How to raise attendance at ISU events

[DSQ]

I think it can be tough sometimes if you’ve traveled a long way to stay for everything. Both of the competitions I’ve been too I was extremely jetlagged the entire time. I don’t think I missed anything (though I did literally fall asleep in my seat once—15 hours time difference is very unforgiving), but I can kinda understand if some fans decide to miss earlier flights in order to rest up, if they’ve just flown halfway across the world. I think it’s important to keep in mind that at any given high profile competition, this is likely to be a significant proportion of the audience.

This is actually a great point, especially for this competition where the Time zone was very unfortunate for most.

 

[Rissa]

Want to raise attendance? Hold more events in the United States so I can actually attend one

They just did. And they charged an arm and a leg for it so not that many people came anyway.

 

[coldblueeyes]

Does anyone have any info about what kind of trickery Minsk did this year? Because it was an incredibly well-attended Euros - not a packed arena all the way, but even the early flights had a lot of attendees, and there were six groups of ladies and seven of men, which is not a short competition at all. I have seen other packed competitions in Minsk, but that was mostly Rhythmic Gymnastics, a lot more popular than skating there. Maybe there's a trend here? Russia and Spain also have well attended RG competitions- also, skating stars-, and they had skating competitions with full arenas in the past. Bulgaria, on the other hand, filled arenas for RG before, as for skating...

 

[Noxchild]

I've said this before, and I understand the legal stuff means it'll likely never happen (or at least until various copyrights and licensing agreements run out) but having easily accessible and immediate livestreams via Youtube and how the Junior Grand Prix is run would do a great deal towards boosting casual fan interest... stop being scared of the Internet, ISU! (Yes the ISUstream exists but still... and is blocked in many countries).

On a more Canadian level... one thing I wish TSN (which generally airs the most important FS competitions) would do is broadcast entire competitions (no commentary needed) on one of their 92358293502852085 sub-channels and THEN they could switch to CBC/TSN1 for the final groups... I do not understand the point of running identical programming on multiple channels... there is already so much dead space on TV, and not everyone is tech-savvy/has a computer that won't stutter and lag.

Live competition-wise... big cities + efficient transit is a must for fan comfort and accessbility. I went to the GPF for all four days, and Vancouver has generally pretty great transit for a North American city, but the buses getting back from the Thunderbird Sports Centre were incredibly hit-or-miss and ill-coordinated (one night the bus drivers knew there was a big event going on... the other nights they didn't seem to), and that caused a lot of people confusion and consternation, especially the tourists (I should know, I was in one of those giant crowds waiting at the bus stop for eons...). Organizers really have to work with the local transit agency to ensure getting to/fro the arena is as smooth as possible. PS too many ice resurfacings and long breaks (and not enough bathrooms or water fountains) between skating groups make me go ape****.

 

[Rissa]

Does anyone have any info about what kind of trickery Minsk did this year? Because it was an incredibly well-attended Euros - not a packed arena all the way, but even the early flights had a lot of attendees, and there were six groups of ladies and seven of men, which is not a short competition at all. I have seen other packed competitions in Minsk, but that was mostly Rhythmic Gymnastics, a lot more popular than skating there. Maybe there's a trend here? Russia and Spain also have well attended RG competitions- also, skating stars-, and they had skating competitions with full arenas in the past. Bulgaria, on the other hand, filled arenas for RG before, as for skating...

Just speculation on my part: Belarus is great friends with Russia so it's possible Russian skaters have fans there. Belarus is also a very inexpensive country to visit so it may be that a lot of Russians and westerners made the trip there.

In Ostrava 2017 for example, the early flights of Ladies SP were empty empty empty. Last flights of FS looked completely full.

I think it's a matter of pricing and advertising. Locals will gladly attend if they have a free evening and it's not going to cost them a fortune. This is exactly what I'm doing this year, there are European championships in another sport right in my town, so I figured why not go one evening? Even though I've never been particularly interested in the sport and I don't know a single name. The tickets still available are dirt cheap.

