed convention center would arguably help. Bloomington/Monroe County deferred construction of that due to covid. Additional visitors would command more and better hotels and facilities. Current status is the tax dollars are being collected but no work is being done.
I agree with you. I definitely understand the supply and demand aspect, but the markup is a bit higher than it probably should be. I seriously doubt demand, especially that weekend would have been so high that every room in Bloomington would have been filled.
Such an easy fix, given how much space they have to make it happen. But they need to get this done. Glass could’ve and should’ve, but didn’t. He wanted to build shiny things and would’ve jumped on other stuff, had he had the support to stay and had demand dictated it. Neither, as we know, were the case, which a big reason why he’s no longer there (though not the only one).
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DUH!
they filled in both end zones without increasing capacity any.
besides wondering how is that even possible, it shows there is zero desire to increase capacity on the part of the powers that be..
i personally would have preferred they put the NEZ closer to the field and squared off the bottom of it so that NEZ seats would have a better view.
and that they put in stands in the SEZ, also close to the field, instead of the whatever you call it that they did, moving the crowd closer proximity to the field, and up against both end zones.
had it been done right, both end zones could have been very good viewing vantage points, the crowd would be closer to the field, and the upper west side would still be available if and when more seats are needed..
the upper west could be tarped off when not needed.
"F" suites. i just don't get everyone obsessing over suites.
they filled in both end zones without increasing capacity any.
besides wondering how is that even possible, it shows there is zero desire to increase capacity on the part of the powers that be..
i personally would have preferred they put the NEZ closer to the field and squared off the bottom of it so that NEZ seats would have a better view.
and that they put in stands in the SEZ, also close to the field, instead of the whatever you call it that they did, moving the crowd closer proximity to the field, and up against both end zones.
had it been done right, both end zones could have been very good viewing vantage points, the crowd would be closer to the field, and the upper west side would still be available if and when more seats are needed..
the upper west could be tarped off when not needed.
"F" suites. i just don't get everyone obsessing over suites.
Suites are money makers and a great tool for companies to entertain. It is marginally effective for companies like ours to take two clients or give four seats to them in the general stands or even the SEZ tables re leased last season. Clients with less than rabid interest in IU FB are much happier to go to a suite and eat, drink and socialize.
There are companies all over the state but particularly Indy that have already responded pre-covid that they would snap them up. Phase one should be 45 suites with 12-20 seats plus some meeting room space.
the hotel issue is the same as the MS restroom issue.
you don't build hotels for limited weekends a yr, or restroom capacity so that everyone can go at same time.
that said, it would be nice if alums could come back for football weekends without breaking their budget, and the ability to accommodate many more.
that said, i think the best solution to that is in the Airbnb type universe, which is easily pliable to adjusting for demand, as opposed to the standard hotel/motel industry, which isn't.
Hotel rooms on FB weekends are full. The Graduate was added recently with party decks on top and it fills at High$ every week. The Union was renovated etc. The problem of course is that demand drops lke a rock through the week making it tougher for developers to add more rooms.
Virginia Tech did what you’re suggesting with their end zones, but it required detached sections to make that happen, which would’ve been the case at MS, too. Suites will be fine if and when there is ever demand for them. There just hasn’t been any to date that would’ve ever gotten a capital campaign teed up. If you know anything about IU, you understand that’s how it works.
AirBnB, The Pointe, Brown County are the only viable options, since there’s little demand for additional hotel space in Bloomington outside of a select and very limited number of weekends a year.
It looks like one of IU's primary objective was to complete the bowl, which IMO is really unnecessary. VA Tech stadium demonstrates that very well.
if that's the experience your clients want, buy an 85" big screen and entertain them in your living room.
prime MS real estate shouldn't be used up on "F"ing suites.
you can't maximize both attendance and fan experience, and revenue.
and since IU needs the added attendance, and doesn't need another minimal revenue stream, they need to move their focus on what's needed and away from what isn't.
and a full stadium moves recruits. a suite doesn't do sht for recruiting.
Looking at $130 to stay just north of Columbus this month . . . are you saying that you were charged almost $400 a night?
Virginia Tech had demand for both more seats as well as suites. As we all know, we’ve not had demand for either of those, which is why the recent renovations have included neither of those elements. Had there been demand, either or both would’ve been a part of it. The design elements at Lane reflect the realities of their situation, while those at Memorial reflect ours.
The SEZ has several suites and the NEZ has a large club area (not sure about suites). I agree with you that neither increased seating capacity for the reason you mention - lack of demand.
