Pre-registration Poll

[Jon Brakel]

Keep in mind that you can pre-reg at any league or event that Brett, Jon or Bruce are at, mail-in, on-line and usually at the course on the Friday before the tournament. Sunday players can pre-reg on Saturday when we aren't busy with check-in or player meetings, etc. All players can pre-reg for any upcoming scheduled IOS at any current IOS.

Please feel free to leave comments on why you would be more or less likely to attend an event that is pre-reg only.

[stpitner]

I think I'd be the same on attending a pre-reg only vs. pre-reg and reg in person.  I'd probably be happier with a pre-reg only because then I know things would get started on time.

I would be more willing to pre-register (doesn't matter how - usually online because I'm lazy and online is easy) if there are things like pre-registration discounts or other bonuses (like a bigger player pack) as a thanks for pre-registering.

I'm a play in rain or shine type person, but I think a super clear "this is how you can get your money back if you need it" statement would make things a little bit easier on those that hesitate to pre-reg.

[Fox Metro Discer]

I love IOS events. I will show up to them regardless if they are pre-reg only or not.

i do agree that pre-reg events do seem to start much smoother, however for some discers it is difficult to pen in a date when you don't know the weather or what may come up b4 the tourney. Which is why I assume that some do not preregister.

I have noticed that pre-reg events have seemd to get good numbers, and with the reputation IOS has, I don't see those numbers changing much even if you do go strictly per-registration.

[Chainmeister]

I pre register most of the time.  There are times when I just do not know until the last moment that I will be free. Also, some people live in a cash world and cannot play unless they have cash on the day of the tournament.  Yes, there are players who make a decision based on weather.  This is especially true October through March.  Frankly, I was amazed how many players Scott got at Oswego given the horrible weather.  That is a sign of craziness on the part of the players and a sign of respect for Scott. I couldn't play due to my scheudle but there is no way I would have shown up in that weather.  Had I preregistered, I would have eaten the cost. I don't think Scott should eat that cost.   There are a variety of reasons why players do not preregister.

Your ability to go pre reg only depends on how popular you are. If you feel you can  fill, or nearly fill, your tournament solely with pre reg you can get away with it. If you find that there are lots of open spots it is kind of silly to close the tournament.  
I also understand that registration is hemrhoidal and I appreciate Becky and Madison keeping their, and our, sanity in the morning.  

I would prefer giving an incentive to pre register (or in reality, a penalty for failing to do so). If there is an incentive for pre registration I  think the lines can be minimized. I say price out what you want to give to  players.  Give that to all who preregister.  This could be extra brass, lunch, a T shirt,whatever. Give less to those that register on the day of the event. You can chose what  you want to do with the balance.  You have priced the whole thing based on the cost of a pre registered player.  The day of event registered player will get a little less value, stands in line and risks getting closed out. However, he/she gets the option of  making the decision late.  You can chose what to do  with the value that you have not given back to the day event players--Give out CTPs.  Add cash to the purse, Buy yourselves anew score port.  Buy yourselves lunch!  

[Mukey]

I gotta say less likely for me on a pre-reg only tournament.

I hate to admit how much the weather is a factor in my decisions, but after playing the Oly Spring Opener a few years ago in the rain when I was "Gung-Ho" for disc golf, I realize that playing in the rain is NOT fun for me. I was miserable & soaked to the bone. That's the only tournament I've EVER DNF'd, I just couldn't see myself slogging through another of those rounds. It's important for someone who rarely cashes to have fun at events.

P.S. (I did pre-reg for that one, sent Brian C. a snail mail check, lol)

[airspuds]

pre reg is the way to go
make it easier on the people running the event

cash world  get real   
if you only have cash
go to walgreens and get a prepaid visa

i agree  reward the pre regs

weather  -  i ate fees for march t 
but again that was on me  ,  im donating when i play anyway

pre reg only is the way to go

[ziggy]

I was there for the olymp rain siesta.. Man o man, funny thing - the rain actually let up a lil in the 2nd round.

