Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Accept Debit/Credit cards at the concession stand (don't use the excuse of it will slow things down, it takes less time to use a debit/credit card at McDonald's than it does to use cash)

Stop charging people $5 in "fees" to buy tickets with a debit/credit card (we live in the year 2013, hardly ANYONE carries cash anymore and MOST people don't even get a paycheck (it get's direct deposited into their bank account that they have a debit card for).

Start at your advertised time (if I go to a football game and kick-off is supposed to be @ 2:05, guess what, it's at 2:05, don't advertise hot-laps @ 7:00 and then start hot-laps @ 8:30).

Relocate concession stands / beer stands to make lines easier to navigate (you shouldn't have to ask the person in front of you if they are in line for beer, the Pizza stand, the concession stand, or the nacho stand).  Move the concession buildings OUTSIDE of the fence and have the windows ALL facing the same direction (toward the track).  This would also open up the area under the grandstand for tables for people to sit and increase TRAFFIC at the concession stands.

Hand rails in the grandstands (get with the times, it's just a matter of time before someone sues becuase there was no handrail to hold onto and they fell)

Sound system upgrades (make sure your PA announcer can be HEARD over the cars during the race, but don't BLAST PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR SEAT when no cars on the track)

Driver Autographs - either get your show over at an early enough time for people to take their kids to the pits, or have PRE-RACE  pit parties EVERY RACE NIGHT before the races.  If you don't get kids to have interaction with the drivers and cars, it's hard to make a race fan for life out of them.

PROMOTE your races - use the internet, text messaging, Television, Print Ad's (even non-sports or non-racing related publications) and don't rely on the "same old, same old" to be sufficient anymore

GET YOUR DRIVERS/TEAMS INVOLVED - get a segment on local sports radio and have a different driver every week talking about YOUR TRACK and why the racing is exciting and why people should go (they can mention ticket prices, special offers, special promotions like a free Pit BBQ following the races or how the night is benefitting an organization (certain % of ticket sales going to American Cancer Society, the local Kiwani's Club for a Miracle Playground, the Local Dollars for SCholars, whatever it may be).  Gives your LOCAL drivers and teams another avenue to showcase themselves and their team as well (you never know, some company that likes racing might hear someone on the radio and get involved with them or the TRACK due to how they present themselves or because of the charity that the track supports is near and dear to them personally).

GET INTO THE SCHOOLS - have locally located drivers take their cars to local shools in the spring to PROMOTE the races (have teams based in the Knoxville/Pella area go to schools in Pella, Knoxville, Melcher, Albia, Monroe, Newton, Chariton, etc., and have DesMoines based teams go to all the DesMoines area schools (take the pace truck or a raceway vehicle to each school too and give ALL KIDS AND TEACHERS AND CUSTODIANS, ETC., 2 tickets to a weekends races (put the tickets IN THEIR HANDS, don't give them a coupon to come to a race - it isn't the same thing -- tickets in their hands mean more to them AND their parents and you may get NEW fans out it (hard to get new butts in the seats when they have to she=ll out $15 per adult to "try it out").  Make those personal connections to get the KIDS excited and the parents will bring them.

SUPPORT THOSE THAT SUPPORT YOU - have an ANNUAL Fan-appreciation night following your biggest event of the year.  This is a way to thank the community (including the police, local organizations such as Boy Scouts, Swim Team, Rotary, Kiwani's, Mason's, local schools, etc., etc.) that support the track by parking cars, camping people in their yards, being friendly and helpful to YOUR CUSTOMERS and making your big event successful (you couldn't be successful without these organizations and groups).

Maybe the kids at school after veiwing the visiting team could have an assignment to conduct a business case/plan for a sprint car and tow rig, and operating expense and show how it could turn out positive.

I like everything you said...except the credit/debit card use IN LINE.

Why not have an ATM at the track?

The use of cards will slow down the lines.

Better than that why don't all those going to the races stop at an ATM B4  they go to the track?

 
I LEARNED ESP FROM MY MOM

"PUT YOUR SWEATER ON: DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW WHEN 
YOU'RE COLD?"

There is an ATM at Knoxville Raceway.

It takes less time to use  a debit/credit card @ McDonald's than it does to pay cash @ McDonald's (that's a fact).

You can set your card readers up so that no PIN or signature are required if spending less than $50 per transaction and printers can print receipts instantaneously after swiping.  It's 2013, not 1970.  The way people spend $$ has changed, it's time to at least move up to the 1990's....