Live competition-wise... big cities + efficient transit is a must for fan comfort and accessbility. I went to the GPF for all four days, and Vancouver has generally pretty great transit for a North American city, but the buses getting back from the Thunderbird Sports Centre were incredibly hit-or-miss and ill-coordinated (one night the bus drivers knew there was a big event going on... the other nights they didn't seem to), and that caused a lot of people confusion and consternation, especially the tourists (I should know, I was in one of those giant crowds waiting at the bus stop for eons...). Organizers really have to work with the local transit agency to ensure getting to/fro the arena is as smooth as possible. PS too many ice resurfacings and long breaks (and not enough bathrooms or water fountains) between skating groups make me go ape****.

Small inconveniences such as transit or bathrooms almost never affect the decision to go because they are only known afterwards. The one time I know that the organisation did affect the attendance was Marseille GPF where iirc seats were not numbered and had no backs and it was known in advance. Mediocre turnout despite Hanyu being there.

 

[coldblueeyes]

I think it's a matter of pricing and advertising. Locals will gladly attend if they have a free evening and it's not going to cost them a fortune. This is exactly what I'm doing this year, there are European championships in another sport right in my town, so I figured why not go one evening? Even though I've never been particularly interested in the sport and I don't know a single name. The tickets still available are dirt cheap.

Even then, a lot of the competition was during the day, and the stands were partially full. But they might have lowered the price of the tickets and done a good job advertising, which really, is all that they have to do.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

If someone is willing to pay hundreds of dollars to watch one or two skaters for what, seven minutes combined? (plus warmup plus if possible practice) that may not make them a 'true' skating fan to the purists, but my god it makes them a passionate one.

It sure does! Such is the... dedication of these fans.

 

[lappo]

Speaking mostly about Junior competitions who are usually the emptiest events...since the goal of ISU is to expand the figure skating knowledge, why don't they give some free tickets to children of local schools? That way, junior skater wouldn't have to skate in an empty rink and, who knows, maybe some child could choose figure skating as sport.

 

[narcissa]

It sure does! Such is the... dedication of these fans.

I know, I'm one of them. Yuzuru Hanyu really inspired me not only to watch figure skating, but also to skate myself. Before him I only watched major events like the Olympics, but now every year I at least partially watch each GP, GPF, Euros, 4CC, and even junior and Challenger events.

Since high school I've been quite a lazy bum and haven't done any consistent physical exercise for a while. But when I started skating I discovered that I really love it. Now I skate every day before work and it makes me excited to wake up every morning. Even though I have very little skating talent (i.e. I watch people who have been skating less time than me improve much faster than me every day) and sometimes that makes me want to quit, I think of all of the hardships that Yuzuru Hanyu went through but never gave up, and it makes me excited to skate again.

I went to Europe for the first time in my life for Worlds 2017. I'm almost always constantly working so feeling passionate enough about seeing him that I was able to carve out the time was already a big win for me. Along the way I've met so many mutual Yuzu fan friends and penpals around the world who I still talk to and exchange mail with. I've learned so much about different cultures in Europe and Asia and South America. I know many people who have gone through similar experiences as me after discovering figure skating on YouTube or some other site. To me, Yuzuru Hanyu inspires a lot of dedication for a reason and it's something so positive in the lives of so many people :luv17:

 

[narcissa]

Lots of people tried to sell the portion of events they were uninterested in, or even give it out for free, but no "dancing & pairs" fans took up the offer. Hence, even if people were not forced to buy all events tickets, the dancing and pairs events wouldn't have sold more single tickets anyways, otherwise why did such 'fans' not took up the free tickets? If anything, judging by the amount of people with winnie the pooh decorations sitting in the dancing and pairs events, they already contributed to a greater turnout for pairs and dancing then would otherwise been the case if only single tickets were on sale.

