Millennium Apathy !

[Robbo]

OK here we go...
.....
Actually Pete it was meant as an icebreaker or opener but I must admit I don't want to be included in the comments regarding the board as I believe I do listen to

.................................

Well after that War & Peace I am a few minutes over my midnight finish so I will retire and wait for the flames in the morning!

Spike, now ya see mate this is my problem, I have no doubt your intentions are honourable but one thing from your post just shoved itself straight down my throat and made me sit up.....Spike, you mentioned the word 'unpaid' and I believe you, but doesn't this strike you as somewhat indicative of the thinking that went behind their choice to employ you?

Now whilst you can bask in the knowledge you haven't sold your soul to the money devil but the Millennium are basking in the fact they don't have to pay you...and the other fact is, this part of event production is critical to what we have all been saying and with no disrespect to you mate, they have allocated the position to somebody who is doing it for free and has no experience of this scale of paintball event promotion before .......it's insane Spike !!!!!!

I am sure you will do as much as you can within your remit of experience and expertise to do a good job and I honestly hope you are successful and I hope this for all the players and vendors who are going and spending their hard earned money, if it is a success, it will be more by default than design as is self-evident by your appointment.

As for talking to anybody about ulrich, I don't think so Spike, the subject sickens me, he sickens me, the board's weakness with regard to him sickens me .... if I had the money, I would buy the Millennium and then sack that mofo I a heartbeat and the buyout price would be worth every single penny.
You really wouldn't believe some of the conversations I have had with board members regarding ulrich and some of the things they have said to me...it truly is amazing....and sickening when viewed because they are trying to defend a person who has insulted many of the paying customers and some extremely major players in the industry (and I ain't arrogantly suggesting I am one of those).

The bit I cannot for the life of me understand is this and this confuses me more than anything :- If we take a real look at the actual members of the board and what they are like and here I might upset them personally but hey, I really don't give a flying fu1kk.

Barry Fuggle.

He actually called me yesterday (I expected a call from one of them after this thread, it always happens).
Barry is actually a pretty cool guy who at least recognises the right thing to do and has the intentions to do right ... but he is psychologically hamstrung because he is the new kid on the block and feels as though he cannot push too hard.

Laurent.
He's the visionary among them but like his fellow countrywoman of yesteryear, Marie Antoinette, he sometimes makes decisions that smack of 'Let them eat cake', he is somewhat detached from the player base and therefore some of his ideas run contra to what's best for the players and vendors.
But, saying this, he is a bright guy and will listen and eventually he will come round and see what needs to be done and actually do it.
The two times I have gone at it with the board where they have stated categorically I will never get what I want (which in fact was the right thing to do in both cases) it was Laurent who came back from abroad over-ruled everybody and did the right thing.
Luarent's is essentially a good guy but as i say is somewhat detached.

Manfred.
I don't really know him well at all but from what I can fathom he's not exactly dynamic in terms of ideas but as for character? Hmm, no idea, sorry.

Pedro, ahhh, my mate Pedro, he's a reactionary who is in this for one reason and one reason only and that is to make money. Pedro is a businessman which in itself, I haven’t got a problem with but I have got a problem when that lust for money gets in the way of treating people professionally and fairly and in my experience this hasn't always been upheld.
I have always got a soft spot for Pedro even though we have fallen out many times because socially, he is actually a great guy and when i met recently at the big game; I made an effort to sort things out with him.
Pedro will always put money first but he's not a fool, far from it in fact, he's a clever man and he won't push this ethos to a point where he compromises his income, in other words, he will eventually do the right thing as long as his peer group give him a good reason to change his position and of course, the majority of them are doing just that.

And now we come to my ole mate Steve Baldwin, he is one of the founder members and actually asked me to create the millennium circuit along with him and Laurent many years ago (which I declined and have regretted ever since) but hey, that's another story.
As for Steve Baldwin, I actually really like Steve, and we have been friends on and off for 18 years, if you want an idea of what he's like, well in my opinion, my nickname for him is Alan B'astard, that Rick Mayal creation, he reminds me of him.

When I spend time with Steve, I really enjoy it because its like going for a drink with a person who is a cross between Tommy Cooper and Robert Maxwell, that diminutive frame contains a curious mix of personality.
He most definitely has a touch of the sociopath about him (without the violence though) because some of his proposed solutions to a problem generally include Kalashnikovs and wholesale decapitations.
I did remark he's not violent and he isn't, he'd just like to be but hasn't got that last piece of the psychopathic jigsaw that is soo necessary to turn fantasy into reality, thank god for that otherwise I would have ended up being riddled with Russian made bullets a long time ago.
Steve reacts far too much on a personal basis when he should look at things from a business perspective, and actually, he's a very smart business man, very smart.

