Here’s how much Panthers paid for Clemson fan fest ... and how many people attended

Back in August, the NFL’s Carolina Panthers celebrated their 30th season by holding their annual fan fest event back where it all began: Clemson’s Memorial Stadium.

The Panthers – who played their inaugural 1995 season at Clemson while their stadium in Charlotte was being built – took a trip down I-85 and held an open practice event in Death Valley on Aug. 1, early in their training camp.

“They really made us feel at home,” Panthers first-year coach Dave Canales said after the event, which featured a scrimmage, a fireworks show and an on-field meeting between team owner David Tepper and Tigers football coach Dabo Swinney.

So, how much did the Panthers pay Clemson to use their stadium? How much money did both parties make from the fan fest? And how many fans showed up?

Here’s what various documents obtained by The State via public records request revealed, including a final attendance tally that fell short of expectations.

Stadium rental fee

The Panthers paid Clemson $30,000 to use Memorial Stadium for their fan fest on Aug. 1, according to a Clemson athletic department facility use terms sheet.

The agreement was made March 21 and formally signed by Panthers team president and Clemson graduate Kristi Coleman on June 19 and Clemson athletic director Graham Neff on June 21. The parties publicly announced the event on June 20.

According to the contract, the Panthers and Clemson also agreed to a number of “commercial terms” surrounding who handled what in regards to the fan fest event.

The Panthers would handle ticket sales through their ticket agent, Ticketmaster, and retain 100% of the net ticket revenue. The team sold tickets for the event for $5 apiece and said in a June news release that all ticket proceeds would go directly to Carolina Panthers Charities to serve communities across both Carolinas.

Clemson, as part of the contract, was responsible for contracting all personnel that the parties deemed “necessary” for the event, including ushers; security; police, fire and medical personnel; video and sound staff; and grounds crews.

The Panthers agreed to recompensate Clemson for all of those fees and any additional “staffing costs” after Clemson provided a “final settlement” agreement no later than 60 days after the event detailing all costs.

Attendance falls short of expectations

In the parties’ initial agreement in March, the Panthers estimated they’d draw 50,000 fans for the event at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, which seats 81,500.

The final cost projection for the event, sent by Clemson to the Panthers on Oct. 2, shows the team later reduced that estimate to 45,000 people buying $5 tickets for the event (“paid attendance”) and 30,000 people attending (“actual attendance”).

The actual numbers, according to the final settlement?

The Panthers sold 18,905 tickets for the event, about 26,000 fewer than they anticipated, and saw 5,075 people actually redeem their tickets and attend.

That amounted to a 26.8% “show rate” among fans buying tickets and 6% of Memorial Stadium’s seating capacity. The final attendance count also was about 25,000 fans short of the Panthers’ “actual attendance” estimation to Clemson.

It was a noticeably low number – and one the team initially did not publicize to media on the night of the event – but there were some logistical factors at play.

Upstate South Carolina was stormy on the afternoon of Thursday Aug. 1, to the point where the Panthers had to initiate an hour-long “seek cover” protocol because of lightning in the area during pre-event festivities before opening the gates.

The Panthers also held their fan fest on a weeknight around the same time a number of public school districts in South Carolina – including Pickens County, where Clemson is located – had either just started or were about to start school.

Weather and scheduling aside, the Panthers, at that point, were also coming off a 2-15 season in which they finished with the worst winning percentage in the NFL.

That performance – and a six-year streak of missing the playoffs that seems destined to continue this year – likely played a role in just over 5,000 people showing up.

How much money did the event make?

According to a final settlement document compiled by the Clemson athletic department and sent to the Panthers, the total event cost was $197,749.12.

Clemson’s athletic department sent an invoice for that six-figure payment to the Panthers on Oct. 28, and the team was required to repay the school by Nov. 27.

Operating expenses for the event ($156,173.87) made up the vast majority of the bill, with the rental fees for the lower bowl of the stadium and some other premium areas ($37,901) and utilities ($3,674.25) also factoring into the final number.

Based on final settlement document numbers, the Panthers also generated $94,525 off ticket sales (excluding any added fees) for Carolina Panthers Charities.

The Panthers didn’t design the fan fest event as an explicit revenue generator, instead viewing it more as a chance to celebrate its 30th season in a unique way.

It was also a way to directly connect with SC Panthers fans after the team announced last year it would no longer be holding its training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg and would be moving that event to its practice fields in Charlotte.

Clemson, for its part, netted about $30,000 from the event after the Panthers recompensated the school for day-of expenses, a spokesman told The State.

The Charlotte Observer’s Alex Zietlow contributed reporting.