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BGonline.org Forums
Tournaments -- Attendance and More (Probably Much too Long)
Posted By: Bill Riles
Date: Sunday, 3 June 2012, at 5:13 p.m.
I've read with great interest the various recent posts and threads regarding tournament attendance, etc. As usual, I have some thoughts.
First of all, with respect to Chiva. Chiva and I have occasionally had our differences; however, I like Chiva, I respect Chiva, and I respect what Chiva provides our game. Regardless of what any may think of his business model and how he runs his tournaments, no one can deny his efforts and contributions to the game -- for that we owe him our thanks. The same is true of all of our US directors who have worked tirelessly, many over a number of years, for little or nothing, to provide our backgammon community tournament opportunities. Thank you Lynn, Steve, Bill, Patrick, Carol, Howard, Rory, Linda/Sue, Elayne, Joe, Ed, Ed, Brian, and others I, doubtlessly, unintentionally fail to mention.
I have no specific knowledge of what caused the Florida fiasco but I think of it more as an aberration rather than a trend and I do not think others should judge the game or the director as a result. There are some things we can all learn from the event, I think that is what is important. 1) If at all possible avoid scheduling around family oriented holidays -- it was Mother's Day. 2) Proactive promotion is paramount -- a director cannot select a venue/date, put it on the calendar, and expect "that they will come". This is not an indictment of Chiva, only a general statement; but look at the success of those tournaments heavily promoted and those that are not. As I understand, and I have no personal knowledge, there were also some personal differences between parties (or groups) that very adversely impacted the event's attendance. I know no details; I know nothing by which to opine on justification, appropriateness, or otherwise; I only know, if true, it is most unfortunate for the game when pettiness leaves the personal arena and enters the public venue.
As others have noted here, every director and tournament faces a fragmented, diverse demographic with varying interests. We must, within reason, try to address as many of these as possible.
From my own perspective -- and this is, obviously, self-serving to a degree -- I have chosen to do the following.
I support the ABT and all Bill Davis does for the game -- his ABT Facebook page, recently celebrating it's first anniversay, is a delightful tool for the promotion of the game and for information on the game. I support the USBGF and the many things it is doing, and attempting to do, in the promotion of the game -- props to Karen Davis, to Perry Gartner, and to the many volunteers giving their time, their talents, and their services to this worthy cause. The promotion of on-line and/or international tournaments, of collegiate play and tournaments, of an informative website and Facebook participation, and of the great Prime Time on-line magazine are superb efforts.
After attending and enjoying ABT tournaments, and taking advantage of the efforts of others, for nine years or so, and noting no Texas tournament in far too long, I have joined with Tara Mendicino to host a tournament in Texas next year. We all need to contribute to the game in whatever manner we can -- recognizing our individual restraints of time and financial resources, etc. But we all can do something. Get involved.
In formulating our San Antonio tournament plans, Tara and I looked inwardly at our own playing experiences and looked at what has been successful, and unsuccessful, with other tournaments. We then tried to incorporate the good and extrapolate to other ideas we feel address issues many players face and that many players have addressed, here and elsewhere. As a new tournament seeking credibility, we first secured a top-notch tournament play director, Patrick Gibson. Patrick is one of the very best directors and his selection was one of Tara's and my best decisions. We thank him for his participation.
Perhaps our first decision was city and venue. I fully understand the advantages and reasons for many weekend tournaments being located at airport hotels -- convenience for out-of-town attendees, costs are lower in hotels often capitalizing on workweek business travelers, etc. But many times the players, me included, rarely leave the playing venue at all -- one could as easily be in Billings, Montana or Omaha, Nebraska as in LA, Chicago, or Atlanta. There is backgammon and nothing more -- which is fine for some but many want more. I play many events -- but I most like destination events where there are other things to see and do, during or before/after the tournament. NYC Metro, Santa Fe, Denver, Seattle, and Chiva's US Open in DC are great examples. So, we chose San Antonio -- a premier tourist/convention city in the States -- and we chose a historic downtown hotel near all of the sites and activities. The city is easy to get to by air and the airport is only ten miles from downtown, so hopefully we've addressed the best of all worlds.
Secondly, and critically to many tournaments, is the date. The ABT schedule is crowded and all directors compete for an all too small population -- though perhaps, at times, we are too concerned with schedule conflicts across the country. San Antonio, because of all of its positives, is very busy year-round. The mild 'winter' weather ensures no slowdown in those months. Planning, even a year or more in advance, was quite difficult with limited options. We feel fortunate to have secured the early February date which may be San Antonio at it's best -- not the extreme heat of much of the year, and a warmer winter respite for those players from more northern latitudes. Further, San Antonio is somewhat equi-distant from the East and West coasts and from the Midwest. Being in the Central time zone, the time changes are not as great as in coast-to-coast travel.
Thirdly, we wanted to provide as much backgammon as anyone might want to play with a range of events providing variety, flexibility, innovation, etc. A player can play a little or a lot and, if they choose to play only a little, there are tons of things to do nearby. We were most fortunate in being selected to host a couple of USBGF events which provide free and/or very affordable opportunities to all. In the USBGF National Championship, free first entry, the novice and/or beginning intermediate may well have the opportunity to play Neil or Falafel or MCG or others -- which should be a thrill in itself. In addition to the ABT and USBGF events we will have a range of side events to satisfy all levels and amounts of play.
Fourthly, we noted that many ABT events provide, certainly in the main events, little opportunity for a participant to cover their expenses, even if reasonably successful in their play. When someone is paying $1,000 or more for a weekend of fun (counting travel, hotel, entries, food, etc.) we don't think a $50/$100 difference in entry fees is a significant factor in their decision; however, slightly higher entry fees can ensure that several players recoup their expenses and maybe even make some money. As an example, many ABT Intermediate/Advanced tournaments, with low entries and small fields, can hardly, if ever, even guarantee the winner a profit. We think some directors have wrongly interpreted the market -- we feel marginally higher entry fees, reasonable rakes, and consequently larger prize pools will generate larger fields. As an example, we can look at the Intermediate Divison in last week's Chicago Open. It was executed with 8 person brackets with the winners of each bracket advancing to a playoff. The $100 entry afforded one entry but a player could re-enter for only $20. There were 33 players that filled sixteen brackets of eight -- 128 entries. So, the 'average' Intermediate player re-entered three times for a total investment of $160 -- one person that cashed entered seven times. We have sought a balance between players' costs and their expectations of returns. Too many have looked, we think, at only the absolute of cost of entry as the determinant financial factor in attendance. It is much more complex -- returns are as important as entry.
Lastly, with our tournament, are we doing things correctly or at least moving in the right direction? We hope so. Time and attendance will tell. We know attendees will enjoy a great city, a historic hotel, a beautiful playing venue, innovation, and as much, or as little, backgammon as they can stand. Initial reaction and response has been most fulfilling and encouraging. Everyone's continued support is very much appreciated. We have listened to the ideas of many and are always open to more ideas and suggestions.
We are trying to contribute and to repay a bit to the game and to the others that have afforded us much so playing pleasure over the years. I hope others, in whatever way they can, choose to do the same.
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