Oh my god this is relatable I can't think of how many tickets I've tried to give away for free on Twitter etc. and people would message me "Sorry, I can't take them" as if apologizing to me for not being able to do me a favor So somehow my gut tells me it's not common for tickets of the less popular events to be sold out.

 

[el henry]

I think the dedication of Yuzu fans is a wonderful sight to behold. No snark, I do.

Anyone who thinks this kind of dedication in sport is sort of outlier has clearly never attended an NFL game or even seen one on TV #FlyEaglesFly

That said, obviously “Yuzu is the only skating god who will ever attract fans” is not a helpful sentiment. And one that the vast majority of Yuzu fans themselves would disagree with, from what I see.

Skating needs all kinds

 

[kiches]

The one time I know that the organisation did affect the attendance was Marseille GPF where iirc seats were not numbered and had no backs and it was known in advance. Mediocre turnout despite Hanyu being there.

Wasn’t this the GPF where folks also weren’t sure if they would have a seat assignment and that it would be open seating? I can definitely see that being a huge deterrent to going to any competition, especially a large venue.

I also walk laps around the arena during zamboni breaks to try to stretch, but even then my body felt incredibly stiff at the end of Thursday which spanned about 12 hours at the Honda Center since I only made it in time for the last group of ladies practice.

As a point I’ll add to the conversation I had a friend who lives in Anaheim who is a figure skating fan who didn’t attend all events. Part of the reason was financial (ticket cost), the other was that they didn’t want to take time off to essentially be at home. They’d rather spend their PTO on a competition elsewhere and not waste it to be at home, this meant the early weekday events were are less enticing for local fans if they actually have to call off to attend them, even if it means they save money by not needing to book flights or accommodation. I was the same for US Nationals last year, it was local but only attended one weekend day because I rather spend my money and time off on a bigger competition. I think this is what makes the weekend events more enticing, the ability to attend without sacrificing time off.

I’ve seen Autumn Classic bring in school kids during those weekday time practice/events. I believe they have a specific educational purpose to doing this, but it also helps foster interest and can also help fill empty seats.

 

[CoyoteChris]

I think the dedication of Yuzu fans is a wonderful sight to behold. No snark, I do.

Anyone who thinks this kind of dedication in sport is sort of outlier has clearly never attended an NFL game or even seen one on TV #FlyEaglesFly

That said, obviously “Yuzu is the only skating god who will ever attract fans” is not a helpful sentiment. And one that the vast majority of Yuzu fans themselves would disagree with, from what I see.

Skating needs all kinds

Well said, el henry. MK came to SA 2002 in Spokane and "Saved" the comp as that hughes girl decided not to show, even though one whole side of a seven story building had her pic on it. I am happy for the following of Yuzu in many ways but frankly, some of his fans seem over the top. Kind of like the response to Elvis or the Beattles. Sometimes, national culture and pride brings in skater fans. At Lake Placid SA 2009, bus fulls of Koreans from NY came out for Yuna...they would fill the nose bleeds when she was on the ice, then they would leave....
Likeable megastars and so called "rivalries" aka Evan and Johnny are fine for skating. Take away my 10 top 4CC skaters and I wouldnt have gone....or if I did, I would have spent alot more time seeing friends and visiting the USS Iowa...
I just emailed Bob Dunlop, the guy who pics the venues for USFS, and thanked him for all the good venues he has chosen...because I think the venue does have a way of drawing folks...or not...
As for Yuzu, he is a nice guy and a wonderful talent who has given the skating world so many amazing performances...how can you NOT watch him? He would be a guy Mathman and I would love to sit down with and have a beer. I hope a bright happy future awaits him full of love and satisfaction. But a god he is not...he is an artist.
Kaori, on the other hand, is a queen! All Hail Queen Kaori! :gclap:

 

[uhh]

Does anyone have any info about what kind of trickery Minsk did this year? Because it was an incredibly well-attended Euros - not a packed arena all the way, but even the early flights had a lot of attendees, and there were six groups of ladies and seven of men, which is not a short competition at all. I have seen other packed competitions in Minsk, but that was mostly Rhythmic Gymnastics, a lot more popular than skating there. Maybe there's a trend here? Russia and Spain also have well attended RG competitions- also, skating stars-, and they had skating competitions with full arenas in the past. Bulgaria, on the other hand, filled arenas for RG before, as for skating...

