HomeMy WebLinkAbout111016_2012 RMUSSSA softball CSE funding applicationVAIL COMMISSION ON SPECIAL EVENTS
2012 EVENT FUNDING APPLICATION
NAME OF EVENT: RMUSSSA Vail Valley Labor Day Classic Softball Tournament
PROPOSED DATES: September 1-3, 2012
AMOUNT OF CASH FUNDING REQUESTED: $3,527.00
PRODUCING ENTITY:
1. Bobby Ladd, President, Vail Valley Softball Club
Scott Cameron, President, RMUSSSA
2. Bobby Ladd
3. Vail Valley Softball Club, LLC
PO Box 1805
Edwards, CO 81632
4. Contact Info
Bobby Ladd — bobbyl@ralarch.com, 970-376-4227
5. Website — www.vvsbc.com
www.rmusssa.com
6. Number of years organization has been in business
VVSBC — 3years
RMUSSSA — 8 years
7. Mission Statement — To provide a competitive softball environment while promoting
sportsmanship and a family atmosphere.
8. Organization’s tax status — For profit, LLC. Tax ID — 27-2175492
EVENT DESCRIPTION
1. Event Description — adult men’s and mixed slowpitch softball tournaments.
2. Location — Ford Park softball fields
3. No portion of the event will take place outside of the Town of Vail.
4. There will be no in-kind services required of the Town of Vail to stage this event.
5. Year 3 of event. First two years were produced same as proposed for this year, except the
June event will not be run this year to focus exclusively on the Labor Day event.
6. September
Number of Participants — 192 (336 attendees)
Number of volunteers — 2
Number of staff — 12
Total — 206 (350 attendees)
Local — 20%
In-state — 74%
Out of state — 6%
7. Potential Benefits — Promoting recreational softball in Vail to the Denver softball community
and beyond to re-build the Labor Day softball event into an event attracting national
exposure like it did over 10 years ago and promoting weekend vacationing in Vail in the
summer months in addition to encouraging local softball teams to participate.
8. Economic Impact
Lodging
Potential Room Nights Generated 216
Average Daily Rate $148.00
Potential Lodging Revenue $31,968
Potential Lodging Sales Tax (9.8%) Generated $3,133
Incremental Spend
Incremental Spend per Room Night $266.00
Potential Incremental Spend Revenue $57,456
Potential Incremental Spend Sales Tax (8.5%) Generated $4,884
BUDGET
1. See attached
2. Event 45% funded by CSE
3. The funds will be used to cover event costs of field rental, insurance, supplies, labor costs
(umpires), and other miscellaneous fees.
4. If CSE funding is denied, this event may still occur.
5. There are no alternative sponsorship sources in the budget. Future sponsorship may be
secured once the event grows in size to attract corporate softball and sporting goods
sponsors.
6. Event will generate 55% of the total budget through team entry fees.
7. Yes, this event will continue to run beyond 2010 as long as softball facilities are available.
8. Yes, CSE funding will be requested next year. For future tournaments, anticipated
participation growth will help generate more income from team entry fees. In addition, once
a tournament participation base is established, entry fees could be evaluated and possibly
increased to better cover tournament costs, but initially the goal is to keep tournament entry
costs low to provide more incentive for participation. CSE Funding requests for 2013 would
be anticipated around 35% of the total event budget.
Labor Day Tournamet Budget
IncomeItemTotal
Number of Teams16
Number of Games56
Number of Divisions2
Entry Fee per Team$250
Entry Revenues4,000.00$
Costs
FildRtl$800Field Rental$800
Tournament Prize Winners per division$450$900
Softball Cost$210
Insurance cost$425
Marketing$750
Miscellaneousexpenses$200Miscellaneous expenses$200
Temporary fence$0
USSSA New Team Sanction fee$20$320
USSSA Team Sanction fee$5$80
USSSA Tournament Sanction fee per division$50$100p
Umpire Fees per game$50$2,800
Umpire Team Fee per team$5$80
Umpire Assignor Fee per Game$2$112
UIC Fee$400
lUIC Travel$100
Umpire Lodging$250
Total Costs7,527.00$
Total(3,527.00)$
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1. Lodging Plan
We are working with the Vail Valley Partnership and local Vail lodging entities to partner to
provide blocks of rooms to out of town attendees which will be marketed along with the
event. The VVP will help provide an internet link to lodging options that will track booking
arrangements made through that link. Additional lodging reports will be generated
individually by any host hotels that are utilized.
