Springfield Business Journal_2019-02-25

• SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL PROGRESS 2019 32 The Springfield Cardinals are shaking up the sports industry with a unique membership model that allows fans the unprecedented control and flexibility to come to any or all regular season games. “We did a lot of fan surveys with our season ticket holders last year and came to the realization that we weren’t providing exactly what the fans wanted,” says General Manager Dan Reiter. “We really needed to create something that makes sure fans feel like they’re getting value out of every dime they spend with us.” After the exhaustive research, it was decided that a membership program would replace season tickets. While other sports teams have taken similar measures, Reiter says the Cardinals’ plan is unique. “This is the most innovative, flexible, fan-friendly program that’s out there,” says Reiter. “We’re not the first team to move to memberships but we’re the first team to do it like this. I think you’re going to see a lot of other teams across sports take note of what we’re doing.” The team now offers three different levels of membership that start with reserved seats for 2 games per month. Each plan includes several “All-Member Benefits”, one of which is general admission access to every regular season home game through the new Bypass Gate. • Base Hit Membership - 2 games per month in same reserved seat for as low as $19/month (for 5 months). • Home Run Membership – 3-4 games per month in same reserved seat for as low as $34/month (5 payments). • MVP Membership – All 70 games in same reserved seat for as low as $127 a month (over 5 months). MVP Members can also have their names on their seats. With a brand-new Open Exchange Policy, members can exchange their tickets for any game they would like to attend throughout the season. So if you have tickets to a Tuesday night game, you can exchange them for a Friday night game instead for no charge. And with a new Post-Exchange Policy, if you miss a game that you have tickets for, you can trade those tickets in for comparable seats to any other game so you’ll never have wasted tickets. “With open exchanges and the General Admission Access Card, our fans have total control. So if you happen to be downtown and decide you just want to take the kids into the stadium to see the fireworks, no matter what your membership level is, you can do that,” says Reiter. “You want to stop in Thursday after work and eat a couple of dollar brats? You can do that. Before this, you had a strict number of games that you had tickets to. Now every single membership level we have has the ability to walk into all 70 games. That’s the part that’s really blowing people’s minds.” Another new perk is that members will have online access. In the past, season ticket holders had to do every- thing in person at the Cardinals box office. For the first time ever, fans can sign up for memberships and handle their ticket exchanges at any time at www.SpringfieldCardinals.com. “We’re excited to see how the first season plays out,” says Reiter. “We’ve gotten calls from people who’ve never had season tickets that are buying memberships. People that dropped season tickets have been buying memberships. With member- ships, we’re opening up our arms and our gates to welcome you in whenever you want to come in.” Memberships Replace Season Tickets, Give Fans Unprecedented Control and Flexibility Springfield Cardinals • 955 E Trafficway St Springfield, MO 65802 • springfieldcardinals.com • (417) 863-0395 ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT