Season Tickets/Passes

[The Stig]

Might be a little late now, how can one acquire season tickets or passes which allow access to all BTCC meetings. Up 'til now I've have just ordered specific event tickets. It's a bit tiresome ordering online or by phone. For casual spectators is it better value to pay per event ? This season I expect to attend at least five meetings, possibly more. Could anybody advise ?
Thank you

[Sarah]

The season passes are still being advertised on the Octagonmotorsports website. They don't include grandstand seating though just general admission.

You'll need to put a passport sized photo on it too. Bear in mind there are only 4 more Octagon BTCC races left but you can get into other car events at the Octagon circuits for free.

[Sim_Da_BTCC_Man]

at the moment TOCA don't do a pass for the paying public, but you get the Octagon season ticket which covers all the octagon rounds. If your only going to BTCC, its not worth it IMO.

[The Stig]

That's what I meant, a TOCA type season pass. Perhaps the original post was ambiguous. I was aware of the octagon season ticket for their four or five circuits. Thank you for clarifying Sim.

[Amanda]

I think a TOCA season pass would be an excellent idea. How many other people would like to see one?

[Sarah]

Its a good idea. Its great having the Octagon pass and would be even better not having to organise tickets for the other circuits.

[Les]

well you know my views on this - every year I have asked for one.
It would be such a relief not to have to phone up all the time.

[lauz]

Originally posted by Amanda
How many other people would like to see one?

i would like one. i think that it would be a great idea.

[The Stig]

I would love one too, for a couple of reasons. It would be nice to lose the incovenience of booking tickets seperately and, having purchased a season ticket, I could attend more events than presently, to make it worth the investment. Presumably, this suggestion has been raised with Richard West previously. If such an option was availible, would there be quite an interest ?
I see from Les' previous contribution this is not a new discussion point. Can anybody recall the previous arguments for or against ?

[Amanda]

Those of us who go to the majority of the races were all in favour of season tickets. If I remember correctly the problems came with the distribution of money to the various circuits involved.

[The Stig]

I wondered as I was typing how could revenue from such a season ticket be fairly proportioned. Maybe TOCA could guarantee each circuit x pounds and market the events themselves. Wouldn't a TOCA season ticket sell well. Having paid for the entire year, I would certainly be tempted to attend more events than I do presently.

[Ann]

I think Stig makes a valid point that people would be inclined to attend more events if they had a season ticket. I already do all the BTCC rounds but my Octagon season pass has encouraged me to go to club meetings that I might not have done otherwise.

[Claire]

A season pass that covered all the rounds would certainly be a good thing, but as mentioned it all gets a bit difficult when the money has to be handed round, but there must be a way. I have got both the Octagon and Rockingham season pass and they have saved me a fair amount of money and encouraged me to think about other races to go to.

[Kelvin]

May not be a very good comparison, but the 'ultilities' can supply a service and some how they manage to collect the money and share the spoils!

It must be possible for one body to collect the money, issue season tickets and then pass money onto the circuits?

They seem happy to charge more and get less people in the gate as opposed to charging less and getting more in.


Sponsors wants to see rising numbers, not falling!


Kelv

[The Stig]

The whole thing needs to be a lot more of a partnership than presently. Maybe that is the drawback of all the circuits BTCC visit having different management, Octagon, as was, aside.

[Amanda]

There must be a way of fairly distributing the money.

Here is my suggestion based on this year's calendar ~ five rounds at Octagon circuits so they get 50%. The other circuits get 10% each.

Or is that just too easy?!

[Les]

I have to say I really got my money's worth out of the season ticket last year - must have gone to 10+ non touring car meetings and the same will happen this year. It's nice to say I can do Silverstone and Thruxton next weekend without worring about the extra cost or aggrevation.

Maybe there should be two passes - the Octagon one as now and an option to upgrade it to cover the other touring car rounds.

[bramble]

Surely a single BTCC season ticket would get attendances at all the circuits up, so they should all get together and make it happen.

[The Stig]

Don't think Amanda's suggestion is too easy. Four Octagon circuits, excluding Cadwell Park, will this year host five BTCC weekends. Therefore allocate 20% of all season ticket revenue to Brands Hatch and 10% each to all the other venues. Each circuit can obviously retain all ticket revenue from customers who attend and pay for specific events. TOCA could perhaps take a modest profit in the form of a commision to cover their costs.

[Amanda]

How many would they actually sell? I don't suppose there are that many people (less than 100?) who go to all the rounds.

I would be willing to take on the job of Season Ticket Administrator!

[The Stig]

I would go to more than I presently do. Wouldn't make Mondello Park because of the flight or ferry. Having said that, a weekend in Dublin with top class motor racing thrown in sounds a pretty attractive proposition. Do as few as one hundred people visit every event on the calendar ?

[Amanda]

Stig ~ I was just guessing when I said 100. We go to every round and don't think there are that many other people who do. We think we know most of those who do!

[Les]

There are probably a lot less than 100 paying fans who go to most of the rounds - heck we probably know them all....

[Amanda]

Les ~ you are probably right I was being optomistic. As we know it is a big commitment in terms of time and money to get to all the rounds (it is not just the cost of tickets). As you say we probably know most of the paying spectators who go to all rounds.

Season tickets could persuade more people to do more rounds as long as the price is right.

[100%VauxhallFan]

You all say that there could potentionally be difficulties with distrubition with the money from a season ticket. I think that's rubbish!

Surely it's not difficult for someone from TOCA to be put in charge of the collection of money, and sending cheques to each circuit with their sum of the money from the season ticket. :rolleyes:

I think a TOCA season ticket would be brilliant. I have only bought my Octagon one for the BTCC rounds, so I ain't really bothered about any other meetings (although friday at F1 will do nicely!).

I'm sure that each circuit would cope with getting £10 (cos lets face it, £30 for a weekend isn't exactly the lowest price a circuit could do it for! :rolleyes: ) from a season ticket holder - making the season ticket about £115 (to allow for manufacturing costs, as well as paying the person who sits there and sends to cheques off to each circuit! ;))

I know I'd buy one anyhow!

[Les]

can't see £115 as we pay that for just the 5 Octagon so it would more than likely need to be £200.

There again - you think about - how many of us can afford to spend out £400 in one lump (for 2 as most of us are couples) and then others are pssimists and believe they won't do all 10 so the number goes down.

For the number who want one it would be excellent, for the organisers a nightmare.

[100%VauxhallFan]

Originally posted by Les
can't see £115 as we pay that for just the 5 Octagon so it would more than likely need to be £200. Les, think of how many races that Octagon season pass gets you into - not just BTCC, but all of them. You could easily get a BTCC season pass for £115
Originally posted by Les
There again - you think about - how many of us can afford to spend out £400 in one lump (for 2 as most of us are couples). Remortgage the house. No big deal. Or heres another idea - save up for it?

[Amanda]

I agree with Les, £115 is not enough for a BTCC season ticket. If you say the average cost of a BTCC weekend ticket is £25 x 10 rounds is £250. There has to be some advantage to paying in advance and going to all the rounds so I would say a fair price would be about £170.

[100%VauxhallFan]

The problem with that though Amanda, is that not everyone will get to every single round. While I accept that you and Les and co will certainly get your moneys worth by being at every event, the average fan will have to miss the odd round here and there for other events. If you say that most people will get to about 6 rounds, then that's £150. But, I think we all know that each circuit is making sooooo much profit from £25 a weekend, and they could make do easily with £15, wich would still make them turn out at £150 - spot on for someone going to around 6 rounds.

I can't understand why you would actually want to suggest a higher price than get it cheaper! :confused:

[Les]

I know I would pay £170 or even £250 if the advantages included paddock access at Brands, Thruxton and Modello and maybe a program or car pass thrown in but I am not sure if a lot of others would.
How many go to qualifying and race day at every round?

Maybe what Toca should look into is an elite supporters club with a membership fee where you still booked through the circuits but at a better rate or with extras thrown in.

[Amanda]

Originally posted by 100%VauxhallFan

I can't understand why you would actually want to suggest a higher price than get it cheaper! :confused:

I am trying to suggest a fair price, I can't see the circuits going for £115! Also, we are talking about a season ticket for people who are interested in going to all the rounds ~ not just some of them!

[100%VauxhallFan]

Amanda - I too am talking about a season ticket for people planning on going to every round. Yet what I don't think you got from my post, was that due to other circumstances, some people may not be able to get to every single touring car round.

Apart from you and you group of friends, how many people do you know that manage to make every single BTCC race? I know some people who try their hardest to get to every single round, but occasionally, even they can't do it. :rolleyes:

[Amanda]

The whole point of a season ticket is that it would encourage more people to go to more rounds. I agree there are not that many people who manage to get to all the rounds,as previously mentioned it is a big commitment in terms of time and money. So it would be nice for those that do to have some extras like those Les mentions.

[100%VauxhallFan]

But what Les has admitted to is that she's prepared to pay for every single round, through each circuit operator, and just get the odd thing free - that's not really a season pass, thus you're going back on what you were suggesting would be a good idea!

[Amanda]

Les has just come up with another possible alternative, we are just knocking ideas around. There is nothing wrong with Les' idea.

Nobody is forcing anyone to buy a season pass. If you don't like the idea you can carry on buying tickets for each round like we do at the moment.

[100%VauxhallFan]

Oh no, I like the idea of a season pass. Like you, I too am just knocking my ideas about, just so happens that we have differenty ideas. Nothing wrong with that now is there? :confused:

[Alan]

So if you had a season pass for this year 100%Vauxhallfan, how many races would you actually definitely attend - notwithstanding circumstances beyond your control?

I think asking for a season pass for £115 is asking too much - it probably needs to be sub £200 - say £175, but much less and the circuits would not be interested I think - even if they would only sell 50 season passes full stop.

We really are talking about a ticket for 100% fans, and there are not alot of us about.

There are alot of fans out there who for one reason or another cannot get to all the rounds but would love to. As any of the people on here who do get to all the rounds will be able to testify, the cost of getting in to the circuit is only a fraction of the total cost. There will be a point where buying a season ticket will be economically unviable - I would venture to suggest that point should be at about 6 or 7 rounds. In other words, if you can't get to at least 6 or 7 rounds you should be looking to buy your tickets on a round by round basis.

[100%VauxhallFan]

Alan, if you're trying ti imply that you're a 100% Fan, and I am not, then think again.

On the friday of the Brands Hatch, I managed to write off my car - what I was planning to use for my transport to Brands Hatch the following day. Yet, despite crashing my car, and promising peopel lifts down to Brands, I still managed to sort it out that myself and my passengers managed to get there. Now, if that isn't commitment, then I dont know what is.

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to make it to Mondello - so that makes me not a 100% Fan according to you. But what you dont realise is that I only get my student loan to last me a year - and unfortunately, that doesn't stretch to £500 for a weekend in Ireland.

I'm sorry - I've gone off the point. But I think that saying that if you don't go to every round, then you're not a 100% fan is unfair, and I felt very strongly to reply to that. Not everyone gets a set wage each month, or year, and cannot afford to go to all rounds. I know some people who are in sooooo much debt, yet they manage to make it to several rounds per year - are you saying that that doesn't make them a 100% Fan??? I think that personally is more of an effort than those who have the regular income, and go to every round.

I do apologise for diagressing, and going very personal, but I find the above post very offensive to myself, by questioning how much of a fan I am.

[touring fan]

I think a BTCC season ticket could be a good idea but it would have to benefit more than just a handfull of people (ie those that can make it to every round) or they'll hardle sell any and it won't be worth it. Not everybody can go to every meeting regardless of how much they want to, if they could then nobody would bother to watch it on TV.

[Les]

oh dear this has got a bit personal and heated. I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and calm down a little bit as you all know from past experience, typing something and reading it can give different emphasis to different things.

I think it is admirable that as a student you get to any rounds let alone as many as you do. I know I pride myself on going to 100% for the last 3 years but when you are working with no kids then it's easier. I hate to think how much I spend each year but that's my choice - BTCC or expensive holiday.

I know this topic started as a season ticket request but maybe it should be redirected to 'ways to improve the ticketing experience'.
I can see people wanting a season ticket for various reasons

1) you buy it once but you will still have to sort out seats
2) you may save money
3) you may get extras thrown in, paddock access etc
4) you don't have to deal with Octagon etc (oh please)

anything else?

[Alan]

Thank you Les!

100%vauxhallfan - you were reading far too much into my post.:)

[touring fan]

Saving money is the main factor for me, dealing with octagon will never go away such as trying to sort out if season tickets include grandstand seats and if it's the same for each circuit, oh and will they actually sell you a grandstand seat on it's own in advance...............

[Moderator 1]

I am watching this thread, please stick to the point!

[Les]

I have to say that for me it is the ease of buying/using plus (maybe) extras that would beat getting it cheaper (not that I would grumble at all - I'm not that daft ;) )

It is a real bind having to deal with, what is it 6 different agencies?, to get tickets when those lovely VIP passes are just so easy to get out of the bag and bung round the neck ;)

[Amanda]

The main attraction of a season ticket for me is buying it at the start of the season and that is it sorted ~ no more buying tickets for each round. If we got some extras like paddock access at Brands or special parking that would be a bonus! If that means we save money ~ better still!:D

[Ann]

My, my - this has got heated hasn't it?!

I agree with all Amanda has just said about the benefits of a season pass but the pricing of it (should it ever come into existence) is always going to be significant.

It needs to represent a good deal for folk who go to a number of the rounds but not all of them (and no - I'm not going to discuss the whys and wherefores of that! :p ) as well as those that do.

As was said earlier in this thread, I believe it has been looked at before but came up against various hurdles. Maybe Toca would be willing to consider it again.

[The Stig]

An innocuous thread appears to have stirred emotions.
As Les rightly said, perhaps people should consider how their honestly held opinions appear to recipients and participants.
For what it's worth, if the season is 10 events long at an average of £ 20.00 per race day admission, why not multiply the two and deduct say a 10 per cent advance booking fee. This equates to £ 180.00, throw in preferential parking and a paddock pass and the idea might start to look attractive.

[R5CPD]

Golly!! :(

Anyway, it's not a bad idea for ToCA to offer a Season Ticket to hardcore fans. From ToCA's prospective, it means money in the bank before the season even starts. ;)

I'm sure that if the will was there, then the many political issues could be sorted out between ToCA and the various circuit managment companies. :)

As suggested, I think a sub-£200 (inc. infield circuit car parking, paddock access, etc) price would still be profitable and be low enough to tempt those who attend 90% of races to get one because of it's extra benefits. :)