Give Us Some Feedback On The Live Drafts

[Gordon Gekko II]

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
There's no doubt we've gone on the cheap over the years when it comes to food, but again, that's another expense on top of the rental space and the rest. As some have suggested, we could just add a $50 Events Fee and we'd have all the burgers, hot dogs and ice cream we could enjoy. But I'm not sure everyone wants to pay $50 extra and I haven't asked. Maybe I should have. But my goal has always been to run a first-rate event and it really hasn't been my job to entertain you or feed you.

That being said, I think that will change in the future. Fanball.com is interested in making this more of an "event" feel. I like that. I think we can do that. Greg -
If competing events (WCOFF & FFPC) are charging event fees and giving their participants an "event feel", doesn't that put the NFFC at a disadvantage?

I don't like paying more money for ANYTHING. But I'd rather pay a nominal events fee upfront than to pay for food, drinks, etc on draft day.

Of course, the "events fee" has to be properly used. There has to be real food and enough of it!

With the problems the WCOFF had this year (no I'm not playing but heard through friends and have seen the fiasco on their message boards), it wouldn't surprise me to see a chunk of the high stakes fantasy football community "up for grabs" next year. That's unfortunate because WCOFF was the original trendsetter and Dustin/Jesse seem like okay guys.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Originally posted by Gordon Gekko II:
quote:Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
There's no doubt we've gone on the cheap over the years when it comes to food, but again, that's another expense on top of the rental space and the rest. As some have suggested, we could just add a $50 Events Fee and we'd have all the burgers, hot dogs and ice cream we could enjoy. But I'm not sure everyone wants to pay $50 extra and I haven't asked. Maybe I should have. But my goal has always been to run a first-rate event and it really hasn't been my job to entertain you or feed you.

That being said, I think that will change in the future. Fanball.com is interested in making this more of an "event" feel. I like that. I think we can do that. Greg -
If competing events (WCOFF & FFPC) are charging event fees and giving their participants an "event feel", doesn't that put the NFFC at a disadvantage?

I don't like paying more money for ANYTHING. But I'd rather pay a nominal events fee upfront than to pay for food, drinks, etc on draft day.

Of course, the "events fee" has to be properly used. There has to be real food and enough of it!

With the problems the WCOFF had this year (no I'm not playing but heard through friends and have seen the fiasco on their message boards), it wouldn't surprise me to see a chunk of the high stakes fantasy football community "up for grabs" next year. That's unfortunate because WCOFF was the original trendsetter and Dustin/Jesse seem like okay guys. [/QUOTE]I guess you could say that since more folks are talking about food this week than the quick, professionally-run drafts we had across the country. I'll say it again, I'm not in favor of adding an Events Fee, but if unlimited food and drink is the only thing missing from the NFFC then we will figure it out. Hell, I think food is more of an issue in baseball than football because those drafts last 4 1/2 to 5 hours. A person is REALLY hungry after 30 rounds of baseball.

I can guarantee you that my job would be a lot easier if you folks paid my food and beverage minimums. Trust me, I know how to spend a lot of money throwing a good party. That's never been a problem for me!! I guess we'll look into it along with our many other requests. Heck, maybe we make the Events Fee an option when registering and we create different badges or wrist bands for those who are allowed to eat and drink. That's one way of solving this.

As for 2010, as you know we have aggressive plans to expand starting in baseball. We'll see what the market can absorb and what the market wants. I think the market wants quality events and contests, ROI for their investments, rosters loaded and accurate, and assurances of prize money. I don't see any reason why we can't do all of that and more in 2010 in multiple sports.

[Tom Kessenich]

Like Greg said, if we amp up the event aspect of the NFFC (and NFBC) in all of our cities, someone will have to pay for it. Whether it's us, a sponsor, the customers or all of the above remains to be seen. That's what we have to decide. If we were to increase the entry fee, I can guarantee you it would be done with the idea of expanding upon the event and not just because we want to make more money for ourselves. We'll take a look at everything and see what makes sense and what is in the best interests of our customers.

One of the things we haven't talked much about is location. We've touched briefly on New York and the reality is the cost there is extremely high. Can we afford to stay there? That's what we're deciding right now. Could we go with a smaller venue in New York and have a fourth city in Atlantic City or Philadelphia or another location. What do our New York participants think about that? Keep in mind, it's not always as easy as "Let's go to Atlantic City." We have to find the right venue that can support everything we're looking for at a price that makes sense.

With our Chicago drafters would you be opposed to moving to another Midwestern location if that was an option?

Let us know what you guys think about locations. Everything is really up for grabs right now so we want to know what you think. We have a lot of decisions we need to make for both of our events next year in terms of location so your feedback is vital in the decision making process.

[philpo]

Originally posted by Tom Kessenich:
Like Greg said, if we amp up the event aspect of the NFFC (and NFBC) in all of our cities, someone will have to pay for it. Whether it's us, a sponsor, the customers or all of the above remains to be seen. That's what we have to decide. If we were to increase the entry fee, I can guarantee you it would be done with the idea of expanding upon the event and not just because we want to make more money for ourselves. We'll take a look at everything and see what makes sense and what is in the best interests of our customers.

