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Millions of dollars have been spent on nonstop advertising over the last year for the Siyum Hashas yet as of last week only 68.5% of seats were sold (Siyum ad). Many Bnei Torah would love to bring their children with them to the Siyum but with seats priced over $100 each, it’s not feasible. In my opinion, Aguda made a colossal mistake by reserving so many seats at “premium pricing” many costing $600 & up. This was Aguda’s opportunity to be really relevant to the average ben Torah by offering affordably priced seats to low to middle class families who would have a good feeling for years to come from this event. Instead, this has turned into a massive fundraising campaign courting the super-rich with nonstop blitzing in all print, mail. & social media over the Siyum.
For the thousands who cannot afford the pricey seats while others are dining on steaks & wine, this won’t lead to much chizuk Hatorah at all.
Agudah is a critical Mossad for the Klal, I appreciate the tremendous good they do for all of us. I hope lessons are learned for the next Siyum. Keish Echod B’lev Echod.Two reasons.
First, the ticket prices reflect the cost of renting the stadium and all the operational costs of staging the event. They are already charging VERY high prices to those in the better seats (well above cost) to subsidize folks like you who kevetch about $100 tickets. No one says you have to bring all the kids to sit in the cold for 3-5 hoursSecond, I suspect a large part of the reason for unsold seats is simply that the unsold seats are those in the open areas of MetLife stadium where many are reluctant to commit for a New Years’ day event when the temperature could be a bit on the “cool” side.
What are the lowest cost seats still available?
“For the thousands who cannot afford the pricey seats while others are dining on steaks & wine, this won’t lead to much chizuk Hatorah at all..”
A really stupid and cheap shot at the organizers and baalei’ tzadakah who are already subsidizing the lower cost seats…..Maybe to make this more egalitarian and provide more “chizuk” to the masses, the Agudah should just stage the event on 13th avenue and have the gadolim stand on top of a few flatbed trucks with big ‘boom box” speakers
They probably over estiamted the number of Geverim that there are
I have no idea what goes into planning an event like this, but I would imagine it is very difficult to predict how many people will attend, considering the size of the venue and how infrequently the event occurs.
“For the thousands who cannot afford the pricey seats while others are dining on steaks & wine, this won’t lead to much chizuk Hatorah at all.”
A cheap shot at the Agudah AND those who can afford to dine of steaks and wine.
“Agudah is a critical Mossad for the Klal, I appreciate the tremendous good they do for all of us.”
Everything they do costs money. How much appreciation do you REALLY have? Do you send them a check several times a year? Do you go to their dinner? How do you support the Agudah so that they can continue doing good for you? Standing on the side with pom poms cheering them on, doesnt pay for the things they do. Selling suites at Met Life statidium does. Lihavdil, this is the same economics of every sports team trying to sell seats to their sporting events.
” They are already charging VERY high prices to those in the better seats (well above cost) to subsidize folks like you who kevetch about $100 tickets”.
How come how come they didn’t have such problems with previous events
eh?The facility and vendor charges change from year to year along with the projections of attendees. I don’t recall the prices for prior years and how they were allocated across the stadium, but they have always had staggered price levels so those at the top subsidized those at the bottom. They are not claiming to have “problems”….that’s your term. If the seats don’t sell at current price levels, than they should cut them gradually since at this point, the marginal cost of additional attendees is very low.
This is a once in almost-8-years event and the tickets, even the pricey ones, are being sold in a venue that regularly charges more than that for sporting events and concerts. When events like the superbowl or world series are held there and people pay thousands for seats, nobody bats an eye. The Agudah is not getting rich off of this event. I am in Eretz Yisroel, and have nothing to do with the Agudah in America, but it is clear that much has gone into organizing this event and for a once in a decade experience to gather to hear Hadran Alach Talmud Bavli in attendance with over 100,000 yidden, $100 or even $600 sounds like an OK deal.
