Officials Hope Attendance Issues Won’t Be a Concern

The Big West Conference will again present its showcase event this week as the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments begin today at the Anaheim Convention Center.

A new tournament format and the presence of a nationally ranked team will add some intrigue over a span of four days. But will that make up for the lackluster attendance that has plagued the event in the last three years since its return to the 7,734-seat arena?

Rob Halvaks thinks so. The senior associate commissioner of the Big West said more all-session tickets have already been sold than last year and estimates that those packages usually make up five-eighths of the total tickets sold.

“As of Friday, we’ve sold about 3,000 all-session tickets that include every game and every type of ticket package we have,” Halvaks said. “We sold about 2,500 last year. Certainly we’re happy with the increase of the all-session sales.

“Would we be happier with a sellout? Certainly. As long as we see growth, we’re fine with taking little steps forward.”

The conference won’t have far to go in its search for better numbers. After five years in Reno, the men’s tournament drew an average of 2,921 over four sessions in the first year back at Anaheim after a 19-year break.

Attendance for the men’s championship games has been less than stellar. Only 2,524 saw Utah State defeat Pacific in 2001. Two years ago, UC Santa Barbara’s win over the Aggies drew 3,020. Last year, Utah State’s 57-54 victory over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was witnessed by 3,228.

Halvaks contends the financially strapped conference does not lose the roughly $275,000 it spends on the tournament. In its rolling three-year contract with the city of Anaheim, which operates the Convention Center, its rental rate for the facility is tied to attendance.

Greg Smith, general manager of the Convention Center, said the minimum daily rate is $6,500 for the tournament. The arena also makes money from parking and concessions while the Big West collects all the money made from ticket sales, advertising and broadcasting rights.

Smith said the partnership has worked for both sides.

“Certainly I’d love for them to fill the facility every time they’re here, but you have to be realistic,” he said. “Certain games don’t have the attraction or the meaning as others. That’s just the way the business is.

“I think our aim has been to structure a deal for them so when they do have smaller crowds, they don’t lose money.”

From an appearance standpoint, the fear is that there could again be large sections of empty blue seats shown to the rest of the nation. ESPN will televise the championship game Saturday night.

The new format, which gives automatic byes until the semifinals for the top two seeded teams, was well-received by conference coaches.

Teams with losing records will make up today’s first-round games in the men’s and women’s tournaments. Will anyone want to watch?

“We just don’t have any way of predicting what [tonight] will be,” Halvaks said. “Until we go through a year of this, it’s hard to predict how the new format will affect attendance.”

Utah State will have a large say in the financial success of this tournament. The Aggies have brought the largest contingent of fans in recent years, but a 25-2 record and No. 22 national ranking are expected to draw more of their faithful.

Regardless of the turnout this week, Smith said the city looks at the Convention Center as the home for the tournament.

Built in 1967, the arena has received nearly $6 million in upgrades the last four years, including new upholstered seats, a new ceiling and exterior roof, new scoreboards and new carpeting throughout the concourse.

“The Big West is always welcome here,” he said. “It’s a great event with great people to work with. I would commit many more years as long as it’s feasible.

“In Anaheim, they definitely have a home here.”