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I think I'm about to take the plunge for the first time. Anyone have any thoughts or advice? I know dobrojim and bulletproof have season tickets, unsure about anyone else.

Mods, apologize if this isn't thread worthy.

mls737 wrote:I think I'm about to take the plunge for the first time. Anyone have any thoughts or advice? I know dobrojim and bulletproof have season tickets, unsure about anyone else.

Mods, apologize if this isn't thread worthy.

I've been a season ticket holder for almost 15 years. What do you want to know?

dridge, or you still up on the hill? i think i got tix from you last year, front row on hill? i can't remember. if you're still there i'd like to have a chance to take some of your hands (wen available ofc/)

I have had season tix for 5 seasons, but have decided to opt out next season mostly for financial reasons.

Zerocious wrote:dridge, or you still up on the hill? i think i got tix from you last year, front row on hill? i can't remember. if you're still there i'd like to have a chance to take some of your hands (wen available ofc/)

It wasn't me. My tickets are in the lower bowl, section 111.

I was kind of just curious if there was anything you wish you had known before you first bought your season tickets

But if you have time for a few questions (some of which might be better suited for a sales representative from the team) ...

What kind of events are held for season ticket holders? Anything really worthwhile?
If I get tickets this year will I be able to "upgrade" seats with in the same level of plan next season?
How many games do you think I should want to attend before buying the package becomes worth it?
What kind of secondary market is there for tickets for non marquee games (like say a Bucks game on a Tuesday night)?
If the team has a good year, how much (very broadly), do you think tickets will go up for 2010-2011? Prices are not going up this year, right?
How much more typically do playoff tickets cost than the regular season prices?


Hey zerocious I may soon have some tickets to sell you .

mls737 wrote:
What kind of events are held for season ticket holders? Anything really worthwhile?

They generally hold a couple post-game autograph sessions for season tix holders. Although, honestly, these are sort of lame and usually feature two of the "lesser" players dutifully scrawling their names with a sharpie on an 8x10" glossy as the the fans are herded single file by the table.

You are also invited to attend a practice during pre-season, followed by a Q&A with the coaching staff.
I like this event and usually attend. I'm a sucker for this kind of "behind-the -scenes" stuff. It also provides a great chance to see the new guys up close. You also get a feel for the coaching staff's practice philosophy - are they "hands on"? do they spend more time on offense or defense? which players need the most/least coaching?

mls737 wrote:If I get tickets this year will I be able to "upgrade" seats with in the same level of plan next season?

Sort of. It depends on whether any better seats open up in that section, and whether your rep is proactive in finding you better seats. But yes, you can change seats within the same pricing "tier" without penalty.

mls737 wrote:How many games do you think I should want to attend before buying the package becomes worth it?

That is completely relative. For me, I find the half-season (21-game plan) perfectly quenches my thirst for live basketball. But a full 42-game plan is too much.

mls737 wrote:What kind of secondary market is there for tickets for non marquee games (like say a Bucks game on a Tuesday night)?

Very small. Last season I found it virtually impossible to unload my seats (even at half-face). However, for the Lakers, Celtics and Cavs, you should have no trouble selling those tix for more than face. Problem is, you're probably selling them to a douchebag in a Lebron jersey.

mls737 wrote:If the team has a good year, how much (very broadly), do you think tickets will go up for 2010-2011? Prices are not going up this year, right?

5-10%

mls737 wrote:How much more typically do playoff tickets cost than the regular season prices?

Access to playoff tix, to me, is one of the primary perks of being a season ticket holder. You get to buy your own seats at the same discount you get for regular season games. (the only catch: you have to pay in advance for all the games that could possibly be played at Verizon Center(they will refund your $$ for any unused tix) t unless you agree to re-up for the following season. If you re-up, then you get to pay on a game-by game basis. It's sort of confusing.

I generally agree with Swami's answers. In addition to the autograph sessions and other things Swami mentioned, there is a Meet the Team Party in October or November where there are several things to do for the kids (rock climbing, face painting, ect) and a Christmas reception. A few weeks ago, there was Meet Flip Saunders session which was pretty interesting.