Springfield had day of registration from 8a-915a

We went ahead started the player's meeting @ 9a and it worked out well with any last minute closure on pre-reg 9a-915a practically adjacent to the players meeting.

Pre-reg, had 53 total. Then another 39? On the day.

We did provide an incentive to get a free t-shirt if pre-reg early!

This is a good topic to explore to maximize potential + optimal flow in the morning.

[CEValkyrie]

I WILL absolutely do prereg only for any event that I run for now on. It really sucked turning away 15-20 players at Sinnissippi earlier this year. It was very stressful and not fun.

#1 Financials are 100% accurate. No handling of money in the morning.
#2 You can check division (ratings) carefully for baggers.
#3 Players can play rather than wait in line.
#4 Less volunteers are needed.Tom was able to get out and throw the course instead of being tied up at the registration table.
#5 Better service for the players.

For an IOS event where there is anywhere from 80 to 100 players both Saturday and Sunday it would take a strain off the registration staff in the morning.

[Bruce Brakel]

I'm really slow to catch on to these new ideas, but if Jon and Brett think it will work, I'll go along with it. 

[Jon Brakel]

If I were to back an IOS pre-reg plan I would want to open up the refund policy from what it might be published as now. But I think there needs to be a lock down point where you don't necessarily get your money back or get an entry at the next event. This is especially true if we are full.

Is Thursday evening before the event a reasonable lock down date and time?

[pickax]

From a TD's view, I think from a logistical point of view and the pre-work that is involved, Thursday is reasonable. There will always be a few that gripe, but that doesn't change no matter what you do. If you do a Thur lock-down you may want to consider following the comp manual on no-shows.

[Jon Brakel]

Mike,

Do you have the verbiage of that? All my TD stuff is in storage right now.

[pickax]

D. No refunds will be issued after the 7th day prior to the
start of the event, but the player shall be sent a player's
package if one was provided to event competitors.
E. Withdrawals made before the 7th day prior to the start of
the event shall receive a 50% refund.
F. Withdrawals made 14 days prior to the start of the event
shall be refunded 100 %, less postage and handling,
which shall not exceed 10% of the entry fee.

[CEValkyrie]

I feel preregistration only (for smaller events) would only work if online is kept open until Friday late afternoon or night. If it's cut off on Thursday I feel it will impact attendance.

There were 68 players that played BN. 26 of those registered online. Of those 26, 11 registered Friday and Saturday. Registration was kept open until Saturday night.

Terry Miller is the only other TD in the area that has offered online registration only. Maybe I can get him to share his experience.

[Jon Brakel]

I feel preregistration only (for smaller events) would only work if online is kept open until Friday late afternoon or night. If it's cut off on Thursday I feel it will impact attendance.

There were 68 players that played BN. 26 of those registered online. Of those 26, 11 registered Friday and Saturday. Registration was kept open until Saturday night.

Terry Miller is the only other TD in the area that has offered online registration only. Maybe I can get him to share his experience.

I was thinking that a lock-in date means that if you have pre-regged then you won't be getting a refund or a roll over after that date. Closing online pre-reg is mostly a matter of logistics.

I think the PDGA guideline is OK for a major or a really big A tier. I wouldn't want to be that harsh for our B tier tournaments.

[tacimala]

Keep in mind that most paydays are on Friday, I agree that Thursday cut off would affect numbers.

[discglfr]

I think this entire thread is a great conversation to be having.  Let me first start by agree with everything Brett said about why pre-registration is so great.  I started pushing pre-registration hard core (and was one of the first to ever accept PayPal as a form of pre-registration) back around 1999.  After seeing all of the benefits that relate to pre-registration, I absolutely cringe anytime I see an event that doesn't push pre-registration in a hard way.  I will never forget going to a Minnesota event a few years back when they had a half dozen of us pre-registered but then took another 100 onsite.  Talk about starting at least 2 hours late and getting home even later.  I have the reverse remarks from many others meaning that I tend to stay away from events that don't rely on pre-registrations because I'm not sure what type of event I'm getting myself into otherwise.

