When I help organize a big boat regatta (and I do) I make a point to ensure that food and booze and the tent are free and open to everyone in the regatta who paid an entry fee... even if that means our bottom line will be a little less. I'm not sure how charleston race week gets off charging what they do in entry fees for 3 days of racing and THEN asks 60 bucks a head for 3 days in the tent... especially when other regattas charge $175 for 2 days of racing and nothing to get into the tent.
When was the last time you helped organize an event that had 255 registered boats? We're looking at over 1,200 people coming to the parties on Fri, Sat and Sun. Gosling Rum has told us we pour more of their rum at CRW than any other event they sponsor. Can you wrap your head around the amount of food that has to be acquired/prepared to feed this number of people? How about the number of support people and boats on the water needed to support 6 race circles? What about the number of people it takes on shore to support an event of this size?
I think $60.00 is a bargin and I'm sure I'll drink that in dark & stormies in the first night alone. Much rather have that than have to deal with digging cash out of my wallet all night.
The numbers support that a lot of people agree CRW is a good deal. BTW, the cost to register a J24, (early registration $50 discount) is $175.00 for 3 days of racing. You're charging that for 2 days of racing? I can see why you don't need to have tent passes for the 40 boats that sail.
Firstly I dug through your NOR and Regatta website and could find no mention of a $175 entry fee for a J/24 or any other OD-Specific pricing for that matter. The cheapest entry fee would be a 20-24 foot boat for $400 (with the early entry discount)... What gives?
Secondly, sure it's a semi good deal but part of the way to look at these things is how to maximize the enjoyment and utility that people get out of something. The reasoning I had when originally suggesting the technique was less about saving people money as it was about creating a post-race hangout spot where you don't even have to blink when you want to stroll in or out of it. So unless you're dangerously close to running in the red with the regatta then why not do something nice for the people who made the regatta a good time?
Either way, to each their own. If you can make it work and be sustainable then good for you. people have differing opinions on how to do things and you're entitled to yours. I"m not going to start a major shitfight on a silly internet forum.
I know you're still in high school and all, but how do you do that? Raise the entry fee? Are you on this regatta committee all by yourself? There are alot of I's being thrown around.
Hey Matt Baldwin, I don't see you volunteering and putting in over a hundred hours of your free time a year to try and make a growing and fun event... so hush. You don't need to worry about how I make my
part of the overall process work. If you have something constructive to add then do so but if you're just going to bust my balls for the sake of it then go do it somewhere else.
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