Tour Directors?

[Snapshot9]

I have wondered for some time what all a tour director has to do in conducting a tour, from getting sponsors, to traveling to different sites, to the type of compensation they are paid, and by who?

Let's discuss all the aspects of having a tour, and what all it entails. I am sure we have some members here that could educate us a lot.

 

[randyg]

We (The Texas Express Group) had our calendar setout a year in advance. In our heyday we had 7 TD's working in the USA. That's 7 tournaments a week end usually. About 145 a year. Under John McChesney's leadership our Tour was as smooth as silk. Naturally Robin & I had our duties also.

Running the tournament was the easiest part of the job. Although the travel was a killer the tournament was the best part. I met so many great pool players all around the USA and I still stay in touch with a few of them.

Not in any particular order we had to co-ordinate:

All sponsors (10-15)
All tournament sites and owner/managers (over 100)
All tournament directors (7)
Tour cards
New members
Tour attendance numbers
Place ads in all pool publications (months in advance)
Submit info to all pool publications in a timely manner
Make sure nothing else was on our dates
Website info
Take entry fees
Calcutta's
Referees
Added moneys
Calculate paybacks (sometimes even before the tournament started)
Gas-oil-tires

On one such trip I started out of Dallas and ran a tournament on consecutive week ends in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Orlando then home to Dallas. I always came in early to help the house get organized and stayed a day after to help clean up.

Good luck
randyg