This past Saturday I made my way up to Orange County to check out the Sneak Peak being held at the Upper Deck Store in Huntington Beach. The Sneak Peak event,
highlighting the newest release of the World of Warcraft TCG, Fields of
Honor.
I saw some familiar faces in the crowd. Noah, Patch, Robert, etc. They had 48 combatants show up for the event. Will Estela, the host and store manager did a great job of promoting and facilitating
the event. In my view a good time was had by all.
In looking at the event from an organizers point of view, I was very heartened by the turnout. 48 persons is nothing to scoff at. Then it got me to thinking about the turnout at other events held,
both by this tournament circuit and by other tournament organizers. What was so special about this event that it was able to break the glass ceiling of 12 to 16 players that most other events get.
Obviously the hype to get new cards. Definitely the participation reward of a new EA brought out a few faces. But could that possibly be it? Is that all that is really necessary for a turnout?
If so, then why are the regional qualifiers doing so poorly? Is there that much of a difference between the Sneak Peaks and the other "qualified" events?
The event was certainly a great time. The first head to be hunted belonged to Patch, who was dispatched with great fanfare giving up his prize. Will offered some bounties to several matches to keep
the interest going. The location was ideal due to the size of the shop. With the mobility that Will has with the rolling merchandise racks, he is able to create a rather large place allowing a
comfortable tournament area. The shop being immediately off the 405 freeway is definitely centrally located in Orange County and being located in a shopping center with plenty of parking and access
to food and such obviously plays into his favor.
All of these factors are great, but I would submit that they are not it. They are not the direct reason why the event was such a great success. Yes, you can obviously make the argument that they
assisted, but I would submit another factor that I believe was the decision maker.
Persistence.
Will is a consistent and persistent poster on the WOWTCG posting boards for tournaments. He offers two great events a week and is
consistent in the timing and execution. Will has gone out of his way to ensure that his player base is always taken care of. Long and the short of it, Will cares about the player base as much as the
product. Believe me, as being involved with a great many businesses in my life thus far, this is a quality that is not lost among those he calls his client base. Will gets what so many people in his
arena do not. That the player base is more important than any other factor in building a community.
Take it from someone who is attempting to build as strong a player base in my region as it seems he has in his. This is not an easy foray. There are several of outside factors that affect the
execution of a tournament and a tournament circuit. Player bases, costs of doing business, competition, player loyalty, support from retailers and manufacturers, locations logistics...the list can be
overbearing and at times unmanageable. These factors can and do sometimes yank the attention of the TO away from the player base in order to manage each of these details in turn.
So my hat is off to you Will. Congratulations on the great event and on the well earned rest you had that night I'm sure.
Persistence was the key factor in the great event in Huntington Beach.
Tue
30
Jun
2009
Fields of Honor Sneak Peak, or the TO and His Labor of Love
www.BattleGroundSanDiego.com
Fields of Honor Sneak Peak, or the TO and His Labor of Love
I'm pleased to read blogs and post like this both good and bad to better myself for the players - Thanks Victor --- Keep up
the hard work!
-William Estela
UD Retail Manager
print version