Okay, on this whole reunification thing...
- Thread starter Furby
- Start date
So Europe is at a 1992 US level of paintball participation, and correspondingly, a 1992 level of sponsorship.
Maybe you could use 1992 markers. Paint consumption should decrease significantly if you chop half of it in your Automag.
Maybe you could use 1992 markers. Paint consumption should decrease significantly if you chop half of it in your Automag.
I was just curious as to whether the industry was ignoring the continent out of ill-advised business decisions, or the sponsorship was in line with the market, as if it was the former, there'd be a reqasonable expectation of a short-term change in sponsorship level given the right action. Seeing as it's the latter, it would appear that sponsorship isn't likely to increase absent market growth. Any allusion to automags was meant to convey a shared frustration with the situation, which seems to demand finding a way to do more with less.
XBall should be doable, if not in the same format as last season, but definitely harder than I had thought when I implied the entire continent was French. So - sorry for that. (Unless you are french, in which case, you deserve it!)
XBall should be doable, if not in the same format as last season, but definitely harder than I had thought when I implied the entire continent was French. So - sorry for that. (Unless you are french, in which case, you deserve it!)
First of all, I think it depends how you define "Europe" if Missy's 15% is correct.... if you include Russia and the all eastern European countries, it's probably more like 20% - but anyhow - it is significantly lower than the US.
What IS interesting though, is that Europe as a whole is still growing tremendously, whereas US growth has stagnated.
I do not have solid numbers for market growth, and can only go by what people from different countries tell me - but I would guess market growth is around 10-12% yearly at the moment (less in western Europe - more in eastern Europe and Russia).
What this means is, that paintball companies (if they are clever), will intensify their marketing in the European market, because that is where they will grow their business in the next 4-5 years... probably upto a level where the European market is around 50% of the US market.
In the longer term, Asia will become very interesting - in about 3-4 years time... especially Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea - with China following 1-2 years later but in the long term becoming the biggest paintball market in the world.
Anyway - my point is that all the US companies that battle over 1-2% of the market in the US, and spend millions doing it, would get a much better ROI focussing a bit more on the European market in the next few years.
Nick
The natural conclusion then is that the US companies will continue to spend millions in the US.
All you gotta do is learn to think like a paintball company, and it's the obvious natural conclusion.
Aaaahhh - but then that is not what rational people would call "normal" - now is it ?
Actually - I think the industry is slowly changing - to where we, to a greater and greater degree, will see professional management of the bigger companies - instead of "old players with no real business skills" running the show.
There are some that that are both former players - and have the skills - but they are few and far between.
Nick
Actually - I think the industry is slowly changing - to where we, to a greater and greater degree, will see professional management of the bigger companies - instead of "old players with no real business skills" running the show.
There are some that that are both former players - and have the skills - but they are few and far between.
Nick
I agree about the possibilities the markets in the smaller Asian countries have. And I’d agree that if china wanted to do anything they would do it big. But I don't think that china wants paintball, certainly not in a big way. The vast majority of Chinese people have very little disposable income available for leisure. It is a tiny minority, within the cities, that might be able to support what is effectively a luxury. And even then the culture is very different. Kids don't get evening and weekends off. They study, study and then study some more! In the school holidays they go to holiday study clubs. They arrive in the morning work all day and then go home with homework. Oh, and they are held in schools. Aside from cultural pastimes that look good on a C.V. (That’s "resume" for the yanks) such as calligraphy and music, the majority leisure is TV (unsurprisingly) and computer games/internet.
You might be able to support a paintball industry off the back of corporate team building market, as Chinese top business is fairly influenced by the west, and might be interested in a bit of that. Your best bet would be to get some cheap land on the outskirts of the major commercial cities and market to the companies and rich elite. Best bet to start would be Shanghi in my opinion, not only because of its huge commercial market, but also because to tends to lead in terms of fashionable business practice.
But anyway this is getting a little off the main topic. Just thought i'd mentioned it as its something i've concidered and looked into, what with my wife being from china.