Yes, and those offerings, plus what sits in the press box, have been adequate to meet demand.
they could have maintained the current bowl look at the top, and still cut straight across at the bottom, and done so closer to the field.
with little if any added costs.
I think we can replace the word "suites" with "premium seating" - better and more diverse seating options. The days of 50-100,000 people being content sitting on bench seating for a football game are dead. People want options - suites, club options, loge boxes, seatbacks, party decks, tables, on field cabanas, you name it. They want quick and easy access to food and drink options. They want to be able to pay up front for all inclusive experiences. They want to entertain, mingle, do business, talk to friends, and watch the game at the same time. They're willing to pay more for a more enjoyable experience. That's the whole point, isn't it? An activity that you genuinely enjoy doing/viewing? There's no pride in unnecessary discomfort to watch your team if there are other ways to be present and be a fan. It doesn't mean eliminating more standard, cost effective options like bench searching, but it does mean replacing some of them or adding premium seats elsewhere.
For me, if I'm getting on a plane and flying 1,000 miles back to Bloomington to watch an IU game, with flights, hotels, car rental, etc., my weekend trip to watch the game is already costing me a couple grand. I'm not really excited about doing and spending all of that to sit on a $50 metal bench seat. Add in club or other premium seatsing and I'll make that trip back every year. Now? It's only every several years.
the steep Red Rocks viewing angle is far superior to the flatter grade viewing angle newer arenas have.
IU's big mistake when they did AH, was going so high on the sides with the main level, rather than being more 360 degrees, and going higher on the sides.
which would also have allowed for any balcony to be much lower as well, and thus much better seats.
I wonder if the demand for suites/clubs is limited by the offerings that are currently available. The existing suites and stadium club in the press box are poor, without any kitchen space, beyond very rudimentary facilities. Both offerings lack any outdoor space and much, if any, communal space. The NEZ club in the Hall of Champions is slightly better, with the inclusion of outdoor space and more communal space, but it is essentially a big room with large dining tables and buffet/bar facilities that are basically folding tables or wheel in, like you would see at a wedding reception. I haven't spent any time in the SEZ facility, but it is just the training table facility for athletes.
Adding 40-50 suites, with outdoor seating and proper indoor entertaining space should be done soon. The addition of 1-2 club facilities with adjacent kitchen space, permanent bar space, and large communal areas should be a part of the same project. I get that Bloomington doesn't necessarily have the local corporate base to support all of that space, but, if IU is wise on pricing and prices well below what the Colts charge, I think that the market may be stronger than many would think. Same for the club seats. Premium seating options need to be expanded upon and done properly. Right now, the offerings are way, way below what Purdue offers, let alone a professional organization like the Colts.
The bottom line is that Purdue, Kentucky, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Illinois have much more compelling premium seating options, let alone the professional teams in the area, as well as OSU, UM, etc. Akron has better offerings than IU in this capacity. This really needs to be a priority for Memorial Stadium, but, obviously not at the detriment of the facilities that the program itself desperately needs, i.e., an upgraded indoor facility.
what fans want, is affordable seats.
to drive attendance, you have to be affordable for those in reasonably close driving distance.
if that metal seat stops you from coming back for a game, that's your decision and your loss.
and despite your claims otherwise, i don't think your decision to come back or not is being made on the basis of that bleacher seat rather than a barcholounger.
IU can't fill that stadium catering to the 1%, or even 10%.
not that they haven't tried for decades.
It would’ve put the seats / structure maybe 10 feet close to the field, tops. It was a negligible difference if you wanted the sections to be connected. If you were okay with stand-alone sections, that amount would’ve been reduced more. I saw the various renderings . . . the only way to bring it much closer to the end of the field was to detach it.
Demand for IU football has historically been low because we’ve never demanded a winning program. So people don’t go as students, and then don’t go as alums. Or a few thousand stay outside and tailgate, raving about how great it is, even though any winning program in P5 makes our tailgating look pedestrian.
Against that backdrop, there’s little demand for suites and premium seating because, even with some of the lowest ticket prices in the Big 10, we can’t fill one of the smallest stadiums to capacity. And the people who do come often leave at halftime, regardless of the score. Or they stay bit eat bad food that takes forever to get.
We waited a long time to upgrade anything, and every time we have we’ve pronounced that we’re “there”, even though we aren’t close. But there has to be demand, and there just hasn’t been. If we can build a winning program, hopefully demand follows.
