Wow, Really Cheap Paintball Days
- Thread starter Jack Daniels
- Start date
I agree that this is a good idea in concept, but I think you'll find some people believe (those in the know....possibly) that the Paint Ball production costs are already very low and cannot not be affected by economies of scale any more through increased production (short of an absolutely massive increase in demand).
Ok to make this work, I think the following elements are required:
1) this will need to be a event sponsored or put on by a Paint manufacturer i.e. Diablo. Local sites will gain nothing out of this when they stand to make a 200% mark-up on paint. Yes the sites have to make a profit, but we're talking exhibition here.
2) Charge a small entrance fee (nominal), but charge for paint at cost (i.e. blaze @ about 30-35 quid a case).
3) It's gonna need some publicity, see point 7.
4) Needs to be fast paced and with a quick turnaround period. i.e. get people out for games quickly. Keep then short and fastpaced. Concept / speedball with small woodland fields. Anything that rewards agressive / fast play would work better for a demonstration. Long drawn out days where some players spend a lot of time in the deadbox will make people bored and lose interest.
5) Get Trade stands and equipment producers involved to showcase their equipment.
6) Get player involvemnt, so people can talk to the people who play alot and have the spankly equipment and look the business.
7) try to link it into a major tournament - people can see the game played and then get out and try it for themselves. This would need some major logistical planning but could be possible especially if for example a touney was held over a holiday week-end. Campaign was and could be a great showcase for Panitball, if you could get some spectator participation you could be onto a winner. Say put Campaign over a Bank Holiday weekend: Friday & Saturday group games, Sunday Punter day (possibly a couple of semi exhibition games), Monday finals day
8) Bling Bling it up, get some tasty honeyz involved (see Toulouse), the punters will start to think hey this is a bit sexy. Sounds a bit sexist, but once you get loads of blogs in one place some girlies are gonna take interest too.
Will post more once I've thought it up.
Hmm, a sensible post from moi!!!
(excuse spelling was rushing)
Ok to make this work, I think the following elements are required:
1) this will need to be a event sponsored or put on by a Paint manufacturer i.e. Diablo. Local sites will gain nothing out of this when they stand to make a 200% mark-up on paint. Yes the sites have to make a profit, but we're talking exhibition here.
2) Charge a small entrance fee (nominal), but charge for paint at cost (i.e. blaze @ about 30-35 quid a case).
3) It's gonna need some publicity, see point 7.
4) Needs to be fast paced and with a quick turnaround period. i.e. get people out for games quickly. Keep then short and fastpaced. Concept / speedball with small woodland fields. Anything that rewards agressive / fast play would work better for a demonstration. Long drawn out days where some players spend a lot of time in the deadbox will make people bored and lose interest.
5) Get Trade stands and equipment producers involved to showcase their equipment.
6) Get player involvemnt, so people can talk to the people who play alot and have the spankly equipment and look the business.
7) try to link it into a major tournament - people can see the game played and then get out and try it for themselves. This would need some major logistical planning but could be possible especially if for example a touney was held over a holiday week-end. Campaign was and could be a great showcase for Panitball, if you could get some spectator participation you could be onto a winner. Say put Campaign over a Bank Holiday weekend: Friday & Saturday group games, Sunday Punter day (possibly a couple of semi exhibition games), Monday finals day
8) Bling Bling it up, get some tasty honeyz involved (see Toulouse), the punters will start to think hey this is a bit sexy. Sounds a bit sexist, but once you get loads of blogs in one place some girlies are gonna take interest too.
Will post more once I've thought it up.
Hmm, a sensible post from moi!!!
(excuse spelling was rushing)
I see parallels with this sport and diving...both expensive minority sports who are desparate to introduce new blood. Every year the BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club) run Try a Dive weekends where every club has to provide free trial dives (with experienced instructors) for the general public. All the expense is recouped in the form of new club subscriptions.
It would be great to see paintball organising something similar...just give new punters a free morning of paintball with experienced marshalls. The UKPSF could even require all member sites to do it and choose one weekend in the year when we have a big push to introduce all our friends.
Seriously, how much does one gas fill and a hopper or paint cost compared to what the site makes the first time that punter returns with a group of his mates.
It would be great to see paintball organising something similar...just give new punters a free morning of paintball with experienced marshalls. The UKPSF could even require all member sites to do it and choose one weekend in the year when we have a big push to introduce all our friends.
Seriously, how much does one gas fill and a hopper or paint cost compared to what the site makes the first time that punter returns with a group of his mates.
On a slightly differernt but related note, has anyone every tried taking a sup-air field to an outdoor show?
Laser quest (yeah yeah I know) have mobile inflatable arenas where you turn up and play a quick game. I can't see why the same principle couldnt be used to sell paintball. Set up a five man field, all the safety etc, and charge people £5 for a full hopper, all the kit and two 10 mintues games.
