Marketing Tips & Tricks
Event Ideas
TIP – Submitted by John Grossmann, Unit 360 Colorado Springs, CO:
In 2006, Colorado Springs decided to challenge the much larger Denver Unit of ACBL to a head to head bridge match. There has always been a natural rivalry between the two cities. We called our bridge event the “Front Range Challenge”. Read more...
Each year we have 32 tables in a two session match on a fall Saturday. We start with Swiss Teams in the morning and switch to pairs after a cookout or catered lunch. There are four strats, and each city squad has either four teams or eight pairs in each strat. The conditions of contest were crafted so no one ever plays against their own squad.
Both squads have more players interested in participating in the event than there are slots. Team captains use recent performance or preliminary “trials” to set their team. While many pairs play both sessions, the rules allow for single sessions. We determine a winner by Challenge Points awarded for finishing 1,2,3,4 or 5.
We surprised Denver in the first year by creating an attractive trophy. A kitchen counter store gave us a triangular hunk of granite which looks a little like the Rocky Mountains. A local cemetery sand blasted “Front Range Challenge” in the stone. One of our members made a black wood base and a trophy shop added brass plaques. For under $70 we got a forty pound trophy worthy of this rivalry.
The event is a hit with the players. One area we hope to improve upon is getting publicity in the local papers.
This year, Fort Collins and Boulder will have initiated their own city-city challenge.
