What Can Be Done To Improve The Derby City Classic

Bob Jewett said:
I agree with that in general, but many, including me, think the scheduling is broken. It is the main source of complaints that I've heard. The semi-chaos causes lots of problems.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't mind even playing later at night as long as I knew WHEN I was going to play. This business of walking back and forth to the desk checking in every hour or two and/or craining your neck, searching the spread sheet on the projection board or straining your eyes looking at the TV to see if you have a match or not is for the birds. When the draw is made you don't know if you're going to play in the first round or the fifth round. You can't leave the damn hotel to go get a different meal across town without fear of losing out on missing the curtain call of the draw in the first round. All that worry uses up energy.

Fixed times would be BEST. Other tournaments somehos accomplish this.

If fixed times can't be done, then AT LEAST some form of communication system should be put in place that is FOOL PROOF. Another AZer and I have been discussing this off forum and we'll see where that leaves us.

I hope that this discussion brings positive suggestions to the people who make these decisions to improve the DCC. Most everyone agrees that it is one hell of a tournament. It just needs some major tweaking in the scheduling area. Some other areas that you have brought up would enhance the experience as well.

Oh, yeah since I said one suggestion per post, here's mine: More chairs. My feet were killing me. I even had to soak in a hot tub to make them feel better. The bath tub water was never that hot. Next trip I'm going to make a fortune. I'm going to bring a hot Asian girl from mainland China who doesn't speak much English but sizzles when you look at her and she is going to provide foot massages in my room. :D Greg thinks he had trouble with the traffic from the 3 card Monty guys? Wait until my foot masseuse starts working.

JoeyA
 
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Move it to DC. But then we'd have to call it the DCCDC which doesn't exactly roll off the tongue...
 
Just over a year ago, JoeyA and I sat and discussed a way to get players notified that their matches were up. The idea we discussed was this:

There needs to be a computer program created that would tie into either an automated text message or automated phone call. They do the draw and everyone that is up gets the call/text. JoeyA and I discussed how this could even be an option to purchase, for example when you register you can elect to be notified and it costs X amt of dollars per text/call or maybe just one flat fee for the entire tournament. I personally thought that the sweet spot on this for the consumer would be like $0.95 a call/text.

JoeyA knows that I think this is money making idea that can be taken to other tournaments, not just the DCC and to his credit he didnt mention this idea at all in this thread because he was giving me time to think on it and maybe even develop it. I have thought on it and right now I am not in a position where I can develop this. It will take someone with the ability to program or contract out the programming. It will also take someone with the know how to link the program up to an automated dialer. International phone calls are a problem but maybe Skype or another VOIP program can make this work. I also think that ideally this should be setup with a credit card transaction, where you would sign off at the registration and give over your credit card. The system would run the $0.95 cent transaction automatically, thus eliminating the issue of how to deal with the fact that some folks will get one call , some will get 11. Most online credit card transactions have a per charge fee from the banks, so the way to make more money on this would be to hold the charge until the tournament was over and run one charge. There will be less fees and you will also reduce the amt of credit card chargebacks. Alot of times, if a consumer sees multiple charges on his credit card they dispute the charges claiming duplicate charges so you would want to avoid that.

I cannot do this right now. Maybe someone else out there can take the idea and develop it. JoeyA has told me and I agree that this system will only get action if it works flawlessly. If the system has bugs, the problems that it will create will far outweigh the benefits.

If anyone wants to run with this idea, feel free to PM me. I have some other ideas on this that revolve around the billing that I can get into detail if someone gets going on this.
 
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Smorgass Bored said:
I guess you weren't paying attention to post #21. Please check out the inventory:
http://www.calibex.com/walking-cane-...0--search-html

Doug
( I hate it when the students sleep during class...... imo ) :)
Click to expand...
"Page Not Found...
We're sorry, we cannot find the page you are looking for. Please return to the NexTag Home Page and try again.
If you think you have encountered a problem, please send us e-mail at 'support' at NexTag.com

Thank you for using NexTag."

Thanks for that link, IMO...
 
More Derby ++++++

With the success of the derby tournament, I would like to see another derby later in the year, maybe June or July. Same format.
 
uwate said:
Just over a year ago, JoeyA and I sat and discussed a way to get players notified that their matches were up. The idea we discussed was this:

There needs to be a computer program created that would tie into either an automated text message or automated phone call. They do the draw and everyone that is up gets the call/text. JoeyA and I discussed how this could even be an option to purchase, for example when you register you can elect to be notified and it costs X amt of dollars per text/call or maybe just one flat fee for the entire tournament. I personally thought that the sweet spot on this for the consumer would be like $0.95 a call/text.

