True North sees bump in Winnipeg Jets season ticket sales

Bump in Winnipeg Jets season ticket sales Alexandra Holyk reports on what’s fueling the increase in the Winnipeg Jets’ season ticket base.

The Winnipeg Jets have started the 2024-25 season undefeated on the ice and have seen a bump in season ticket buyers off of it.

After a five-year slump, True North Sports and Entertainment (TNSE) said it has seen an increase in its season ticket base this year.

"We're seeing positive trends upward, which is very encouraging," said Norva Riddell, the sales and revenue vice president with TNSE.

The ticket base rose to around 10,000 season ticket equivalents, which includes full-season, half-season, quarter-season and smaller multi-game packages.

The total increase is about 500 ticket sales compared to last year.

"We've flattened out the curve that was a downward curve."

When the pandemic hit, sales plummeted. Complaints over concession quality, safety concerns and high costs also kept people away from Canada Life Centre.

"We're doing our very best to listen to the feedback that we've received from customers," said Riddell. "There's been a tremendous amount of change in the venue. So everything from, certainly from a game experience standpoint, to how you enter the building, our food and beverage execution."

Loren Remillard, the president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said the economy also plays a role in the increase.

"Inflation's down. People are feeling a bit more secure and feeling that the economy is trending in the right direction," said Remillard.

That has helped TNSE secure 95 per cent of last year's season ticket holders – a feat that hasn't been achieved since before the pandemic, according to Riddell.

She said the club hopes to see pre-pandemic ticket sales return, but right now, they're a few thousand short.

"We do want to rebuild our base to 13,000," she said. "(We've) given ourselves that three-to-four-year window to do that. We're making progress, but clearly, there's still a lot of work to do on it."