A major facility that is just devoted for billiards? Kind of liked a stadium for pool. A place where tournaments can be hold, lessons can be given, a pro shop, exhibitions, gatherings, food. Obviously this takes money to build but you possibly sell the naming rights, run it like a pool room to generate income, sell food, sell square footage for vendors. You could also have cue shows and exhibitions. Plus think about all the online stuff you could do and income that could be generated from it. You could probably have a 24 pool stream that could go something like at 1:00 learn how to break with Johnny archer or position with buddy hall and then a what's happening segment in the pool world and then stories with bill Incardona from 3:00 to 4:00 and then how to build the perfect man cave with a billiards theme from 4:00 to 5:00 sponsored by home depot and then how to have a pool party sponsored by Budweiser and then cue repair with so and so sponsored by whoever. How to run the perfect pool tournament from 7:00 to 8:00. Rules of the game from 9:00 to 10:00. A call in hour from 10 to 11 with your hosts Danny D and Billy I. The key is having the place be self sustaining so think about all the possible revenue streams that can generated; ran like a regular pool room, food, drinks, pro shop sales in house and online, lessons streamed online for a price, money for access to the 24 hour stream, the gate from tournaments, and so on and so. Who knows it might take awhile for it to turn a profit but what venture doesn't. Also where do you put this facilty. Another thing I forgot. Has to have state of the art seating. Any thoughts on this. Let's make it happen. It might take volunteers, donations whatever. I'll donate 500 to the fund.
How come pool doesnt't have a mecca.
- Thread starter Stownpool
- Start date
dom_poppa
Banned
Sounds good but the cost would be tremendous in a sport that is dying. Heck, it's expensive even for the major sports league to have something like that.
What you are doing sounds more like a convention. Conventions are usually a hit or miss but to operate it like a pool room? It won't even last a week considering the overhead that is involved to operate this venue and keep customers coming. Pool players are cheap and they can play anywhere with a table. A place like that would probably charge, say $20 an hour?
I would tweak that idea and make it a traveling circus type show. Where they go from city to city, at the locale's convention center or town hall.
It wouldn't just take people donating money like $500, $10,000 to make this come true....it would take millions and millions of dollars. Probably need to find venture capitalists or a group to make this happen.
What you are doing sounds more like a convention. Conventions are usually a hit or miss but to operate it like a pool room? It won't even last a week considering the overhead that is involved to operate this venue and keep customers coming. Pool players are cheap and they can play anywhere with a table. A place like that would probably charge, say $20 an hour?
I would tweak that idea and make it a traveling circus type show. Where they go from city to city, at the locale's convention center or town hall.
It wouldn't just take people donating money like $500, $10,000 to make this come true....it would take millions and millions of dollars. Probably need to find venture capitalists or a group to make this happen.
I think what would be cool is a building to house the TAR studio with the playing area down in a decent sized pit with arena-like grandstands circling the playing area (like a boxing ring in reverse). Air-conditioning/heat, bar, food, ample restroom facilities, big screen monitors overhead showing replays, and a location like Vegas would probably be fairly successful. Have the "two-man, $XX,000 entry fee" type tournament to keep it legal (if it even matters in Vegas). Have a couple of players lined-up to play whenever the larger league players (BCA, APA, TAP, VNEA, etc.) are in town for their Nationals.
Surely people would show up to watch a couple of "heavyweights" battle it out if the above conditions were in place. Wouldn't they?
Maniac (yeah, I'm a dreamer)
Surely people would show up to watch a couple of "heavyweights" battle it out if the above conditions were in place. Wouldn't they?
Maniac (yeah, I'm a dreamer)
That would be cool, but is there a market in the U.S. that could support such an endeavor? Pool halls (like most retail businesses) live off their local market. New York City might be a big enough market but the rents are sky high; same with any other major market.
Is there a Billiards Hall of Fame with a physical location for a museum, memorabilia, etc?
Best bet would be to have a manufacturer (Brunswick, Diamond, others) sponsor at their location.
Is there a Billiards Hall of Fame with a physical location for a museum, memorabilia, etc?
Best bet would be to have a manufacturer (Brunswick, Diamond, others) sponsor at their location.
great idea, from our perspective...but we love pool.
The rest of the world doesn't care.
The employees are gonna outnubber the patrons, 11 out of 10 days.
The rest of the world doesn't care.
The employees are gonna outnubber the patrons, 11 out of 10 days.
Well, not outnubber...outnumber.
I thought pool did have a Mecca - the DCC. 
Lots of people make the annual pilgrimage anyway.
Lots of people make the annual pilgrimage anyway.
Well, not outnubber...outnumber.
Well actually, they possibly COULD have more nubbers too!!! :thumbup:
Maniac
I think you are missing the point. I am not saying a stadium that fits 60,000 heads. I am saying a couple hundred seats or so. A place that people can go and comfortably watch a pool tournament or exhibition or whatever. As far as the pool room side I am talking about a place that can comfortably hold a 64 man field over two days. Like I said figure out the numbers to break even and then go from there. And like I said volunteers would help. I imagine a place where the pros can go and know that they have work and don't have to travel if they lived in that area and if the whole thing worked all the pros would live in that area because that is where they could make a living or at least have a chance. This place would be run by a governing body with all procedes going to bills, funding tournament prize pools, and so on and so on so by having it in one place as opposed to traveling act would greatly reduce cost.
That's all I was talking about, too.
The building wouldn't even have to be that expensive. Sheet metal siding with insulated walls. Concrete floor with a large area rug under the table. Pea-gravel parking lot. Hell, find a couple acres not too far outside of town and git 'er built!!!
Maniac
dom_poppa
Banned
There's a reason why Super Bowls aren't played on the sandlot.
I think people have differnent ideas for this mecca. Here's a fact from the so-called golden age of billiards in the USA -
"The Recreation", a mammoth seven-story health spa, was a bustling Detroit business in the 1920's. It featured 103 tables, 88 bowling lanes, 20 barber chairs, three manicuring stands, 14 cigar stands, a lunch counter on each floor, a restaurant that could seat 300, and an exhibition room with theater seating, that could accommodate 250 spectators.
Nothing comparable to this exists in the USA, unless you have an example.
"The Recreation", a mammoth seven-story health spa, was a bustling Detroit business in the 1920's. It featured 103 tables, 88 bowling lanes, 20 barber chairs, three manicuring stands, 14 cigar stands, a lunch counter on each floor, a restaurant that could seat 300, and an exhibition room with theater seating, that could accommodate 250 spectators.
Nothing comparable to this exists in the USA, unless you have an example.
TheThaiger
Banned
The home of snooker is the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. It's an ordinary theatre for all but 17 days a year.
It would be a good idea for pool to follow suit.
It would be a good idea for pool to follow suit.
It was tried
They tried it with the "Lion's Den" in las Vegas. 100 tables. A bleachered, specially lighted room with camera coverage just for tournament finals or event play. They also had Mike Massey as the house pro. Huge bar too. All under one roof in a huge building.
Just could not support itself. Good idea and had the potential to be great.
They tried it with the "Lion's Den" in las Vegas. 100 tables. A bleachered, specially lighted room with camera coverage just for tournament finals or event play. They also had Mike Massey as the house pro. Huge bar too. All under one roof in a huge building.
Just could not support itself. Good idea and had the potential to be great.
Watch 'Big Truck's' video. Your 'Mecca' is in Fargo.
Would love to go to Fargo and play in a big tournament. Can't help but think I would be inspired to play my absolute best due to fear of being fed through a wood chipper. :grin:
