Residential Season seat Sales: Finding the Right Fans in the Right Circles
I’ve watched so many franchises see their individual (or “residential") full season seat holder numbers fall every year. That dreaded “non-renewal” call or email (or ghost) could be for a bunch of reasons—economic conditions, team performance, life changes, or simply a shift in the time and attention a person or family can dedicate.
Teams have tried to combat this by blasting outreach campaigns: emails, texts, and phone calls to everyone who has ever bought a seat in the last season (or the last three). While this may inflate call reports and fill the CRM with activity, we have to ask ourselves: is this truly the most effective use of time and resources?
In the world of individual full season seats, I like to picture a Venn Diagram with two large circles:
Circle One: TEAM AFFINITY. These are the hardest-core fans. They follow the team’s social media, engage with posts, and proudly identify as part of the community. Their emotional connection to the team is undeniable.
Circle Two: ENTERTAINMENT SPENDERS. These are not necessarily high-net-worth or high-income households. They’re individuals and families who make intentional choices to budget for experiences. Maybe it’s concerts, theater, vacations—or live sports. They have money set aside for discretionary entertainment.
Where do your true season seat holders live?
Right in that tiny sliver where the two circles overlap: TEAM AFFINITY fans who are also ENTERTAINMENT SPENDERS.
So, how do you market to them?
Here’s the trick—you don’t have to. They will find you. They already have. These are the folks who have raised their hands, purchased seats, and become your most loyal customers. They are the ones most likely to renew and most likely to advocate for your brand.
That doesn’t mean you ignore those outside the overlap. Far from it. In fact, your growth depends on cultivating both circles:
A die-hard TEAM AFFINITY fan might not be in the right financial place now, but that can change. When it does, your job is to make sure they feel welcomed and ready—not pressured like they’re sitting across from a financial advisor or car salesman.
An ENTERTAINMENT SPENDER might come out to a game, enjoy the atmosphere, and get hooked. But affinity can’t be forced—it has to grow organically. Maybe it’s the memory of their child catching a foul ball, or the energy of a rivalry series. That’s when the entertainment buyer becomes a team loyalist.
The Role of Mini-Plans and Flex Products
This is where strategic seat packaging comes in. Both of these groups—Affinity and Spenders—are prime candidates for mini-plans, flex packs, and partial season products. Each is motivated differently:
Affinity fans want more touchpoints with the team, even if they can’t commit financially to a full season.
Entertainment Spenders want more experiences, but they’re still testing how baseball fits into their rotation of concerts, trips, and events.
These products serve as the bridge. They don’t just drive revenue today—they move fans closer to that small sliver of overlap tomorrow.
The Bigger Lesson
The real trap is believing that everyone in your database is equally ready to buy a full season plan. They aren’t. And treating them all as if they are leads to wasted time, burned-out sales reps, and frustrated fans who feel spammed rather than engaged.
The most sustainable individual/residential season seat growth doesn’t come from chasing every name—it comes from understanding where fans are in the journey, nurturing them in the right way, and letting the natural overlap of affinity and spend guide your efforts.
Final Thought
If you want to grow your individual/residential full season base, stop thinking about “pushing” fans into a purchase and start thinking about “pulling” them along a path. Focus your energy on the overlap, and create on-ramps—mini plans, flex packs, unique experiences—that allow the other two groups to move toward that sweet spot in their own time.
Because in the end, the healthiest season seat base isn’t the one you chased the hardest. It’s the one you built the smartest.
If you’re a GM, VP, or team president looking to strengthen your season seat base this off-season, I’d love to connect with you. I help minor league clubs build strategic season seat sales programs that work. Click here to schedule a 30 minute discussion.