And so, the point of all this?
It's to propose the idea that the board, if you look at them individually, they are actually ok people..well sorta....but it seems their chemistry is what's at fault.
When they all sit down together to make decisions they react with each other in such a way as to come up with ideas (which for the most are pretty good) that at times run contra to the whole ethos of providing a valued service for their customers.

They didn't need to employ Spike to spice up this year's CC, they had the solution with them all along and it's Laurent.....if you think about Toulouse you think about all that is good about Euro promotion and what we can do.
It wasn't that long ago these Millennium guys were making the Yanks look stupid with regard to event promotion.
They have dropped the ball ‘yes’ but they can pick it back up again if they allow Laurent to direct their event promotions but I fear his involvement in the series is somewhat compromised by his other businesses and this is why Spike was called upon.

I have little doubt that another series (or events) will spring up in the coming years (and no Steve, I am having nothing to do with them if and when they arrive, you have my word, I have neither the inclination or time) but I just wish the Millennium could really sit down with their customers and actually listen to them and then respond accordingly, it's not rocket science guys, it's looking after your customers, that's all.

 

[Markie C]

I agree


At any rate, I think it is a poor excuse for teams to say they don't want to play the CC because it was crap..... honestly, apart from some netting blowing down and the cars getting broken into, I think last years event was pretty good.
Nick

what ever you think mate....

 

[Lump]

last year i had had enough of ball and was on a break, like had been said some where before in this thread i had played TO much, and the amount of bad press the millennium's were getting last year really put me of playing it.

so decided to go along coach the girls in the M5 which turned out to be a huge mistake i will never play or recommended the M5 to any one. it was a joke beyond belief !
and later part of last year i was near packing it in. but have took a easier pace this year not playing as much. and that the event is in basildon (lemons family all live within 5 minutes of the site) and should be a lot of fun for us. i am also playing with my wife on the same team. that means a lot to me and her. this year let just say its a feeling i have cant put my finger on it in any way but just know I am going to have fun and play my heart out

i still don't trust the millenniums board in any way but its the ballers who make the events. and looking forward to spending time wit my extended family

 

[mikey601]

last year i had had enough of ball and was on a break, like had been said some where before in this thread i had played TO much, and the amount of bad press the millennium's were getting last year really put me of playing it.

so decided to go along coach the girls in the M5 which turned out to be a huge mistake i will never play or recommended the M5 to any one. it was a joke beyond belief !
and later part of last year i was near packing it in. but have took a easier pace this year not playing as much. and that the event is in basildon (lemons family all live within 5 minutes of the site) and should be a lot of fun for us. i am also playing with my wife on the same team. that means a lot to me and her. this year let just say its a feeling i have cant put my finger on it in any way but just know I am going to have fun and play my heart out

i still don't trust the millenniums board in any way but its the ballers who make the events. and looking forward to spending time wit my extended family

Amen to that brother

 

[Buddha 3]

Spike, now ya see mate this is my problem, I have no doubt your intentions are honourable but one thing from your post just shoved itself straight down my throat and made me sit up.....Spike, you mentioned the word 'unpaid' and I believe you, but doesn't this strike you as somewhat indicative of the thinking that went behind their choice to employ you?

Now whilst you can bask in the knowledge you haven't sold your soul to the money devil but the Millennium are basking in the fact they don't have to pay you...and the other fact is, this part of event production is critical to what we have all been saying and with no disrespect to you mate, they have allocated the position to somebody who is doing it for free and has no experience of this scale of paintball event promotion before .......it's insane Spike !!!!!!

I am sure you will do as much as you can within your remit of experience and expertise to do a good job and I honestly hope you are successful and I hope this for all the players and vendors who are going and spending their hard earned money, if it is a success, it will be more by default than design as is self-evident by your appointment.

As for talking to anybody about ulrich, I don't think so Spike, the subject sickens me, he sickens me, the board's weakness with regard to him sickens me .... if I had the money, I would buy the Millennium and then sack that mofo I a heartbeat and the buyout price would be worth every single penny.
You really wouldn't believe some of the conversations I have had with board members regarding ulrich and some of the things they have said to me...it truly is amazing....and sickening when viewed because they are trying to defend a person who has insulted many of the paying customers and some extremely major players in the industry (and I ain't arrogantly suggesting I am one of those).

