BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - The day after new gameday Covid protocols were announced for Highmark Stadium and KeyBank Center, Pegula Sports and Entertainment's Ron Raccuia said reaction has been minimal.
"In terms of fans asking for a refund, reaction has been minimal" said Raccuia on WBEN Wednesday morning. The Executive Vice President of PSE said there has been a lot of conversation and questions and dialogue, but in terms of returning tickets, it's been minimal."
Season ticket holders have until Friday to request refunds for their
tickets. Fans who choose to get the vaccine must have one dose by September 26. They must be fully vaccinated by the end of October.
Any fan who returns season tickets is also giving up seniority and seat location. There are no refunds for single game ticket purchases.
"The reason we had to make the decision on seniority and giving up seat location is multi," said Raccuia. "One, we don't know how long this is going to last. This could go on through next season. So we needed to prepare for that. We have a season ticket waiting list. And we tried to make it as fair as possible to our season ticket holders who are critical to our success, but we needed to make a decision and we wanted to make it as streamlined as possible," he said.
Raccuia reminds unvaccinated fans that they do have options, beyond seeking a refund. "They could resell them on the open market. They have options that we feel are appropriate," he said.
Was Sunday the tipping point in any way with fan behavior and lack of masks?
"Not at all. This decision was formalized maybe late Thursday, before opening day and then really not concisely put together until Monday morning.
From a logistical standpoint, could fans be looking at longer lines at both the stadium and arena entry gates due to the vaccination mandate? "We don't think so. We thought our fans did a fantastic job of getting the the stadium early. We had 97% of our fans through the gates before kickoff. That's unheard of," said Raccuia. He admits they are understaffed, but he said the new policy is manageable with the staff that they have. Staff will have to undergo additional training for vaccine verification.
Concert ticket refunds for shows at KeyBank Center will be done on a show by show basis, depending on the promoter. The vaccine mandate will be in effect for concerts as well as sporting events.
The Bills executive making it clear that the team did not make the regulations. They are following guidelines from Erie County and New York State.