Basically, if you want to attend a game at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, you can, is Snedden's reasoning.
His organising group unveiled ticket prices for the tournament yesterday with, as expected, a wide range of prices, from modest to the sort of figure that makes people read it twice to make sure they haven't made a mistake.
Because Rugby World Cup Limited keeps all money earned from sponsorship, broadcasting and travel packages to channel it to the International Rugby Board, New Zealand organisers have to recoup about $280 million to cover the cost of running the tournament.
Their only revenue stream is ticket sales, so they have to strike a balance between generating cash and giving the "stadium of four million" a chance to be at the World Cup without breaking the bank.
"We looked at other events, tested out some ideas and did some market research and in the end, we think we found that balance," Snedden told the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
"I think the prices are fair. We said all along that some of the major games were going to be quite expensive by New Zealand standards. But we're offering a range of prices and we've got a lot of games that are very modestly priced."
There will certainly be some gulps at the prices for games at Eden Park, where the most basic adult seat for an All Black game will cost $120 and premium seats for the semifinals and final will range from $780 to $1250.
But fans in Dunedin will not feel shortchanged.
Prices for games involving 2003 world champion England (against a play-off team) and Six Nations champion Ireland (against Italy) range from $15 to $150.
That compares favourably with the 2005 Lions-Otago game ($34 to $120) and this year's All Blacks-France test ($50 to $120) at Carisbrook.
A family of four could attend a World Cup game in Dunedin for between $90 and $120, which was good value, Snedden said.
Average prices for 2011 World Cup pool games are $10 to $40 cheaper than for pool games at the 2007 tournament in France, based on average exchange rates.
Organisers have also developed a payment plan to make it easier for New Zealand fans to pay for tickets.
At this stage, the plan is only for fans buying ticket packs for pools or venues.
There are 13 venues being used for the World Cup, but only Dunedin has an element of doubt over where the games will be played.
If the $200 million Forsyth Barr Stadium is not ready by September 2011, the three Dunedin games will have to be played at Carisbrook.
Rugby New Zealand 2011 Limited ticketing manager Shane Harmon has the job of working out what to do if fans buy tickets and then discover they won't be sitting at a plush new ground.
"We're going to make sure that nobody's undersold, so to speak," Harmon said.
"We'll make sure people will get at least the same quality seat at both stadiums. It won't quite neatly fit so we'll probably hold some tickets back until we get final confirmation on the venue.
"Dunedin's obviously unique so when we go to market we will make it clear to everybody that the venue is still to be confirmed."
