Event branding considerations

[MikeB]

The thread on small event promotion raises the interesting question of how to brand a tournament. The branding process is basically how one tournament distinguishes itself from others in the mind of the consumer. Here are some thoughts on the subject, hopefully it will stir up some discussion.

Tournament branding occurs on a number of variables including but not limited to: Buy-In levels, blind interval structure (how frequently and by what percentage do the blinds increase ?), rebuy and add-on policy, game(s) played, the venue (location, comfort, etc.), ancillary venue services like food/drink/other gaming, player comps, payout percentages, awards, day & time, types of players attracted, personalities of management & other staff, etc. etc. etc.  Even the title of the event(s) can be meaningful.

For a director just planning a new event series, I think it's best to ask a simple question "what kind(s) of tournaments would I like to play in ?".  Chances are if you design the tourney that you yourself are enthusiastic about, your staff and customers will pick up on that in a positive way. And then pay attention to feedback, when you find something that your market just doesn't appreciate, even if you think it's great, you have to think about making a change.

[Stuart Murray]

Feedback I receive from players in my tourneys mostly relate to the quality of the event, the well run structures and knowledable floor staff,

I get high praise but need that to go further, I have my regional finals on sunday, and I have specified a formal dress code for floor staff and am further planning a fanfare of events to stir the attention of players and put on a real show, something similar to the show Jack Effel puts on for his final tablists at WSOP and WSOPE events.

This attention to my players I am sure will see them return again and again to play in pubs across my franchise area, with this word of mouth from existing players it is also much easier to employ more venues to run my league and ensure continued growth each and every season.