UNI-Dome Renovation

[BCPanther]

At the Dome Donor celebration event last night, AD Franklin said the new capacity will be approximately 12,250, so about 25% less seating.

That feels like the right number for where we should be.

It isn't just a UNI problem that attendance is declining. Smaller capacities with better amenities are the way of the future.

[Blue42]

The renderings look so good. Man, I can't wait to see it done. All that purple is going to make the space look incredibly different.

Goodbye 1976. Hello 2025.

[Born-a-Panther]

What BC said. She's listening. Makes so much mores sense for the bowl to be phase two. I'm so excited and encouraged by what she's doing, and this is actually moving on and moving forward, and it's so damn encouraging.

[Alum 99']

Awesome idea of Pork Tornados concert last night...but damn....$10 beers...nothing screams our university doesn't have money then 10 drinks...we were not at US Bank stadium....nothing like gouging alumni and students

[havok58]

Awesome idea of Pork Tornados concert last night...but damn....$10 beers...nothing screams our university doesn't have money then 10 drinks...we were not at US Bank stadium....nothing like gouging alumni and students

It was a free concert, so the expenses had to be covered somehow. It’s not like band donated their time for free. Plus $10 beer is about average. How much do they charge for beer at games?

[havok58]

The sound, lighting, and track are also a part of phase 3, right? This does seem like a no brainer with it being the quickest moving part and most visible. Seeing that change would certainly spark some momentum. I haven't been in the Dome, is the new roof noticeable at all?

The sound and video screens have to be in next upgrade because those are important elements of the game day experience.

[Trapped in California]

Beers at the Enterprise center (in st Louis) start at $12 for Bud Light. $16 for Landshark.

[BCPanther]

Awesome idea of Pork Tornados concert last night...but damn....$10 beers...nothing screams our university doesn't have money then 10 drinks...we were not at US Bank stadium....nothing like gouging alumni and students

You seriously *****ing about the price of beer at a free concert?

[BCPanther]

It was a free concert, so the expenses had to be covered somehow. It’s not like band donated their time for free. Plus $10 beer is about average. How much do they charge for beer at games?

$8 tallboys. $8 silos before kickoff.

[Alum 99']

You seriously *****ing about the price of beer at a free concert?

Yep...i am complaining about a free concert and 10 beers and drinks.....and guess what I wasn't the only one complaining....I've been to many of their "free" concerts and this by far was the highest beer price i have and others have seen...whatever....some people will always cover and smooth over anything UNI does...others will call it out for what it is....i fall under that category

[Blue42]

Awesome idea of Pork Tornados concert last night...but damn....$10 beers...nothing screams our university doesn't have money then 10 drinks...we were not at US Bank stadium....nothing like gouging alumni and students

Maybe the university would have a few more bucks if some of their alumni would find their wallets without complaining about every dollar they have to spend.

Being the guy complaining about the cost of a beer being sold to raise funds might not be a good look...just a thought.

[QCPanther05]

Maybe the university would have a few more bucks if some of their alumni would find their wallets without complaining about every dollar they have to spend.

Being the guy complaining about the cost of a beer being sold to raise funds might not be a good look...just a thought.

I don’t think those people would be complaining about ten dollar beers if the football team had one its game. Feels a little different to go to a post-game concert after a loss and then get gouged. Beer would have been flowing if they had won.

[BCPanther]

I don’t think those people would be complaining about ten dollar beers if the football team had one its game. Feels a little different to go to a post-game concert after a loss and then get gouged. Beer would have been flowing if they had won.

The concert was Friday night.

[clenz]

Yep...i am complaining about a free concert and 10 beers and drinks.....and guess what I wasn't the only one complaining....I've been to many of their "free" concerts and this by far was the highest beer price i have and others have seen...whatever....some people will always cover and smooth over anything UNI does...others will call it out for what it is....i fall under that category

1. You trying to paint this as BC - or really anyone here at this point - just smooth over anything UNI does is so far off ****ing base it actually made me laugh out loud. I have spent very little time here the last few months but between BC and I we have 90% of the UNI fanbase convinced we actually just hate UNI and will actively **** on UNI no matter what they do. That isn't new for either one of us, but go back well over a decade at this point and you'll find plenty of posts here (and a plethora of other sites) where I actively **** on things UNI does. I have fanbases of other teams DM me and ask if I just pretend to be a UNI fan because I will actively **** on things rather than blindly defense.