Minsk had in the first half of the week a chunk of schoolkids, plus occasionally a large group from the army which helped. But it was also a very well priced competition - I paid less than 100 euros for my good all event ticket. For the locals it would have been reasonably pricey, but if you are used to events in Western Europe it was an absolute steal. There was lots of local advertising in the city, the arena is very accessible and of course it's a country where skating is already a very popular sport.

(Plus, lots of people had a very... loose approach to sitting in their assigned seats, so most people sitting in the upper bowl moved down until the real ticket holders showed up, which meant the lower bowl was always really full)

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Yuzuru is 2-time OGM now, not the same as he was in 2017 although maybe he'd still be a big audience pull for being OGM around that time.

GP Helsinki sold 20,000 tickets...I think that's even more than Honda Center's seat capacity. There was news about it on Finnish papers.

The capacity of the Helsinki Ice Hall, where the GP Helsinki was held, has a capacity of 8,200.

The capacity of the Honda Center, where Four Continents was held, is 18,336 - more than double that.

Maybe 20,000 tickets were sold over the course of the four disciplines at GP Helsinki, but definitely not for one particular discipline.

 

[narcissa]

The sad fact is that for most competitions, no matter how big the arena is, only the first n rows are worth buying. Other than that, you're better off watching it on TV. So even if Yuzuru attends, it's unlikely the rafters will sell out.

 

[NanaPat]

The sad fact is that for most competitions, no matter how big the arena is, only the first n rows are worth buying. Other than that, you're better off watching it on TV. So even if Yuzuru attends, it's unlikely the rafters will sell out.

I disagree. It's totally different in person, even if you have bad seats. Yes, you don't get the close-ups (except on the big screen), but you get much more of "the big picture": ice coverage, speed, height of jumps, etc. That big picture gets lost when the camera just follow the skater. I had bad seats for the last two comps I attended, and it was still better (for me) than watching on a screen.

Of course, I attend at most one comp per year, so have plenty of time to see programs "close up" as well as to have the live experience.

 

[lyrichord]

The sad fact is that for most competitions, no matter how big the arena is, only the first n rows are worth buying. Other than that, you're better off watching it on TV. So even if Yuzuru attends, it's unlikely the rafters will sell out.

That may be true for regulars/super fans of skating competitions who are used to being rink side, but I don’t think it matters much to casual fans, who are generally happy to be in the building as long as the price is reasonable. We sat on the second to last row in the lower bowl at the Honda Center in the far corner from the Kiss and Cry, and it was closer than we expected based on the seating chart. It’s like at concerts, if it’s one of my favorite artists, I’m happy to pay $100+ to sit in the first ten rows, but for a fun excursion to see someone I like ok but am not invested in, I’m good with cheapest seat that I can still see okay from. . I do prefer watching all sports on TV since you can actually see faces and it’s way cheaper/convenient, but once in a while it’s nice to have the live broad perspective that can’t be captured well on cameras with lots of close ups, speed and flow being the main things that aren’t apparent on camera but more obvious live.

The ISU actually showed unusual savvy in using the Groupon deal for Anaheim, it really got the word out to millions of casual/non fans just looking for something fun to do on the weekend. There were quite a lot of families with small children that I’d guess would not have attended at the higher price (or possibly even known about the event), seeing how the non Groupon side was virtually empty while the Groupon side was packed.

 

[andromache]

The sad fact is that for most competitions, no matter how big the arena is, only the first n rows are worth buying. Other than that, you're better off watching it on TV. So even if Yuzuru attends, it's unlikely the rafters will sell out.

