Minor league teams gear up to reap benefits of Tulsa's BOK Center

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Sep 22, 2008 by Heather Caliendo

Having built it, Tulsa teams hope they come.

With the opening of the BOK Center, Tulsa minor league teams are gearing up to reap the benefits of a new arena.

"The most important thing to the success of a minor league team is imaging and branding," said Brad Lund, chief executive officer of Oklahoma City-based Express Sports.

"The second most important thing is the quality of the venue."

For years the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League and Tulsa Talons arena football team played at the Tulsa Convention Center. These teams watched their counterparts in Oklahoma City upgrade to the Ford Center while they played at a facility from the '60s.

This year the Oilers move to the BOK Center.

"It's going to be a major league show," said Taylor Hall, general manager for the Oilers.

"The BOK Center is just as nice as just about any building in the country. It's going to be the same type of class act as the Dallas Stars in the American Airlines Center."

Attendance for the Oilers averaged 4,000 last year. Hall said this year they anticipate anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000.

"The fans definitely want to see a winning hockey club," he said. "Also, I think people want to see the new building. It's generating excitement."

For their opening home game against the arch-rival Oklahoma City Blazers, Hall said he hopes to sell out the 18,000-seat venue.

"It's the affordable way to see the BOK Center," he said, because at $12, the hockey games are cheaper than the average concert ticket.

But moving to a new arena does not always generate a larger crowd.

Lund said when the Blazers moved to the Ford Center, they expected to have a significant increase in attendance. Prior to the move, the Blazers were at the Cox Business Services Convention Center.

Lund said they were stunned when attendance remained the same.

"Internally I don't think we did as good as marketing as we could have," he said. "It was a long year."

Unlike the condition of the Tulsa Convention Center, Lund said the Cox Center was in good shape. So, he said the Ford Center provided a slight improvement, not a drastic change.

Lund thinks it's a different story for the Oilers and the BOK Center. He said ticket sales should double or triple within the first two years.

"They have been in the shadow of the Blazers mainly due to the venue we had," he said. "In our league alone a dozen teams have gotten a new building before the Oilers. They have toughed it out for a long time and now it's finally here."

Last year the Tulsa Talons team saw a 15-percent increase in attendance. They expect that to continue at the BOK Center, said general manager Cory McIntyre.

The key, he said, is sustaining the attendance once the newness factor is gone.

"In the first year, it's in the honeymoon phase," he said. "It's easier to get people to come out and see the arena and what it has to offer."

David Dyson, professor of management at the Oral Roberts University School of Business, said the BOK Center creates the opportunity for teams to generate new crowds the first and second seasons. To build a consistent clientele, the teams need to offer a complete experience.

"Once the venue has been explored, it's up to the team," he said. "The more the events can be entertaining, the more you will find the individuals come back."

Lund said in the ticket sale business, it's about keeping the games fresh.

"Every season has to be different, every home game has to have something a little different," he said. "This day and age in the competitive entertainment industry, you can't just rely on records, but got to give them much more. That's why the venues are important."