2. Marketing
The Marketing Plan for the RMUSSSA Vail Valley Series Softball Tournaments revolves
around sanctioning the tournaments through USSSA (www.usssa.com) which is a national
sanctioning entity. RMUSSSA (www.rmusssa.com) is the Colorado state USSSA affiliated
entity. The tournaments will be included and listed on the RMUSSSA state schedule starting
at the first of the year. This schedule is published on the website and readily accessible by all
softball teams in the state. For 2010, there were over 1500 sanctioned USSSA softball teams
in Colorado. In addition, the tournament will be listed through the national USSSA website.
Through the national website, every USSSA registered softball team in the country can be
contacted via email to promote the tournament and solicit entries. Emails will be sent
regularly to every team in the country registered with USSSA in addition to being posted on
national softball message boards. The www.vvsbc.com website will also be listed in all
promotions and will be updated to include promotional information on the tournaments as
well as viral marketing media ranging from commercials to still images promoting the event.
Marketing towards local, unsanctioned teams will be done by providing local recreation
districts (Vail Rec, WECMRD, Glenwood Rec) with marketing brochures and emails to
distribute to their participants as well as mailing, posting, and distributing flyers at various
softball events on the Front Range and Western Slope.
Additional marketing alternatives are being evaluated at this time.
3. Previous years evaluation
See attached.
VAIL COMMISSION ON SPECIAL EVENTS
2011 EVENT R ECAP
NAME OF EVENT: RMUSSSA Vail Valley Softball Series Tournaments
DATES: JUNE 4, 2011 and September 4, 2011
1. EVENT OVERVIEW:
The June event had 5 teams register to participate. Four of the teams were from outside of Eagle
County. The tournament was limited to Saturday only to avoid conflicts with the TEVA Mountain
Games on Sunday. This event was staged as a “feeder” event to offer teams an early season
opportunity to play in the Vail Softball Series with the intent of trying to build the Labor Day
tournament as the main attraction. The prize package was kept to a minimum in lines with the intent
of the scale of this event and entry fees were reduced to try and entice teams to participate. Parking
was the only real major challenge for this event as it fell on the same weekend as TEVA. As with
2010, there was a scheduling conflict with the RMUSSSA tourney schedule. This event was
scheduled the weekend between two larger tournament events in the Greater Denver area, and it
was difficult for teams to commit to play three weekends in a row. The scheduling of the June event
will be greatly evaluated for next year, including possibly eliminating it to focus solely on growing
the Labor Day event and to avoid the possibility that the June event is diluting the Labor Day turnout.
The Labor Day Event had 9 teams register to participate. That number was down from last year, but
the percentage of out of county participants was greater this year. An expanded prize package was
offered for this tournament along with a guarantee of a minimum of 5 games per team versus the
typical two or three game guarantee that accompanies most softball tournaments. There were
competing events in Loveland and Grand Junction that reduced the turnout for the weekend. The
event was hosted on Sunday only and ran from 9am to 8pm. Parking was a minor challenge later in
the day as the overflow parking from the main parking structures spilled into Ford Park and along
the frontage road. The event itself ran smoothly and all participants surveyed expressed a positive
reaction to the event. Two thirds of the teams were repeat participants from 2010 and half of the
teams were weekend destination visitors with most attendants arriving Friday and departing
Monday.
The total number of teams did not meet my expectations for these events, but I view the number of
repeat attendees as a positive representation that the event is well received by participants. I have
verbal commitments from 7 of the teams that registered to participate next year, including several
teams that would be attending for the 3rd year in a row. Additionally, I have spoken with 5 other
teams that did not participate this year but are planning on attending next year as a positive word of
mouth recommendation from teams that has participated this year has encouraged the new teams to
play next year. A similar event is hosted every year in Summit County in the middle of July. This
event began approximately 20 years ago as a local event attracting 8-10 teams mostly from Summit
County and surrounding areas. In 2004, the event promoter partnered with RMUSSSA and the
event began to grow. For 2011, it attracted 57 teams. The Labor Day event has the potential to
match or exceed this growth, and for 2012 alternative marketing plans will be implemented to try
and achieve this goal.
