Why do Bowl Packages Cost so Much?

S

StickUP

Well-Known Member
$1,700 is crazy for 1 person. I would think you could get 2 people for that cost.

This seems reasonable:
$500 Plane Ticket.
$150 Half of 1 room for first night
$150 Half of 1 room for second night
$100 for game ticket
$200 left over for transportation, dinners, etc.
$1,100 Total

I would think this is conservative. What am I missing? Are there so many free trips that everyone has to pay for?
 
StickUP said:
$1,700 is crazy for 1 person. I would think you could get 2 people for that cost.

This seems reasonable:
$500 Plane Ticket.
$150 Half of 1 room for first night
$150 Half of 1 room for second night
$100 for game ticket
$200 left over for transportation, dinners, etc.
$1,100 Total

I would think this is conservative. What am I missing? Are there so many free trips that everyone has to pay for?
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The travel agency has to make their money as well just like any other business. But you are right, if you take out the middle man (travel agency) you can go much cheaper. I put together my own package flying out of Omaha and 2 nights hotel, round trip air for 2 and 2 game tickets was $1500 not including any spending money for food, beer and whatever else.
 
StickUP said:
$1,700 is crazy for 1 person. I would think you could get 2 people for that cost.

This seems reasonable:
$500 Plane Ticket.
$150 Half of 1 room for first night
$150 Half of 1 room for second night
$100 for game ticket
$200 left over for transportation, dinners, etc.
$1,100 Total

I would think this is conservative. What am I missing? Are there so many free trips that everyone has to pay for?
Click to expand...

Ban this clown. Charter flight alone is worth the added cost, that way you know you are flying down there with a bunch of Hawk fans and not a bunch of toothless hillbillies on a Southwest flight or something.
 
Profit margin
Taxes
Overhead
Labor

Tickets, BTW, are extra.

Tangent #1--Stay away from the University-purchased tickets. You'll get stuck in the bleeders. Seriously, the seats suck. (Unless you just have to sit with all Hawkeye fans). You'll hear over and over to "support the University" by purchasing their allotment first. Yes, I know Iowa has to eat the tickets they don't sell. Well, that's the BCS's silly-a$$ "screw the participating school" rule, so tough noogies.

Tangent #2--Even if Iowa eats some tix, truth be told, it's chump change. Take a look at Iowa's balance sheet from last year's Orange Bowl and see how many people they comped and what they netted.

http://thegazette.com/2010/05/05/iowa-cuts-bowl-ticket-losses-by-nearly-114000/

http://www.heartlandconnection.com/sports/story.aspx?list=194807&id=453535

Iowa got paid $1.95 million. Iowa SPENT $1.9 million, taking 674 people, including the entire band. Yes, we ate 3,175 tickets @ a total of $36K, but it was a paltry 1.85% of total income, or, 1.89% of all expenses.

If you're spending a Grover Cleveland x 1.5, or more, PER PERSON, you might as well spend an extra Benjamin and get much better seats.
 
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Flight - $500
Hotel room (2 people per room) - $150 (3 nights)
Rental Car (4 people in the car) - $20
Game ticket - $30

That comes to $700.

Gas + food + drinks + other entertainment options = ?

Do the planning yourself and use priceline.com and you'll save money
 
okeefe4prez said:
Ban this clown. Charter flight alone is worth the added cost, that way you know you are flying down there with a bunch of Hawk fans and not a bunch of toothless hillbillies on a Southwest flight or something.
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Mr. 4prez, I am surprised you would even consider a charter flight on a lowly southwest plane. I would think you would have your own plane for just these occasions.
 
StickUP said:
Mr. 4prez, I am surprised you would even consider a charter flight on a lowly southwest plane. I would think you would have your own plane for just these occasions.
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Nawww...he and John Madden charter the Megabus.
 
SDK46 said:
Nawww...he and John Madden charter the Megabus.
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Whatever dude, MB doesn't do charters.

As for the cost of the package, I would like to point out that it includes the following that you cannot get anywhere else:

“Chalk Talkâ€￾ session with Big Ten Network contributor Jon Miller
Official UIAA pregame tailgate with food and beverage
UIAA Tour Desk at hotel
Exclusive Insight Bowl souvenir
Special tour name badge and ticket holder
Fully escorted by Premiere Global Sports staff

I mean hell, the name badge is a brilliant idea because some dudes (not me) get too drunk at tailgates and forget people's names, but if everyone on the tour is wearing a name tag all the time, that ain't gonna happen.

