Booking Glory-Chapter 57: Competition In The Industry

"There are only a few days left till <Last Stand>. How are the ticket sales? Are we filled out?" Mr. Gibson asked Robin with a small smile on his face.

"You don’t need to worry about it. We sold out after last night’s show. What you need to worry about is the rising demand for tickets. We need to see if we can book a bigger arena," Robin said with a contented expression on his face.

"But, wouldn’t the risk be bigger if we are to switch arenas?" Mr. Wolfe frowned.

"True, the risk would be bigger. But, so will the rewards. The question we need to ask is whether we can sell out a bigger arena if we book it. If we can, we should go for it," Robin replied.

"With how things have been for the past two PPVs, I am sure we can do it. We have sold out our tickets before even the event date. Normally, there will be tickets left over, but now, we are selling out in advance. I think we should go for it."

"But the other arenas can seat a much larger crowd. I think, we need to be cautious about this," Mr. Wolfe frowned. "It is not just incurring some loss. If a show we put out doesn’t sell well, then we take a hit to our credibility as well."

"True," Mr. Gibson nodded thinking hard.

"But, if we never made the move, we will not know our entire capability as well. The wrestlers want to wrestle in big arenas as well. The more the crowd, the more their popularity. And the more their popularity, the better income for us from merchandise and other stuff as well," Robin urged.

"You do make some good points, but we have just reached financial stability. I don’t want to jeopardize it chasing after bigger money," Mr. Gibson said frowning a little.

"Exactly my point, we need to wait and see if this situation keeps happening consistently. If we sell out tickets in advance consistently, then we can look into booking a bigger arena for the next PPV," Mr. Wolfe said emphasizing his point once more.

"But we are already doing that. We have sold out tickets for our weekly shows and PPVs in advance consistently for the past two months. What more does the talent need to prove here? We are making money hand over fist. What we need is to look into how to become even bigger," Robin stated empathetically.

Mr. Wolfe didn’t reply, he simply shook his head. Mr. Gibson, on the other hand, looked more contemplative with every statement Robin made. Mr. Gibson knew that Desmond wasn’t a business-savvy individual. He may be a great trainer and a good backstage manager, but he didn’t have the mind for business like Robin did.

Even his gut was telling him to expand now with the momentum they had going. He knew like everything, this momentum had to come to an end at a certain point in time. And where LWC will be standing in the circle will depend on how far this momentum carried them.

However, he was also leery of ruining the momentum by reaching too far. He needed to balance both the momentum and the actual growth of the audience for LWC.

"Rob, what do you think?" Mr. Gibson asked looking towards Rob who had been silent all this while.

Rob saw Robin’s eyes harden a little from his side vision but he didn’t pay attention to it. He knew that Robin was telling the truth. LWC was growing fast and they need to capitalize before this growth spurt hit a limit. So, actually, he was on Robin’s side in this issue.

"To be frank, I think we could have made a lot more money for this PPV if we had a bigger arena. Robin is right, we have outgrown this venue. At least for the PPVs. We need a bigger place for our PPVs at least."

Mr. Wolfe frowned but shrugged in the end as if saying he had no issues.

"You reckon, we should book a bigger arena for our next PPV?" Mr. Gibson asked.

"The numbers don’t lie. We sold out the tickets days in advance. And there are still inquiries coming in. Do you think we can sell a hundred or more tickets? And do remember that the next PPV is an extreme special. Extreme PPVs always sell more. So, it only makes sense that we book a bigger arena at least for that and see the turnout," Rob explained his reasons succinctly.

"Then, what about weekly shows?" Mr. Gibson asked curiously.

"I think we should stay here for the weekly shows. We are not yet that big to change the venue for weekly shows. And it will also give us a stable base while we expand on our PPVs," Rob replied.

"But, PPVs alone wouldn’t make much money for us. We need to capitalize on this momentum and expand our reach. Just like how AWF did in the past. They had good momentum in 1984. So, they expanded rapidly and put their product out in most cities. By 1986, they became the biggest wrestling promotion. Even if we don’t aim for that, we need to expand," Robin stated unequivocally.

"You can’t compare us to AWF," Mr. Wolfe shook his head.

