American winner takes all

Chapter 220 Scalper’s Paradise (12)

"If the Independence Bowl had Walker's capital injection, the situation might be much better." Ethan looked at the ceiling.

But if you think about it carefully, you will know that this is completely impossible.Now Ethan only knows one Vincent and has not come into contact with the core of the Walker family at all.

So, you still have to do it yourself.

Regarding the commercial operation of the event, Ethan still has a certain degree of confidence. He has been engaged in related work in his previous life. In his opinion, there is no difference between marathon and rugby.

The only problem is - time.

There is only one month left until the Independence Bowl is scheduled to start, and during this period, the event needs to be spread out from scratch.Ethan is given half a year to prepare, and with the resources he currently has at his disposal, he is [-]% confident that he will expand the influence of the Independence Bowl to a new level.

Even if the time is cut in half, it is not impossible.Unfortunately, this time I only had one month to spare.

The next day, Ethan made an early call to Grace, who was in Louisiana preparing for the Independence Bowl.

"Everything is normal, and a press conference can be held tomorrow to announce that this year's Independence Bowl will be officially held."

"I'm not asking about that, I'm asking about the preparations for the Independence Bowl."

"The project team has completed its formation."

"and then?"

"Then the project team has completed its formation work."

"Ok?"

"Otherwise? I'm already fast enough. It took me a whole month to convince the group, and another half a month to get the local tourism department in Shreveport. Last week I worked more than 17 hours a day. [-] hours.”

"The efficiency is too slow, Grace." Ethan shook his head.

"Haha, I'm not God. It only takes a week to do anything. You said it so lightly, so why don't you come? You're not sitting in the training base every day." Grace on the other end of the phone couldn't help complaining.

"I will go there, you can see me tonight." Ethan said.

"That's about right." Grace hung up the phone angrily. She must have been tortured enough these past few days.

Ethan put down his phone and hurriedly said goodbye to Catherine and Mia.

"See you next month."

"Then Christmas..." Mia frowned, it will be Christmas in a few days.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to miss Christmas this year." Ethan shook his head.

Ethan immediately returned to the hotel where the team was staying. Instead of going back to his room immediately, he knocked on the door of Mary's room.

"Who is outside?" Mary asked from inside the house.

"I."

"who am I?"

"What do you say?"

Mary inside the room laughed twice and opened the door. At first, it only opened a crack, and she stuck her head out with her wet hair.

"I need your help." Ethan immediately opened the door and entered.

"Wait a minute..." Before Mary could finish her words, the door was pushed open uncontrollably, and she took two steps back due to the force.

Only then did Ethan see that she was wearing a bathrobe. She had obviously just taken a shower. After hearing his voice, he hurriedly came out and opened the door.

The bathrobe was not even tied up, and the middle part was unobstructed, including a pair of half-exposed big white geese, the navel, and further down...

"Asshole!" Mary cursed and tied up her bathrobe.

I usually keep it tightly covered, but I didn’t expect it to be so revealing, and it’s also a white tiger.

Ethan muttered in his heart, with a serious expression on his face:

"I'm having trouble with the Independence Bowl that Alabama is going to play later..." Ethan began to talk about the difficulties currently being faced by the Independence Bowl organizing committee.

"I...I can't help with this." Mary shook her head.

She is just a small team leader and knows nothing about preparations for the competition.

"I don't need your help in this area, but I need your help in other areas. There are four young girls, they are from Los Angeles and New York respectively. They have already had a holiday and want to come to the warm south to spend a few days." Ethan continued road.

"So, you want me to act as a tour guide?" Mary heard it. Ethan didn't intend to let him help prepare for the game, but wanted to serve as a fire captain.

After receiving the affirmative answer, Mary immediately shook her head.

"Why me?! Also, what about the travel expenses?" Mary immediately shook her head and refused.

"Because I trust you. Of course I will pay your share." Ethan nodded.

Consider it a reward for Mary.

"That's pretty much it. How long will it take?" Mary's attitude softened somewhat, and she would not miss the opportunity to spend Ethan's money.

"One week? Two weeks? Anyway, when does the team gather and when does it end."

