Whats the most important thing when running a tournament???
- Thread starter Heckler
- Start date
Plenty of space between tables and for seating & keep it on schedule.
Agreed with the timing.
Seems that people dont mind extending the start times for extend periods either waiting for players, or taking forever with the draw. I cant stand it, cause it means the tourney will run longer, you wont be as fresh.
I played in one tourney that the doors opened at 11:00, and the players meeting was supposed to be at 12:00. PM starts around 12:45, and I didnt hit my first ball until 6:00 PM......talk about being pumped for a tourney, warming up in the morning, then not playing for 6 hours. Not a good event.
Another thing that is important for smaller weekly tourneys: The tourney directors need to know how to make the brackets when they get a wierd amount of players, i.e. 10, 20....seems like alot of them dont understand how to space out byes. I have seen people just run the players down and try to fill or update the brackets as players become available. Irritates the piss out of me.
Seems that people dont mind extending the start times for extend periods either waiting for players, or taking forever with the draw. I cant stand it, cause it means the tourney will run longer, you wont be as fresh.
I played in one tourney that the doors opened at 11:00, and the players meeting was supposed to be at 12:00. PM starts around 12:45, and I didnt hit my first ball until 6:00 PM......talk about being pumped for a tourney, warming up in the morning, then not playing for 6 hours. Not a good event.
Another thing that is important for smaller weekly tourneys: The tourney directors need to know how to make the brackets when they get a wierd amount of players, i.e. 10, 20....seems like alot of them dont understand how to space out byes. I have seen people just run the players down and try to fill or update the brackets as players become available. Irritates the piss out of me.
Make sure there are plenty of practice table's and everyone gets a chance.
Make the practice games winner racks, loser or new incoming player breaks.
Make the practice games winner racks, loser or new incoming player breaks.
What he said ...
What Mike said, plus
1) An Auctioneer that keeps the auction moving.
I hate it when a noname player that doesn't play
very good to begin with, and the auctioneer sticks
with it trying to get more than $10 for the bid.
Auctions sometimes get drug out too long, preventing the 1st round matches from starting.
MikeJanis said:
What Mike said, plus
1) An Auctioneer that keeps the auction moving.
I hate it when a noname player that doesn't play
very good to begin with, and the auctioneer sticks
with it trying to get more than $10 for the bid.
Auctions sometimes get drug out too long, preventing the 1st round matches from starting.
matthew staton
Banned
Heckler said:
ADD MONEY. Make it worth playing in enough said!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Starting on time. That's my biggest pet peave. If you say practice time is 6-7:00, and the tournament will start at 7:00, start the damn tournament at 7:00. Don't do the draw at 7:00.
I agree with everyone about starting on time. HOWEVER, it is sometimes necessary to start late. But only on the 1st day of the event.
There are many reasons for this. Below are some examples.
Traffic Jam - Self Explanitory
Grace Period - (inside info) This usually means that the event has a small field and the TD needs additional players to show up so the room/bar owner is happy and will do another event. It is unfortunate for the players that were there on time but in order to keep locations doing multiple events TD's sometimes have to do this.
Too Many Players - Sometimes events get more players than expected and it takes additional time to register these players and get the chart setup.
Don't tell anyone but I always start my events about 15-30 minutes late. I do this for several reasons. #1. I always do a player auction at my events. During the down time I usually talk to the known bidders and try to get them pumped up so I can get a solid opening bid. #2. Players are always late. But that really doesn't matter because we take sign-ups until the end of the auction. #3. We register everyone by computer and on a hand written list. This list along with the monies collected have to be verified prior to the start of the event just to make sure we didn't forget any players or mistakenly write a name down more than once.
On the Viking Tour we usually have to operate during certain time restrictions. Usually noon until 9pm on Saturdays. Sometimes a late start with a smaller field and a slower auction helps us fill our requirements to the room owners. We also do faster auctions and start as soon as possible if we have larger fields.
