I’d propose raising the prices for direct buy-in, and holding a number of lower fee satellite events that award entry tickets in the run up to the main event.
This means more people can get a shot at entering the main event via the satellites. It means there is a higher prize pool thanks to the higher entry fee for direct buy in, though still allows people to buy in to the larger comp via satellites for a discounted price.
These satellite events could also be international, with tickets pre-paid for and distributed to event organisers around the world (who may wish to further juice the pot by including money for hotels/air fare in the prize money).
This is exactly how the large poker events run, and I’m pretty ecstatic that Pinburgh has proven itself more than popular enough where this seems feasible. I’m also of the opinion that a larger prize pool will attract more attention from media and give Pinburgh even more prestige as THE pinball event of the year, much like the WSOP is the poker event of the year.
What about just selling tickets like a concert? Sell them, but don’t associate them with a specific player. Then, let people buy and sell them on StubHub or SeatGeek, or whatever. Then, just enroll the players in the tournament once they arrive with a ticket in hand.
If you’re going to do this, then you should just sell the tickets for a higher price instead. That way the extra money goes into the prizepool, rather than into the pockets of scalpers.
Maybe he’s on to something. Instead of knowing who is playing ahead of time, we can enter every single name the morning of; wait to see how many legitimate players we have; weed out any fraudulent tickets; and start round one only… twelve hours late? Or right around the time @bkerins is done talking from the stage. It’s perfect, I tell ya!
