It seems like many of the "ideas" for widening the appeal and increasing participation levels of pool are pretty much the same. The objective of many of them appears to be to draw in as many people and their dogs as possible. I'd like to describe a different approach, just to hear your response, if nothing else.
The purpose is to appeal to more educated, professional, upscale consumers, the ones who have money, but aren't going to hang out in some smoky "pool hall" instead of going to their Yoga lessons or tennis clinics. Just some points, in no particular order, and by no means is this intended to be some complete "business plan"!
The pool room is nice. Nice tables with plenty of room between them. Upscale decor. No smoking, of course. No hip-hop or rap crap playing in the background.
Playing there is for members only. Membership is $120 a year, payable only in one sum, not "$10 a month." This would weed out most of the riff-raff. There is still a nominal per-minute charge for a table, of course.
Borrow an idea from municipal tennis, which spends a LOT of time attracting new players. Once or twice a week, have a free clinic for 30-45 minutes. Then the participants pair up and play each other for practice.
Have the same thing just for female players - a "ladies only" clinic, typically on a weekday morning. Muny tennis courts have these, and they're usually packed with bored housewives. On Saturday mornings, have a clinic for the younger members.
Borrow an idea from martial arts schools. Advertise and offer, for non-members, a free one-hour group lesson, followed by an hour of complimentary coached play and a discounted membership fee if they sign up then. Put cards ("coupons") on checkout counters everywhere, especially in the neighborhood. Give discounts on pool supplies - cues, etc., and maybe coordinate with a local pool table dealer for discounts on purchases there if you're a member.
Of course, food and drink would need to be worked into the operation in some nice, attractive way.
A key PR person would be the resident pro. He would be responsible for leading the clinics, fitting cues, giving private lessons, etc. And this would need to be somebody who walked and talked sharp and professional, not some schmuck who hasn't shaved in 3 days, wears a shirt that looks like he slept in it, and starts every sentence with "hey, man, like, you know..." Same goes for any other personnel.
Location would also be a critical factor, and obviously this approach wouldn't work in smaller towns where there's simply not enough population mass to support it.
How many of you would patronize something like this? I certainly would. The idea is to simply increase the quality of the overall pool-playing experience, and to make various aspects of it more attractive and enjoyable.
Anyway, just an idea.
The purpose is to appeal to more educated, professional, upscale consumers, the ones who have money, but aren't going to hang out in some smoky "pool hall" instead of going to their Yoga lessons or tennis clinics. Just some points, in no particular order, and by no means is this intended to be some complete "business plan"!
The pool room is nice. Nice tables with plenty of room between them. Upscale decor. No smoking, of course. No hip-hop or rap crap playing in the background.
Playing there is for members only. Membership is $120 a year, payable only in one sum, not "$10 a month." This would weed out most of the riff-raff. There is still a nominal per-minute charge for a table, of course.
Borrow an idea from municipal tennis, which spends a LOT of time attracting new players. Once or twice a week, have a free clinic for 30-45 minutes. Then the participants pair up and play each other for practice.
Have the same thing just for female players - a "ladies only" clinic, typically on a weekday morning. Muny tennis courts have these, and they're usually packed with bored housewives. On Saturday mornings, have a clinic for the younger members.
Borrow an idea from martial arts schools. Advertise and offer, for non-members, a free one-hour group lesson, followed by an hour of complimentary coached play and a discounted membership fee if they sign up then. Put cards ("coupons") on checkout counters everywhere, especially in the neighborhood. Give discounts on pool supplies - cues, etc., and maybe coordinate with a local pool table dealer for discounts on purchases there if you're a member.
Of course, food and drink would need to be worked into the operation in some nice, attractive way.
A key PR person would be the resident pro. He would be responsible for leading the clinics, fitting cues, giving private lessons, etc. And this would need to be somebody who walked and talked sharp and professional, not some schmuck who hasn't shaved in 3 days, wears a shirt that looks like he slept in it, and starts every sentence with "hey, man, like, you know..." Same goes for any other personnel.
Location would also be a critical factor, and obviously this approach wouldn't work in smaller towns where there's simply not enough population mass to support it.
How many of you would patronize something like this? I certainly would. The idea is to simply increase the quality of the overall pool-playing experience, and to make various aspects of it more attractive and enjoyable.
Anyway, just an idea.
