Tourneys
Topic: Thank You From UKSM

Thanks to all that came to Harrow. I'm sure you'll agree that it was a memorable event. My heart is 100% in this, I love the whole scene and I'm really enjoying getting to know all of you guys. The EPT is now firmly on the map and you have my personal guarantee that not only is it here to stay, but both myself and Daryl will continue to do everything in our power to bring you bigger and better tournaments. We are 100% committed to this and 100% committed to all of you out there. Thank You, all of you. Whether you finish first or last, your loyalty will be repaid in kind with great tournaments and great prizes. We will be paying a few "spot places" in our next tournament ie. 27th place, 43rd place, 87th place and last place (maybe me, haha!). We'll find new ways to make this more exciting, more interesting. Finally, Congratulations to Daryl for running (and winning) a great tournament, you have been phenomenal, Thank You to all of our stars for showing your support, thank you to Big Dave for being, big Dave, thank you to Mark Mills for helping to keep everything ticking smoothly, and congratulations to everyone who took part, especially those who flew over from far and wide. It may be a while before The EPT turn a profit, but money has never been a priority for us and never will be. Thank you all for being a part of something very special and helping to make this happen. Please share your ideas with us, let us know where we are going right, or wrong, and help us build this right ... for you. Thank You so much. MARK

Excellent!!! This place was buzzing! Makes you just want to be a part of it win or loose. Well run and well organised. And only 2 events in. The future to me looks good! better than good, its really exciting. Just gives me the incentive to get down to my club and get ready for the next one!!! Cos my performance this weekend was not what i was wanting. lol
Congrats to Daryl and Mark for the weekend. See you at the next one.
Steve.

On 2006-08-14 12:24 , UKSportsManagement Wrote:

YAY!!! I get thanked just for being me!

But seriously, cheers Mark - what a great weekend!

It may not have been a winning performance for you, but you're one of the reasons why I'm a part of this. You're committed and genuine. I know your time will come. Thanks for your support Steve.

Thanks to you too Dave, Without your enthusiasm and without Pro9, taking this game to the masses would be almost impossible.

It was a great tournament Mark, nicely run & friendly.

I only came on the Sunday, but wish I had come on Saturday and actually played.

Going to get to Victoria and practice so I can be ready for Solihull.


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Justin

On the comeback trail!

There isnt much i can add to what Mark has already said here, except, thank you to all who took part this weekend, thanks to Mark Mills for helping run the event, thanks to Big Dave fir his work, thanks to Rileys Harrow for their hospitality, and last but not least, thank you to Mr Mark Segal (UKSM), The EPT would not be possible if it wasnt for you, your a legend!


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Great tournament guys. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole weekend even if I was very dissappointed in my own performance again.

I'll not harp on about the things you are doing right because there are many of them, they are very well known and have been documented in recent threads.

So things I think could improve it further? Not much really just these few points from me...

- Do the draw Friday morning at the latest (Thursday night would be even better) so we know whether we need to travel on Friday night and book a hotel or not.

- Venue permitting try and rope off one or two tables suitable for 'showcase matches' to ensure specators do not disrupt players on nearby tables. Ronnie's match against Vincent obviously attracted a lot of attention and unfortunately some spectators did not show enough respect to the players on an adjacent table.

- Be clear about the dress code to all entrants. Some will argue that it already is clear and everyone should have read the rules on the EPT web site but personally I think it's a bit harsh to turn someone away from their first event because they didn't realise about the dress code (especially if they have travelled long distance). So I'm glad you showed common sense and cut people some slack this weekend. As word gets around about how good these tournaments are there will be other first timers at future events so I think it would be good to make this abundantly clear. My suggestion is that when they pay via the web site a screen comes up with some key points that they have to accept before continuing to the payment stage.

- Does the dress code apply in flyers? Nobody seemed to know so just took a chance. Make this clear.

- Personally I didn't like the venue or the local area and I think there are much nicer venues out there (e.g. Colchester). I think the place is a bad advert for UK venues and hope it hasn't put Marcus and Mika off coming to future events.

Like I said there are so many good things about the way the EPT is run that far outweigh any negatives. These are just a few small suggestions that I think would make it better. Well done guys and congratulations on getting the EPT this far so soon.