Laser quest (yeah yeah I know) have mobile inflatable arenas where you turn up and play a quick game. I can't see why the same principle couldnt be used to sell paintball. Set up a five man field, all the safety etc, and charge people £5 for a full hopper, all the kit and two 10 mintues games.
It has been tried personally I don't think sup air is always the best for a first time. A little bit too close for comfort for some. Jim from the mohicans has taken his range to fairs ect across east anglia norwich bedford area for years now. I have helped out once. It was really good fun he had a good selection of markers and a great way to use up ropey old paint.
I do think the sport needs promoting but I don't nessary think at cost is the way to go.
I think you would find your self alienating your self from the sites who keep the sport alive. I am a tourney Player! but with out rec ball our english paintball could not substane it's self.
I have lots of cunning plans to make paintball more main stream, some of which are already implemented ie sponsoring my local libary with paintball vidios and pgi ( they are always out being read
)
TV coverage is also good and reaches a wider audience.
I personally feel very strongly that paintball really needs a good hard shake and a whole pr make over full spindoctor treatment. If we were a chocy bar we would be geting a new name and chancging the branding. But as paintball is made up of individulas this is not likely to happen
I spoke to morris gib at world cup he feels the same the more celbratey ballers and sad but true cute chicks get into the sprot the more marketable it becomes. He is determined to do his bit for the sport we love. Iam going to carry on doing my bit my way untill some one with the money offers a better way forward.
Our latest group were the baggage handlers from heathrow they spent the day shooting the daylight out of each other. Cooing over shiney stuff, reading baller mags and having Xball and milleniums explained to them. This is company policy we all play, parents are all welcome to watch / join in with their kids and often do. Ok so it's only a very small slice in a very large pie filled with ignorance and missinformation. but as I keep quoting drip drip an ocean may not rise over night but holland is slowly sinking.
I hope paintball will go mainstream and am going to carry on doing my best to help
I do think the sport needs promoting but I don't nessary think at cost is the way to go.
I think you would find your self alienating your self from the sites who keep the sport alive. I am a tourney Player! but with out rec ball our english paintball could not substane it's self.
I have lots of cunning plans to make paintball more main stream, some of which are already implemented ie sponsoring my local libary with paintball vidios and pgi ( they are always out being read
)TV coverage is also good and reaches a wider audience.
I personally feel very strongly that paintball really needs a good hard shake and a whole pr make over full spindoctor treatment. If we were a chocy bar we would be geting a new name and chancging the branding. But as paintball is made up of individulas this is not likely to happen
I spoke to morris gib at world cup he feels the same the more celbratey ballers and sad but true cute chicks get into the sprot the more marketable it becomes. He is determined to do his bit for the sport we love. Iam going to carry on doing my bit my way untill some one with the money offers a better way forward.
Our latest group were the baggage handlers from heathrow they spent the day shooting the daylight out of each other. Cooing over shiney stuff, reading baller mags and having Xball and milleniums explained to them. This is company policy we all play, parents are all welcome to watch / join in with their kids and often do. Ok so it's only a very small slice in a very large pie filled with ignorance and missinformation. but as I keep quoting drip drip an ocean may not rise over night but holland is slowly sinking.
I hope paintball will go mainstream and am going to carry on doing my best to help
I did this over 10 yrs ago at a local fair, admittedly there wasn't a sup-air field but they didn't exist then we had a target range and the main game too all netted off and anyone was welcome to watch and if they really wanted, to play aswell. The only downside was the stupid fair annoucer who would insist on calling it "wargames" but he was eventually put straight and we were all wearing loud coloured clothes and not a bit of cammo (other than our packs) a few photos appeared in the "fanzine" that Terry Martin ( where did he dissapear to?) produced. the whole event was a combo event between the Wacky Adventure's site and Del Wildermouth's site, I have no idea what numbers of people then took up the game after that but I do know that the target range made a huge profit, this being the days of 4-5p a ball if you played walk-ons and tournament play meant 6-8p a ball and powerlets @ 50p each (ouch !)
we had a target range and the main game too all netted off and anyone was welcome to watch and if they really wanted, to play aswell. The only downside was the stupid fair annoucer who would insist on calling it "wargames" but he was eventually put straight and we were all wearing loud coloured clothes and not a bit of cammo (other than our packs) a few photos appeared in the "fanzine" that Terry Martin ( where did he dissapear to?) produced. the whole event was a combo event between the Wacky Adventure's site and Del Wildermouth's site, I have no idea what numbers of people then took up the game after that but I do know that the target range made a huge profit, this being the days of 4-5p a ball if you played walk-ons and tournament play meant 6-8p a ball and powerlets @ 50p each (ouch !)
ahh but Sparklie, you are a cute chick!!!!
Wanna go on the pay roll???