"Why not? They were in our position in 1984. And it only took them two years to become the top promotion. I am not saying that we need to aim for the top spot. We can realistically aim to become a top promotion. We are already in the mid-tier. That aim shouldn’t be something unattainable, right?" Robin asked sharply.

Mr. Wolfe glared at him a bit and looked away.

"Robin, the situation with AWF was different in 1984. Wrestling was not that popular at that time and the market was low as well. They also had Oil Tycoon Sid Wilde coming in. They used Mr. Wilde’s money to open up a new market," Mr. Gibson said massaging his brows.

"You can say they splurged it," Mr, Wolfe grunted. "I and Andy were working for them at that time. AWF wasn’t running on profit as most people thought. AWF was incurring losses week after week. But, Mr. Wilde footed the bill."

"Mr. Wilde took a risk and invested in AWF. I think he saw the market potential there and took the risk," Mr. Gibson nodded along. "Until 1987, AWF didn’t make any profit for Mr. Wilde. However, the fan base was constantly expanding and the market was also widening. It all paid off in the second half of 1987."

"No shit," Mr. Wolfe chuckled. "AWF was the biggest and hottest promotion at that time. Mr. Wilde brought in talents from other promotions by shelling out a boatload of money. He went for their biggest and most famous wrestlers on the roster. Many thought he would lose all his money. He was considered a madman at that time."

"Every promotion was afraid of who he will poach next," Mr. Gibson joined in. "They all hated him and us with a passion. We were ruining their business by poaching their top stars. And by the time it was done, AWF had the biggest and most famous roster in their hands."

"It took two long years of investing a boatload of money for AWF to grow to that size. But, it did pay off. When the economic boom happened in 1987, AWF took off like a rocket. Wrestling was the new entertainment in town at that time. And AWF was the biggest player on the block. So, naturally, it benefitted a lot and is now the biggest promotion out there."

Mr. Gibson finished his impromptu history lesson with a sigh and leaned back in his chair.

"So, that’s why we can’t follow AWF’s strategy," Mr. Wolfe said shaking his head. "For that, we need a lot of money."

"And AWF wouldn’t allow us to grow as well," Mr. Gibson said with a small smile. "The moment they consider us to be a threat, they will poach all our top stars before we could even say what. Trust me, I know those bastards well. I have seen it with my very own eyes how they ruined several promising promotions."

"Why are you even thinking about AWF?" Mr. Wolfe shook his head. "Do you think the other mid-tier promotions will let us be? Until now, we were small and inconsequential. We didn’t have the following that could threaten them. Have you never wondered why despite this city being the Mecca of Wrestling, why there are no mid-tier promotions and only one top-tier promotion?"

"Why is that?" Rob asked curiously as he wanted to know the reason for that. This was a question that has been on his mind for a long time.

"Simple, AWF wouldn’t allow someone else to take their market share. Small promotions aren’t a threat. They will mostly stoke the interest in wrestling as a whole and it will be beneficial for AWF shows," Mr. Gibson answered.

"This is their base as well, kid. So, how can they allow someone else to take a piece of their cake? That is the reason most mid-tier promotions are based out of other cities. You need a strong base to survive. If you are in Longham City, AWF will eat your base slowly but surely," Mr. Wolfe added in the side.

"But, how does it link up with other mid-tier promotions targeting us?" Rob asked still confused.

"Kid, we are the first promotion to rise above the AWF blockade in Longham City. Until now, we are one of those small promotions that litter this city. But, now we are different. We are a strong contender."

"We have broken the blockade. We have proved to them that we aren’t like others. Hell, we even have a TV deal. Most mid-tier promotions don’t have them. So, we are already poised to dominate the mid-tiers in the upcoming year."

"But, we can’t reach too high as well. AWF will smack us down. The only way is to move out of their territory. But, that way we lose our audience base as well. So, everyone knows we aren’t going to do that."

"Do you think we can threaten AWF’s market share? No. We know it, they know it, and everyone else knows it as well. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t threaten the market share of other mid-tier promotions. Especially with our TV deal."

"And <Last Stand> will let them know that we can sell out tickets in advance unlike them. So, they will be looking to block us. So, we now are on their shit list. And they will be staring at us like hawks. If we do one misstep, we will be dragged to the bottom, not by AWF, but by other mid-tier promotions."

