hk264
New Member
Quo Vadimus
Posts: 4
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Post by hk264 on Oct 13, 2008 16:04:38 GMT -5
I am very tentatively planning an event for next summer. I've thoroughly read and re-read the tips offered on event planning, and found them very helpful, but before I get too deep into insurance, renting port-a-johns, and contacting local police, I wanted to know more about certain qualities of successful events. Specific questions I had include the following: What kind of attendance is typically seen at large-scale operations? Are the turnouts for most first-timers' events substantially dissimilar? Registration fees seem to be anywhere between $10 and $100. What do you who are frequent attendees of weekend events expect to pay? Is it more efficient for people to bring their own food, or provide food on-site? What medic/regeneration systems are most effective?
If I overlooked the answer to any of these elsewhere on the board, simply linking to that thread will be sufficient. I appreciate all insight and experience that you are willing to share with me.
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Post by Ghast on Oct 13, 2008 16:18:31 GMT -5
-Attendance is really based on reputation, but figure of all the people that sign up about 60% show up. -There are no registration fee's, people usually pay when the get to the field and unless it's MILSIM (military simulation, extraordinary strict rules and roleplaying) its very highly unlikely that people will pay more than $30. If it's just a rec game people will probably only pay around $15 per head. -If you are far away from fast food restaurants (more than 5 miles) you should probably provide food, any closer than 5 miles though and the players will just end up driving to food off site. -Medic/Regen systems are determined entirely by event hosts. Some people use a medic system while others do respawns at a designated spot for a set time.
I would say that the most important part of an event would be location. If you're way up in northern Michigan (past flint) you could expect a lot lower turnouts. Most fields are in/around Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, and as for the east side the fields are around Wixom (as far south as Taylor and as far north as Flint).
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Post by Knief on Oct 13, 2008 16:39:23 GMT -5
Nobody really knows you, so you don't have any kind of reputation for what kind of events you're capable of putting on. Add that to the fact that you're asking what kind of turns outs you get at large events (which means that you haven't been to one) tells me that you're probably not going to be able to host one effectively. First things first, make your way out to some games and see what goes on so you know what you need to do, and more importantly, what you can do better than the hosts did when you played.
While you're doing that, go around and introduce yourself to people. Let them know that you're looking to put on your own event and ask for imput. Even if you don't want to take it, you'll be able to get a lot more people excited by talking to them in person rather than just posting it up. People tend not to go to events hosted by somebody they don't know.
The next step is to hold some rec games to get a good player base and build a reputation. Get some nice 30-40 player games going on and make sure people are enjoying them. When you've done one or two of those a month for a couple of seasons, then you'll really be able to draw a crowd out to a big scenario based game. These days, people want a reason to go to a game other than the fact that it's a game. Get the word out that you know how to host a rec game, and people will be far more likely to spend money on your Op. Otherwise, they'll just wait a week and go to the next Op on the list.
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Post by Gentner on Oct 13, 2008 17:29:11 GMT -5
Be prepared for a lot of stress aswell. When I was planning Operation Diamondback, I had to re-work scenareo's, objectives, etc to a different field then what I had originally a year ago. Props were another problem I ran into aswell. Making decent looking IEDs (Which few people found) were quite costly on my part. So when you actually decide to launch your event, your making a major comittment in doing so.
Also look at what your event is going to be. Is it going to be MilSim? Or a Rec Game? Or a Scenareo (Loosely based MilSim)? If you plan to do MilSim, direct it towards the older crowed (IE 16-18+ year olds). Make the objectives worth wild, IE no capture the flag style of game. Try to add in some things that will make it unique like role players, interesting props, etc. I think after Operation Diamondback, those who attended it will say that the role players were a complete and utter cluster fuck. Which in my mind added some more realism to it.
Also think of where and how you plan to hold your event. I was lucky to have Canto and Armory Airsoft help host my event at Hole in the Wall Paintball in Bangor. Also take into consideration if your holding it on your land, how big the field is, how much parking will be needed, etc before everyone comes. So this is just a little heads up of some things you may get yourself in.
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hk264
New Member
Quo Vadimus
Posts: 4
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Post by hk264 on Oct 13, 2008 18:59:44 GMT -5
Thank you very much, all of you.