The excuse of it will slow the lines down doesn't hold water and it's a proven FACT that people will spend more if the debit/credit option is available

The whole point is to be FAN FRIENDLY, ATM's charge people $2 transaction fees (on the low end) to get THEIR OWN $$$ out of the bank.  Racetracks (all of them) would see increased REVENUE if they got with the times.

There is a "belief" by people that debit/credit cards slow things down, but if you'd time transactions in a retail setting, you'd see that they actually are MUCH faster and alleviate lines if done correctly.

Also Knoxville has FREE food in the pits after this Saturdays races for everyone. 

Yep, a non-fan freindly one that charges any non-bank customer a fee, and it's inside the ticket office, so an additional non fan-friendly option of going to the pass-out gate at teh east end and then walking backto the main entrance to use the ATM inside the ticket office, then walk back down to the east end pass out gate to re-enter the track and then walk back down to the center or west end to actually purchase something.

Doesn't seem very fan-friendly to me and during big Events (Nationals, Late Model Nationals), people won't do it or the ATM doesn't have enough $$ to allow people to take out $$ when they need it.

It's time for the raceway to move into the 1990's or early 2000's and realize young people (ie: the fanbase they need to cultivate or they won't have ANYONE in teh stands in 20 years) don't use cash and never will (IMO, cash will be obsolete within 25 years anyway, the gov't will stop printing it and debit cards will be all there is).

yep, welcome change, hopefully they do more things like this for the final race of the season in years to come.

So promoters should go to the expense of having credit/debit cards available simply because people are too lazy to stop and get cash?  I don't think so.

I fully understand this is "2013" but at some point people need to think ahead.

About the time I get up to next in line "Drunk Bubba" spills his beer all over the terminal.  No thank you!

 
I LEARNED ESP FROM MY MOM

"PUT YOUR SWEATER ON: DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW WHEN 
YOU'RE COLD?"

Wow, you want the food stand moved outside the fence where you would need a pass out to get to it but don't want to have to get a pass out to get to an ATM? And there is one outside the ticket office. Not far from the elevator. I saw it and have not been inside the ticket office for years.

I don't care about ATM fees. My bank does not charge me any at their ATM's and refund the charges I incure at any other ATM. If the ATM fees bother you find a better bank!

no, i want the BUILDING moved outside the fence with the windows in the fence (like the Pizza Hut stand is).  They should do this with ALL of the food and beverage stands (makes it more inviting for people to stand in line and you're not falling over each other trying to get in line (or even in teh correct line.

That one by the elevator is only there during Nationals, never during any other time of year.

Vandy,

These are all good upgrades. The debit card system is fast. No getting out money, exchanging money and then putting money back. 

Does Knoxville have an problems with people falling down in the isles? Obviously this would help with people going up but if you had that much problems you can probably take the elevator and then walk down. I've tried to tell my dad to do this multiple times however he won't....pride? 

The railings might also clog up the isles especially during the nationals. If someone is slow then you can easily go around them with out the railings. 

I think the banding or ropes for the concessions would help especially during the big races.

I've mentioned this in the past but I want to see a sprint car, on the concourse show cased with someone from Knoxville taking kids and adults pictures in the car, standing in front of the car whatever. Make these pictures available through email or facebook.

I want to see the assigned drivers for that week out there as well signing the hand out cards that you only see during the nationals until 6, or 630.  

I think doing some drawings for a few kids to get their picture taken while the podium drivers are in victory lane goes a long way as well. 

Scotty Cook, during the Osky Challenges does a good job of interacting with the fans during intermission. I want to see this during every regular season race. 

Get a couple drivers also during intermission in front of DIFFERENT sections each week signing autographs as well. 

Do some drawings for a couple of fans who get to sit in the hall of fame the following week. 

Highlight a sprint car at Jordan Creek Mall with discounts to get to the races. 

Many of these things are inexpensive and can be done fairly easily. 

Okay these are the ideas that popped in my head...Ill come up with more later... 

Keep It Real

Yes, if they want to attract NEW FANS, they have to get with the times.  No other entertainment venues DON"T take Debit or Credit cards.

Just off the top of my head I know I can use my debit card at within 60 miles of my house tha are all ENTERTAINMENT that Knoxville Raceway is competing with for NEW FANS:  Iowa Cubs, Iowa Energy (basketball), Iowa Barnstormers (football); Iowa Speedway (racing), movie theaters (all of them), Family Video (face it, movies at home are competing for the same entertainment $$$ that the local raceway(s) are).

The people that have gone for years and years will continue to use cash if tehy want, this is about GAINING and RETAINING NEW FANS to keep racetracks OPEN for Business.