JoeyA knows that I think this is money making idea that can be taken to other tournaments, not just the DCC and to his credit he didnt mention this idea at all in this thread because he was giving me time to think on it and maybe even develop it. I have thought on it and right now I am not in a position where I can develop this. It will take someone with the ability to program or contract out the programming. It will also take someone with the know how to link the program up to an automated dialer. International phone calls are a problem but maybe Skype or another VOIP program can make this work. I also think that ideally this should be setup with a credit card transaction, where you would sign off at the registration and give over your credit card. The system would run the $0.95 cent transaction automatically, thus eliminating the issue of how to deal with the fact that some folks will get one call , some will get 11. Most online credit card transactions have a per charge fee from the banks, so the way to make more money on this would be to hold the charge until the tournament was over and run one charge. Less fees and you also reduce the amt of chargebacks if a consumer sees multiple charges on his credit card. Alot of people see that and charge some of the back claiming duplicate charges.

I cannot do this right now. Maybe someone else out there can take the idea and develop it. JoeyA has told me and I agree that this system will only get action if it works flawlessly. If the system has bugs, the problems that will create will far outweigh the benefits.
Click to expand...



That is a great idea!! I worked for a company that had a similiar effect. The sysyem was connected to my phone and it would text me when I had a important e-mail. Then I would get to my pc and check that so important e-mail I received.

Great idea, good luck w/ it...........
Frankie
 
I Don't Want JoeyA.'s Feet To Hurt (or anyone else's either)

JDB said:
"Page Not Found...
We're sorry, we cannot find the page you are looking for. Please return to the NexTag Home Page and try again.
If you think you have encountered a problem, please send us e-mail at 'support' at NexTag.com

Thank you for using NexTag."

Thanks for that link, IMO...
Click to expand...


I corrected it in the previous post and here is the link:
http://www.calibex.com/walking-cane-chair/zzcalibex2zB1z0--search-html

Doug
( thanks for pointing out the defective link ) imo
 
This is doable. Who's paying? ;)

uwate said:
Just over a year ago, JoeyA and I sat and discussed a way to get players notified that their matches were up. The idea we discussed was this:

There needs to be a computer program created that would tie into either an automated text message or automated phone call. They do the draw and everyone that is up gets the call/text. JoeyA and I discussed how this could even be an option to purchase, for example when you register you can elect to be notified and it costs X amt of dollars per text/call or maybe just one flat fee for the entire tournament. I personally thought that the sweet spot on this for the consumer would be like $0.95 a call/text.

JoeyA knows that I think this is money making idea that can be taken to other tournaments, not just the DCC and to his credit he didnt mention this idea at all in this thread because he was giving me time to think on it and maybe even develop it. I have thought on it and right now I am not in a position where I can develop this. It will take someone with the ability to program or contract out the programming. It will also take someone with the know how to link the program up to an automated dialer. International phone calls are a problem but maybe Skype or another VOIP program can make this work. I also think that ideally this should be setup with a credit card transaction, where you would sign off at the registration and give over your credit card. The system would run the $0.95 cent transaction automatically, thus eliminating the issue of how to deal with the fact that some folks will get one call , some will get 11. Most online credit card transactions have a per charge fee from the banks, so the way to make more money on this would be to hold the charge until the tournament was over and run one charge. There will be less fees and you will also reduce the amt of credit card chargebacks. Alot of times, if a consumer sees multiple charges on his credit card they dispute the charges claiming duplicate charges so you would want to avoid that.

I cannot do this right now. Maybe someone else out there can take the idea and develop it. JoeyA has told me and I agree that this system will only get action if it works flawlessly. If the system has bugs, the problems that it will create will far outweigh the benefits.

If anyone wants to run with this idea, feel free to PM me. I have some other ideas on this that revolve around the billing that I can get into detail if someone gets going on this.
Click to expand...
 
uwate said:
Just over a year ago, JoeyA and I sat and discussed a way to get players notified that their matches were up. The idea we discussed was this:

There needs to be a computer program created that would tie into either an automated text message or automated phone call. They do the draw and everyone that is up gets the call/text. JoeyA and I discussed how this could even be an option to purchase, for example when you register you can elect to be notified and it costs X amt of dollars per text/call or maybe just one flat fee for the entire tournament. I personally thought that the sweet spot on this for the consumer would be like $0.95 a call/text.