2. EVENT BUDGET:
Income
Town of Vail funding $ 7,000.00
Team Entry Fees $ 1,555.00
Total Income $ 8,555.00
Expenses
Named Insured Liability Insurance (Required by VRD) $ 425.00
Marketing $ 1,431.81
Tournament Prize Packages $ 885.38
Umpire Fees $ 1,499.00
Event Officials Fees $ 858.00
Field Rental $ 800.00
Umpire Room Rental $ 250.00
Supplies — Softballs $ 405.00
Supplies — Miscellaneous $ 285.41
USSSA Sanction fees $ 235.00
Miscellaneous Labor $ 80.00
Temporary Fencing $ 1,185.00
Total Expenses $ 8,339.60
Net Income $ 215.40
3. MARKETING:
Marketing was handled through three different avenues. The primary marketing avenue was through
the internet. Several emails were sent out through the USSSA.com national website and team
database promoting the events. This database includes every USSSA registered softball team in the
country. Emails were also sent to numerous recreation districts in the Western Slope and Denver to
be forwarded to all of their local registered softball teams. The secondary marketing avenue was
through mailings. Postcards were sent out to hundreds of team managers throughout the entire
Western Slope region promoting the events. The third and final avenue was through word of mouth
and personal invitation. Postcards were handed out at several tournaments and leagues in the
Greater Denver area. A copy of the postcard is attached to this report.
4. LODGING:
Host hotels were not utilized for these events. A booking engine link was set up thru the VVP and
included in all email and internet advertising that provided a variety of lodging options within the
Town of Vail.
5. SURVEY:
A. Attendance and demographics
1. June — 105 attendants
September — 210 attendants
Attendance estimates are based on the average number of players multiplied by the
number of participating teams, plus additional team spectators based on at the field
observations.
2. 100% of the participants came to Vail specifically for this event. Approximately 65%
of the participants attended in 2010.
3. June — 60% outside of Eagle County, 40% from Eagle County
September — 83% outside of Eagle County, 17% from Eagle County
4. Average age — 30-35 years old
Average income - $50,000 annually
B. Estimated spending by event attendees
1. Lodging
1. June — 20%
September — 50%
2. June — 8 room nights
September — 84 room nights
3. $90-$130 per night of lodging
2. Dining
June - $15 dining per participant (estimated)
September - $95 dining per participant (estimated)
3. Shopping
Unknown
4. Other Activities
Unknown
C. Visitor intent to return
Almost all participants from both events expressed an interest in returning next year.
Almost everyone that shared their experience stated that they had a great time.
D. Estimated ROI
Lodging — June - 8 room nights x $110 average lodging cost = $880
September — 84 room nights x $110 average lodge cost = $9,240
Dining — June — 105 attendants x $15 average = $1,575
September — 210 participants x $95 average = $19,950
Shopping — Unknown
Other — Unknown
Total estimated participant expenditures - $31,645
Funding Ration - $31,645 / $5,900 = 5.37 spending ratio
Sales tax revenue - $1,265.80
6. POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH
The Labor Day event has a significant potential for growth, given the past history of the Labor Day
softball event back in the 1990’s and similar tournament models in Summit county. With growth of
the tournament, opportunities for additional outside sponsors will increase proportionately.
7. SENSE OF COMMUNITY
These events positively impacted the sense of community. They injected activity into the Ford Park
fields and promoted recreational activity within the Town of Vail to a family oriented group. People
walking by stopped to spectate and observe.
8. “GREEN” IMPACT
These events were very low-impact to the environment. Recyclables were disposed of in the recycling
containers at the field and the trash was disposed of properly. Local teenagers were employed to
retrieve softballs hit into the trees and grass outside of the field, leaving little to no trace behind.
4. Projected Demographics
16 participating teams
12 players per team
192 total participants
72 participants will travel independently with their family (216 total attendees)
72 participants will travel alone and share rooms with other participants
48 participants will be locally located
This will generate approximately 108 room nights per night with an anticipated stay of 2
nights for a total of 216 room nights. The estimated average incremental spend per room
night is $266.
5. Organization Roster
Vail Valley Softball Club, President
Bobby Ladd
bobbyl@ralarch.com
970.376.4227
Colorado USSSA State Director
Scott Cameron
tnacty@aol.com
303-589-7522
Colorado USSSA Assistant Director
Bobby Ladd
bobbyl@ralarch.com
970-376-4227
Colorado USSSA Umpire-in-Chief
Bill Harper
softballump@aol.com
719-338-7979