| |
BGonline.org Forums
Feedback wanted: bg action & ABT event
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: Feedback wanted: bg action & ABT event (Gary Schachtschneider)
Date: Wednesday, 8 May 2013, at 11:45 a.m.
There are many wonderful places I would gladly go to play backgammon and also enjoy the area, be it for the weather, the attractions, or simply because the tournament itself is at an interesting and attractive resort. The list would be enormous.
Everyone who lives in a lovely place dreams of having a great, big, exciting tournament in their area, but the reality is that it takes more than a nice place to make a great tournament and attract players to come from all over the world.
Bill Riles was able to create a great event in San Antonio that was a huge success and should become a standard. He virtually dedicated his life for many months to make it happen, and the got a lot of help from the right people to make sure it was a success and would attract both top players and a good deal of intermediates and beginners, and he encouraged and showed why it was a "destination" for family and friends as well as the players.
I won't go through the complete list of all the things Bill and his staff did to attract the players and ensure an excellent event, but it included a great venue in a lovely, unique hotel at a reasonable price, in an amazing location; one of the best, respected directors in the game--Pat Gibson--to assure us all the event would b run fairly and professionally; great support staff; interesting side events; a reasonable entry fee and fair rake; a lecture by Mochy and me and special lectures for family members and novices by me to encourage people to bring along their families; streaming of matches and lectures; a super-bowl party; and social hospitality to attract people for more than just playing backgammon. Tara Mendicino also played a key role in the success of San Antonio.
Bill also engaged the USBGF to get their full support and participation and made sure the USBGF had a major presence at the event--proving that there is great value when all parties involved support each other and work together the game, and everyone involved, benefits.
About the only thing that could have made this event better would be a sponsor with money added, but that's what is sorely lacking in every area of the game we love.
(Bill also followed up with thank you notes to the staff and even sent me a beautiful plaque thanking me for my help in the lectures--above and beyond what could possibly be expected or needed.)
Yes, of course there were glitches--some scheduling problems and coordination problems, but it was a first-time event and a lot was scheduled into a small time frame with USBGF events running simultaneous to main events, but even the problems were handled with courtesy and grace. Bill and his staff and those of us involved are already working to smooth those rough edges for next year.
So just because you have a nice city and a warm climate does not a great tournament make. Just ask Bill Riles. It starts with an idea beyond just having a room, and it takes a tremendous amount of vision, work, and organization.
Sure, I'd love to come to Pheonix in the winter. Or Aspen, Austin, Savannah, St. Barts, and a few hundred other places. But it takes more than just an idea to make it happen and to get me, and the rest of the backgammon community there.
Don't just expect to reserve a room, reserve a date, and have the world beat a path to your door.
| |
BGonline.org Forums is maintained by Stick with WebBBS 5.12.