The Triple 7 Option

[Syd (NSPL)]

Originally posted by Robbo
Syd, it means exactly what it says, he is seriously considering it with a view to implementation !!!

Thanks for repeating yourself Robbo - I really couldn't believe my eyes the first time around.

IF this was implemented it would seriously blow. Toulouse is, in my humble opinion, the flagship of the Millennium and needs to stay at the top of the pile. If Toulouse drops in quality, so will the rest of the series and that would be a sad day in paintball.

Perhaps the Millennium could decide a cap for all of its events, stick to it and introduce a qualification scheme... mind you, they'd probably f*£$ that up too.

 

[raehl]

There's a difference...

Between missing the point, and knowing when to keep one's mouth shut.

In this case, I'm mainly electing to keep my mouth shut.


- Chris

 

[Gyroscope]

Vote with your dollars, er, Euros or put up, boys.

Last year after Vegas, the Chicago NPPL was a record event. It didn't disappoint, but that was beside the point. People should have refused to put up with uncaring, even hostile provision for the players as shown in LV. They should have sent a message in the language that speaks loudest to a promoter.

Fortunately, we in America had a player's organization with leadership and savvy to provide an alternative. If you guys pay the same old prices for events that deteriorate in quality (and quantity), you have little recourse. We in the States didn't save ourselves, we were saved. Who will save you, and offer an alternative circuit if the Millenium goes to hell?

Solution? Form a player's union of some kind. If the teams had banded together, that 3000 Euro "opportunity" would have been averted. That is extortionary crap, I can't believe they pulled it off, no offence, we would have meekly paid up just like you guys did I imagine. Unless I miss my guess, powers in Europe respond to populist pressure. Apply some.

Is everyone so afraid that staying home is going to cost them their paintball career? Like not trying to place in the next event is going to signal the downward spiral into obscurity?

The sad thing is that European events have always been the benchmark for paintball organization. What has happened? It isn't as though the temptations are different now, is it? These are the same promoters who have excelled in the past, right?

 

[raehl]

Record attendence at chicago open...

WAS people voting with their dollars. Chicago Open has always been a good event, and people expect it to be a good event. Teams in the Midwest who don't play the whole series could especially care less about what happens in Vegas - they've played Chicago, Chicago has been good to them, so they go back to Chicago.

It's Rennick's show, and Rennick does it right.

As for a player's union, it's good for some things, but it can't alter the physics of the universe. There's only finite funding, and all the bills have to be paid somehow. What a player's union would be good for is re-prioritizing how funds are spent, but you're going to have to give something up to get something else.

You are right about being saved though - until someone is willing to step up and deal with all the BS that is paintball events promotion, you're stuck playing on the terms of the people who are willing to do it.

I wouldn't count PSP out yet. S7 might pound them dead, but I think it's more likely they pound PSP into the organization it needs to be, and all of us get two leagues to choose from. (Which really is a pretty cool thing, as now us teams who don't like to fly around the country all the time get 2 major events in our area instead of one.)


There's really a deeper problem here though. Events in the US havn't gotten better because there's been some remarkable innovation or better organization really - they've gotten better because the promoters are in a pissing match and solveing problems by throwing more dollars at them - to the tne of $30k+ for HB and a serious chunk of change for PSP as well. These guys are not just losing money on these events, they are HEMORAGING it, and something has got to give.


- Chris

 

[Gyroscope]

Point taken regarding Chicago.

I hope you are right about the NPPL beating the PSP into a better organization. That, after all is the reason for a sanctioning body- to make sure the events in a series are of a minimum of quality. I would love to see two series running here, too. However, it would be nice if the events weren't in the same region within a month or so. If Southern Cali had one in March and another in July from the other series, the area teams who don't want to travel would reap more gains. I doubt the synergy will extend that far however.

If the problem with tournament organization boils down to money, how did Laurent run Toulouse for so long, so well? Does he operate at a loss year after year?

I believe that priorities do play a large role here. We are, as you say, the beneficiaries of a pissing match. That could be the kind of effort and expense required to draw enough attention to draw outside sponsorship, spectators, and quality events operating in the black.

I acknowledge that running a major tournament is complex. I do think that it is possible, as Rennick and Laurent both seem to prove.

 

[raehl]

Well...

One thing Rennick has going for him is running his event (until now) at a paintball location. That is way, way, way less expensive than renting out someplace else to do it.

I don't know about how Laurent does it. Part of it could very well be just not making any money at it. Could be location, could be just an uncanny skill at event promotion. Would Toulouse happen to be held at a paintball location?



- Chris

 

[Buddha 3]

Nope. It's a sports complex.

 

[Syd (NSPL)]

No. Toulouse is not held at a paintball venue - it is held on the sports fields of a local swimming pool / leisure complex.

Edit: Damn it, Budha... beat me!

 

[acsik]

The only question for me and Im stating the bleedin obvious here peeps..


If they were able to pull a good event for the past years what changed since then? More teams? Come on then add two more fields and two more reffing crews. Easy as that... Its not like the two additional fields would wreck Laurents wallet..

I dont understand what went wrong ? Why they cut corners now?
I know that the new Audi A8 the Mercedes SL or the BMW 7 series came out and they are expensive but hey come on... (pun intended)


Cya

 

[manike]

What went wrong?

I don't know for sure, but it appeared to be penny pinching and lack of respect for the customer.

One thing about the toilet situation

There were only 4 portaloos, and they were the only obvious toilets, however at the other end of the complex under the grandstands was a huge block of toilets which were cleaned regularly and kept in fairly decent conditions considering the weather...

BUT there was no sign posts or anything indicating they were there! I only found them late on the second day when leaving because I saw someone coming out of a whole in the side of the concrete seating area.

It was disgraceful.