Fans want a winner, or they won’t come. We have some of the lowest prices in the Big 10, but you still can’t get people if they think we won’t win. OSU brings 20k+ to MS because they get to see their team and pay less for their seats. But they also expect to win. Until we demand that of our program, affordable tickets and suites won’t be an inducement for many.
We stayed in Columbus at 46 and 65, about $120 a night. We looked at nearly every hotel in Bloomington that weekend and the cheapest we saw was about $300 a night, top end was over $500.
Non football weekends those were 100 to 150 a night.
what we don't need, is more brick and mortar obsession.
or a mega donor of that level.
$1 mil a yr would fund a Thurston Howell III IU student section where all IU students get in free to MS for all games.
and a Thurston Howell III Knot Hole youth seating section where any kid through HS age can sit for free in a general admission section, for any kid who doesn't need to sit with their parents in the reserved sections.
the well to do can put their name on things other than locker rooms, which will do more for the program than locker rooms.
that would do a lot for attendance, and build the fan base.
$1 mil a yr would far more than fund that. ($750,000 yr would probably be revenue neutral)
if IU can't get $750,000 to $1 mil yr for that, they are staffed with total incompetents.
for OSU, they can suspend the Knot Hole youth section for that one or less games every 2 yrs.
just as they did the original Knot Hole section for PU, back when PU sold out every yr.. (with far less area population and alums of both schools than we now have).
more like 10 yrds closer in the center.
and that ten yds closer would have not just made a proximity difference, but significantly improved the viewing angle for all as well.
and made for more of a "dog pound" home field advantage at that end.
and wouldn't have cost any more.
gross incompetence.
You keep responding (indirectly) to my all my posts and comments with this made up BS. If you followed IU rather than just bashing IU as a PU troll, you would know better. But I understand you can't stop...never could.
The demand for suites is there whether you guys on GBI like it or not.
Could you?
rent free baby.
Interesting tidbit about Idaho . . . the guy who for years was the voice of the Idaho Vandals (I think both in football and basketball, but at least in football) was a guy from Columbus.
It wouldn’t have been ten yards closer f keeping the sections attached was a prerequisite.
keep pushing the false spin.
there are a lot of people in the area who would attend, but don't, due to affordability.
and a winning program isn't something that can be had by "demanding it".
or bought by a school with less money than most of it's competition, and a much smaller home recruiting base.
and a full stadium would do a lot more to building a winning program, than fans/alums constantly whining they demand one.
you want to demand a winning program?
start by demanding a full stadium on saturdays.
that's something we control our own fate on.
There’s been no material demand for suites. Had Glass been in a position to remain as AD and had demand existed, a campaign would’ve been initiated. He tried to cultivate demand but it went nowhere, which is precisely why it hasn’t been done. You're simply wrong on this point. I don’t understand your reference to your discussions on GBI, either. Are you a Purdue fan or an IU fan? Under what name do you post there?
It just doesn't get much better than a thread dominated by Ordy and winners going back and forth.
This is just not true. For starters, seats at MS are extremely affordable - for college football or for just about any large scale entertainment event. The attendance problem certainly has nothing to do with affordability for IU football. Also, there is a reason that every new stadium for every sport and event is built with a spectrum of premium seating options, and there is a reason that nearly every stadium renovation is adding premium seating or replacing benches with premium seating - because that's where demand is right now and where money is made. IU could add those things and still maintain 45,000+ cheap seats, it's not an either or.
You're so certain of yourself that you're even sure that I'm wrong about my own preferences and choices. I have, on multiple occasions, decided not to attend IU games because there were no premium seating options left, and I have decided to attend games because the seating that was desirable to me was available. It's not hard.
“BRING BACK THE RUSTY COMPLETELY USELESS SEZ BLEACHERS!!!1!1!” - igw, for years and years now
He has several supporters here, one of whom will no doubt post behind me as he does virtually every time I put something up here, but he (and they) are way off base with their information.
yeah, a kiddie playground looked so much more big time college football in that spot.
they absolutely should have left the bleachers there till the SEZ was built, and put the playground behind the bleachers, with the bleachers as a buffer between the field and playground.
the playground looked beyond ridiculous butted up against the south end zone.
(though would have been great behind the bleachers, as the playground served a good purpose, but was ridiculously out of place a few feet from the playing field, and in the camera shot).
the south bleachers were also much better seats that the upper corners or under the press box. (other than when shade was in demand).
thus why they also were ALWAYS better filled than the corners.
and when did wood start rusting? those bleachers were in great shape.
don't let the fact that all i said is true stop you from being an ahole, here to defend one bad decision after another.
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