Creating Value out of Existing Ticket Inventory

With ticket prices rising annually, team ticketing representatives are continuously looking for "new ways" to generate incremental reveune. In 2007, teams reverted to enhancing their courtside/field seating and began experimenting with All-You-Can-Eat sections. As these two measures have become mainstream in the industry, what will team representatives look to next to drive the needle?

Have team reps considered focusing on driving season ticket holder affinity through sponsor-backed sections in-venue? What caught my attention to this idea was the fact that in every hockey rink, each piece of dasherboard signage is positioned where it appears to represent a section in the lower bowl of the arena. Why don't properties capitalize on this by tying sponsors to these lower bowl sections and offer an additional activation piece that benefits both the sponsors and fans?

Season ticket holders/donors of most organizations have a high level of affinity for the section they sit in at games. When University athletic departments are faced with restructuring stadium/arena seating, they often face issues with this fact and are continuously looking for ways to provide these disgruntled fans new value. To counter this issue, properties can incorporate sponsor partners to enhance fan experience and drive section affinity* (i.e. distribute free Coca-Cola product and/or a branded Section 112 t-shirt as a promotion during the season). This concept creates value out of existing inventory for properties and provides additional assets/reach for sponsors through an in-venue promotion that drives incremental awareness. This measure can also be implemented to create artificial demand for select sections and/or provide incentives for fans who were forced to relocate from their previous seating.  

*If AT&T sponsored a section, a promotion could involve all fans seated in that section receiving $5 off their monthly AT&T phone bill and a free branded "Section 112 AT&T/Wild Season Ticket Holder shirt".