What do people want from an EBU Tournament?
I've started this because several posts have alluded to asking those that don't attend what would make an event sufficiently attractive for them to support it. Perhaps the EBU could email people saying please tell us what could we provide at our tournaments that would make them so attractive that you would support them?
Peter Bushby Suffolk
Comments
We have club members who go on Bridge holidays with people from the local area. When asked why they're not going to Eastbourne they say: "I prefer to stay in the same hotel as the people I'm playing with and all eat together plus I'm not sure about walking to a venue to play Bridge in the evening / night-time".
Peter Bushby Suffolk
I used to play at Le Touquet and as 466114 reports it was a fantastic event with several hundreds of attendees. Four of us went - two to play - but unfortunately the Bridge partnership came to an end and we stopped going. The stage was full of prizes and we usually came away with something. I always wondered how they could get so many items sponsored. Perhaps a visit by someone from the EBU to speak to the organisers would be a good idea.
I think one answer may be that "people want more than just a game of Bridge"
perhaps we should focus on creating an attractive experience first
and then embeds some very good bridge (for all levels) within that?
I like the idea of talking to/learning from the Le Touquet organisers.
Peter Bushby Suffolk
Unfortunately, much of the "attractive experience" of an event held in a French coastal resort isn't replicable in the UK! 26-30 boards per day is reasonable there; it wouldn't be here.
Agree that many of the French events seem to have sponsorship nailed though - maybe it's easier for "standalone" events than ones organised by a national body.
A lot of French events (Le Touquet & La Baule being 2 examples) benefit from local sponsorship. In the case of Le Touquet it always used to be the Casino. Not sure if it still is. In the case of La Baule from the local authority and local businesses donating prizes. It's the done thing (and has been for a long time) to stay behind in France for Le Cocktail and what is often an excruciating and lengthy prize giving.
Some French tournaments hold a one-day two-session Patton prior to a two or three day pairs.
We also went to Le Touquet this year as part of a summer holiday - and 30 boards a day is fine if you are doing that.
The congress has a different vibe to an English one. There are no convention cards in evidence except the ones my partner had translated into French! Despite this, calls of "arbitre" were infrequent and I believe may have been dealt with by just one director across 80 tables. On occasions we would probably have called the directors in a competitive event in England when hesitations appeared to influence our opponents' bidding significantly, but we didn't do so as we rate getting on with the locals above being sticklers for fair play or winning at all costs. Maybe that is the French view of bridge too.
As to the cost rising if the sessions are only 30 boards a day - the pictures that 464114 has posted above show a stage full of prizes (a prize for every entrant) and free wine at the end of the event and the entry fee for 90 boards over three days - just E75. I suspect that apart from sponsorship by local businesses there is considerable input from the local authority - when you enter Le Touquet you see posters advertising all the different sports that the town is hosting. these are clearly important to their marketing of the town as a holiday destination and keeping the hotels and hence shops full.
But all is not rosy. We went there about 15 years ago and there were over 200 tables for the same event - so they have the same problems we do despite their different approach.
Le Touquet and other French venues are definitely under pressure from the competition of cruises, better value locations, more accessible and sunnier destinations etc..... (in an effort to mitigate this the organisers of Le Touquet are now targeting Belgian and Dutch players with some success) .... but that still doesn’t mean that there is nothing we can learn from them.
Just for reference, I attach the brochure for the bridge congress being held in Paris at the end of October. I’d draw particular attention to the “Jack-high” event on 26 & 27 October (what they call 4ème and 3ème séries). (I’d also draw attention to the “production values” of this brochure - but please note that I’m not advocating this or decrying it, just noting that the “image” is very different from the publicity material for most UK events)
[I’d just add that one reason that I don’t play in the Spring Fours (not that the EBU or anyone else has asked my reasoning), is that I cannot face so many boards on a Friday evening (after a full day’s work plus travel) - matches can easily extend beyond midnight from memory. The cost of the bridge entry is not a significant factor in my reasoning. So perhaps the statement “nobody ever asks for less bridge for their money” can now be modified to “only one person has ever asked for less bridge for their money”] ;)
Sponsors might be hard to get.......
but how about a Business School that would take this on as a case study for students and allow them to do research on members and come up with researched and validated proposals?
Peter Bushby Suffolk
What a great idea Peter.
Do you have anywhere or anyone in mind?
We've had many years of collecting feedback forms from many of our members, quite a few of whom will necessarily be in the group who no longer play in EBU events, or not as much as formerly. I can't remember ever seeing a request for shorter events from them.
If we are talking about attracting those who haven't played in our events, well yes, our efforts have been towards providing them with shorter events - one-day events at the Summer Meeting, Jack-High Swiss Pairs, Really Easy afternoons and congresses. The takeup doesn't suggest that we have a large chunk of memberships keen to play shorter events.
The Spring Fours is a special case in that it's an event aimed at very strong players and the format requires a late night on the first night. I would suggest it is the lateness of the first night rather than the length of the match that some people find a bit much. I can't see that shortening that match to 24 boards would be welcomed, since it would increase the luck factor, and nor is starting earlier in the day practical for those who have to go to work.
Peter Bushby Suffolk