2. A free concert still has costs that need to be made up. At an event like that, beer sales and concessions are the #1 way to make up cost. $8 or $10 is still really ****ing cheap for a beer at an event inside a stadium/venue. Hell, go to a Cedar Rapids Kernels game - single A minor league baseball - and it's that same price for a 12oz cup. UNI consistently has the lowest concession/beer prices of any stadium I go to outside of rare one-offs. I'll still complain that I think UNI's concessions are too high every time I end up at the counter with one of my kids, but I do that at the local high school football games as well and those are actually extremely reasonable. The average cost of colleges selling beer in the NCAA last year was 8.50. UNI is below that. Based on a quick Google, and my personal experiences, the average at a concert is closer to 15 than 13 with some venues/bands closer to 20 than 15. Not only that it was a free concert at 7pm on a Friday night for homecoming. Headlined by the Pork Tornadoes. No, they aren't Metallica or Taylor Swift or Twenty One Pilots but they aren't this little eastern Iowa/Cedar Valley band anymore. They are a pretty massive deal at this point. They have something like 30 million views on their videos across youtube, hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, they have had albums crack the top 20 on places like iTunes and Spotify for most streamed albums. As much as they may love Cedar Falls and UNI they aren't playing a show at 7pm on Friday night for free on their end. It also isn't free to staff/secure the concert. So if a $10 beer is what you want to complain about at a concert you didn't have to pay to get into then so be it.

You're right, we aren't US Bank Stadium. We don't have the ability to fit 73,000 for a concert like US Bank Stadium where the cost to bring in vendors, have beer on hand, leverage partners to make it cheaper, etc. is significantly cheaper because of bulk and parterships. I did some quick looking specifically at US Bank stadiums and from just a couple weeks ago "I paid $47 for two 12 oz topo chico seltzers at the Metallica show on Sunday 08/19/24" That comes out to 23.50 per 12 oz can.

Granted, the last time I was at US Bank Stadium was October 2023 for the Vikings/Chiefs game. I also don't drink almost ever, but I sure as hell won't be doing it at any sports venue. I remember seeing beer was something like 12-15. I do remember the rest of the concession prices through (thanks to my kids). A bottle of water was 5.50, a small order of fries was 6. A hot dog was 7. A Johnsonville brat was 8. An ice cream cone was 11.50. A burger ranged anywhere from 15-22 pending what you had on it. Half of a personal-sized cheese pizza was $10. I was at Target Field last in 2023 and it was 12.50 per can. I was last in the X in 2022 and it was 14 for a beer at that concert.

So yes, you are correct, we aren't US Bank Stadium and that's a good thing.

I'm sure Megan, unlike David, is much more willing to run a cost analysis for pricing and returns. David would set a price too high and go "they can deal with it. If we sell this ticket at 40 it means we have to sell 3 of them at 15 to make the same money and I can't be convinced we sell 3". Yes, that math needs to happen but Megan is clearly much more aggressive on the pricing structure of things. I won't pretend to know how many people were there or anything like that. However, let's say they sold 500 beers at $10. That is $5,000. Now let's say they drop it to $8 just like at football and basketball games. They would need to sell 20% more cans of beer. Would having someone come up and go "Oh, it's only 8 instead of 10 so I'll take 2 please" happen at a concert? Maybe. The reality of concerts are they don't give a damn and buy the same anyway. However, it's clear you think even 8 would be too high so they go to 5. They would need to sell twice the beer to get the same money. Maybe that happens

However, you then have to factor in the potential risk of any situations - medical or physical - that having people consume twice the amount of alcohol brings. If you expect that much alcohol to be consumed you are hiring more security, bring more cops in from your partnership with CFPD and WPD. The money starts to get ate into pretty quick.

Venues set prices for things very carefully and very specifically for cost/return in terms of both money and PR. $10 for a beer at a free concert with a pretty big band headlining is insanely reasonable.

[clenz]

Maybe the university would have a few more bucks if some of their alumni would find their wallets without complaining about every dollar they have to spend.

Being the guy complaining about the cost of a beer being sold to raise funds might not be a good look...just a thought.

I love this post.

We can't ***** about how we have no money, no donors, we can't get facilities done, we can't get uniforms, we can't get practice fields, we can't hire/retain staff and coaches and then in the next breath ***** about how much a beer cost at a game (while it is entirely reasonable and in-line with peers). We can't ***** about all of that and then refuse to buy a souvenir because it is a few dollars more than we want to spend.

I get it, I ***** a lot too. I also don't have the money to be a big donor sadly. I still make sure to purchase stuff here and there to support the university.