Hi Riggers. Thank You for your feedback. This is excactly what we need and everyone should speak their mind. Because the positives far outweigh the negatives, we are not afraid of criticism and want to get this as close to perfect as we possibly can. Regarding the draw, I agree that a morning draw on the Friday (with maybe a flyer for all those who attend ??) would save a lot of hotel nights so consider this done. We don't want other matches disrupted so maybe a limited number of spectators or possibly even no spectators in the playing area should be discussed. Dress code certainly needs to be addressed (excuse the pun). Fortunately Mika and Marcus both enjoyed the buzz and the players and will be regulars on our tour. They had were happy with the tables and the venue and both enjoyed their stay with us. They are just normal guys. I personally thought that the venue was good and the staff friendly but as we grow, so must the venue and maybe we'll be holding tournaments in an arena soon ? I'll be networking in Reno and would like to get Efren over for our next event. This is not a promise but I believe it is more likely than not that he'll be with us. Thanks again for your feedback Riggers and keep it coming guys ...... Good or bad. This is how we learn.

NP Mark. I hope everyone will take time to give their views and constructive feedback to you without wingeing or flaming other peoples views. Thankfully that's the way things normally work around here so you should get some good suggestions back.

I must say that I have found everyone to be friendly and courteous in my short time here, I believe that we are all working towards the same goal, doing what is best to make the game great over here. I'm not easily offended and will always view critricism as constructive ! It would of course be nice if everyone goes easy with me, but I'm not always going to get an easy ride ..... nor would I expect one.

I have to say that I really liked the venue and it was one of the best clubs that I have played at. The tables were great and those with the powder blue cloths were fantastic. I have slight reservations about the next venue though (Solihull), the last time I played there, there were about five or six tables right next to massive windows with no curtains which made playing conditions very poor on those tables. Will these tables be used for the event?

Daryl for next year does the payment system you use at the moment allow players to pay for more than one event as with me working full time i get paid monthly i have abit more cash ready to hand to pay for more than one event is this possible to set up for next season/year?

Don't get me wrong. I didn't have a problem with the tables or the staff, I just thought the place looked really dark and dismal. And if you wanted to go for a wander outside in between matches, well... it was not advisable! Whereas Colchester is a different class IMO. Just thought I should clarify what I meant when I said I didn't like the venue.

Thanks Daryl, Mark and Mark for a great event.
I think you have everything just about right except the payout.
My opinion is to payout the last 32 at least.
There are 90 odd players in most events, outside of the top 16 in the UK, some of whom will never, ever make the last 16 in an event of this stature.
I know that some of the players outside of the top 32 consider that making the last 32 of a pro-am comp is an achievement in itself and they should get something for it.
I know it will come eventually with more money from sponsors etc etc but to attract these players now I think it could be done with a payout something like this.
1st 2000, 2nd 1000, semis 500, quarters 300, last 16 200, last 32 75.

This is the exact same amount that is already paid out.

I think the money earners won't miss the bit missing and EVERYONE has a realistic chance of at least getting their entry fee back.

These are my thoughts.

Let me know what you think guys.

Jon.


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Hi Jon. This is something we're considering and makes a lot of sense. Reaching the last 32 is of course a big achievement for a lot of the up and coming players, people that are learning the game and those who have full time day jobs, and of course it is a realistic target. We'd also like to make the Sunday flyer an event in itself. Thank you for doing the maths, it looks good. Of course I'd like to do this without cutting back on the first 16. There is a lot that I need to talk about with Daryl and we're both drained right now, but I think you may be pleasantly surprised when you see our next poster. I am working as we speak to surpass all of your expectations but it will take time. Something I was thinking about when I lost my first match, wouldn't it be great if there was a "mini tournament" straight away with the 64 players that just went out. Same for the next round of 32, etc etc so that everyone gets a full day's pool and a chance to win great prizes ? I know I wanted to carry on playing. This may be impossible to administrate but it's an idea if we are working from a venue with a lot of tables surely anything is possible? I love pool and want to get better, please remember that, and I want to see a lot of people enjoying themselves, win or lose. We will do some seriously funky stuff as time goes on, I promise ! Mark

Mark I think it is great that you take the time to constantly respond to people's comments, it is really pleasing to see the commitment you show towards the Tour.

Thank You! I share your hopes and dreams ...

Its refreshing and positive getting post's straight from the horse's mouth! sorry Mark not calling you a horse. lol
Makes a change getting your posts on hear answered straight from the one who knows what is going off. Usually you post questions and everyone adds a bit and adds a bit more and before you know it everyone is just going off negative. At least with UKSM replying to our questions it can only mean good and gives us players something to aim for.
Steve.

Thanks for the response Mark.
Top Bloke!

Sounds good to me.

Jon.


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