Author Topic: Season Seven Seat Reservation  (Read 88892 times)

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Fatcatstu

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #135 on: June 04, 2013, 20:44:32 PM »


I can switch my energies to looking for a couple of admin volunteers.


What will his involve Des? I"m happy to help if I can.


Just seen this, definitely +1 Des if you need my help. Goes for anything really, just ask
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Fatcatstu

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #136 on: June 04, 2013, 20:46:26 PM »

Perceived value is a funny thing...

When I read abut the £5 extra idea I thought, "I don"t like it" and if I"m honest I still don"t primarily for the reasons stated around attracting new members etc.

However I do like the membership idea with a fee attached with one of the benefits being the members-only pre-sale idea. Don R has put this idea forward already and I don"t see why it cannot work (if it can"t can someone tell me why).

I think it should be a straight forward members / non-members approach, getting into associate members, gold, silver, bronze etc. would be complex (don"t walk before you can run).

Most football & rugby clubs do this where there would be one week before the public sale date to but your seat... membership should also carry other benefits e.g. discounts from APAT merchandise (can APAT facilitate this?) and a small limited edition gift.


A pint from Des?
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Des

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #137 on: June 04, 2013, 20:49:45 PM »


Perceived value is a funny thing...

When I read abut the £5 extra idea I thought, "I don"t like it" and if I"m honest I still don"t primarily for the reasons stated around attracting new members etc.

However I do like the membership idea with a fee attached with one of the benefits being the members-only pre-sale idea. Don R has put this idea forward already and I don"t see why it cannot work (if it can"t can someone tell me why).

I think it should be a straight forward members / non-members approach, getting into associate members, gold, silver, bronze etc. would be complex (don"t walk before you can run).

Most football & rugby clubs do this where there would be one week before the public sale date to but your seat... membership should also carry other benefits e.g. discounts from APAT merchandise (can APAT facilitate this?) and a small limited edition gift.


A pint from Des?


LOL!  Thread rocks :)

...and thanks for the offer.  Seven volunteer offers and counting now, happy days.
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SirPercival

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #138 on: June 04, 2013, 21:19:52 PM »

It"s a tricky one this. Having just experienced the disappointment of seeing 15 unsold seats at Wembley, I agree that there needs to be a solution that balances APAT's need to cover its costs in delivering excellent value/formatted competitons, with the player"s need for good value & convenience.

It should be noted that having tournaments fully sold is a benefit to the players involved.

However, I think there need to be more benefits than this! Someone"s already posted the idea about an annual membership bestowing benefits. I think that this is the way to go - but with no tier system, just a flat-rate membership fee that would give the following example benefits:

1. Tournament pre-reg preference up to say 10 days in advance of the comp
2. A piece of APAT merchandise - a card-guard; t-shirt; cap; calendar & zillions of other low-cost volume items
3. Staking privelege (?)
4. Monthly email updates on APAT special offers

I can"t speak for everyone, of course, but even those on tight budgets would probably value this at something around £20 p/a - that"s about 3 packets of fags...

It also has the benefit of simplicity, and perhaps the "welcome pack" could include the facility to authorise payment by DD, which I believe would keep transaction fees relatively low - and even offer people the choice to pay by cheque in the post should they so wish (and this is even cheaper for APAT)

Maybe I"m being niaive...

4h Kh


One of the reasons I suggested a teired membership was to ensure everyone could be a member at no cost (bronze) and a fee could be paid for (silver, gold) some priveleges.


AJDUK

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #139 on: June 05, 2013, 23:29:54 PM »
Any membership fee at least doubles for those of us in multi-player households.
As does any extra fee for that matter.
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MintTrav

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #140 on: June 06, 2013, 01:06:57 AM »

Any membership fee at least doubles for those of us in multi-player households.
As does any extra fee for that matter.


Luckily you have the perfect solution for that - multiple salaries.
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AJDUK

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #141 on: June 06, 2013, 01:45:08 AM »


Any membership fee at least doubles for those of us in multi-player households.
As does any extra fee for that matter.


Luckily you have the perfect solution for that - multiple salaries.


lol - let"s no go there ;)
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4KSuited

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #142 on: June 06, 2013, 12:21:35 PM »

Any membership fee at least doubles for those of us in multi-player households.
As does any extra fee for that matter.


I don"t want to pay any more money than I have to either, but nor do I want to spend my hard-earned travelling to a comp that I thought was going to be sold out only to discover on arrival that there was 40%+ no-shows....

If anyone has a cost-free solution that ensures that people who reserve a seat on here actually turn up, then I"m certain Des & the rest of us would love to hear it!
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cashman

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #143 on: June 07, 2013, 12:35:29 PM »



I can switch my energies to looking for a couple of admin volunteers.


What will his involve Des? I"m happy to help if I can.


Just seen this, definitely +1 Des if you need my help. Goes for anything really, just ask


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Sillbags

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #144 on: June 09, 2013, 14:43:04 PM »
Attracting new players
I have been a member since s2, and got introduced via friends who played s1. The clickfest was a simple, easy to way to register, sold out very quickly and gave APAT a very accurate expectation of numbers to expect at the venue. However, over the last few years, I have introduced new players to APAT and registration has been somewhat confusing for them. With registering on the forum, finding details of upcoming events, understanding how to register, downloading client, finding holding tank, or searching the forum for seat reservation, it"s just too long winded.

