[SBU Board] Sweetheart Sectional Postmortem notes
Ann Romeo
annromeo at gmail.com
Sat Mar 4 17:13:26 PST 2017
One more idea/thing that may help a LOT with coffee (and running out)
Let's invest in two thermos despensers--they cost a bit, BUT can hold over
3 pots of coffee. That should solve running out. We had access to these
at Renton CC--they were WONDERFUL--I can make a couple pots ahead and store
in thermos, and they stayed toasty hot. See what I see on Amazon.com?
[image: Inline image 1]
cheers,
a
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 8:08 PM, Ann Romeo <annromeo at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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 <(425)%20392-8417>
> Work email: Ann.Romeo at ORCInternational.com
> Work direct dial: 212-463-6331 <(212)%20463-6331>
> My cell: 425-615-1413 <(425)%20615-1413> (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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>
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