Resolution UCLADeepening Department of Athletics Financial Crisis Could require a twist of the Disneyesque intrigue, so why not let a Disney guy take a crack?
Daniel Cruz was brought from the media and entertainment giant based in Burbank last fall to work on magic with a university operation that needs new concepts. Six consecutive years of racing in the red have led to an amazing deficit of $ 219.5 million which will not be wiped with the wave of a baguette.
A solution can be surprisingly simple: give fans what they want, and they will continue to come back.
This is why Cruz directed the efforts to revise the school ticket operations and build a fair in the field inside the Pauley pavilion, not to mention maximizing the income of a level of land level at the level Rose bowl. These are all measures intended to improve the experience of fans and to retain the brand.
“Essentially, what I am trying to do is simply trying to prepare for success and doing things differently,” said Cruz, the new deputy director of UCLA athletics and income director, “because the old way of the way university athletics normally leads business, it does not work.”
As part of a partnership scheduled for Tuesday, the UCLA goes from its longtime internal ticketing agency to raise, which will modernize operations and create a customer database that allows more targeted marketing. Elevate will manage the sales of primary and secondary tickets, preventing the unaffiliated brokers from undermining sales and devaluing tickets.
There will also be dynamic prices that will allow a drop in prices for less desirable games, which was impossible in the previous archaic system of the school.
“It’s going to be huge because we are taking care now how we go on the market, how we assess things,” said Cruz. “I receive a lot of fans complaints that they think that ticket prices are too high for certain games and they can be right, so how to pull these levers to make it accessible on the games that it is not full, so that we can bring people?”
A new level club in the field in the southern goals of the pink bowl could create a strong demand in a stadium which is regularly half full. The club, which would open in time for the 2026 season, should organize a configuration of the catering bar which will allow fans to walk on the field, look at the players out of a nearby tunnel and grasp something to eat before returning to a section of 1,200 plush and extra-large seats.
Rose Bowl plans to build a new level club on the field for fans who attended the UCLA football matches.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Rose Bowl has agreed to bring the estimated construction cost of $ 20 million and allow the UCLA to maintain income from premium headquarters, said Cruz, as part of a mutually beneficial arrangement. The stadium will use the club for other events which it will host as concerts.
Since Rose Bowl has retained all existing income from UCLA games as part of its rental agreement with the school, the new arrangement could be considered a coup for Bruins.
Another income opportunity implies a massive scene on the north side of the stadium overlooking the adjacent country club which will allow the UCLA to call on DJs and musical acts for pre-match festivities. The UCLA will sell a space hut, food and a premium parking lot to provide a tailgate experience to football fans and others who just want to have a good time.
“How to attract fans who may not normally come to a football match, right?” Said Cruz. “It’s an entire experience – Come, take advantage of the concierge service with your friends, enjoy an excellent football match and this atmosphere that we are trying to generate.”
Additional income has already been generated by sponsorships involving players bearing UCLA uniforms as part of new co-marked advertisements; For example, Star Center Lauren Betts is presented in several display panels for Victoria salsas and sauces.
Cruz also plans to raise the experience of fans at the Pauley Pavilion. He wants to use the existing infrastructure to create a donor fair that could be in place before the start of next season. The fair, which would offer a higher -end experience than the Pavilion Club, could be accompanied by an agreement on names and membership fees for high -level donors.
There have also been discussions on the overhaul of the Pavilion Club to offer more segmented experiences; Perhaps a section would respond to young ancients with a DJ and an open bar while another would serve other elders who want a more relaxed atmosphere where they can make up for friends for a pre-match meal.
“It’s a very large room, so how to cut it and divide this to have a better experience for everyone?” Said Cruz. “We have so many people that we are trying to answer and I want to be sensitive to this and I want to create an experience for them who does it to come back.”
UCLA students applaud in a male basketball match against the USC at the Pauley Pavilion on March 8.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A development that could be a very far season will certainly appeal to fans who have groaned too many empty seats in the lower level shown on television. Cruz said he wanted to return the lower level stands and team benches to the configuration of the seats that existed before the renovations of the Pauley Pavilion, allowing students who pack their section to be presented on the emissions.
“This section is still full of students,” said Cruz. “We could play at Idaho State and it is all the time with the students, so the rest of the country needs to see it.”
Why not just move the television cameras? Cruz said that it would cost $ 6 million to transfer all wiring and optical fibers integrated into current platforms specially designed for cameras.
Male basketball coach Mick Cronin And CoriHis female basketball counterpart, accepted the potential move, said Cruz, like the fans he overcome changing his seat.
In the meantime, the UCLA is associated with a global sports and entertainment company to improve the experience at stake for fans, including new ways of maintaining the energy flowing during waiting times while Bruins are in full race instead of counting on dashboard advertisements and clumsy silences.
Cruz said that he converts part of the marketing staff of his department to fans experience to improve fans’ retention.
“How do we create an experience where it’s like, guy, it was fun, I want to come back?” Said Cruz. “This leads to more income and it also leads to a wider path so that our former students and our students make them want to come back. How can we create this cycle of, yes, they care, they want us here, and I want to come back? ”
If winning is the biggest promotion of sport, Cruz tries to show that listening may not be far behind.