ELABORATING YOUR PLAN AND ORGANIZING YOUR TOURNAMENT STAFF

By Marc Gelbke As a continuation from my last editorial, “Developing a Tournament Plan,” I would like to stay along this topic and discuss another couple of important factors when considering organizing a tournament at your facility. Now that we have a general idea of what type of tournament we want to organize, it is time to elaborate your plan and possibly sell your concept for approval to, for example, the board of directors, tournament committee, members, or facility owner. Furthermore, elaborating your plan simply means spelling out the financial and logistical details to gain approval and help organize your event. It is a good idea to prepare a proposal that establishes cost, schedule, profitability, benefits to the community, and benefits to the facility. Your proposal should always included the “four W’s” and the “two H’s” (who, what, when, why, and how and how much). In addition, list all of your specific elements such as type of event, cost per person, number of players, cart requirements, schedule of activities, food and beverage requirements, and staff requirements. The most important element for gaining approval is, of course, your profitability, so carefully consider all expenses, and as a rule of thumb, use 10% for gifts and awards from your initial intake. Once your plan and proposals are complete, start organizing your staff requirements to make preparations and help run the tournament. Consider first what positions need staffing and then find people to fill those positions (employees, club members, volunteers, etc). Be sure to identify all the functions and assign responsibility for each function to a specific person, and assign people to functions you feel comfortable they can handle. Use a checklist to help in planning, and you will improve your chances for a smooth operation. The more you prepare and cover all angles before the tournament, the more you can enjoy your hard labor and feel good about your success come tournament day.