The monkeyz need some hunneyz!
Seriously though, the academy runs pretty good value for people who have an interest getting into the sport, and your not exactly ripping everyone on paint prices. My believe is overly expensive paint, stops people pulling the trigger thus spending less at a site. Yes site's do have to make money and a mark up is inevitable to cover costs / staffing etc, but some sites are hurting the sport in the long run. If cost per ball was lower people will inevitably shoot more, maybe even play more.
I also feel that fast paced ball is the way to go, it's spectator friendly and gets you more ball for your buck. Woods games are OK, and given the right amount of cash coming into the sport there is no reason not to hold events simlar to the extreme stunt motorbike events in big arena's. You could build an uneven arena with different fixed obstacles & synthetic trees etc (not explaining it very well but hope you get my drift).
Anyway, I'm going back to silliness. This and me job hurts me head.
Wanna go on the pay roll???
The monkeyz need some hunneyz!
Seriously though, the academy runs pretty good value for people who have an interest getting into the sport, and your not exactly ripping everyone on paint prices. My believe is overly expensive paint, stops people pulling the trigger thus spending less at a site. Yes site's do have to make money and a mark up is inevitable to cover costs / staffing etc, but some sites are hurting the sport in the long run. If cost per ball was lower people will inevitably shoot more, maybe even play more.
I also feel that fast paced ball is the way to go, it's spectator friendly and gets you more ball for your buck. Woods games are OK, and given the right amount of cash coming into the sport there is no reason not to hold events simlar to the extreme stunt motorbike events in big arena's. You could build an uneven arena with different fixed obstacles & synthetic trees etc (not explaining it very well but hope you get my drift).
Anyway, I'm going back to silliness. This and me job hurts me head.
Jon the anlogy was seakers/ marathon not any attempt to send you off to back player munchie attacks
At maidenhead we run a lot of kids games, we keep the price down,keep if very safe so they come back. If they are really keen then we say come to accdemy............
This is the bigger picture we are educating the next generation here.
Thats a very kind offer but firstly Iam a chick a sexy whoops 6E chick and very proud to play for Gillie and represnt her and her site
At maidenhead we run a lot of kids games, we keep the price down,keep if very safe so they come back. If they are really keen then we say come to accdemy............
This is the bigger picture we are educating the next generation here.
Thats a very kind offer but firstly Iam a chick a sexy whoops 6E chick
and very proud to play for Gillie and represnt her and her site
Punter prices I think are cool at £6 for 100 on adult days, punters rarely shoot more than 1000 balls in a day (I never had untill I went to Sparklies Last month especially when most places offer packages in the region of £35 for green fee, kit hire, lunch & 500 paintballs. It just makes it a bit expensive for us lot if we ever happen to go with our mates (Ouch £95 bill...) who then all gawp in awe at you when you walk back from the paintshop with 1000 balls in tow saying "that'll do me for a few more games!" Also the thing that helped me is I didnt mind spending loads of money on a days ball, cos i enjoyed it so much.
I have to say Sparklie is doing a fantastic job with the Academy Days, I've only been to 2 and will be coming to every single one from now on unless im dead cos its so much fun!. But without these, and pointers from guys on here I would never have made the leap from punterball, I just didnt know what to do next and this is where I think some of the problem lies. It took me 3 years from my first ever game of ball when I got hooked to now, making the leap, spending loadsa money on kit etc and finding somewhere to go (academy) after a pure fluke of finding this site browsing the web after an ok day of punterball with workmates at a site with buckets for toilets.
Theres no turning back now tho! and even if I wanted to I probably couldn't. I only wish that when I was at school they had an early sup'air field at our school Fete, i'da been a baller so much sooner.
FUBAR
especially when most places offer packages in the region of £35 for green fee, kit hire, lunch & 500 paintballs. It just makes it a bit expensive for us lot if we ever happen to go with our mates (Ouch £95 bill...) who then all gawp in awe at you when you walk back from the paintshop with 1000 balls in tow saying "that'll do me for a few more games!" Also the thing that helped me is I didnt mind spending loads of money on a days ball, cos i enjoyed it so much.I have to say Sparklie is doing a fantastic job with the Academy Days, I've only been to 2 and will be coming to every single one from now on unless im dead cos its so much fun!. But without these, and pointers from guys on here I would never have made the leap from punterball, I just didnt know what to do next and this is where I think some of the problem lies. It took me 3 years from my first ever game of ball when I got hooked to now, making the leap, spending loadsa money on kit etc and finding somewhere to go (academy) after a pure fluke of finding this site browsing the web after an ok day of punterball with workmates at a site with buckets for toilets.
Theres no turning back now tho! and even if I wanted to I probably couldn't. I only wish that when I was at school they had an early sup'air field at our school Fete, i'da been a baller so much sooner.
FUBAR