By: Isabelle Madrid

Dear Faithful Readers,

Happy May! I hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather and indulging in the full swing of NHL & NBA Playoffs. At the NSF, we are only two weeks out from the Virtual Spring Summit on May 17, 2023. In this edition of our “Selling it…”, we discover how the Pittsburgh Pirates were able to generate more online suite sales than they had sold during the entirety of 2022 – all before the first pitch for the upcoming season through their partnership with SuitePro!

Enjoy,

Isabelle Madrid
Communications Manager
isabelle@sports-forum.com

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Description:

In the past, the Pittsburgh Pirates – like most teams – didn’t display single-game suite pricing or availability on their website.  Instead, they asked prospective customers to fill out a lead form, which would route to a sales representative. Reps would look up suite options on a shared spreadsheet and go back and forth with the customer by phone and email.  Since the buyers didn’t know the price or availability before filling out the form, most leads were unqualified.  For the leads that did want to book a suite, sales could take weeks to close as reps found themselves in a cycle of phone tag, contract signatures, and payment collection. Today, many consumers are looking for convenience and simplicity. By putting suite prices and availability online, customers can instantly view their options and determine whether it meets their budget. This also allows sales teams to have an advantage with leads. This was exactly what the Pittsburgh Pirates were looking for in order to modernize their suite-selling process.

While the Pirates approach and experience was not unique in the industry, Brett Baur, Vice President of Corporate & Premium Partnership Sales for the Pittsburgh Pirates knew that something had to change. In their search, they found results quickly with SuitePro, a suite sales platform that helps teams sell more suites, more efficiently, while delivering a unique customer buying experience. Before the first pitch was thrown in the 2023 baseball season, the Pittsburgh Pirates had generated more online suite sales for the upcoming season than they had sold during the entirety of 2022. 

Objectives:

In 2022, the Pirates decided to test online suite sales, but the results were underwhelming as the they were not achieving results similar to peer clubs. So the Pirates decided to double down on their digital strategy, looking for a tool that could help modernize them quickly.  They were looking to create an online presence that showcased their suites in a premium lens and find a management system that made selling them much easier. Baur discussed their goals going into the 2023 season, “We were looking to have a digital destination for our suite sales that gave customers the option to view and buy suites online, giving them an enhanced customer journey that also allowed our sales team to be incredibly more efficient on the back-end”. 

Partnership:

In partnership with SuitePro, the Pirates created a high-end website dedicated solely to raising awareness of and selling Pirates luxury suites.  PiratesPremium.com became the starting point in the buyer journey for prospects interested in booking a suite.  Concurrently, the Pirates sales team adopted the SuitePro Sales Portal to transition away from spreadsheets and phone payments to an all-in-one platform to view available inventory, send contracts, dynamically price, and collect payment.  According to Baur, “We work so hard to deliver a great experience when a fan is at PNC Park.  With SuitePro, we’ve been able to better deliver a world-class experience from the first touchpoint in the sales process, which often starts with a Google search. Customers can now buy a suite in the way that suits them best, whether that be self-servicing on our website or working directly with a rep.  And reps are empowered with software tools to maximize their efficiency and effectiveness. With SuitePro, reps can look up inventory and send contracts in a matter of seconds directly from their computer or phones at any time of the day or night.”  Scott Spencer, Founder and President of SuitePro adds that “Selling a suite is very different from selling a ticket. You need to showcase the premium experience by providing pictures, location maps, parking details, catering menus, and all the different amenities that a suite entails. Brett and the entire Pirates team have been an incredible partner as we’ve collaborated to establish an online destination for their clients to learn about and purchase suites.”

Results:

Through April 30, 2023, the Pirates are up 172% in revenue from online suite sales compared to 2022 total online sales, while sales reps and managers are spending significantly less time on administrative tasks and more time building client relationships. SuitePro has been a game-changer in their ability to efficiently manage and sell suite inventory, helping their premium team to be more effective and efficient.

Looking Ahead:

According to Baur, the Pirates are still in the early innings of their digital journey. With www.PiratesPremium.com as a digital hub for Pirates premium suites, there is now an opportunity to further invest in email marketing, paid search, and creative promotions. The Pirates are working cross-functionally across departments to push the envelope in growing the platform to include club tickets and hospitality spaces. 

Spencer adds, “The Pirates have been an incredible partner, and the best is yet to come in terms of their achievements.  At SuitePro, we’re working really hard to build even more features and functionality to support our growing roster of team and venue partners.”  Learn more about SuitePro at www.suitepro.com. To schedule a demo, email Candy Fuzesy, Vice President of Team and Venue Partnerships at cfuzesy@suitepro.com. 

About the National Sports Forum

The National Sports Forum is one of the largest annual cross-gathering in North America of the top executives from leagues, teams, agencies, and properties in the sports industry, who come together and share ideas and best practices on Marketing, Business Development, Ticket Sales, Sponsorship, and Diversity & Inclusion.  Visit www.sports-forum.com for more information. Join us Wednesday, May 17th for the NSF Virtual Spring Summit and enjoy everything attendees love about the NSF at your fingertips. Learn more at https://sports-forum.com/virtual-spring-summit/.

The NSF Salutes Our Partner