·
That afternoon, Ethan landed at the airport in Shreveport, Louisa.Grace drove herself to pick up Ethan.

"You have to read the announcement of the Independence Bowl this year first." On the way, Grace asked Ethan to open the storage box in the passenger seat.

"Greetings to all of America on this festive season of Christmas and New Year! We are pleased to invite you to the 22nd Annual Independence Bowl..."

"After weathering a financial crisis, sponsor withdrawals and many other crises, with the help of the local community and Shreveport's tourism department, the game has resumed and ushered in a new upgrade. This year's Independence Bowl will take and all Each bowl game will have a different format, with two teams independently invited to compete..."

“We hope you will join us and witness the passion and pride with which these young athletes compete for honor and glory. The Independence Bowl is more than just a game, it is a symbol of our country’s values ​​and ideals, don’t miss this opportunity and be one Part of the great American tradition..."

"No problem, you can send it out directly. How are you preparing for the press conference?" After Ethan finished reading, he turned to look at Grace.

"Do we still need a press conference?" Grace muttered subconsciously.

"Of course. Television is the most important communication medium today, and the news that the Independence Bowl will be held as scheduled must be on TV news." Ethan said without hesitation.

Alabama is only nominally invited to participate and will not be directly involved in the preparations for the event. This time, Ethan can completely let go and act as a promoter behind the scenes.

"Have you found Alabama's opponent?" Grace then asked.

"The University of Nebraska Cornhuskers." Ethan named the opponent.

"This is the only good news among countless bad news." Grace looked relieved.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers were number one in the country last year and are the only undefeated team in the BIG12 this year. They can be said to be the best choice in the BIG12.

In her opinion, Cornhuskers may not be unable to defeat Alabama. This kind of strong dialogue is undoubtedly the basic guarantee of the game.

Ethan then asked Grace about the specific preparations for the game, which was exactly what she said on the phone - approximately 0.

Compared with Tuscaloosa, where the University of Alabama is located, Shreveport is significantly more prosperous. As the third largest city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the city is located on the Red River. Riverside was originally a transportation hub on the Red River Basin. It is adjacent to the junction of the three states and is the gateway city to Arkansas and Texas.

The vehicle drove on the road for a while, and Ethan saw the magnificent "Independence Stadium" in the distance. This is the venue for the Independence Bowl. It can be seen from the name that the stadium and the event are bound. .

However, Grace did not drive into the parking lot of the stadium, but came to a somewhat dilapidated apartment building not far from the stadium.

"We can't afford to rent an additional office, so we can only make do here." Grace smiled as she got off the car.

When you enter the lobby, you can see the receptionist who is dozing off. The lights in the lobby are dim. Even as a serviced apartment, the conditions here are not much better.

While waiting for the elevator, Ethan also smelled a vague smell of urine in the dark corner of the walking passage. When he entered the elevator, as the elevator moved, there was a "crack-crack" sound above his head, as if it would come at any time. Unable to support the fall.

After getting out of the elevator, Ethan walked into the office under the leadership of Grace. It was said to be an office, but in fact it was just an apartment. Several staff members were crowded into crowded workstations. The only office supplies that could be called "precious" were just typewriters. , not even a computer.

Such a shabby situation made Ethan couldn't help but look at Grace.

Grace leaned her head and whispered in Ethan's ear: "The group gave up midway. They are not optimistic about this project. Now I am taking over it all by myself, using all my personal funds. Don't tell John this." , he doesn’t know yet.”

Ethan didn't expect that something like this would happen midway.It seems that Grace chose to endure everything silently in order not to disturb her competition training, and did not tell the truth until she came in person.

Is it purely for the profits from a successful bowl game?

Ethan didn't think so. Let alone Nebraska, Grace wasn't even sure that Alabama would be invited to participate.

Instead of waiting in the spacious and bright office in Los Angeles, I came to Louisiana just to help myself maintain all this.

"Thank you." Ethan turned to look at Grace and whispered. "I don't want your hypocrisy. Besides, I'm not just trying to help you." Grace snorted coldly, but didn't admit it.

Then Grace directly asked all the staff present to put down their work and go to the office on the second floor for a meeting.

