If you are are trying to plan your first Tournament, how do you estimate the number of people who may show up?
Probably the best way to estimate turnout is to look at similar events in the area.
You can use this page to search for events by state and month:
uschess.org/ratings/RatesSea … Search.php
One of the things I still hope to add to MSA is a better search capability.
I see around 28 events in the last two years in the Quad Cities area, try searching on MSA for events with ‘Illowa’ in the name. Most appear to have drawn somewhere between 8 and 15 players.
You can also order mailing labels for USCF members living in the area based on a variety of selection criteria. It looks like there are around 75 current members (of various membership types and ages) who live within 50 miles of you, though a list might not be that big because people can opt out of them.
Unfortunatly the Illowa club holds a tournament every month. They play one round from the tournament every tuesday night. So it takes a full month to play the entire tournament. I am not sure that kind of tournament set up will give us a very accurate idea of what kind of interest we will have for a one or two day event.
That still gives you some idea of the number of active players, possibly even on the low side. Someone who lives in Clinton or Dubuque (I grew up near there) might not drive to Davenport for a one-game-a-week event but might be more likely to drive down for a one or two day event. (Was there no Louis Paulsen event in 2008? I didn’t find it in MSA.)
On the other hand, don’t count on getting players from Chicago or St. Louis.
If you need to know more precisely than that, I suggest you buy a mailing list and mail to people to see what kind of response you get.
Plan conservatively for your first event (especially on the expense side) and you should do OK.
I have no idea about the Louis Paulsen event. I have not even visited the club personally yet. I have contacted them through e-mail because I have classes at Western Illinois University on tuesday nights when they meet. That is one of the reasons I am looking to start a club at the University. That way I will know that the meeting times and Tournament times will meet with my schedule. Selfish, I know, but I want to play again. I also want to get my kids exposed to the world of the USCF. I would actually prefer a smaller event to start with, I was just curious what the best methods were to plan the first one. Obviously, nothing will happen until, first I get certified as a TD, second I get the club up and running. The good thing is that there are two different ways for me to get some budget allocations from the school for equipment. I am not sure how much yet, but I am continueing my research.
One thing I have learned the hard way (more than once):
Chess tournaments don’t sell themselves, you have to put some effort into promoting them. That means a lot more than taking out a TLA in Chess Life, it means visiting clubs and other tournaments in the area and talking to players, leaving flyers if possible, mailing to local players, contacting the media, etc.
Think of it as a business, because it is one.
Emerson was wrong, the world won’t beat a path to your doorstep unless they know where it is, what’s waiting for them there, and why they need it. And that’s called marketing.
Neil, I see you listed as from Moline IL. I’m not too far away in Bloomington IL. Another place nearby that has a fairly active chess scene is Peoria IL. With regards to how to get things started in your community, Ron Suarez would be a good resource.
If you want to get your kids exposed - I run a tournament on MLK day, this year on January 21. We have been running 6 sections in the past and I am thinking of adding a 7th this year. We do a k-1 section, 2-3 section, 2-3 section for beginners, 4-5 section, 4-5 section for beginners, 6-8 section, and I am thinking of adding a 6-8 section for beginners this year. In the past, this tournament has had as many as 375 kids participate. This year looking for a good crowd. We are able to lower entry fee to $10 from $15 through a generous donation of $2000 by an anonymous donor.
I work with a group called Bloomington/Normal Area Scholastic Chess. We support clubs in about 20 Elementary and Jr. High Schools in the area and we have participation in our events from both the Peoria Area and Champaign Urbana area. Champaign Urbana seems to be on the upswing of getting more clubs started and holding more events.
Also, locally a new Adult Chess Club has opened it doors with the support of some local investors and a FIDE certified teacher, Colley Kitson. It is doing well with growing participation.
How do you do it - Play Chess, Invite People, promote, promote, promote.
We have hosted simuls with GM and IM from Chicago area. Above all, look to build bridges, not compete with others.
Good Luck
Our University club has Quick tournaments about once a month at our nightly meeting. At G/10, we can have a 6 round event in a little over 2 hours. We pair round robin in quads or 3 rounds of a hex. We sometimes have them USCF rated, but most often they are not. Players bring their own sets and clocks so we do not need to ask for money for equipment; only for a playing site wich thankfully we get free.
I find that many of our players work on the weekend and cannot or will not play in a 2 day event. Some may play in a one day event and even more will play in a half day event. We once ran a 3 round G/45 Quads tournament every first Sunday and it was very popular since by playing it as a round robin there is no delay between rounds and it can be run in about 5 hours.