That seems to be a high number in general for "do not scans". Even if the ticket doesn't scan, there's a human-readable number underneath that they should punch in to make sure the ticket is valid (the whole point of the barcodes & number encoded is to prevent counterfeits and people using the same ticket to get multiple people into the venue). Any barcode system should give you about 98% accuracy (and that's accounting for bad scans, unreadable barcodes, etc.).
(I sell the kind of mobile computing/scanning equipment UF uses at the gates, by the way.) On Mon, Feb 24, 2014 at 2:30 PM, C.Simpson <[email protected]> wrote: > I hate to nitpick but according to this article they automatically add > between 5 and 10% to the student attendance for tickets that "do not scan" > that's between 1000 and 2000 bodies that may or not be there. That sure > seems like a generous number to arbitrarily add. > Charlie > > On 2/24/2014 8:21 AM, Shane Ford wrote: > > Student attendance a concern for Gators > > > Unfilled seats dot the east stands at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during > Florida’s 26-20 loss to Georgia Southern on Nov. 23, 2013. > *Doug Finger/Staff photographer/FILE* > By Robbie Andreu <http://www.gatorsports.com/personalia/robbieandreu> > GAINESVILLE SUN Staff writer > Published: Monday, February 24, 2014 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, > February 23, 2014 at 9:56 p.m. > > > A growing and troubling trend in college football became obvious at > Florida games last fall in The Swamp. > The evidence was out there in plain sight, on the east side of the > stadium, where large portions of the student section would remain vacant or > only partially filled just before kickoff. > In some games, a portion of those empty seats would eventually be filled. > In others, thousands would remain vacant. > It is a trend that school officials are hoping to prevent from mushrooming > into a student tradition at Florida. > “This is an issue that is on everyone's agenda in the SEC,” said Mike > Hill, UF's executive associate athletics director for external affairs. > “It's not unique to Florida or anywhere else. > “College football is at a bit of a crossroads in terms of connecting with > students and engaging them in a way that gets them to the stadium. They're > still into college football, without a doubt. Getting them to the stadium > is a different matter, even for the teams that are at their peak right now.” > Selling student tickets has not been, and is still not, a problem at UF, > where the school traditionally sells out its allotment of 21,500 tickets > every season, including last year. Hill said student tickets have sold out > every season for the 21 years he's been at Florida, and he expects that to > be the case again in 2014. > Selling the tickets isn't the problem. Getting some students to use them > and show up at games is. > The ticket scan rate for students this past season was only 70 percent, > according to UF ticket office. With a five to 10-percent adjustment for > tickets that do not scan, it comes out to 75-80 percent of student tickets > being used. That adds up to an average of somewhere in the neighborhood of > 5,000 empty seats per game in the student section. > In 2012, the percentages were 71 percent and 76-81 percent. > The dwindling numbers are a big concern at Florida (and in college > football in general) for at least two significant reasons: > ■ An unfilled student section takes away from the atmosphere of the game > and puts a potential dent in the Gators' home-field advantage. (Can you > imagine a Florida basketball game with hundreds of empty seats in the Rowdy > Reptiles section?) > ■ It may not bode well for future attendance when thousands of potential > future season-ticket purchasers are electing not to attend games while they > are students. > “Absolutely it's a concern,” Hill said. “The vast majority of our > season-ticket holders went to the University of Florida. It's really > important for us to connect to current students who are future alumni. > Granted, they may be watching games they're not attending at a party or > local establishment. > “But if it doesn't become part of their experience here on campus, then > there may not be the same pull to come back and be a season-ticket holder > in the future. > “It's absolutely crucial to sustain our fan base. Our average > season-ticket holder is just under 60 years old. That's evidence right > there that it's crucial for us to cultivate that young fan base.” > The way to do it is to win more games and better connect with the > students, Hill said. > One thing UF officials have learned from student feedback is the students > do not like the early kickoffs (noon and 12:20), something that was evident > last season with all those empty seats in the student section for early > games. > “Our students in some ways are a lot like our entire fan base in that they > enjoy night games,” Hill said. “That Arkansas game (at night) last year had > a tremendous crowd. Our students do not care for the early kickoffs. > They're just rolling out of bed.” > Hill said UF is having discussions with the SEC and its television > partners about scheduling Gator games later in the day or at night, > especially early in the season. > “We have made it clear to the conference that the early season games, we > need those to begin in the evening or late in the day. The heat is so > oppressive,” Hill said. “That's not just for our students but our entire > fan base. > “We're communicating that to our television partners as well. If we can > come out of the gate with later kickoffs, we think that will contribute to > bigger crowds and better attended games by our students.” > Hill said UF officials also are discussing other possible methods for > better connecting with the students, including possibly opening some > practices and re-establishing town hall meetings between students and > coaches. > UF also is exploring the possibility of establishing WiFi capability in > The Swamp, Hill said. > “It's a huge investment. You're talking a significant seven-figure > investment,” Hill said. “It's something we're looking at right now. > “We recognize the students, the younger fans, have an interest in > interacting on social media throughout the course of the game, whether > uploading pictures or downloading videos. > “We feel better with where we are with basic mobile phone use and texting > and calling. The other applications, we're not there yet, but we are > striving to get there.” > Of course, the best way to connect with the fans — young and old — is to > win games and put an entertaining product on the field. UF did not seem to > have a problem with students showing up when the Gators went 11-1 in the > regular season in 2012. > It was a problem during the 4-8 season last fall. > The changes Will Muschamp has made on his coaching staff, especially the > hiring of new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper, seems to have created a > positive buzz, Hill said. > “There is an extremely positive vibe that we are getting in interaction > with fans in person, over the phone and at the ticket window,” Hill said. > “We're optimistic about the start of our season-ticket sales.” > There is little or no doubt that the students will purchase the 21,500 > allotted to them, like they do every season. > But will they come? > *Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 <352-374-5022> or > [email protected]. Also check out Andreu's blog at Gatorsports.com > <[email protected].%20Also%20check%20out%20Andreu%27s%20blog%20at%20Gatorsports.com>.* > > -- > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "GatorNews" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "GatorTalk" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GatorTalk" group. 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