REGIONAL GUIDELINES

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District 18 Regionals: Planning Policies & Guidelines*

Where ‘Policy’ the item is underlined and italicized; otherwise it’s ‘Guideline’

 (*See also ACBL’s ‘Resource Guide for Planning Sectional and Regional Tournaments’, available at

http://web2.acbl.org/documentlibrary/units/TournamentGuide.pdf)

      District 18 schedules, organizes and funds 4 Regional Tournaments each year within the District. About 3 years in advance of the event a sanction number is obtained by the District 18 Tournament Coordinator and the Regional is scheduled. No less than 18 months before the Regional, in discussion with the host Unit Board of Directors a Tournament Chairperson(s) is appointed by the District 18 Board. In adherence with this guideline, and in consultation with the local Unit, the Tournament Chairperson assembles a Planning Committee to organize and execute the Regional on behalf of District 18.

1.   Host Hotel:

      The D18 Area Rep, or designee, is responsible for contracting a host hotel approximately 3 years before the Regional. Room rates, hospitality charges, lighting, parking and room space are all factors in selecting the most suitable host hotel. Rent for the playing venue is paid directly by D18. The Board discourages the arrangement whereby hotel rooms are guaranteed for certain minimums and this is tied to the rental rates.

      The Tournament Chairperson should contact the host hotel, making solid linkage with the appropriate person and touring the playing site. Arrangements must be made for the coffee, water, directors’ selling and scoring tables, hospitality tables, partnership table, microphones, trash cans in the playing area, supply room for directors and caddies, and clean up between sessions and after the games. Review the contract and if additional items (flip chart, projector, etc.) are needed, in discussion with the D18 Area Rep, try to negotiate these into the rental contract. The hotel should be advised to arrange for additional staff in their restaurants during peak hours, i.e., before and after sessions.  In addition, arrangements should be made for the playing area to be locked and secured after the evening session to prevent theft of supplies, etc.  The hotel should provide the Tournament Chairperson with the name of a contact person to be available at all times in the event of an emergency. No one other than the Tournament Chairperson (or D18 Area Rep or Director in Charge in discussion with the Tournament Chairperson) should give further direction to the host hotel.

      District 18 has adopted the ACBL’s zero tolerance policy for all of its tournaments. In addition, smoking is not permitted in the playing area. In addition to this, a minimum area of 10 yards/metres beyond any doorway leading into the playing site should be designated, with signage if possible, as a Non-Smoking area.

2.   Committees:

      The Chairperson selects and appoints a Regional Planning Committee to achieve the following functions (typically identifying a Chairperson to head each sub Committee):

A. Hospitality: Hospitality and entertainment are a key component of any Regional. The budget for hospitality is $5.25 per table US (for Regionals in the US) and $6.25 per table CAN (for Regionals in Canada). (Effective January 1, 2010, $6.25 US and $7.25 CAN, respectively) and the Director in Charge provides an estimate (based on previous years’ experience) before the tournament to use for hospitality budgeting. By Wednesday of the week of the tournament, the Director in Charge will review the estimate and if the table count is increased or decreased the budget will be adjusted accordingly. Any increase in hospitality expenses must be obtained from the D18 Area Rep.

      Hospitality, when provided, is for all players at the tournament rather than for a select group, with the exception of novice functions. Hospitality is best accentuated during peak attendance, i.e., towards the end of the week. One suggestion is that in terms of food, coffee, etc., it might be better to order a limited amount each time and ‘when it’s gone, it’s gone’ rather than, say ‘endless coffee’. The Tournament Chairperson shall liaison with their D18 Area Rep prior to the commitment of any financial undertakings.

B. Novice Program: District 18 promotes the possibilities of new players in duplicate and provides a dedicated budget of $500.00 US/CAN over and above the hospitality budget for special hospitality for novices such as trophies, receptions etc.