That may be true for regulars/super fans of skating competitions who are used to being rink side, but I don’t think it matters much to casual fans, who are generally happy to be in the building as long as the price is reasonable. We sat on the second to last row in the lower bowl at the Honda Center in the far corner from the Kiss and Cry, and it was closer than we expected based on the seating chart. It’s like at concerts, if it’s one of my favorite artists, I’m happy to pay $100+ to sit in the first ten rows, but for a fun excursion to see someone I like ok but am not invested in, I’m good with cheapest seat that I can still see okay from. . I do prefer watching all sports on TV since you can actually see faces and it’s way cheaper/convenient, but once in a while it’s nice to have the live broad perspective that can’t be captured well on cameras with lots of close ups, speed and flow being the main things that aren’t apparent on camera but more obvious live.

This seems like a pretty unfair assessment of those of us who can't afford the great seats (or even the cheap seats if it involves expensive traveling to get there) but still consider ourselves pretty diehard skating fans.

 

[VegMom]

I really think that they should have seat fillers (or some other method of filling seats) for the seats that will be on camera. I think this for some other sports that have "lower" attendance too, like WNBA. They sell the best seats for prices that only a few are willing to pay so most fans are not shown on camera, they're higher up and out of sight of the cameras. Broadcasting events with empty seats is absolutely terrible for marketing reasons and will be used to justify cutting more and more air time (eg "There aren't even enough fans for this to fill the seats so we won't broadcast it on TV either."). Empty seats perpetuates the myth that there aren't enough fans to justify air time, expensive arenas, events in cities with higher costs, etc etc... it becomes a spiral wherein the lack of investment in marketing creates fewer and fewer fans and then it just becomes a huge uphill battle to try to get more attention and respect.

One thing I think would help is scoring PCS differently, instead of the confusing mess that it currently is. It's clear that some skaters have a certain on-ice presence and performance ability that is attractive to many viewers, but those skaters don't always have that reflected in their performance score--I'm thinking, for instance, Kevin Aymoz and Jason Brown to a lesser extent (sometimes Jason's PCS score is okay). If those skaters were scored more competitively, I think it would help increase the appeal of the figure skating to a wider audience--people are more likely to follow people who stand a higher chance of winning

I agree with this. To me, the PCS are nearly always just a joke score. They seem to fall pretty much right in line with the technical score and do not actually seem to be judging the things they say they are judging.

Better and innovative use of technology.

Agree 10000%
There should be multiple cameras with various angles and other technology used so that there's no human judgement necessary to call things like under-rotation. Technology can eliminate many of these areas where judges seem to apply different standards to different skaters.

I also feel that safety should be taken more seriously. And this is related to technology and science - this sport does not seem to take technology and science seriously. While most sports are timing competition to match athlete's bio rhythms and most sports are improving safety equipment to reduce concussions, etc, skating does none of that. I have not seen any other sport treat injury as carelessly as figure skating. It comes across more as circus entertainment than sport, and I think that the way skaters are treated by the sport's culture is reflected by society at large. In the US people don't take figure skating seriously as a sport ... in part because even the competitions' organizers don't take it seriously.
For instance, why are skaters still doing so many dangerous things in ridiculously skimpy outfits? They have no protection at all. It comes off like it's about jaw-dropping stunts, not about athletics. I personally don't even like watching pairs because it's SO DANGEROUS.

This is actually a great point, especially for this competition where the Time zone was very unfortunate for most.

4CC was my timezone and I still had trouble with it because all the events went so late. I'm still recovering and trying to get back to a normal schedule.

Want to raise attendance? Hold more events in the United States so I can actually attend one

Come to Skate America 2019 in VEGAS!
There are tons of flights to Vegas and lots of places to stay with low rates. And October in Vegas is one of the best weather times of the year so it should actually be reasonably nice to be outdoors and enjoy nearby hiking or outdoor fun while you're there