NYI BUSINESS SEASON OFF TO HOT START

New York Islander Fan Central | 7/24/2007 09:41:00 PM |
It should be noted, Chris Dey, the club's new vice president (Mike Milbury's successor) is Charles Wang's son in law..

Still, unexpected good news from the sales department in a New York Market where baseball sells, not hockey.

http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=335292&page=NewsPage&service=page

NYI BUSINESS SEASON OFF TO HOT START
Jul 24, 2007, 8:21 PM EDT

New full season ticket sales surpass 1,000 mark; Season tickets renewal rate currently at 86%; sponsorships up dramatically

With still more than two months to go before the 2007-08 season National Hockey League season begins, the New York Islanders are enjoying a highly successful offseason beyond the playing surface."Islanders fans have responded in an overwhelmingly positive fashion to the improvements made to last season's playoff squad," said Chris Dey, the team's Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Operations. "And businesses, both nationally and on Long Island, are coming on board because they are learning the benefits of a true corporate and civic partnership with us."

Among the many highlights of the Islanders' hot summer:
The team has sold more than 1,000 new full season ticket packages. That's triple what the club sold at this time last summer and the best July for new season ticket sales since 2001. Fans have responded to the acquisition of captain and four-time NHL All-Star Bill Guerin and standout center Mike Comrie, among other notable roster moves by general manager Garth Snow.

86% of last year's season ticket holders have already renewed for 2007-08. Returning season subscribers have responded to the improvements made to Ted Nolan's lineup and the knowledge that in this era of vast player movement throughout pro sports, 25-year old franchise goaltender and U.S. Olympian Rick DiPietro is signed to a career-long contract.

Corporate sponsorships are 300% above last summer's pace.

The Islanders expect to sell out their advertising inventory soon and are closing with a strong push, as evidenced by Islanders legend Mike Bossy's recent "Skate in the Door" initiative. The Hall of Fame right wing, now the team's Executive Director of Corporate Relations, last week sent an autographed skate along with a letter to the top companies on Long Island without a current partnership with Long Island's only major league sports franchise.

In addition, the Islanders also announced that their Islanders Business Club Executive Level Suites, owned and operated by the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum, are at near-capacity and the newly re-designed Islanders Team Store at the Broadway Mall in Hicksville just experienced its biggest sales week in two years when it re-opened in mid July."Proving We're All Islanders, the team and the Long Island community are working together to make this the most exciting Islanders season in years," said Dey. ""But make no mistake: there is still plenty of work to be done."