C.  Caddies: The caddy chairperson consults with the Director in Charge to determine how many caddies are needed and arranges for enough caddies for each session. The actual number depends on factors such as type of game, configuration of the room, caddy skill, etc. The Director in Charge pays ($35.00 US/CAN per session) the caddies at the session they work.  Caddies should be trained, be aware of their duties and responsibilities, and be appropriately dressed. It can be helpful if at least one caddy is a duplicate player as in the case of an emergency, that person can complete a partnership.

D.  Partnerships: The partnership chairperson’s name and email/contact number should show on the flyer. At the Regional, the partnership desk partnership desk should be staffed at least one hour prior to game time. ‘Stand Bys’ are a specific type of Partnerships and are helpful in the case of last minute urgencies such as a partnership team member caught in a traffic jam, or a last minute illness. In case a Stand By is required to complete a partnership, the Stand By receives a free play for that game.

E.   Publicity: Flyers with approved schedules of events are to be printed and distributed to all Units in District 18 and to tournament directors at least one year prior to the Regional. Previous District 18 Regionals have found that printing somewhere between 2,500 and 3,500 flyers is about right depending on catchment area for the Regional (each year, more players access the flyer through the Internet).. Printing might be a better option than photocopying. The brochures for every District 18 Regional should show the following: 'On the playing floor: No smoking, No cell phones, No pagers. Please no scented products such as perfume or after shave.'

      In preparing the flyers for the events the following guidelines shall be used with respect to stratification:

            Flight C shall be from 0-500

            Flight B shall be from 500-1500

            Flight A shall be 1500 plus

      Other information to be on the flyer is location (city and venue), date of Regional, Director in Charge, room rates and phone number of the venue, entry fee (include junior and non member fee), stratifications (strat and stratiflighted), Swiss scoring method, contact persons (Tournament Chairperson and Partnerships Chair) email and phone, and information on specific events (novice and seniors games, etc.) Final approval of the flyer is obtained from the Director in Charge.

      It is understood that flexibility in the program is required as the Regional commences, and if an additional event needs to be added (such as adding a 1 session Swiss to accommodate participants) or changed, that decision would be made by the Tournament Coordinator in discussion with the Head Director.

      The budget for advertising the Regional is $750.00 US/CAN (including the cost of producing the flyer). Location of where and how to advertise is up to the organizing committee. Possibilities include a direct mailing to participants at previous D18 Regionals, ads in newsletters of relevant community and charity organizations, etc. D18 has a separate budget (up to $150.00 US/CAN per publication) to directly place ads for all D18 Regionals in D19 Gazette and Western Conference publications. Prior to the expenditures of monies other than for flyers that state the location and the events for the tournament, the Tournament Chairperson shall consult with the D18 Area Rep.  The publicity chairperson will be responsible for mailing an article with a list of events, to be approved by the Director in Charge, to the District 18 Webmaster - Mr. Claire Jones, 2708 Lakeview Ave., Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 1G3, Ph. (306) 584-3516, email stats@accesscomm.ca      

3.   Daily Bulletin:

      The Tournament Chairperson should arrange for the publication of a daily bulletin, Wednesday through Sunday, and also a Monday or Tuesday ‘welcoming’ bulletin if feasible. Tournament results should be a central part of the bulletin. If producing additional information, ‘stock’ articles can be written by volunteers ahead of time to reduce the writer ‘urgency’ during the Regional.

      The District will pay a maximum of $750.00 US/CAN for publishing of tournament results and related information. This is to include any remuneration that the chairperson may wish to provide for the person for preparation of the bulletin. One estimate of numbers to print is ¼ times the numbers of tables estimated for the Regional (e.g. 1000 tables X ¼ = 250 copies of each daily bulletin for the first issue, and then adjusting up or down based on experience).

      At the conclusion of a tournament, results are posted on WASUMI.org, and where internet access is favorable, results are posted to WASUMI during the tournament. In the event the D18 webmaster is not attending that Regional, one person in the Tournament Planning Committee should be assigned to contact the webmaster and make arrangements to forward results to WASUMI so they can be posted. The Tournament Chairperson (or designee) can also make arrangements with the WASUMI webmaster to post the daily bulletin to WASUMI.