Rob soaked in what Mr. Wolfe told with a serious frown on his face. He hadn’t thought much about the competition in a business sense and how businessmen would deal with competitors.

All along, he had been under the delusion that if he consistently put out good shows, LWC will become a bigger promotion. But, from Mr. Wolfe’s speech, things seemed to be not that simple.

"So, we can’t expand? Won’t our momentum go to waste?" Rob asked in confusion.

"Not exactly," Mr. Gibson grunted. "Robin is right. We can’t sit still. If we do, we will start losing both talent and fans. Talents to other promotions promising bigger payouts and salary, and fans to routine programming."

"So, we need to come up with something that would work. It should both be safe but also move as a step forward. Your idea of booking PPVs in bigger arenas is a good one, to be honest."

"But, if we want to become bigger, it won’t be enough. We shouldn’t be afraid of them, in my opinion. We have a TV deal. Most of them don’t have it. And it is a great advantage," Robin still pressed.

"But, our TV deal extension contract hasn’t been signed yet," Mr. Gibson frowned. "What is the status of it?"

"According to the latest talks, they want to see how well we do at <Last Stand>. And they are worried about increased swearing in our content," Robin said looking pointedly at Rob.

"I prefer to add a bit of realism. And the characters need something to set them apart," Rob merely shrugged not minding it.

"But, it is causing them a lot of worries. They are afraid of incurring a bad reputation. Maybe, if you tone it down a bit and not have your wrestler swear every time they turn up and flip off people on live TV, we would have already made the deal," Robin said snidely.

"But, it is getting us a lot of viewers and merchandise sales. Apart from Mark, no one else is outselling Dacey or Diana," Rob shot back with a smile that caused Robin to grind his teeth.

"Let’s leave their concerns aside for now," Mr. Gibson interrupted smoothly and asked Robin. "Now that we have sold out in advance for <Last Stand>, what do you think they are going to do? Can you persuade them to sign the extension as soon as possible?"

"I was also thinking along the same lines. One of their biggest gripes is that we don’t have bigger stars. We need them ASAP. Both for our shows and for the business end. You need to come to a decision regarding that Andy," Robin said shaking his head.

"Aren’t we creating our own stars now?" Mr. Wolfe asked curiously. "Dacey and Diana have been growing in popularity. Mark is close to becoming an established star. And we are bringing in veterans as well for some programs."

"But, they aren’t popular yet," Robin said ruthlessly. "Breeze expects us to showcase some popular stars. They want their star power to attract more viewers to their channel. And, I am afraid that if we don’t provide it, they will look for some other promotion that is willing to do it."

"Is that so?" Mr. Gibson rubbed his jaw deep in thought.

"It is business, Andy. They want value for what they are paying. And our stars aren’t that big. Apart from Mark, no one is satisfactory for them," Robin said plainly.

Mr. Gibson scowled upon hearing that. But, he couldn’t refute that statement. Mark was their biggest draw. While Dacey and Diana are doing good, they haven’t proved their consistency yet.

"That is why I am urging you to book bigger arenas. That way, we will earn more money that can be invested into bringing in bigger stars. Which will, in turn, boost our revenue. Unless you plan on keeping LWC a small product for lifelong, you will need to take that step someday. And now is the optimal time for it. If we lose this TV deal, it will be a big blow to our growth," Robin said sincerely.

Both Mr. Gibson and Mr. Wolfe fell into deep thought hearing it. Rob didn’t butt in. He knew that this wasn’t something he could partake in yet. This was a decision on the fate of LWC as a whole. And he was not yet at that level to offer input to these men.

While he understood it, it still made him a little uncomfortable, to be honest. He didn’t like being in such a position. He also realized the gap between him and Robin at this moment.

While he could bring more money in for LWC, he could never take part in such a pivotal decision-making process in the company’s future prospects. He was clearly not at that level. But, he wanted to be at that level and he knew that this was a great learning opportunity for it as well.

So, Rob closely watched his bosses agonize over how to take the next step forward without damaging the foundation they have built till now. After a long while, Mr. Gibson opened his eyes and looked at Robin...

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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