On ticket cost increase, the Wizards have not raised tickets in several years. If the Wizards make it out of the first round in the playoffs this year, I would expect some type of increase.

I have a full season and pay out the ear for tickets (my seats are awesome; lower bowl, center section). I used to go to every game. But, when my son was born 2 years ago, I decided to sell off half my games. I found two guys to buy 10 games each. I only charge them face value (which for season ticket holders, is cheaper than gate price). After my son gets old enough to go to games with me and enjoy them, I go back to going to every game.

I do agree with Swami that there is not much value for Wizards tickets with non-marquee match-ups. My recommendation would be to try to find some people to share the tickets with. That way you are not stuck holding some tickets when you can't go.

Thanks Swami, that was helpful.

Truth be told, I think 21 games will quench my thirst for live basketball as well, but best I can tell its actually cheaper to get the 41 game plan than the 22 game plan for the 400 sections. The 14 game All-Star plan (which is cheaper than the 22) starts for seats up in the Hill is only $50 cheaper than the Full Season package. Needless to say I'm willing to spring an extra $50 bucks to get 27 extra games.

What I'm really trying to decide between is buying the full season package, or just scalping tickets/buying singles to games I want to go. I think given how cheap it is and the priority tickets for playoff games, I'm going to see what life is like as a season ticket holder.

What kind of prices can you get for games against teams just out of the top tier (the Mavs/Hornets/Magic of the world)?

I did the upper bowl seats (section 417 mid court, across from the benches) and the price for that package hardly changed in the 5 years I had them (I think they went up a dollar a ticket a few years back). I split the tix with someone else and between the two of us we would use the tix for about 30 games. For the other games we'd try to sell them if we could but if not we would just give them away to co-workers as we figured we got our moneys worth.

If you can get mid court seats on the Hill I think it's good value. There were several games a season where our ticket rep would give us comped lower level upgrades as well. The upper bowl seats are relatively cheap but you still get all the other perks of a season ticket holder (e.g. practices, meet the team events etc. that swami and dandridge referred to).

Also regarding playoffs, I managed to get lower level seats (can't remember the section # but directly across from the Wiz bench) each year for the season ticket price of that seat (which was a significant savings from the face value). This isn't an advertised perk but you just need to apply a little pressure to your ticket rep.

This year I upgraded to the lower bowl as they offered a discount for season ticket holders that wasn't available in years past (presumably b/c of how we finished in the standings).

My advice would be try out the upper bowl seats for a year and see how you like it. I enjoyed it because there was never any pressure to unload tix because I figured I'd go to enough games to get my money's worth. And sometimes just the "characters" you meet in the upper bowl make it a worthwhile experience.

BTW, I'll be looking to unload a number of tix this season so if you decide against the season tickets I'd be happy to work out a good deal for my seats

i work in the ticket office...so any questions, let me know.

the meet the team party is generally the held the first week or so of the season. last year, it was held at the newseum. pretty good event. season ticket holders also have a post game autograph session. there are also different events held throughout the season that we keep people up to date with.

I'd like to try and go to a few games this season (I live in Richmond). I'm looking forward to the schedule coming out, which if history is a guide, that should happen in early August. I would love sometime in my life to have the time, opportunity, and financial resources to have season tickets but short of that I am thankful for HD and a reasonably big screen (and in game chat with Wiz fans).

correct, schedule should be released first week of august.

mls737 wrote:Thanks Swami, that was helpful.

Truth be told, I think 21 games will quench my thirst for live basketball as well, but best I can tell its actually cheaper to get the 41 game plan than the 22 game plan for the 400 sections. The 14 game All-Star plan (which is cheaper than the 22) starts for seats up in the Hill is only $50 cheaper than the Full Season package. Needless to say I'm willing to spring an extra $50 bucks to get 27 extra games.

What I'm really trying to decide between is buying the full season package, or just scalping tickets/buying singles to games I want to go. I think given how cheap it is and the priority tickets for playoff games, I'm going to see what life is like as a season ticket holder.

