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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 31 N OV E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 6 influences how you speak to your fans and your consumers. MB: In your market research on the team, what challenges did you come across that you plan to tackle early on? BC: From a hockey standpoint, Portland has seen two franchises leave [the original Maine Mariners, who played from 1977 to 1992, and the Portland Pirates, who played from 1993-2016]. at's heartbreak- ing for fans. I heard a lot of horror stories about the Pirates leaving, and we need to rebuild trust with fans. Secondly, Maine has changed a lot — a lot of people are not from here, but they're fiercely proud to live here. We need to create real intimacy between the communities around Maine and the experience of hockey. MB: How do you aim to achieve that? BC: Getting away from Sonic the Hedgehog Night and Marvel Movie Night and really making it about the working waterfront, local hockey — things that matter most to the people of Maine. People are really proud of this state, and we need to be a reflection of that in the form of hockey. When you talk to all the businesses on the work- ing waterfront, they're having their Christmas parties at our games already, but how do we go a layer deeper to tell their stories to fans? My playbook is storytelling and the community. MB: How competitive is the market for sponsorships? BC: In markets like Portland, local brands have gotten really savvy, with a shift away from sponsorships to partnerships. We want to get away from logo slaps and have deeply purposeful relationships with brands. We want to go deeper, not wider. MB: Any new approaches to ticket pricing you're exploring? BC: We're exploring tiers of dynamic pricing, recognizing that there is more demand for Saturday games as an example. I would rather have a lot more tickets sold on a Wednesday night at a lower price point and fill that house than hold the same pricing as a Saturday. MB: And what about expenses? BC: In the league, hockey opera- tions expenses were up over 32% last year, and everyone's dealing with that. Broken sticks, compensation and other costs are all a challenge. We're trying to hold the line, and I think that's where the arena does a really great job of trying not to pass that on to the consumer. We just need to have the opportunity to increase atten- dance, increase our partnerships and drive revenue in different ways. at doesn't have to come with a price hike that the consumer sees. We're really trying to hold the line on that. Our Family Helping Yours Plan for the Future. Celebrating 30 years of personalized wealth management that spans generations. goldenpondwealth.com 207-873-2200 | Waterville, ME Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, member FINRA/SIPC. Brian Bernatchez, CFP Katie Bernatchez, CFP ® ® People are fiercely proud of this state, and we need to be a reflection of that in the form of hockey.

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