UNI will have an allotment of tickets for the ISU game, right?

[UNI83]

Re: UNI will have an allotment of tickets for the ISU game, right?

All, here are the two updates I have from the ticket office and the UNI alumni association, in regards to FB tickets.

First the ticket office to my question about the UNI ticket allotment at the ISU game:



And then the UNI alumni association, on a followup to my original inquiry (07/19):



While I appreciate the timely response from the UNI Alumni Association, I am honestly perplexed as to why it is taking this much time to generate a discount code? 2 1/2 weeks after an initial inquiry? I would think that this would fall on UNI Tix to generate the code, since they manage the ticketing system. However, in the University setting, maybe they need to form a faculty committee to study the issue before proceeding...

You do realize that UNItix probably can't just go creating codes, discounts, marketing, etc... without proper approval from proper places. Have you ever read the e-mails you get from UNItix? They aren't sent FROM UNItix, they are sent from a member of the marketing department. I'd be willing to be UNItix can't do a thing until they hear what they can/can't do from athletics. I know you like to blame everything on UNItix, but I get the feeling from converstations I've had with people in the athletic department, alumni association, and ticket office that the ticket office has little to no control over what discounts are ever offered, when they are offered, and to who they are offered, and it sounds like they have almost ZERO control over the seating for NCAA's, ISU, Iowa, MVC tournaments, etc... From the sounds of that the tickets are handed out and seated by the PSC or members of the athletic department, not by the ticket office.


It honestly seems to me that the ticket office only sells the tickets they are told, and the is the only real control they have.

[Trapped in California]

Re: UNI will have an allotment of tickets for the ISU game, right?

I am not blaming anyone, I am simply baffled by the following:

1. UNI Football happens every year (Michale Gartner's opinion not withstanding)
2. UNI announced 2010-11 FB schedule January 27, 2010
3. UNI Alumni Association has been offering members discounts to FB home games other than homecoming for the almost 20 years I have been a member. They have also offered discounts to other sporting events, but that is not at issue for the time being.
4. UNI Tix system has the opportunity to enter a discount code when ordering
5. UNI is 39 days away from kickoff, which incidentally should be 32 if we had our first game scheduled the same as 90+% of the other teams in the US

All of this would lead me to believe that "someone" should have figured out that a ticket buyer would be asking about the discount code 5-8 weeks before kickoff. This may not mean anything for a person that lives in CF or has season passes, but when you are traveling 3,000+ miles round trip to see a game, it is a definite irritant. Please don't even get me started about playoff tickets.

Am I really not going to make the trip over a $10.00 discount on a ticket? No. However, it really is symbolic of UNI being able to follow through with what it promises to do. When they are publicly proclaiming they want more support for the athletic program (the entire school for that matter), you think they would make things as easy as possible.

Not looking to pin blame on anyone, just asking for it to be fixed.

BTW - the UNI Tix email came from [email protected], unsigned if that is important to anything.

[UNI83]

Re: UNI will have an allotment of tickets for the ISU game, right?

At the bottom of UNI e-mails in the past it has said sent from Eric Hrubes of the Marketing Department, or something to that effect.


I would agree it would be great if the discount was put in to the system. I would bet it would take all of 5 minutes for the person in charge of getting that type of thing set up to do so. However, if the alumni association hasn't sent the e-mail out with the code, they probably don't have a code set up yet. Thus making it pretty darn tough to create a thing on the internet that is code sensitive.


I'm not defending UNItix from making errors at all, they do. I also know that the guy that sits in the office at the McLeod Center is more than willing to accept the blame when it is the offices issue, at least in the past he has been with myself and my company. However, I also know enough people within the athletic department, PSC department, and and marketing department to know that the ticket office can't do anything until they know what they can/can't and need to do. If they aren't told how many tickets, where the tickets are, when we will be getting the from the other school/site, and all of the other complaints come MVC, Iowa State NCAA tourney, etc... they can't tell anyone the answers that asks.

I understand your frustration here, but in one of your posts you posted an excerpt of a e-mail from the Alumni Association they said they didn't have the code set yet, so getting made that the ticket office doesn't have the discount online seems pointless to me.

[Cat80]

Re: UNI will have an allotment of tickets for the ISU game, right?

Well that's a nice sentiment, but actually no it isn't as easy as driving 35 miles to Ames. And it's not like UNI ever does anything to encourage or acknowledge fans from outside the cedar valley.

A lot of us do make the trip every football saturday in the fall, but it's a lot to expect really considering the vast majority of cv residents won't even get off their collective duffs and drive the 5 miles or less for games. And they sure can't be expected to go to a game if there is any chance it will interfere with watching the hawks on tv.

This isn't about the CV area, it's about the DSM area. You're right, it's not as easy as driving 35 miles to Ames. It's easier. Easier to park, cheaper to park, I don't have to f*&* with drunk chickens. I get to tailgate or eat in a restaurant without being glared at. It's easier. Much easier. Also tonight, at Winegate it was stated that the Des Moines area is now the most important area in the state for UNI to develop. Is that ok?

[Trapped in California]

Re: UNI will have an allotment of tickets for the ISU game, right?

UNI83 - to boil it down, who's responsibility is it? At the end of the day somebody fix the freaking issue. Its a promotion they do every year for the past 15-20 years.

If UNI alumni association, athletic department, ticket office, and whoever else can't figure it out - then out source it. Let Ticket Master do it. Or I will gladly make a bid.

[UNI83]

Re: UNI will have an allotment of tickets for the ISU game, right?

UNI83 - to boil it down, who's responsibility is it? At the end of the day somebody fix the freaking issue. Its a promotion they do every year for the past 15-20 years.

If UNI alumni association, athletic department, ticket office, and whoever else can't figure it out - then out source it. Let Ticket Master do it. Or I will gladly make a bid.

Bottom line is, from what I understand in my interactions with people in all of the departments, is that the ticket office can't do anything/set anything up/or really do anything until the alumni association, PSC, athletic department get them the information for certain things. I would assume that one of them is putting a discounted ticket, that requires a code, without having gotten the code to create it in their system.

While their may be issues with the ticket office at times, I don't feel this is something in their control. Without having gotten the code from the alumni association, which again from the excerpt of the e-mail that you posted, they CAN'T create that online.

[Trapped in California]

Re: UNI will have an allotment of tickets for the ISU game, right?

When I say "generate the discount code" I mean nothing more than they run the ticketing system, so they need to create the actual code in the system, and set the discount values to make the dollar amount/percentage discount. Nothing more.

How did they do it last year? And the year before...

Who sets the discount value may be the actual constraint. But based on the limited information provided to date, I don't know what to think. Again, I am baffled why this is an occurrence/issue in the first place.

[UNI83]

Re: UNI will have an allotment of tickets for the ISU game, right?

I have a hard time thinking that the discount codes don't come from the department offering the discount. I understand what you are saying, and agree it may take just a couple minutes to build the discount into the ticket system however without the ok from the proper places or knowing the code, which again you posted a thing from the association that stated the code hadn't been approved/thought of or whatever the process is for it, I don't think the proper discount price can be built into the system. Heck, maybe the discount isn't set yet. I'd have a hard time believing it wouldn't be but they may be exploring other options for discounts. That I don't have a guess on.

We would all like to think the university, all aspects and departments, would be well organized and run smoothly, but they don't. That isn't just a UNINthing, tha is a problem in probably 90+% of all business

[Trapped in California]

Re: UNI will have an allotment of tickets for the ISU game, right?

UNI Tix & Alumni Association