'Five For Fans' initiative improves gameday experience

  Monday, August 5, 2013 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University football fans are now able to get their Gorilla gameday tickets from the convenience of their own home.

Beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 6, tickets to Pitt State football games can be ordered and printed online, allowing students and fans to avoid long lines at the ticket office and stadium.

“We’re really excited about our improvements in ticket technology,” said PSU Athletics Director Jim Johnson. “It’s much more convenient for our students because they’ll no longer have to go to the ticket office to pick up their tickets. They’ll now be able to print them at home in advance. It should also shorten the lines on gameday, because our fans will also be able to purchase and print single game tickets in advance.”

The new ticket technology is one of several improvements being made to gameday at Pittsburg State, and they come as a result of a recent survey conducted by Pittsburg State University’s Kelce College of Business MBA Association.

The survey was made available to students and the general public online from April 1 through April 22. Printed copies were also mailed to all season ticket holders.

“There’s no place quite like Carnie Smith Stadium on a Saturday in the fall,” Johnson said, “but we know there’s always room to improve. That’s why we went directly to our fans to find out what they think. I want to personally thank everyone who took the time to participate in the survey.”

Another improvement coming as a result of the survey is the installation of credit card machines at concession stand locations inside Carnie Smith Stadium. Most debits cards will be accepted, but they must be run as a credit transaction.

“More and more these days, people are using their debit and credit cards over cash,” said Steve Erwin, associate vice president for campus life and auxiliary services. “We want to make sure that our fans are able to use their cards at Gorilla football games for their cold drinks and food. This is one more way we’re responding to what our fans are requesting.”

Nearly 1,100 people took part in the survey which focused on gameday activities such as ticketing, concessions, restrooms, parking and special events.

“We were very happy with the response rate,” said Dr. Eric Harris, survey advisor. “Our students put a lot of time into this survey because they knew it would be used as the foundation for an action plan by the university. I can’t say enough about our MBA Association.”

Nearly every rating was positive with high marks given for the appearance and cleanliness of Carnie Smith Stadium, Pride of the Plains Marching Band performances and the team introduction video.

The survey also reported a desire to improve parking areas, improve seating signage, reduce ticket lines and add the ability to purchase concessions with a debit or credit card.

In response Pittsburg State University developed an action plan called, “Five for Fans.” It focuses on the five areas of improvement: ticketing, stadium signage, stadium facilities, parking and concessions.

“These were the areas our fans said would make the biggest difference on gameday,” explained Johnson. “Some of the changes you’ll be able to see immediately while others will take longer to put into place. The bottom line is that we want to make certain Pittsburg State continues to provide the very best gameday experience.”

Click HERE for a summary of the "Five for Fans" plan.