One of the things we haven't talked much about is location. We've touched briefly on New York and the reality is the cost there is extremely high. Can we afford to stay there? That's what we're deciding right now. Could we go with a smaller venue in New York and have a fourth city in Atlantic City or Philadelphia or another location. What do our New York participants think about that? Keep in mind, it's not always as easy as "Let's go to Atlantic City." We have to find the right venue that can support everything we're looking for at a price that makes sense.

With our Chicago drafters would you be opposed to moving to another Midwestern location if that was an option?

Let us know what you guys think about locations. Everything is really up for grabs right now so we want to know what you think. We have a lot of decisions we need to make for both of our events next year in terms of location so your feedback is vital in the decision making process. I think having a event fee per person for food and drinks is a good idea would it be possible for it to be opptional for the customer this way if you dont want it you dont have to pay and the people who do want it you can give wrist bands out for the people who paid.

[Gordon Gekko II]

Things I see for Baseball:
0. Draft Date
Draft as close to the season as possible!!! PLEASE!!!

1. Main Event
Offer more than one main event time slot. Offer two time slots (or even three time slots). Bump up grandprize to $200,000
or
Offer more than one main event for $100,000. Have a Friday night main event in maybe LV and online. Have a Saturday event in all cities and online. You have a doubleheader in football, let’s get one in baseball. You got 600 teams for the online championship in baseball, so the money is out there. Two main events for $100,000 each

2. “Bonus jackpots”
Continue or increase the “bonus jackpots” out there, such as tying the Main Event with the online championship. Remember perception counts for a lot. If someone BELIEVES they can achieve an additional $75,000 or $100,000 by winning both events, that spurs signups bigtime IMO. It’s like slot machines…I don’t play them in general, but if I did, I’m only playing the “progressive jackpot” ones.

3. Food/Drink
To have an event feel, you need real food and drink. Maybe your idea of having a separate badge or wristband for paying an events fee makes sense. Sign me up if you get that going!

[ September 18, 2009, 11:36 AM: Message edited by: Gordon Gekko II ]

[renman]

I would be for optional events fee for those who care about having food and drink at the draft. That way those who are there just for the football event don't have to deal with it. I wonder how many times the WCOFF guys have had to explain to someone why the "events fee" is mandatory when someone says "i have no interest in the food, or the party, or the drinks and am leaving immediately after the draft..."

Having said that, having some decent food and drink isn't what makes this an "event" to me. I would much rather see resources put toward innovative ways to jazz up the drafts themselves. Along the lines of some of the things Gekko listed on the first page of this thread. Imagine if we ever got to the point we had re-usable electronic draft boards?

[pizzatyme]

Greg, regarding electronic tracking, there is software out there now that is terrific for tracking the drafts! It would require a large enough monitor for it to be seen by everyone.

I've used it for years and it is terrific for what we're discussing.

[ September 18, 2009, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: Just Russ ]

[BillyWaz]

Originally posted by Tom Kessenich:

With our Chicago drafters would you be opposed to moving to another Midwestern location if that was an option?
Why not have it in Indianapolis?? I think there are at least 10 people currently in the NFFC who live within 30 minutes of there.

Heck, we could have it at Jeff Clampitt's house. He could clear out the barn, and we could have a bonfire afterwards with his homemade moonshine....good times!

In all honesty as someone who has drafted in all 3 cities, it wouldn't matter where in the midwest, because I would fly.

If it is on the east coast, I would drive to Philly (a little over 4 hours), and drive to Atlantic City (5.5 hours), but I have always flown into NYC, due to decent flight rates, and not having to worry about parking costs. However, what I save there is absorbed in hotel fees and food/beverage cost.

I know I am just one person, but the negative for Atlantic City is that it isn't easily accessible by air. Flying into Atlantic City is generally VERY expensive, so I imagine most people would drive (not a problem).

How about Baltimore??? They have the Inner Harbor, ESPNZone, and the Power Plant! (an inside joke for another NFFC member!)

At the end of the day, I'm going to be SOMEWHERE, so decide where, and as long as it stays on Labor Day weekend, I will be there!

[BillyWaz]

Originally posted by Gordon Gekko II:
quote:Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
There's no doubt we've gone on the cheap over the years when it comes to food, but again, that's another expense on top of the rental space and the rest. As some have suggested, we could just add a $50 Events Fee and we'd have all the burgers, hot dogs and ice cream we could enjoy. But I'm not sure everyone wants to pay $50 extra and I haven't asked. Maybe I should have. But my goal has always been to run a first-rate event and it really hasn't been my job to entertain you or feed you.

That being said, I think that will change in the future. Fanball.com is interested in making this more of an "event" feel. I like that. I think we can do that. I don't like paying more money for ANYTHING. But I'd rather pay a nominal events fee upfront than to pay for food, drinks, etc on draft day.

Of course, the "events fee" has to be properly used. There has to be real food and enough of it!
[/QUOTE]I agree 100% with this. I too am not into just throwing an extra fee down to do it ( (cough WCOFF cough), but if it is going to make the NFFC into more of an EVENT, then I have NO PROBLEM with throwing down 50 extra bucks for each event.

[ September 18, 2009, 02:13 PM: Message edited by: BillyWaz ]

[pizzatyme]

While I'd love for it to be in Indy, isn't Fanball out of St. Louis? I'm guessing that is a consideration.

Indy does have casinos within 20 minutes, and plenty of hotels to host it. Plus would be less expensive on overhead.