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David Lloyd
Administrator
713 Posts |
 Posted - 02/13/2010 : 16:51:23
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To all my friends; This has to be said.
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It is exciting to see people play darts - however, most of them are losing site of the FACT that clubs are in business to make a PROFIT. Those clubs that don't eventually GO OUT OF BUSINESS. Dart tournaments are an EXPENSE - too much cost to do something makes it UNeconomical to continue.
There are only a few clubs left that have DARTS as a main part of their club. WHEN WE, as the demanding more and more for nothing dart players don't care if the club survives in the long run, as long as WE get awesome UNrealistic (not based on increased participation) payouts, then eventually, the club will stop offering DARTS at all or just plain 'GOOB- go out of business. Too many have already.
Every Club owner over the eleven years ---has TOLD me they need to receive back that night FOUR to FIVE times the amount of hard cash (profit from their business) in that evenings revenue to BREAK EVEN - too many of the dart players don't believe that or dont even care - they just have a pay me NOW, attidute (you 'owe me' attitude - entitlement thinking) Yet, every every every club owner has told me the same thing.
Therefore, this immense, crazy, obnoxious money adding has to stop SOON or all the wonderful clubs we love to play darts at will eventually either die or stop offering dart tournaments.
I'm not stupid and I saw this immediately when I started the Circuit so, therefore I kept the add-in to something reasonable. All the BIG money added to Circuit tournaments comes from the Players money (forced savings program) or outside advertisers money wanting to reach the players (Jameson Irish Whiskey & occasionally others).
This is the only healthy and profitable (to all) way for larger payouts. So, please give some consideration to the CLUB when you ask them to ADD MORE money - this comes directly out of the owners pocketbook and that aint right. At least to me.
Please reply - lets start a 'Thread' that goes for a while. This is also posted in Open Forum.
David Lloyd
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smkdarts
Junior Member
112 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2010 : 02:55:23
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David,
I love you to death, but this wrong on many levels in my opinion. First, tournaments are an expense. Anyone who believes otherwise is NOT informed. Tournaments are a way of bringing in DDA (or other league) teams. Over the years, look at what has happen to bars that had teams. Kelly's, a prime example, used to have 16+ matches each week. That is 32 teams. Somehow, they decide that a few hundred bucks each weekend was not worth over 300 players during the week. I believe Paradise Grill fell into this same trap. For a small bar, they were packed with teams. They decided that the tournament was not worth the expense for that individual night. They decide to stop the tournaments. I don’t know exactly, but didn’t the number of team drop dramatically after that? I know my team left shortly after that (In full disclosure, the bar didn’t not expand and the dart area for teams was WAY overcrowded).
So are you asking the bar owner so measure the success of the bar based on the tournaments alone? If so, then the circuit advertising program needs to be over hauled. Tournaments expecting to cover $5 for every $1 dollar spent will NEVER succeed.
So based on what I have seen, the argument that bars can’t afford to kick in more money is silly. The numbers only work out badly if they ignore the dart traffic and spending the rest of the week (which would be based on advertising). I don’t see Drinks complaining about the cost of their tournaments. Why is that when Drinks probably spends the most on darts compared to any other club. It probably has to do with the residual traffic of dart players Monday through Sunday. I’ve been going there every other Monday for the last 6 months and 99% of the time can find quality players just hanging out drinking looking for a friendly game. Of course, we frequently have to move due to the large number of single player matches….
So are the tournament adds insane? NO. So are you asking the bar owner so measure the success of the bar based on the tournament alone? That is a serious mistake for everyone including dart players. Do some bars do a better job of making the most of their advertising dollars? Absolutely. It is survival of the fittest. This is why bars like Kellys and Paradise have dropped off the dart map.
The number of players in Dallas has decreased over the last 10 years by a significant amount. If the supply of dart players has gone down, it is only logical that the demand for players has gone up. This is reflected in the amount bars now have to add to tournaments and league fees. For the record though, I remember getting much higher returns when playing dart tournaments 10+ years ago. Obviously, this demand for dart player is a key indicator that having us in a bar is a GOOD thing.
As noted, having players hang out in a bar is a good thing. Dart players have a preference on which bars that they like (or can smoke in). I used to like Kelly’s over Drinks. Why did I change? Because they focused on dart players as opposed to poker chips. Drinks, with higher payouts and better run tournaments, earned my business and several teams that I brought to them. I like the bar and being able to find a game anytime. Which is why I spend $30 every other Monday these days having a few drinks and getting in a few practice games. That would be $30 gained from simply being a good dart bar.
This has been a bit long winded, but to summarize. Bars that want dart teams and other peripheral business will understand that tournaments are an advertising cost. Those that don’t get it, will lose their teams within 2 years of dropping that tournament. This has proven true at many dart pubs over the last ten + years – Kellys, Paradise Grill, Clicks on Kingsley, Skillman Street pub, VFWs, and goodness knows how many others I’ve forgotten.
The only Insane part of the message is why the paying dart community shouldn't ask for even higher payouts! They want us in every night of the week even if that means spending a few extra advertising dollars for tournaments.
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INSANE money ADDS to Dart Tourneys