"Now that you are here, you can finally make me feel more relaxed. Go ahead and tell them that you are the real person in charge." Grace smiled.

It seems that he is leaving the mess to Ethan, but in fact he is taking a step back and letting Ethan enjoy the highest command authority.

Ethan and Grace finally came upstairs. Not counting Grace, there were only five employees participating in the meeting.

Three of them are Grace’s “confidences” who were transferred from Los Angeles, and the other two are staff members of the original organizing committee.

Preparing for the event seemed simple, but in fact it was very complicated. Ethan asked several people to report on the progress of the work one by one.

"New visual elements of the event are being designed, including the event logo, this year's theme color..."

"There is no need to redesign, just use the entire set of visual elements from the past. Before work today, you have to complete the layout of the event announcement and then send faxes to all media channels, especially the local media in Louisiana." Ethan shook Shaking his head, he cut off the original design draft. There was not much time to waste on this matter now.

"The venue came today to inquire about the specific start time..."

"It will be January [-]th next year." Ethan replied.

Bowl games usually start before Christmas and last until the first week of the new year. By the [-]th, all bowl games have been held.

In addition to giving the University of Nebraska enough preparation time, this arrangement is also to better attract the attention of fans.

"But the stadium said that all relevant staff will be on vacation at the end of the year, and we will only be allowed to hold games before the New Year." Fang said.

"After the meeting, I personally communicated with the other party on the phone."

"The ticketing system contractor, who was responsible for the New Orleans Saints' ticketing system, can start printing at any time."

"Great, we can start printing tonight. In the meantime, I need to get in touch with the local phone ticket dealer in Louisiana. I will have Alabama make a statement today accepting the invitation to the Independence Bowl. This will be convenient. We are conducting the first batch of pre-sales. At the same time, the first-party ticket sales points outside the stadium must also start selling tickets as soon as possible."

The printing of football tickets is different from ordinary color printing. In addition to the numbering system that matches the stadium seats, there are also anti-counterfeiting marks. However, the cost of printing in large quantities is not much more expensive, so this part of the cost is the least.

"How many seats are there in the Independence Stadium?" Ethan then asked.

"About [-]." Grace on the side said.

Only [-] seats?

This was one-third worse than what Ethan expected.

After thinking for a moment, Ethan made up his mind.

"If the seats in the stands on the north and south sides are removed, how many spectators can the stadium accommodate at most?" Ethan asked.

"It will not exceed RMB [-] at most, and it involves renovation, which will take at least half a month of construction, and... this probably does not comply with the stadium's fire regulations."

"Then remove some of the seats and sell as many seats as you can. Finally, let's talk about the selling price."

"The average ticket price for the Independence Bowl last year was US$35, with the highest ticket price being US$45 and the lowest ticket price being US$20." Grace then reported a number.

"Is this the data from the official ticket sales channel?" Ethan asked.

"Yes."

The number of seats was worse than expected, and the average ticket price was even lower than Ethan could have imagined.

For example, the average ticket price for the Rose Bowl in 90 was $140.The Rose Bowl is the number one bowl game. This price is supported by a variety of factors such as the popularity of the event itself, the national rankings of both participating parties, and the price of the venue.

Other bowl games don't have this condition at all.

It is obviously impossible for the average ticket price of the Independence Bowl to catch up with the Independence Bowl this year.

However, considering the strength of both participating parties, there is absolutely no problem in doubling the original amount.

At a normal ticket price of $70, 5 seats equals $350 million in sales.

It seems like a lot, but in fact it is so little that it cannot cover the cost at all.

Let’s talk about bonuses first.

This year's four major bowl games, the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Candy Bowl, and Festive Bowl all have prize money exceeding [-] million.

The Rose Bowl even had a bonus of US$1800.But outside of the four major bowl games, the prize money for the remaining bowl games is much smaller.

The Cotton Bowl and Peach Bowl, which are the next most influential, have only 800 million and 400 million US dollars in bonuses this year respectively.

As for the Independence Bowl, last year's prize money was only $150 million.

"This year's bonus will definitely be more than last year, so it is set at 200 million US dollars." Ethan said.