JoeyA knows that I think this is money making idea that can be taken to other tournaments, not just the DCC and to his credit he didnt mention this idea at all in this thread because he was giving me time to think on it and maybe even develop it. I have thought on it and right now I am not in a position where I can develop this. It will take someone with the ability to program or contract out the programming. It will also take someone with the know how to link the program up to an automated dialer. International phone calls are a problem but maybe Skype or another VOIP program can make this work. I also think that ideally this should be setup with a credit card transaction, where you would sign off at the registration and give over your credit card. The system would run the $0.95 cent transaction automatically, thus eliminating the issue of how to deal with the fact that some folks will get one call , some will get 11. Most online credit card transactions have a per charge fee from the banks, so the way to make more money on this would be to hold the charge until the tournament was over and run one charge. Less fees and you also reduce the amt of chargebacks if a consumer sees multiple charges on his credit card. Alot of people see that and charge some of the back claiming duplicate charges.

I cannot do this right now. Maybe someone else out there can take the idea and develop it. JoeyA has told me and I agree that this system will only get action if it works flawlessly. If the system has bugs, the problems that will create will far outweigh the benefits.
Click to expand...

I Like this idea.

The only drawback using cell phones is that no matter how flawless the dialing and texting system is, reception indoors in large buildings can be a problem. Out of 400 something cell phones, someone is going to have a problem. However, this is a worldwide pool tournament problem, and perhaps a breakthrough along these lines could still do far more good than bad.

In the meantime, perhaps a soft schedule where the time is set at "no sooner than" seems llike it could be introduced with relatively little extra effort. This can be adjusted to an hour before the projected time. If you're waiting for three 9 ball matches to occur on your table, perhaps knowing that under no circumstances that your match will start before 1 1/2 hours from now is enough to know that you can head over and grab some lunch or dinner, or maybe buy something from one of the vendors. Your match will more likely start well after that time, maybe an hour or more, but at least if there is a crazy string of quick blowouts, or a forfeit, you won't miss your match.

Again though, I had a great time and even if they didn't change anything, I'll still be back. It wasn't as bad as other tournaments like an APA singles regional tournament last year that kept everyone hanging for up to five hours at a time in a noisy crowded sports bar without any indication at all when we were going to play. Aye chihuahua.
 
Pool Stock!

uwate said:
Just over a year ago, JoeyA and I sat and discussed a way to get players notified that their matches were up. The idea we discussed was this:

There needs to be a computer program created that would tie into either an automated text message or automated phone call. They do the draw and everyone that is up gets the call/text. JoeyA and I discussed how this could even be an option to purchase, for example when you register you can elect to be notified and it costs X amt of dollars per text/call or maybe just one flat fee for the entire tournament. I personally thought that the sweet spot on this for the consumer would be like $0.95 a call/text.

JoeyA knows that I think this is money making idea that can be taken to other tournaments, not just the DCC and to his credit he didnt mention this idea at all in this thread because he was giving me time to think on it and maybe even develop it. I have thought on it and right now I am not in a position where I can develop this. It will take someone with the ability to program or contract out the programming. It will also take someone with the know how to link the program up to an automated dialer. International phone calls are a problem but maybe Skype or another VOIP program can make this work. I also think that ideally this should be setup with a credit card transaction, where you would sign off at the registration and give over your credit card. The system would run the $0.95 cent transaction automatically, thus eliminating the issue of how to deal with the fact that some folks will get one call , some will get 11. Most online credit card transactions have a per charge fee from the banks, so the way to make more money on this would be to hold the charge until the tournament was over and run one charge. There will be less fees and you will also reduce the amt of credit card chargebacks. Alot of times, if a consumer sees multiple charges on his credit card they dispute the charges claiming duplicate charges so you would want to avoid that.

I cannot do this right now. Maybe someone else out there can take the idea and develop it. JoeyA has told me and I agree that this system will only get action if it works flawlessly. If the system has bugs, the problems that it will create will far outweigh the benefits.

If anyone wants to run with this idea, feel free to PM me. I have some other ideas on this that revolve around the billing that I can get into detail if someone gets going on this.
Click to expand...
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Recently the Louisiana state University implemented an automatic paging system for their students. The old syste didn't work too good but supposedly this one is far better. I don't know what resources were used to create it but there has to be programs already built to do just this.


Some other good news is I spoke to Greg Sullivan this evening for quite some time and he is jazzed about the future of the Derby City Classic. I think he used the word "PUMPED" but I'm concerned about using that word around Easy-e and DeadPoked. :D

Greg is well aware of the problem with scheduling and while he faces both known and unknown challenges at the location where he is now, he is making many efforts to improve the scheduling.