Registration & Fees
The registration process needs to be idiot proof. I have a number of players in my regular game, who rely on me to let them know when the next event is. They even ask me to register for them, and when I start explaining the registration process, I"ve lost them. So they never end up playing. I 100% agree that you need a simple "Register Now" link on the home page. From my perspective, and surely many others with jobs and families, I would like to see a link to all the current seasons events on the home page, then under each event there would be a "Register Now" link. This would allow players to plan the whole season, book holidays and notify family. This link would direct you to a payment page, where a £5 payment will secure you a seat. Now if this £5 can"t be deducted from the buyin or reg fee, and is to be used to generate revenue for APAT, then would it be possible to bring back the free buffet? Players may be less concerned by the extra fee if they know they"re getting a free meal out of it. Another option to disguise the additional £5 fee would be to run the tournaments as £75 + £5 and take the 10% rake from the prize pool. This would stop new players being put off by the seemingly high reg fees. I have actually introduced this in my local £55 (now £50) tournament, and we"ve had a significant increase in numbers.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2013, 14:48:09 PM by Sillbags »

Robbiebox

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #145 on: June 09, 2013, 17:39:00 PM »

Attracting new players
I have been a member since s2, and got introduced via friends who played s1. The clickfest was a simple, easy to way to register, sold out very quickly and gave APAT a very accurate expectation of numbers to expect at the venue. However, over the last few years, I have introduced new players to APAT and registration has been somewhat confusing for them. With registering on the forum, finding details of upcoming events, understanding how to register, downloading client, finding holding tank, or searching the forum for seat reservation, it"s just too long winded.

Registration & Fees
The registration process needs to be idiot proof. I have a number of players in my regular game, who rely on me to let them know when the next event is. They even ask me to register for them, and when I start explaining the registration process, I"ve lost them. So they never end up playing. I 100% agree that you need a simple "Register Now" link on the home page. From my perspective, and surely many others with jobs and families, I would like to see a link to all the current seasons events on the home page, then under each event there would be a "Register Now" link. This would allow players to plan the whole season, book holidays and notify family. This link would direct you to a payment page, where a £5 payment will secure you a seat. Now if this £5 can"t be deducted from the buyin or reg fee, and is to be used to generate revenue for APAT, then would it be possible to bring back the free buffet? Players may be less concerned by the extra fee if they know they"re getting a free meal out of it. Another option to disguise the additional £5 fee would be to run the tournaments as £75 + £5 and take the 10% rake from the prize pool. This would stop new players being put off by the seemingly high reg fees. I have actually introduced this in my local £55 (now £50) tournament, and we"ve had a significant increase in numbers.

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Paulie_D

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #146 on: June 09, 2013, 19:31:30 PM »
Now if this £5 can"t be deducted from the buyin or reg fee, and is to be used to generate revenue for APAT, then would it be possible to bring back the free buffet? Players may be less concerned by the extra fee if they know they"re getting a free meal out of it. Another option to disguise the additional £5 fee would be to run the tournaments as £75 + £5 and take the 10% rake from the prize pool. This would stop new players being put off by the seemingly high reg fees. I have actually introduced this in my local £55 (now £50) tournament, and we"ve had a significant increase in numbers.


A couple of interesting ideas here but, unfortunately, not really likely to work.

I like the idea of a buffet coming back but in practice it"s just not...erm, practical. The comp structure just doesn"t have enough spare time in it for a 45 minute break any more...does it?

The £5 should never be "disguised" and I think this is one of the very last things APAT would ever want to do. All buy-in money goes into the prize pool and always has.

It"s a £75 + 10% comp and the seat reservation fee is voluntary. It doesn"t apply to anyone buying in on the day..nor should it. It never going to be liked or popular but it will, assuming Des goes with it, be tolerated.

Frankly, I don"t think it will happen, there"s enough resentment of it for Des to drop it...but I"ve been wrong before*.

*At least once...I"m sure.
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Chipaccrual

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #147 on: June 09, 2013, 19:41:48 PM »
I"m very keen on the return of the buffet break.

If last weekend taught me one thing, it was that not getting a proper meal each day is really not very good for you.  I think dropping a level to include a proper dinner break is actually a step forward.

Sugar_Free

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #148 on: June 09, 2013, 19:53:47 PM »

I"m very keen on the return of the buffet break.

If last weekend taught me one thing, it was that not getting a proper meal each day is really not very good for you.  I think dropping a level to include a proper dinner break is actually a step forward.


So long as the "proper dinner break" includes "proper dinner". This was so open to abuse by the organising casinos who either didn"t serve enough to feed 200 people, Luton and Blackpool stick in the mind, or spent so little on it that the cheap slop they served up was barely fit for human consumption, Bolton hang your head.
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s4ooter

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Re: Season Seven Seat Reservation
« Reply #149 on: June 09, 2013, 19:57:01 PM »

I"m very keen on the return of the buffet break.

If last weekend taught me one thing, it was that not getting a proper meal each day is really not very good for you.  I think dropping a level to include a proper dinner break is actually a step forward.


Best thing ive seen all thread!!!

Need a good meal, especially if im gonna but up 4am playing cash/Open face chinese etc :)
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