I understand how players feel about late starts and I also understand how the room owners feel about small or large fields. I just hope the players understand that there is a fine line between room owners wanting to do more events and how the players feel about semi late starts.
Please keep the above in mind when running or attending events.
Additionally, TD's are a conduit between players and room owners. Many times it's a give and take situation. To be a successfull TD you have to understand the limits of both the room owners and the players and try your hardest to never get to those limits. I suggest that you do your best, be sincere and fair to everyone involved. If all goes well you will probably have many events.
Good Luck,
Mj
There are many reasons for this. Below are some examples.
Traffic Jam - Self Explanitory
Grace Period - (inside info) This usually means that the event has a small field and the TD needs additional players to show up so the room/bar owner is happy and will do another event. It is unfortunate for the players that were there on time but in order to keep locations doing multiple events TD's sometimes have to do this.
Too Many Players - Sometimes events get more players than expected and it takes additional time to register these players and get the chart setup.
Don't tell anyone but I always start my events about 15-30 minutes late. I do this for several reasons. #1. I always do a player auction at my events. During the down time I usually talk to the known bidders and try to get them pumped up so I can get a solid opening bid. #2. Players are always late. But that really doesn't matter because we take sign-ups until the end of the auction. #3. We register everyone by computer and on a hand written list. This list along with the monies collected have to be verified prior to the start of the event just to make sure we didn't forget any players or mistakenly write a name down more than once.
On the Viking Tour we usually have to operate during certain time restrictions. Usually noon until 9pm on Saturdays. Sometimes a late start with a smaller field and a slower auction helps us fill our requirements to the room owners. We also do faster auctions and start as soon as possible if we have larger fields.
I understand how players feel about late starts and I also understand how the room owners feel about small or large fields. I just hope the players understand that there is a fine line between room owners wanting to do more events and how the players feel about semi late starts.
Please keep the above in mind when running or attending events.
Additionally, TD's are a conduit between players and room owners. Many times it's a give and take situation. To be a successfull TD you have to understand the limits of both the room owners and the players and try your hardest to never get to those limits. I suggest that you do your best, be sincere and fair to everyone involved. If all goes well you will probably have many events.
Good Luck,
Mj
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MikeJanis said:
You'd be surprised how many people don't know that there is such a thing as a bye chart. There is a method to the madness of setting up the byes.
Also, I keep my start times consistent so the girls always know when the tournament starts. If someone is running late but calls and still wants to play, I'll put them in the draw but tell them that if I call their match and they haven't yet arrived, they have a 15-minute grace period to make their match or they forfeit. Getting the 1st round going is very important.
Also, I have stopwatches on me and will put any match on a "shot clock" that doesn't have at least 7 games completed within a 45-minute period.
Barbara
PopAndSlop
Registered
MikeJanis said:
I've been running tournaments for about 8 years now and your statement sums up many of the problems that players don't understand about the job.
Keep players informed
The bar I run mine in adds money but only if I get a minimum amount of players. I always make the players aware of this and keep them informed as to WHY there is a delay.
Penalize Tardiness
You may have players that come in late and want in. Make them pay a penalty or put them on the losers side (if double elimination) and tell them to call next time and they may have a bit of extra time to get there. If they call but show up after the first round has gone by then they still get knocked to the losers side but don't pay a penalty.
Don't mess with the brackets.
Learn how to set up your brackets (byes are best in the first round) and don't make mistakes. Some players are very unforgiving when they notice something isn't kosher with the brackets or the draw.
Sharking
I run a small tournament with mostly local players. It's a 5$ tournament with a guarantee of $100 for 1st but only if I have 14 or more players. The bar also throws in $25 for 2nd. It sometimes attracts good players looking for some easy cash. I have a rule that if you win one week you can still play the next week BUT if you win again within 4 weeks you get only 1/2 the pot, the other half rides in the pot fund until someone else wins it.
well, there are probably more things but I'm at work and my lunch is done. Good luck