I have 40 acres surrounded by State parks. It's easily accessible by car, but a hundred meters away from the road, and a driver wouldn't see a game if they parked and looked for it. There's a lodge with 3 bathrooms and a kitchen, so it won't take much more to have all the amenities taken care of. I'm slowly building bunkers and cover, and any event I chose to host wouldn't be for a year or more. I'm just trying to learn, and I made no effort to hide the fact that I'm not experienced. I've played in rec games, and I'm trying to do more as my schedule allows. I'm very aware that people don't know me, and if I'm going to go through with anything large-scale, I'll introduce myself and make connections, and I'll do my best to demonstrate my reliability, as difficult as that might be in an already close-knit community. But I'm very competent, and I'm not going to do anything until I know I can do it well. Again, thank you very much for your advice so far, especially Gentner. I've read all the post-mortem on Operation Diamondback, and it seems to have been terrifically executed.
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Post by kustom on Oct 13, 2008 20:56:19 GMT -5
One thing I've noticed, is persistence helps a lot. My team, FAH, went from holding rec games that started out as "who the hell are you guys" to ending up with over 60 players at OP: War Lord. Again, we had a lot of doubt, and by some people, we still do. In the end, we won a lot of people with "big names" out to the games, and we sent them home happy. when we did War Lord, I felt crazy unprepared, but it all worked out, for the most part.
Do some rec games first, and then move on to the big fish.
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Post by Canto on Oct 14, 2008 3:21:04 GMT -5
Along with what Kustom said about persistence. But ambition, drive, dedication, respectability, customer service, and experience all play major factors. I co-founded Armory Airsoft in 2004. Since October of 2006 we've hosted several events (Operation: Flash Fire, Operation: Starlite, etc) and helped host several more (Black Eagle, Diamondback, etc). Accessibility, make your field not only easy to access from a vehicle or location point of few but welcoming and pleasant. Atmosphere, we try and offer a very friendly and open environment for both players and parents alike. Field Setup, you don't need to build a mock representation of Times Square... Most airsofters don't care as much about what stuff looks like as much as how it functions. Our field has a "third world village" feel and look to it; MiA seems to love it since we keep hosting events... Restrooms, keep in mind not everyone wants to shit in the woods and you might have female players. Camping or campsites, we offer free pre and post event camping for all guests as a courtsey for those who might have to drive long distances. Food and Drink, Ghast is correct five miles is a good radius to make a decision on if you should provide food or not. Water, this will go in it's own category because it of it's importance. People need water; preferably clean, drinkable, potable, not to mention free. Storyline/Plot, you don't need to be a great writer; but an interesting storyline helps. Additional Staffing, you will probably need more people than just yourself to run an event. Well, you really don't; but it would be a shitty one. Tell ya what dude, come on down to Flash Fire III this weekend. It's $15.00 and if you come on Friday or event early Saturday; I could go over some of this with you and maybe give you a few tips.
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Post by Tex on Oct 14, 2008 13:19:51 GMT -5
Where exactly, if I might ask, is this land that you own? Location is likely the top factor on how well you will do in terms of turnout.
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Slugg
New Member
This gun is for hire.
Posts: 444
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Post by Slugg on Oct 14, 2008 14:23:01 GMT -5
Also, It is always good to have an EMT or some emergency medical profesional. Just to be safe
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Post by Zorak on Oct 14, 2008 15:45:27 GMT -5
My advice, based on GK's experience hosting events at other people's fields, is to start small and work your way up. You can't walk around your field and know how it will play, you have to actually get a game going. Even then, the field will play a lot differently in a 20v20 game than in a 50v50 game, so you can get into trouble that way as well. Similarily, rules tweaks don't always work out the way you expect, so don't use all your cool ideas at once. Roll them out one at a time and get the kinks worked out before you introduce a new one.
GK ran a milsim CQB event at the old ACO factory in Lyons. Munin had a great scenario cooked up, with some interesting new rules, but things went off the rails in short order. The American force did not deploy as envisioned, and suffered a severe setback in the first few minutes of play. The medic rules for the terrorist side had a lot of character but lots of players either didn't understand them or just decided to cheat. The combination of the two forced us to call the scenario early. Either one of those could have been avoided, but we didn't have time to run a lot of games to test the rules out, and we thought it would be more fun if there were suprises for both teams. Since then I've come to the conclusion that the rules should always be known to both teams well in advance - it may not be as interesting as surprising people with new gameplay innovations, but in the end it improves the game for most people.
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Post by mopedman (Fighting Tacos) on Oct 31, 2008 7:17:40 GMT -5
Me and my team would be willing to come out and help you set up, all the scenarios and ref. it if you want.
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