| |
BGonline.org Forums
Participation in ABT events..Apr-June 08 vs this year.
Posted By: Chiva Tafazzoli In Response To: Participation in ABT events..Apr-June 08 vs this year. (Bill Riles)
Date: Thursday, 11 June 2009, at 9:58 a.m.
Chiva WILL run a next edition of the "US Masters & Open" in 2010, aiming at the West Coast. Chiva is determined to establish this event. A backgammon superpower USA deserves such and I am willing to lose money (not that I want to) if I must on my way to taking it there. When Chiva started his European tournaments, everybody was suspicious and general opnion was that Chiva wouldnīt stand a chance to be successful. They have been proven wrong.
Why "Masters"? To accommodate the highrollers are those who like to play for higher stakes.
Why "Open"? In order for everyone to attend at an affordable entry price.
What is "affordable"? Admittedly, $500 is as expensive as Las Vegas in the USA and compared to other entry fees, expensive. Now speaking of ROI, it has also to be high enough to ensure a prize money which will go a bit beyond than just covering expenses. Even high enough to be interesting for foreign players to travel and to participate.
Yes, hotel was not cheap but thatīs the best I could do remotely. I hope to get better rates for 2010, wherever it takes place.
Yes, the discount was a new system, maybe not the best, but worth to be tried out, considering the pressure from the venue to meet room nights.
Yes, a 4 days event led to less entries, so we will shoot at a 3 days event next year.
Yes, scheduling needs improvement, but some players were very happy not havng to play 24 hours non-stop and went sightseeing.
Please keep in mind that backgammon tournaments are also social events. Even if there is money on the line, itīs an opportunity to meet old and new friends, to have drinks and dinner together, to see new venues and for those hardcore players, to get away from the anonymous internet. Itīs about combining recreation with a hobby.
Chiva is overall very happy with the first edition, even if it was costly. Compared to the European events, itīs a pleasure and a lot of fun to have tournaments in the USA. Players are different and they act different. Overall: less headaches and more enjoyable, from the perspective of an organizer. The feedback I got from the attending players was overwhelming and certainly pushed me to pursue my efforts, in a time I felt to be a bit frustrated by backgammon and the players involved.
I am not angry at anyone who stayed away, for whatever reason. I appreciate everyoneīs effort to participate and support my efforts. All this is done to give something back to the game and the players, and not to make money.
Focus on ROI alone is not the right mindset for entering live events. Equity-chasers are better off playing on the internet and saving travel expenses. But bear in mind that without live tournaments, the future of backgammon in general will be endangered.
| |
BGonline.org Forums is maintained by Stick with WebBBS 5.12.