What kind of prices can you get for games against teams just out of the top tier (the Mavs/Hornets/Magic of the world)?

it is cheaper. full-season uppers go for $16 / game, whereas the half-season is $48 / game. we really don't sell the half-season uppers since it's cheaper to do the full.

i would highly not recommend scalping. mainly because it is easy to be scammed, but we also do not help people who purchase scalped tickets that end up being invalidated.

if you want to know what locations we have available, or a pricing sheet for all of the sections, let me know. i'll be more then happy to help.

mls737 wrote:I was kind of just curious if there was anything you wish you had known before you first bought your season tickets

But if you have time for a few questions (some of which might be better suited for a sales representative from the team) ...

What kind of events are held for season ticket holders? Anything really worthwhile?
If I get tickets this year will I be able to "upgrade" seats with in the same level of plan next season?
How many games do you think I should want to attend before buying the package becomes worth it?
What kind of secondary market is there for tickets for non marquee games (like say a Bucks game on a Tuesday night)?
If the team has a good year, how much (very broadly), do you think tickets will go up for 2010-2011? Prices are not going up this year, right?
How much more typically do playoff tickets cost than the regular season prices?


Hey zerocious I may soon have some tickets to sell you .

depending on what kind of plan you get, you should be able to upgrade your seats.
can't really comment on the secondary market, but some of my planholders sell their tickets on stubhub.
ticket prices have not risen in a few years. we are actually offering rebates right now, so i would recommend taking advantage of that.
playoff tickets are higher then the regular season. but if you renew your plan, you get a discount on your block of playoff tickets.

any other questions, let me know.

mls737 wrote:Thanks Swami, that was helpful.

Truth be told, I think 21 games will quench my thirst for live basketball as well, but best I can tell its actually cheaper to get the 41 game plan than the 22 game plan for the 400 sections. The 14 game All-Star plan (which is cheaper than the 22) starts for seats up in the Hill is only $50 cheaper than the Full Season package. Needless to say I'm willing to spring an extra $50 bucks to get 27 extra games.

What I'm really trying to decide between is buying the full season package, or just scalping tickets/buying singles to games I want to go. I think given how cheap it is and the priority tickets for playoff games, I'm going to see what life is like as a season ticket holder.

What kind of prices can you get for games against teams just out of the top tier (the Mavs/Hornets/Magic of the world)?

Buy the season tickets. I think relatively speaking you're getting in cheap; I expect the Wiz to be quite good this year and for ticket demand to increase.

Wizfan what are the rebates?

mls737 wrote:Wizfan what are the rebates?

basically, the ticket price is lower. we'll print the gate price on the ticket, but you'll be paying a lower price.

now, this rebate can end at any time. so if you're looking to get into a plan, i'd recommend doing it sooner rather then later.

if you want, feel free to contact me at the wizards office and i can send you over a price sheet.

202-661-5050 x3834

Agree with the others on here. I organize a group that bought 4 half season plans in 109 for 3 seasons. For this year we have to downgrade to All-Star plans because someone left the group, but are still paying less per seat in a comparable location (Section 120).

Because of last season and the economy, you can probably do pretty well with seat location, and they are offering good discounts in some sections (like the corners).

Playoff priority is a great perk, and is probably the main reason I do it. I'll lose access to the Meet the Team and Private Practice this year with the downgrade. Those are fun. I was the only one in my group to take advantage.

Another perk for planholders that they didn't have for a few years but which they had last year and promised for this year is the ability to buy additional seats to any game at a discount in advance of the general public. Certain games (Lakers, Cavs) were premium, but still cheaper than the gate. You just have to make sure you have some money available in August.

wizfan81 wrote:

mls737 wrote:Wizfan what are the rebates?

basically, the ticket price is lower. we'll print the gate price on the ticket, but you'll be paying a lower price.

now, this rebate can end at any time. so if you're looking to get into a plan, i'd recommend doing it sooner rather then later.

if you want, feel free to contact me at the wizards office and i can send you over a price sheet.

202-661-5050 x3834

I wouldn't call that a rebate because you are not giving any money back. I'd call that a discount. I've been a season ticket holder for almost 15 years and the ticket price for season ticket holders has always been discounted compared to "gate price"...I'd be surprised if that all of a sudden stopped.