[SBU Board] Sweetheart Sectional Postmortem notes

[Ann Romeo]

My weigh-in (I'm away until Tuesday, and don't think calling in makes sense
at Starbucks...)

A cart is a great idea--sometimes venues have these, and they may our lives
a lot easier (think Vasa).  However, there will always be schlepping --as
coffee needs to be dumped and baskets need to be rinsed before fresh pots
are made.  We may want to have a 5 gallon slop bucket, but actually I think
some of this needs to be done away from the maddening crowds, for both
safety and aesthetics....  BUT using a combo of water pitcher/jugs and a
cart will make a lot of this a lot easier.  All comes down to room in the
trailer.​

Single session for everything?  I wonder?  For A events, eg, open pairs,
there may be more people getting awards, but certainly the value goes
down.  I wonder if we can't make a compromise and make open events 2
session events,  and bcd single session (but I'm not sure if that is better
for things like gold rush pairs, where bigger points are awarded for pairs
that can put together a good day's worth of bridge).  I have a feeling that
A players want the bigger pay offs (and if we're going to make a blanket
change, I think we need to poll specifically As to see).  Just my
thoughts....I'll never forget one time doing well in both sessions of an
open and number of points awarded for me and my partner's
efforts--glorious.....


Lunch breaks are long for those who finish fast, and sometimes too short
for those who don't.  I've been in both situations.

I like the idea of encouraging people to bring their lunch from home--but
we also need to stress, NO REFRIGERATION, so that people don't expect us to
store their food (this happens pretty near every time, btw--people want to
store food, and take ice...)....

And I can always use some help.  hiring someone makes sense.  Sometimes
we've been lucky and I've been able to enlist the aid of Jenny Ballantyne
and/or Dee Patrick.  But here's something key--strength and size matters.
There was a time caddies (especially Laurie's son) was able to help and was
perfect, but them days are long gone.  Let's talk about this when I'm
back...

I LOVE the idea of fast pairs on Friday when we have a 7ish start (and
recommend 7:15 start,btw), and the next day a 10:30 start.  LOVE LOVE LOVE
IT, and suspect it will be VERY popular.  Did I say I love fast pairs when
we have an early start the next day??

And as to the start times, I heard comments, both pro and con.  Personally
I am all for a 10:30 start--it allows me to eat dinner at a decent hour and
get a good night sleep.  BUT, I would want a shorter break between the two
sessions.  I think we're trainable, and this could work.

all for now
from sunny Palm Springs
romeo

Ann Romeo
Personal email: annromeo at gmail.com
Local home: 425-392-8417
Work email: Ann.Romeo at ORCInternational.com
Work direct dial: 212-463-6331
My cell: 425-615-1413 (text ok)









On Sat, Mar 4, 2017 at 3:04 PM, JC Chupack <jc.chupack at gmail.com> wrote:

> We can discuss/review briefly at the board meeting, but I'm sending out in
> advance for anyone not attending.  I highlighted key items that the board
> should weigh in on and possibly vote on during the meeting, since this is
> long. Also, I incorporated Jenni's feedback into my notes below.  I pretty
> much agree with everything she mentioned, but I tried to make clear what
> was hers vs. mine.
>
> I am planning to do a post-sectional survey to all the players that
> attended to ask for general feedback and to possibly ask a few specific
> questions for this event.  If you have things you'd like me to ask, let me
> know.
>
> ======================
>
> Pre-event:
>
>    - Planning - we needed more bridgemates than planned for this. Unsure
>    of details of what happened here.
>    - Boards need to be made for 1-36. Remind Sharon and Nick when boards
>    are being duplicated.
>    - Print signs for the fee schedule and post them prominently - it'll
>    save a lot of repeating info to those buying
>    - Chairs should write up and print out announcements for them and for
>    the directors (they can always be edited onsite) - see announcements section
>
>
>
> Setup:
>
>    - Entry-buying table would be better off near the entrance to the site.
>    (Suggest we set up two entry-buying tables near the front, in the
>    nooks between the doors. When there's a rush, there can be separate tables
>    per event/strat.) When lines formed on Saturday, it was tough to get to the
>    nearby tables, and we had spills happen because tables got knocked.
>    - The offset nook where partnership, entries, and the loading dock are
>    should be used for additional tables for May.  We had to set up one
>    extra table during this event; I expect May will be as big, if not bigger,
>    so we'll need that space for more gaming tables.
>    - In addition to taking pictures of the initial setup that we will
>    need to reset to, note how many tables, chairs, rows, etc.
>
>
>
> Announcements:
>
>    - Remember to turn on all the volume switches for announcements.  After
>    that, it's a simple on/off (allow 30s to let the mic warm up).
>    - Chair should write up "last round" announcement items to ask the
>    directors to include at end of each session - start time of next session,
>    start time of next day's session, etc.
>    - At end of Saturday 2nd session, ask everyone to please rotate their
>    playing table 45 degrees before they leave. It'll save a lot of time on Sat
>    evening.
>
>
>
> Hospitality:
>
>    - Since we don't have a big sink or kitchen for this site, and we
>    intend to keep using this site, I recommend that we plan on buying and
>    bringing several gallon jugs of water and refilling those rather than
>    hauling the coffee urns back and forth.  Also, we should get a
>    hospitality cart to be used throughout the weekend (table height cart) to
>    minimize lifting needs/strain.
>    - We might be getting to the size point that we should consider hiring
>    someone to be a hospitality assistant during sessions. Given minimum wage,
>    I'd figure this is around $100-$125 per day, but coffee runs out
>    mid-session, snacks need to be restocked, areas need to be picked up and
>    cleaned up, wiped down, tidied…I imagine we could keep a person busy.  The
>    only question is if we're willing to make this investment/risk.  I do
>    not think it's the right thing to do to get volunteers to sit out sessions
>    to make this happen.
>
>
>
> Event times/timing:
>
>    - I heard lots of good feedback on the start times (though this is
>    self-fulfilling).  The only negative I heard was that Friday night's
>    session goes late and then Sat AM starts early the next morning.  (This was
>    toughest on the folks having to close down on Friday evening.)
>    - *Jenni noted (and I agree) that we should shift to a shorter Swiss
>    on Sunday. We both heard complaints about 56 boards being used, that it was
>    "too much bridge" and "too long of a day."  *I intend to ask about
>    this in a post-event survey to get data, but while I know some A players
>    like 56 boards, it does not work well to have A on a different timing than
>    everyone else, for carpooling and noise levels.  And many A as well as
>    BCD players do not prefer that many boards.
>    - Jenni noted (and I agree) that 1hr15 was too long for a lunch on
>    Sunday at this location. There's plenty of nearby fast food.  I know
>    my group dawdled a bit (so I could do things), then drove 1.5mi away, ate
>    lunch, and then had plenty of time to go shopping and have a brief walk
>    while still arriving in plenty of time to play.
>       - For Forest Ridge, we will either need to provide the extra time
>       or just recommend everyone bring a sack lunch.  It is much slower
>       to get in and out of that site, and we don't want bridge players speeding
>       through that neighborhood or parking illegally to make it back.
>
>
>
> Event formats:
>
>    - The 0-750 was a big hit. I think it drove the additional attendance
>    we got. Likewise, there was appreciation for the 0-2500.  A daylight
>    timed event will get the attendance to have these breakouts, I think.  (Friday
>    evening was the only session that we were a little light to have the events
>    we had.)
>    - *Jenni and I both heard negative feedback about the BAM being the
>    only event for open players on Friday evening.*  The turnout for it
>    was also lower this year than in previous years, and we both believe that
>    players are voting with their feet, which may have led to Friday night's
>    light attendance (plus the timing).  At the tournaments committee, we
>    discussed this because the survey data indicated that the BAM was the only
>    event type we offer that had a negative rating, and the concern with
>    offering another open event opposite it is that the BAM won't run in that
>    case.  In my opinion, we have enough data between the survey and
>    on-site to *remove the Friday night BAM and replace with an open or
>    fast pairs (fast because of the Sat AM start time).*  (Note that we
>    offer a BAM on the Monday of the KO sectional, so it's not like we won't
>    offer the format any more, and we can see after that event if we get
>    similar negative feedback or if it was just the Friday night that was
>    troublesome.)
>    - *Jenni recommended that when we have a 0-2500, we adjust strata to
>    0-3000, 3000-5000, and 5000+ for the Open event.*  (Note that, per our
>    voting last year, the board agreed to revise strata based on tournament
>    data after each tournament. Tournament data is still pending, but I trust
>    Jenni's input here as a tentative agreement.)
>    - *Jenni recommended (and I agree) that we should shift to single
>    session events, because they pay more MP and players tend to be happier
>    with them for scheduling and performance.*  We got several queries
>    pre-event about single session entries (which we're required to accept, but
>    it's not obvious that's the case when it's a 2-session event…I didn't even
>    know that until doing this!). I submitted a summary to the board last month
>    about proposing we eliminate 2 session pairs events that I'll bring to the
>    3/6 meeting and have attached to this for reference.
>
>
>
> Publicity:
>
>    - Pre-event publicity seemed to work fine given attendance. Note that
>    we did not have this flyer at the previous sectional due to the site change.
>    - Enthusiasm for photos (aside from awards) was mixed.
>    - If we do want to keep pushing session winner photos, I would like us
>    to get a banner to use as a backdrop for photos, but this is very much a
>    "nice to have".  It'd be ~$250, high quality and re-usable (and packs
>    down small), and I'd have it printed with our Seattle logo alternating with
>    either the ACBL logo or with text for "Seattle Unit 446" or similar.  If
>    someone crafty wants to volunteer to make one, I'm all for that, too.
>    - Roving photography would be nice to use for publicizing our events,
>    but obviously, anyone who volunteered would be playing.
>    - I think the big board was nice. Curious for others' thoughts on it.  We
>    won't need as many "slots" if we don't post award winners (but we could
>    just keep the awards winners displayed all year, which is kind of a cool
>    thing…or we could replace with thank yous to volunteers or other things we
>    want to publicize)
>
>
>
> Equipment notes:
>
>    - *Jenni recommmended we get laminated placards or stands with the
>    section letters to show where posted results are.*
>    - *Hospitality cart (see hospitality section)*
>    - *Tables - we may need more folding tables?*
>
>
>
> Teardown:
>
>    - We had good help this year and it took just over an hour to tear
>    down. No big feedback items here. I think it went very well.
>
> --
> JC Chupack
> * Find me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, or Twitter: jcchupack
>
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