He talked about a lot of things but one of the things that I especially liked was the desire to bring all of the entitites back under one roof. By entities I am talking about the bar table Amateur Tournament, The 3 Cushion tournament, The Action Room and of course the Big Tournament. The problem is space right now. He currently has approximately 60,000 square feet and needs around 100,000 square feet to bring them all under one roof and then have enough added space to bring in MORE 9 FOOT POOL TABLES. The separation of these different entities takes away from the Derby City Classic. I have never played 3 cushion billiards or even seen it played live and it was fun last year hitting some balls with Wei Chao and the other billiard players. Each entity brings its own uniqueness but all of the players in these different groups are still just moving round balls around on a table. It is fun to cross over into the other disciplines and see the uniqueness of each one. It seems that everyone enjoys being close to the professional pool players and having all of the entities under one roof is one way to achieve that for everyone.

The Executive West is not big enough to bring everyone under one roof and with the renovations due this year and next, who knows what space may be available to the DCC. One spot under consideration is as some of you have already heard is the Fair Grounds.

The problem with that is the cost for rent. It's rather expensive. They don't have food and drink but savvy food and beverage companies could do well by sponsoring the Derby City Classic. Pool players eat and drink a lot as most of you know. Well maybe the 3C players don't eat and drink very much. :) The rest of us are a bunch of swine. :p But seriously, Greg mentioned having a tournament of enormous proportions with more tables than ever before, WITH SCHEDULED MATCHES, more room for vendors, seating and even shuttles to move the players between the Host hotel and the Fair Grounds. It is necessary for the players to stay at the Host hotel for this to work and the Host Hotel would have shuttles moving players back and forth. That way, players wouldn't have to pay additional monies for parking. With scheduled matches, they could time their shuttle visit along with sleep patterns and eating schedules.

The ultimate goal is to have a sort of Wood Stock (actually Pool Stock) where players and spectators could really be comfortable and have all of the amenities that we are discussing here.

I would encourage all AZers to make their opinions known here and now. It could help Greg and Mark in their quest to continue to promote and direct the best POOL PARTY in the country.

Lots more tables, scheduled matches, better seating, more sponsors and all of the entities under one roof.

POOL STOCK could be a happening that could put pool on the map with television coverage that could help to make pool even more mainstream. Television advertising dollars would create a whole new world for pool enthusiasts like us. Let's contribute ideas that will help to make POOL STOCK a reality. Sure, there are downsides to everything and you're welcome to critique it all but try to stay on the positive side and see what pool can become if the stars align themselves just right. The bottom line is is looks like the main problem with Executive West is there isn't enough room for additional pooltables and the amount of space may likely shrink next year.

Got a better idea? (Just remember 100,000 square feet) location that will work with Greg to make the DCC continue ALL OF ITS TRADITIONS.

Got a better location? Got a sponsor? Post it up.
We're waiting.

Thanks,
JoeyA
 
JoeyA said:
Got a better idea? (Just remember 100,000 square feet) location that will work with Greg to make the DCC continue ALL OF ITS TRADITIONS.

Got a better location? Got a sponsor? Post it up.
We're waiting.

Thanks,
JoeyA
Click to expand...


Maybe the Hyatt?

http://louisville.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

Which is connected to Kentucky International Convention Center

http://www.kyconvention.org/meeting_facilities/meeting_facilities.html

There's also a Marriot next door.

:D

Edit - Okay, pricey, but unlimited growth potential and many more food options within walking distance.
 
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I'm Still Giving The Problem Some Thought

Maybe they could move the Derby City Classic to MEXICO.
Doug
( or the Superdome )


.
 
gonna lose that dcc feel

Sounds like dcc is gonna turn into the super billiard expo but with 15 dollar an hour challenge tables.

It will be good to have banks, one pocket, 9-ball, artistic pool, whatever barbox thing that was going on down the street, and 3-cushion all in the same venue. Would be kinda cool if the powers that be couold throw in some snooker and artistic billiards to boot!

Really I think it boils down to space and tables. If you have the space for the tables then scheduling shouldnt be a problem.
 
bigdaddygerald said:
...Would be kinda cool if the powers that be couold throw in some snooker and artistic billiards to boot!
Really I think it boils down to space and tables. If you have the space for the tables then scheduling shouldnt be a problem.
Click to expand...
I've been suggesting a snooker table, too. Besides the fact that you have a number of current or former excellent pro snooker players coming seemingly every year now, you have the action tradition of 'payball' (six ball rotation) on the big table. That would surely generate a huge night time interest! I could mention 'Golf' -- but that game aparently ties up the tables for hours or days on end. The bottom line is there would be no shortage of demand for a snooker table, and it could really open up some new interest!

Actually I believe when I mentioned this to Greg Sullivan, he said Diamond has made 5x10's in the past, and could provide that (they are not affiliated with a 6x12 maker at this time). I would think a tight 5x10 would draw quite a bit of interest, too.