The bit I cannot for the life of me understand is this and this confuses me more than anything :- If we take a real look at the actual members of the board and what they are like and here I might upset them personally but hey, I really don't give a flying fu1kk.

Barry Fuggle.

He actually called me yesterday (I expected a call from one of them after this thread, it always happens).
Barry is actually a pretty cool guy who at least recognises the right thing to do and has the intentions to do right ... but he is psychologically hamstrung because he is the new kid on the block and feels as though he cannot push too hard.

Laurent.
He's the visionary among them but like his fellow countrywoman of yesteryear, Marie Antoinette, he sometimes makes decisions that smack of 'Let them eat cake', he is somewhat detached from the player base and therefore some of his ideas run contra to what's best for the players and vendors.
But, saying this, he is a bright guy and will listen and eventually he will come round and see what needs to be done and actually do it.
The two times I have gone at it with the board where they have stated categorically I will never get what I want (which in fact was the right thing to do in both cases) it was Laurent who came back from abroad over-ruled everybody and did the right thing.
Luarent's is essentially a good guy but as i say is somewhat detached.

Manfred.
I don't really know him well at all but from what I can fathom he's not exactly dynamic in terms of ideas but as for character? Hmm, no idea, sorry.

Pedro, ahhh, my mate Pedro, he's a reactionary who is in this for one reason and one reason only and that is to make money. Pedro is a businessman which in itself, I haven’t got a problem with but I have got a problem when that lust for money gets in the way of treating people professionally and fairly and in my experience this hasn't always been upheld.
I have always got a soft spot for Pedro even though we have fallen out many times because socially, he is actually a great guy and when i met recently at the big game; I made an effort to sort things out with him.
Pedro will always put money first but he's not a fool, far from it in fact, he's a clever man and he won't push this ethos to a point where he compromises his income, in other words, he will eventually do the right thing as long as his peer group give him a good reason to change his position and of course, the majority of them are doing just that.

And now we come to my ole mate Steve Baldwin, he is one of the founder members and actually asked me to create the millennium circuit along with him and Laurent many years ago (which I declined and have regretted ever since) but hey, that's another story.
As for Steve Baldwin, I actually really like Steve, and we have been friends on and off for 18 years, if you want an idea of what he's like, well in my opinion, my nickname for him is Alan B'astard, that Rick Mayal creation, he reminds me of him.

When I spend time with Steve, I really enjoy it because its like going for a drink with a person who is a cross between Tommy Cooper and Robert Maxwell, that diminutive frame contains a curious mix of personality.
He most definitely has a touch of the sociopath about him (without the violence though) because some of his proposed solutions to a problem generally include Kalashnikovs and wholesale decapitations.
I did remark he's not violent and he isn't, he'd just like to be but hasn't got that last piece of the psychopathic jigsaw that is soo necessary to turn fantasy into reality, thank god for that otherwise I would have ended up being riddled with Russian made bullets a long time ago.
Steve reacts far too much on a personal basis when he should look at things from a business perspective, and actually, he's a very smart business man, very smart.

And so, the point of all this?
It's to propose the idea that the board, if you look at them individually, they are actually ok people..well sorta....but it seems their chemistry is what's at fault.
When they all sit down together to make decisions they react with each other in such a way as to come up with ideas (which for the most are pretty good) that at times run contra to the whole ethos of providing a valued service for their customers.

They didn't need to employ Spike to spice up this year's CC, they had the solution with them all along and it's Laurent.....if you think about Toulouse you think about all that is good about Euro promotion and what we can do.
It wasn't that long ago these Millennium guys were making the Yanks look stupid with regard to event promotion.
They have dropped the ball ‘yes’ but they can pick it back up again if they allow Laurent to direct their event promotions but I fear his involvement in the series is somewhat compromised by his other businesses and this is why Spike was called upon.

I have little doubt that another series (or events) will spring up in the coming years (and no Steve, I am having nothing to do with them if and when they arrive, you have my word, I have neither the inclination or time) but I just wish the Millennium could really sit down with their customers and actually listen to them and then respond accordingly, it's not rocket science guys, it's looking after your customers, that's all.

Pete,

As I have moved further and further away from the poitics in paintball in recent years (for which I am quite thankful), is it still the same way as it used to be, as in yes, these guys all form the board, but each of them is responsible for organising and running their own event?
To me that never made sense, I always felt that it should be a combined effort. In that way all the events would get some of Laurent's flair, Pedro's business sense and so on. I could never figure out why they wouldn't do that. (Well, I could....this way they each shove the income generated by their own events in their own pockets....obviously the ones with the big attendance events are not in a hurry to share their money.)
That way they would spread the risks and although one might see less of a spike in income individually, a more level and constant income stream would be generated. Now it's just do or die... More like the business ethos of a drugdealer that aims to take over the 'hood: Either it works and the money comes in, or there will be bullets and gunsmoke.