What they should do now is upgrade those that came early and committed and open up more of the lower priced seats. I want to bring more family members who are woman but can spend $180 for each
apushatayid,
“A cheap shot”
really?
this is no longer your grandfather’s organization“Money is needed” for what ?? self perpetuating ?
It’s wonderful to be good and positive & this is no knock on the old timers who still give of themselves
however
I Have been involved in various klal developments that we allowed them to claim credit forIn most events there is something called Dynamic pricing, meaning you have to charge what people are willing to pay. many times “Ticket Scalpers” actually have to sell tickets for less than they paid for it and some events raise and lower the prices based on demand (Something like Airlines or hotels do)
“his is the same economics of every sports team trying to sell seats to their sporting events. ”
cute attempt though
wouldn’t Agudah be in horror if that is how the public will perceive the scope of the oncoming event??How about “not everyone wants to go”.
“cute attempt though”
just listen to sports radio in the weeks leading up to the playoffs for all major sports. the “rank and file” sports fan also laments that he is priced out of these major events.
“How about “not everyone wants to go”.”
I’m sure there are those who would prefer to stay home where its nice and warm. Then, there are those who are not hyped about a “siyum” because the last day is actually 3 days later on shabbos, and actual siyumim are being planned. Im sure dirshu is stealing some of their thunder with their event 6 weeks later.
“How come how come they didn’t have such problems with previous events eh”?
Im sure if someone digs through the archives, the coffee room has the same comments about being “priced out”.Y’all might want to keep in mind that the average NFL player earn $2.7 million a year with 53 players. Don’t look at the value of a football game vs. a siyum. Look at their expenses.
Also consider we do not know if indeed a full 30% are not yet sold just bec. those categories are not yet sold out.
Maybe some people are turned off by all the Yiddish speeches?
(It a joke. Ok everybody, just a joke)
According to Dr. Heilman the seats on the floor for the 9th siyum went for $100. A bargain compared to $600
January. Northern New Jersey. Outdoors. Three days too early.
I have no idea what goes into planning an event like this
Neither does anyone else here, but that doesn’t stop anyone from commenting.
Why not have It on a Sunday when there is no traffic? Is there a football game that day?
CTR – The ninth siyum was 30 years before this one.
Because people who aren’t part of the Agudah establishment aren’t interested.
those that pay hundreds of dollars for sports events don’t pay thousands of dollars for school tuition, kosher food, shul membership, numerous tzedaka etc. esrog, shmura matza, tefillin
Joseph- How many other expenses do know of that have gone up in price 600% in the last 30 years? Perhaps Haimy has a point that there is more going on here than just covering the expenses.
Several people commented that the Agudah isn’t making money off the Siyum. You don’t have to take my word for this, but that is false. They get sponsors to cover everything, and the event itself becomes profit. As another poster commented, when was the last time you sent the Agudah a check? This is their main fundraiser. BTW, this is why DIrshu siyum is so far from the actual date, they were pressured into it so as to not be competition and mess us the Agudah’s fundraiser.
CTR – if there wasn’t any Yiddish, Citifield would be more more capacity than necessary and MetLife would be overkill.
According to a bankrate.com article written in 2016 the average cost for a family of 4 to attend a giants game at metlife stadium (includes 4 tickets, parking and a beer for each) was $629 (and the beers back then were only $5 according to the article). Thats over $600 for family of 4 – $125+ per person. Thats the cost of attending an event, any event at metlife stadium, which according to forbes is one of the most expensive stadiums ever built.
@CTR. The cost to attend a baseball gave has risen 350+%, adjusted for inflation, in the last 30 years.
The 68.5% ad was created and publicized at least two months ago. Did you think they haven’t sold anything since? Of course they have! They just haven’t updated the ad.
Will the siyum be webcast live? While being there is always preferable, some may feel that observing the proceedings from a recliner in their heated luxury suite (their living room) with a personal chef catering to their culinary preferences (aka their wife’s leftover kugel from Shabbos with some take-out sushi) at ZERO cost would be preferable on what could be a cold, snowy New Years’ Day.