Regarding the scheduling issues, doubling the number of tables would sure help with that, and that is my understanding of about what they have in mind if they put the main tournament room over at the fairgrounds.

I would say the cost of everything is something to keep a close look at. The cost to Diamond for the convention center space might have to get passed through into higher costs for attendees. Also, I would be concerned about the cost of parking over at the center; would that be an issue? And who provides the shuttles and at what cost? Currently the hotels provide the shuttles, which we all use for free -- but hopefully we tip the drivers :) The fairgrounds location would probably necessitate a special dedicated shuttle.

All-in-all, I think the increased number of tournament tables that are being talked about would have a hugely positive impact on the match scheduling -- hopefully enough to make issues with scheduling disappear.

The scheduling of matches even creates problems with our Hall of Fame dinner, because so many of our guests either have matches themselves to worry about missing, or have matches they want to watch. It would be great to be able to asure attendees that they have a three hour window to come to the whole social/dinner/presentations and fully enjoy with no worries about matches. The tournament desk currently does the very best they can about shifting attendee's match schedules (which is much appreciated!), but it is tough on them, with such a crunch to move the huge field of players through three disciplines on limited tables.

Where would the vendors be? and would they be happy there? I would say that would be important too. Maybe moving to the fairgrounds would mean more bigger vendors could come -- that could be a plus, too.

Leaving the action room, hopefully much expanded :) over at the West would still offer the ambience and convenience of quick transitions from your room and the action -- at all hours.

Getting the right mix of what to leave at the West, and what to move to the fairgrounds sounds like a challenge, and an experiment, but lets all show our support for the DCC and fully commit to giving Greg and Diamond all the chance in the world to make the event better, for all of us.

I know it is the highlight of my year!!
 
JoeyA said:
-------------------------
Some other good news is I spoke to Greg Sullivan this evening for quite some time and he is jazzed about the future of the Derby City Classic. I think he used the word "PUMPED" but I'm concerned about using that word around Easy-e and DeadPoked. :D
Click to expand...

Joey... either I was really drunk, or umm.... ok I was... we were... me and easy-e... both probably drunk... it's possible I may be drunk currently... but everything you were saying had a sexual undertone to it! It was hilarious though at the time.

As far as improving the Derby City... they could always get the Techno Viking to do an appearance. See signature... click image... it'll change your life!
 
I think it needs to be moved and done like Joey is talking about... it's outgrown the original setup, but it's gotta be in a place with a hotel attached or next door.
 
uwate said:
Just over a year ago, JoeyA and I sat and discussed a way to get players notified that their matches were up. The idea we discussed was this:

There needs to be a computer program created that would tie into either an automated text message or automated phone call. They do the draw and everyone that is up gets the call/text. JoeyA and I discussed how this could even be an option to purchase, for example when you register you can elect to be notified and it costs X amt of dollars per text/call or maybe just one flat fee for the entire tournament. I personally thought that the sweet spot on this for the consumer would be like $0.95 a call/text.

JoeyA knows that I think this is money making idea that can be taken to other tournaments, not just the DCC and to his credit he didnt mention this idea at all in this thread because he was giving me time to think on it and maybe even develop it. I have thought on it and right now I am not in a position where I can develop this. It will take someone with the ability to program or contract out the programming. It will also take someone with the know how to link the program up to an automated dialer. International phone calls are a problem but maybe Skype or another VOIP program can make this work. I also think that ideally this should be setup with a credit card transaction, where you would sign off at the registration and give over your credit card. The system would run the $0.95 cent transaction automatically, thus eliminating the issue of how to deal with the fact that some folks will get one call , some will get 11. Most online credit card transactions have a per charge fee from the banks, so the way to make more money on this would be to hold the charge until the tournament was over and run one charge. There will be less fees and you will also reduce the amt of credit card chargebacks. Alot of times, if a consumer sees multiple charges on his credit card they dispute the charges claiming duplicate charges so you would want to avoid that.

I cannot do this right now. Maybe someone else out there can take the idea and develop it. JoeyA has told me and I agree that this system will only get action if it works flawlessly. If the system has bugs, the problems that it will create will far outweigh the benefits.

If anyone wants to run with this idea, feel free to PM me. I have some other ideas on this that revolve around the billing that I can get into detail if someone gets going on this.
Click to expand...

I went down to the Executive early this DCC to setup the cameras for the straight pool challenge. I mentioned the text message idea to them at the same time and they said it was a programming issue and had been considered. I think it would help the flow.

For Sure - We need to keep it open 24 hrs

Thanks Greg and Diamond for the DCC --- Good Times
 
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