 

[Nick Brockdorff]

Spike, now ya see mate this is my problem..............
....... it's not rocket science guys, it's looking after your customers, that's all.

Hmm, while I see the point of the MS actually hiring someone to do the job, I do not necessarily think the current setup with Spike doing the marketing is a bad thing...... but time will tell in 8 days.

Somethimes the free option IS the best one..... and not necessarily the option used, just because it is free.

Nick

 

[Spike]

I think another point was missed in my post - they didn't hire me to do this - it is not my responsibility. I honestly believe that they should hire someone to do it full time.

My only responsibilities for the MS is to find local suppliers for them - that is it.

I am off my own back personally trying to get general public along to our event in my home town - that's it. I am working closely with Barry just to ensure that they are happy with eveything that I am doing.

Personally I am starting to wonder why I bothered caring what happened to the UK event. Thanks to those that said the appreciated what I have done.

Russ is right that this thread was started as Player apathy and has gone somewhat off topic. That's all from me on this subject.

 

[Dskize]

I think another point was missed in my post - they didn't hire me to do this - it is not my responsibility. I honestly believe that they should hire someone to do it full time.

My only responsibilities for the MS is to find local suppliers for them - that is it.

I am off my own back personally trying to get general public along to our event in my home town - that's it. I am working closely with Barry just to ensure that they are happy with eveything that I am doing.

Personally I am starting to wonder why I bothered caring what happened to the UK event. Thanks to those that said the appreciated what I have done.

Russ is right that this thread was started as Player apathy and has gone somewhat off topic. That's all from me on this subject.

With all due respect Spike I think you missed the point of Robbo's post (please correct me if I'm wrong),which was that the Millenium board (as you agree) should be employing someone else to do the job you are doing of your own free will ,however they will quite happily let you or 'A N Other' do it to save them the hassle. As I see it ,this can only lead to an inconsistency of promotion, if you cant be arsed next year (which may be likely) who takes over and will they put half as much effort into it as you have, and if not everybody suffers...including the Millenium Series/Board.... which confuses the fe k out of me.

 

[Nick Brockdorff]

I honestly believe that they should hire someone to do it full time.

No he didn't

 

[Robbo]

I think another point was missed in my post - they didn't hire me to do this - it is not my responsibility. I honestly believe that they should hire someone to do it full time.

My only responsibilities for the MS is to find local suppliers for them - that is it.

I am off my own back personally trying to get general public along to our event in my home town - that's it. I am working closely with Barry just to ensure that they are happy with eveything that I am doing.

Personally I am starting to wonder why I bothered caring what happened to the UK event. Thanks to those that said the appreciated what I have done.

Russ is right that this thread was started as Player apathy and has gone somewhat off topic. That's all from me on this subject.

Spike, playing the injured party here is not what's needed, nobody asked you, or expected you to do anything and so I wonder why the 'attitude'.
If you read my post carefully you will see that what Dskize suggests is correct, you are not being attacked at all but this seems to have escaped your attention.
And Spike, please don't try and tell me you are the only guy who is concerned about the UK scene coz that is just plain ridiculous and also insulting to a lot of people on here who have put in sooo much work to try and get UK ball back on tis feet.
Over the years, there have been a multitude of guys who have been willing to give counsel to the board on how to improve their event and these were effectively ignored.
Just take a look at these boards over the years, the board could have asked a few of the guys from here to help out as is there is more than enough expertise and idea floating around here over the years.

These were well intentioned people and with the best interests of the players at heart and so what on earth can explain the board's reluctance to listen to them and all of a sudden start listening to you?

And If the Millennium board really know what they are doing then why these threads?
Of course, some of them on that board will suggest it's because I am up to something but I'm afraid this is just another example of them not being able to grasp what's really going down.
I'm up to nothing, I have just told the truth and gave my opinion based upon that truth, but it is much easier for people to attack the messenger than address their own shortfalls and sort the problems out.
All I have ever wanted was a series that was value for money for the players, for the vendors and for the Board.


Now if Laurent couldn't spare enough time to ensure the successful promo of this event then somebody should have been employed to if they self evidently cannot guarantee it with the remainder of the board getting involved.
Personally, I wouldn't have employed anybody, I woulda just sat down with some reps from the teams and vendors and just asked them what they think is needed, not really complex algebra is it