Taking into account the long-term operation strategy, Ethan is still prepared to operate steadily and not engage in those flashy operations such as shouting out sky-high bonuses and so on...

The remaining three major categories of expenses also include venue fees, team fees, media and event expenses.

The first is venue usage fees, which range from stadium rental and operating costs, maintenance costs, and energy consumption costs.Parking lot usage rights, security fees, etc.Even if the local tourism department picks up a portion, the final total cost comes to nearly seven figures.

The expenses incurred by the two teams are also not a small number. You must know that the rugby team has more than one person, and the players, coaches, and staff add up to seven or 80 people.The travel, accommodation, training, and meals for these people all add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In addition to the players who go on stage to "perform", media personnel who are advocates and magnifying glasses also need to be entertained. This is another part of the cost. If additional pre-game publicity is added, the cost of this part is unlimited, Ethan A budget of several hundred thousand dollars was also given.

A rough calculation shows that if you want to host a decent bowl game, a net investment of US$500 million is indispensable.This is still a tight calculation.

Of course, the revenue from a game is not just ticket revenue, but also includes media rights, commercial sponsorships, and derivative products.

But even if you can make money, there are still many parties who share the profits.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this that the West Coast education groups chose to withdraw midway, probably because they felt that this was a thankless task.

Ethan feels that he can make money through normal operations, but not much...

Ethan first said that the meeting was dismissed, and then asked Grace to stay in the conference room.

"We only sold one-fifth of the more than 5 tickets through official channels, and we only sold the lowest-priced tickets," Ethan said.

"We will sell the remaining [-]% of the front row tickets ourselves."

"Sell it yourself? How do you sell it?" Grace was particularly confused about this idea.

"Ship in bulk to second-hand stores around the stadium, the heads of local fan clubs, and ticket sellers entrenched around the stadium." Ethan answered immediately.

In Ethan's eyes, this group of people have a common nickname - "scalpers".

As we all know, organizers of various large-scale performances have always only listed a small part of the tickets on official channels, and the rest were shipped to big scalpers, who in turn shipped to small scalpers.

This has two benefits for the organizer.

First: you can get more ticket sales.Don't think that scalpers are raising the price of tickets that are often ten times the price. In fact, the scalpers just drink the soup, and the organizers are the ones eating the meat.

Second: The payment is returned faster.The official sales channel account period ranges from one month to three months, and some even have to wait until half a year.Scalpers are all cash transactions where you pay with one hand and receive the goods with the other hand.

The second point is particularly critical for Ethan, who is now in urgent need of liquidity.As for the tax part, that will be dealt with at the end.

"As the head of the organizing committee, you must have received some weird business cards!" Ethan looked at Grace.

There are scalpers everywhere, but the United States has developed telephone ticket sales channels, and the scalper industry is relatively declining.

"It's true. Ever since I moved here, I have received letters from time to time. The other party claims to be a ticket agent or the person in charge of the fan club."

"That's what you want. I'll talk to them separately tonight." Ethan nodded.

"Ethan, I have to remind you that what you do next may involve violating federal laws and may be investigated by the FBI and the Consumer Protection and Commerce Commission." Grace looked at Ethan who had already made up his mind. Sen, immediately warned with concern.

"What you said is only possible, not certain." Ethan showed his luck.

Kenneth Lawson, the bull demon king of American scalpers, was taken away by the FBI. He was accused of using software to buy 150 million tickets on Ticketmaster, making a total profit of US$2500 million.He was charged with 42 counts of computer fraud, but was ultimately acquitted.He never served a day in jail for scalping votes.

Bull demon Kenneth Lawson once said a famous saying without shame when faced with the moral accusation of ticket scalping: "When you buy scalper tickets, you may not like the price you pay, but you know exactly what you are going to get, which day and which seat. . Before this, I was an insurance seller. Who knows what you will get in the end if you buy a pension insurance."

Kenneth Lawson was only accused of computer fraud. From the perspective of Americans, reselling is completely normal business practice.

In other words, this is a paradise for scalpers.

In order to sell the tickets as soon as possible, Ethan immediately called Alabama Principal Roger Sorensen...

(End of this chapter)