Let me clarify a few things about me and my policies here though:

1)  I will also accept and strongly encourage pre-registrations
2)  I have always offered a full refund as long as you notify me before the first disc is thrown for the day
3)  As long as there is a processing fee attached to my online registration service I will always offer a mail in option


I think it's too bad that so many people can't commit to coming to a tournament.  We all know how TDs sometimes spend dozens or hundreds of hours working on an event yet MANY people will wait until 36 hours (or less) before the event to finally register.  What kills me is that many people will know for weeks or months ahead of time that they have every single intention of coming yet they still wait.  What am I missing here? 

Common reasons have been stated above and I feel like if you can't afford to pre-register for a tournament 7 days in advance then maybe you have more pressing things in your life that you need to focus on.  I hear it locally all the time, "Dude, can I catch you next week with that 30 dollar tournament entry?"  I say, "Sure, but I'm not holding a spot for you and you're risking not getting into the event that is at your home course."  Then the call me a dick to their buddies as they go and spend $6 on a pack of smokes and $40-$80 over the course of the next 6 nights in the bars.  Their priorities - not mine.

Although I am a die hard and have played in every weather condition possible, I can see how some wait for this reason too.  I personally have never backed out of an event or switched plans due to weather because I feel like if someone is putting all of this effort to host an event, then I should be there to support it if it is raining or not.  That's just me though.  I'm the same guy that would still renew a PDGA Membership even if I knew I wasn't playing a single event all year.

Last but not least ... I have in fact hosted online registration for the past 3 years and I know that can be a sore spot for some.  With that idea, I am in the process of taking it a step further as I have invested thousands of dollars into creating the best, most user friendly, TD accessible, well-rounded tournament registration site available.  As a professional player with over 400 tournaments played and nearly 100 events run I think I have the experience necessary to create this system.  It is still being worked on and will be available in a few months.  Yes, there still will be processing fees associated with using it but I'll eventually be able to offer rewards to both the players and TDs that choose to use it.  Again, you'll always have the option with me to pay via check or cash as well but this system will make things even easier and more convenient. 

Thanks to all of Discontinuum for supporting my events.  One of the most common compliments that I receive over and over about my events ... "They run smoothly" and I believe that is directly attributed to my pre-registration policies.

Terry "T-Dogg" Miller

I feel preregistration only (for smaller events) would only work if online is kept open until Friday late afternoon or night. If it's cut off on Thursday I feel it will impact attendance.

There were 68 players that played BN. 26 of those registered online. Of those 26, 11 registered Friday and Saturday. Registration was kept open until Saturday night.

Terry Miller is the only other TD in the area that has offered online registration only. Maybe I can get him to share his experience.

[discglfr]

Sorry but I would like to add one more component to this conversation ...

What incentives out there actually WORK for getting people to pre-register?

Is it the threat of the event filling?

Is it because only pre-reg people get a player's package?

The pre-registered player's packs are better than the non-players?

A $5 late fee?  A $10 late fee?  $20 or more for a late fee? 

We found that no one took a $5 late fee seriously so that's why a handful of TDs got together and all agreed on $10.  I think if everyone agrees and sticks to their guns about late fees then players will take it more seriously.  If I charge a $10 late fee but tournament director X posts a $5 late fee but doesn't enforce it, it makes me look like a jerk.  When in reality, I'm just trying to make my event run smoothly and he's not doing anyone a real favor except enabling that guy because he'll do it again at the next event.

I would love to hear exactly what it is that would get more people to commit to coming earlier.  For now, I'm sticking with a $10 late fee going into effect on THURSDAY NIGHT, which is usually 1 or 2 nights before the event.

Thanks! 

[Dan Michler]

I think pre-reg only is great for the players and the TD's.  When the TD's don't have to focus on taking registrations in the morning, it leaves them to run a much smoother event thats more fun for the players.

I do tend to wait until the last second to pre-reg in case the weather looks sour, but this would not stop me from pre-registering.  I do think there are a pretty good number of "non hard-core" players who just make game-time decisions the night before a tourney.  If its pre-reg only you might be giving up a few of these players who don't want to commit financially in advance, but its still probably worth it.