If you guys think it is too pricey, don't buy it, but don't come on the guy's site ragging about it.
 
In all honesty, I am not trying to rag on anyone. I really want to know why it costs so much. I would think if I could arrange a trip for a couple hundred people, it could be done at a discount.
 
StickUP said:
In all honesty, I am not trying to rag on anyone. I really want to know why it costs so much. I would think if I could arrange a trip for a couple hundred people, it could be done at a discount.
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You are obviously misinformed with respect to the going rate of name tag/ticket holders, chaperones to get you around town and chalk talk by BTN contributors. Sure, you can roll down there solo, but you'll miss out on a lot and when you see how much fun the charter is having, you'll wish you had ponied up.
 
It is a lot of money but.....

I took Jon's Orange Bowl charter in 2003. Having everything taken care of was worth the extra cost. I didn't have to worry about a thing. We were taken care of every step of the way.
 
StickUP said:
In all honesty, I am not trying to rag on anyone. I really want to know why it costs so much. I would think if I could arrange a trip for a couple hundred people, it could be done at a discount.
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Ignore OK4P he's just trying to suck up to Jon after nearly getting banned a few days ago.
 
StickUP said:
$1,700 is crazy for 1 person. I would think you could get 2 people for that cost.

This seems reasonable:
$500 Plane Ticket.
$150 Half of 1 room for first night
$150 Half of 1 room for second night
$100 for game ticket
$200 left over for transportation, dinners, etc.
$1,100 Total

I would think this is conservative. What am I missing? Are there so many free trips that everyone has to pay for?
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Ok so you have the costs of everything.... The travel agent marks it up. Hawkeyenation marks it ups. The convience of not having to arrange anything. You pay the fee and everything is taken care of.

It's business... I don't get why it's that hard to figure out.
 
Finding a flight out of DSM for under $500 is not gonna be easy.
A hotel for $150 for 2 people is pretty cheap. Probably a 3* at best, and probably not near downtown Tempe.

I doubt Priceline will accept low bids this weekend. I couldnt get 15% off in San Diego, well it turns out Comic Con was in town. Damn nerds...

EDIT: Just checked flights out of DSM. They are now upt to $800+. Yesterday they were at $500+
 
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Charter flight out of CR. When we landed in Miami and Tampa in previous years, we got directly off the plane and onto the charter bus. Our bags were brought with us on the bus straight to the hotel. very nice. The tailgates generally blow with the exception of a couple years. The souvenir is junk. The Hawkeye huddle is hit or miss. Some really good years(when Roth put up 2 middle fingers and said F you to Florida). Most of the time the players arn't there(just that one). Beer lines are too long though. Last year a guy was selling a "Miami Heat ticket package" with open bar before the game(only the fans at the huddle). Police escort to the stadium.

Make your choice. I agree, they are expensive though.
 
All of you Priceline afficianados listen up:

Priceline only sells distressed inventory. Hotel rooms are a perishable item. If a room goes unused, there is no revenue and it cannot be resold. When occupancy is very low in a city, hotels will give some of their rooms to opaque vendors such as priceline because hey, $85 is better than nothing.

During peak times, or anytime when inventory is scarce, you're not gonna find any "deals" using Priceline or any other means. Phoenix, over the holidays, etc. is gonna be tough.

Funny how so many people somehow thing Priceline is some magic answer to get 1/2 off of everything, all the time.
 
I have done the charter once and in tampa and it was spendy but very convienent.

As far as univ tickets are concerned you are right in that they usually are the worst in the stadium but I did talk at length today with the Insight people to find out where they are putting univ of Iowa people and they went and looked and told me sectons 26 27 28 in lower level so not bad seats I think she said first section was on the 40.
 
Just another thought to think about:

1) Why does it cost 10 times more to hire someone to paint your house than it would cost if you painted it yourself?

2) Why is a lawn service 5 times what it would cost to cut your own grass.

3) Why does it cost $1.25 per shirt to send it to the cleaners when you could wash it as home for a fraction of the cost?

I think I made my point.
 
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