Credit card readers aren't as expensive as most think either, I can have one at my house FREE OF CHARGE 2 days from today to use on a smartphone or tablet computer.  Do I have to pay a % of the sale with those, yes, but would I rather pay $.03 for every $1.00 in revenue to someone or get $0 in Revenue?  As a businessperson, I'd take the $.97 every day of the week.

There are companies out there WANTING to get into new businesses that will provide the hardware for FREE and charge minimal fees (Dwolla for example charges $.25 per transaction, no matter what the $$ amount is.  So, if you use the standard credit card business model of 3% of the transaction, you give them $.25 everytime someone spends $8, but you give them more than that everytime someone spends over $8 (on averge, I'd say most fans spend $12 every time they go through the concession line (or much more). 

Don't you think it's beneficial for any business to get more REVENUE and in-turn PROFIT?  To me it's a no-brainer.  If by adding a debit/credit card reader I can increase revenue on average $2 per transaction and I have 20,000 transactions, that's $40,000 in REVENUE per DAY that I didn't have before (not out of the realm of possiblity during each day of the Nationals for example - my costs if I use Dwolla would be $5000 (IF EVERY TRANSACTION WAS BY CREDIT/DEBIT), but if each transaction is $10 average, my credit card % fee would have been $6000, so I could actually make more $$ by using Dwolla.  So, Ieven with the fees I have increased my REVENUE and my PROFIT as I am getting more business into the concession stand.

I saw people THIS YEAR that had never been to the races turn around and LEAVE when they found out that the track didn't take credit/debit cards unless they paid a Fee, or paid the bank a fee to get $$$ out of the ATM.  That is BUSINESS lost that will NEVER return.

It's time for the Fairboard, keyboard jockeys, and yes, EVEN LONGTIME FANS to realize that WE (the grayhairs in the stands) need to make sure the tracks (every one of them) move into the 21st century becuase if they don't, they will continue to see crowds dwindle year after year after year (especially weekly racing crowds which is where you MAKE new fans to attend the big events. 

I like ideas being bandied about whether I agree with them or not, it is great to have a dialogue.  I would just add my 2 cents that they need to actually CLEAN the section where we sit... as my wife said recently (after seeing some type of former food under the seat in front of her)  "OMG  ....oooooohhhhh   ....GROSS !!" 

Annnnd with cash it limits people on how much they can spend. A debit or credit card it's less limiting. If I only have 2 dollars left and feel like getting nachos and a drink, obviously I can't but if I know they accept debit, guess what, in less than five minutes I'll be licking cheese off my fingers from NACHO CHEEESE! 

Keep It Real

The handrails are more of a safey issue than anything, and Yes, there a big issues with people falling down currently.  I'd say the track has dodged a lot of bullets due to fans being there to catch people when they fell.

Currently the track doesn't meet ANY American with Disabilities Act requirements except in section AA and BB clear at the top (where there are handrails), they have to do something at some point or it will haunt them in the future.

Having cars in Jordan Creek Mall (or Valley West) or anywhere would be an improvement over what happens currently (the track (or WoO when they are here) may have to bear some of the expense of having a team do an event at the mall, Bass Pro Shops, wherever) if they gain 1 in 500 people that look at the car to come to the races for the 1st time, it'd be $$$ well spent (you never see an immediate return on your $$$, it takes a long term vision).

Exactly my point.

A few years ago when it rained on Wednesday of Nationals and we had a 4 hour delay, we spent ALL the $$ we brought with us BEFORE we even got into the track.

On principle, I REFUSE to pay a fee to get my $$ out of the bank and the ATM machine is not from my bank, therefore I spent $0 at the Raceway that night (outside vendors got it all before the races even started).

Had the concession stand taken debit cards, I'd probably have spent $25 or more (my son was 8 at the time) - fast forward that to 3 years from now and it'll probably be $50 or more becuase teenagers are ALWAYS hungry.

Doesn't take long to figure out that the track is losing lots of potential REVENUE $$$'s becuase of their refusal to move into the 21st century when it comes to how people spend $$.

Earlier this season, I attended an asphalt stock car race (gasp....get a rope Hoss!) at a small local track here in Ohio.  Before the races started (just after the natioanl anthem), the promoter/track owner got a mobile mic and went out on the frontstretch and thanked all the fans for coming and supporting the track and the racers.

A simple gesture, but I felt it was such a classy thing to do in such a sincere way.  This track doesn't have all the fancy suites, video boards, etc like another one nearby has, but I'll be back becasue of that simple gesture of sincere appreciation.

Tracks don't need my bank card to slow things down.  They do a great job of that without my help. 

Stan Meissner