GH: come on, isn’t the price of admission worth bring there live? Dancing w the crowd and answering amen yehei shmei rabboh? Being a part of it?
GH: Yes and no….It depends on family circumstances and at what price. For a family struggling to pay tuition, pay for essentials, have deferred repairs on the family’s car, and agonized several weeks ago over paying an extra $20 for a nicer esrog to be mehader mitzah, paying several hundred dollars to attend the siyum live is probably NOT worth it. For those more fortunate, price is not any issue.
Many seats are unsold because many Yidden are last minute people.
Funnybone: Some people agree with your opinion; others with GH.
there should be a website for those tickets that were purchased by various organizations of less expensive seats available for the general public who are not affiliated with those organizations.
What are the lowest cost tickets still available?
BTW….Can anyone remember why the learning cycle was timed for a Siyum to occur in the middle of the winter (aside from getting a special discount on MetLife stadium given the likely absence of multiple bidder seeking to lease the facility on New Years Day)?
GHD: The learning cycle wasn’t seasonally timed. Each new cycle begins exactly when the previous cycle ended.
BTW….Can anyone remember why the learning cycle was timed for a Siyum to occur in the middle of the winter
Are you for real? The cycle was started 96 years ago. Do you really think anyone calculated when the thirteenth siyum would come out?! And if they had done so, what could they have done about it? No matter when they started, some siyumim would have to come out in the winter.
Thank you Reb Yosef…perhaps if they had learned a bit more slowly, the siyum might have been scheduled for a more thermally appropriate date. Conversely, assuming a fixed 7 year, 5 month+ daf cycle, the rent for MetLife stadium in July 2027 (the next siyum) may be a bit higher and the gadolim might end up sharing the stage with Bruce Springsteen.
Millhouse: One would assume that the heilege rabbonim planning something as complex as the daf yomi cycle back in the early 1920s would have recognized the complicaitons of celebrating the 13th siyum in the NYC metro area in the middle of the winter. Perhaps they were a bit ahead of their time and assumed that once the Trumpkopf announced his intent to make aliyah from New York to South Beach, the entire yiddeshe tzibur iwould have immediatley followed him to Florida and the 13th siyum held in the Hard Rock Stadium
P.S. I am definitely NOT for real
I f the compliant is that the Agudah Siyum seats are too expensive. You can go to the Dirshu Siyum at Met Life on Feb 9 and it’s a lot cheaper.
This entire thread is based upon a presumption of which nobody could actually seem to answer with any degree of knowledge. And that is that the sales of this siyum are lagging behind previous siyumim.
Can anyone actually support that statement?
Has anyone spoken to the Agudah and heard first hand that they are worried about sales?
Perhaps the reality is the exact opposite, perhaps sales are ahead of the previous siyum. I myself bought tickets despite the fact that I don’t do the daf, and despite the fact that it is the winter even though I didn’t go to the last one.
Frankly I found avigayil’s response to be the only good one. A huge percentage of our brethren do everything last minute . That’s why it’s called being on “Jewish time”I am not gonna say seats should be free however the excuse that all of this is to cover cost doesn’t sit well with me. The price of a ticket on the field to a concert in August in metlife is less then $500, so to say that the aguda has to charge thousands doesn’t sound right. The average cost to rent metlife is around 1.5 million as per wadell. Also as per their 990 the only year the did not operate at a loss in the past 10 years was 2012 in which they made over 3 million dollars, and their listed contributions went up from around 7 to around 17 million while their expenses went up around 9 million. So in conclusion I would say they probably can lower the prices and still not lose money
ITP22: “did not operate at a loss in the past 10 years was 2012” coincidence that was the year of the last siyum).
So tiring to hear all this kvetching about the price of a seat at the siyum…..If you don’t like it, don’t go, or attend another siyum or start your own daf yomi circle and invite all your fellow CR knockers and hockers to your backyard in July 2027 for a BYO siyum and cookout.
BaltimoreMaven: and how much traffic do you expect on a legal holiday like New Year’s day?
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