4.   Equipment & Supplies:

      The D18 Area Rep will have coordinated a supplies agreement with interested parties to provide necessary supplies such tables (delivery, usage, pickup, storage), table covers where needed, bidding boxes, boards, cards, table markers, stanchions, pick up slips, regular and Swiss convention cards, pencils, Swiss teams pairing rack, pairs and team entry forms, Swiss teams record cards, and Swiss teams reporting slips. The Director in Charge will advise on the supplies required. District 18 provides a budget (calculated as $3.00 per achieved table, inclusive of all of the afore-mentioned items, including replacement of worn/torn cards, broken tables, and lost items).

5.   Panel Show: 

      Panel shows at Regionals are popular. If deciding to include one in the program, the moderator is paid a token sum of $50.00 US/CAN.

6.   Photographer:

      A local volunteer photographer should be selected to take photos of new life masters, event winners and multiple winners.  One set should be mailed to WASUMI for inclusion on our website.

7.   Volunteer Recognition:

      Volunteers, starting with the Tournament Chairperson are critical to the future of Regionals. Some suggestions for recognition include: display the name of every single person that volunteers at the Regional; acknowledge them in the daily bulletin; and also ask them to stand and be recognized in a game late in the Regional. Keep a list and be careful to not forget anyone. 

8.   Teacher Accreditation Program:

      Growing the base of bridge players is a District 18 priority, and the provision of up to 1 Teacher Accreditation Program (TAP) per year is one way of addressing this objective. TAP programs are often linked to Regionals, frequently at the beginning. If a Planning Committee would like to host a TAP, please contact your D18 Area Rep to discuss the possibility. A TAP should have some prospect of financially breaking even and hence should have a minimum number of 12 participants.  District 18 provides a fee subsidy for TAP participants who reside within and are ACBL members of the District.

9.   Miscellaneous:

      Entry fees are established by the District 18 Board at $10.00 US for Regionals in the US or $11.50 CAN (including GST) for Regionals in Canada per ACBL member. (Effective January 1, 2010, $11.00 US for Regionals in the USA or $12.50 CAN (including GST) for Regionals in Canada per person). Non ACBL members are charged an additional $2.00 US/CAN per entry.

      Entry fees with a compulsory increment for prepaid lunches and the like shall not be provided. Opportunities for optional prepaid lunches and dinners as part of the hospitality program are desirable and often included in a Regional schedule (especially at the mid way part of a last day Swiss Teams game where a short break for lunch is important).

      The ACBL has a Comprehensive Liability Insurance Policy that covers all Regionals (and Sectionals) it sanctions. Where a host hotel requires proof of insurance coverage, a certificate verifying the coverage is available.

      Coordination for the tournament should be accomplished through your D18 Area Rep and then through the Director in Charge.  Please feel free to contact your D18 Area Rep at any time. All District 18 Board Members names and contact numbers are listed on the WASUMI.org website. Upon receiving the name of the chairperson(s) the D18 Area Rep and the Director in Charge will also make themselves known to the chairperson(s) and maintain occasional contact.

10. Financial: 

      The Tournament Chairperson will adhere to and not exceed the budget as outlined herein without prior approval from the D18 Area Rep.  All expenses to be paid by the District must be accompanied by a receipt.

      To enhance the hospitality, for many Regionals some additional local fund raising is often undertaken. In some cases, the host Unit makes a financial contribution to the Regional. Donations such as discount coupons at local businesses (restaurants, etc.) to use as Lucky Draws are often solicited, sometimes dedicating them to events such as the novice games. In a few cases more significant fund raising is done, usually by including a fund raising chairperson on the Planning Team. Acknowledge all donors in some way.

11. Tournament Feedback: 

      Please send any feedback or recommendations that arise from your Regional to D18 Area Rep.

12. Date of Approval: 

      These Guidelines are effective September 25, 2008.

Potential Planning Committee Structure