LiteralGrill
Smokin' Hot~
Welcome to the newest article in the If I Can, You Can series! What makes this series unique is that I will be personally following the advice I give to prove that what I am saying really works, so we can all learn from the experience. Last time we discussed how to host an online tournament, and the Sunday Sunday Sunday Smash born from this idea had 105 entrants on its first week!
As promised in the previous article, today's article will focus on finding a venue. There are two major kinds of venues--paid venues and free venues--so the process will be split into two articles to make sure each kind is thoroughly covered. To help show that anyone can start a local Smash scene, I'll be talking about free venues today. Hopefully this article will show that even tournament organizers with limited budgets can afford to get out there and get hosting. Let's talk about the most obvious options for free venues and go a little into the pros and cons of each.
Your House
This one is a classic. Many of the first and largest Smashfests in the early lifespan of Melee were humbly hosted in people's homes. This is by far the easiest to manage, since you personally don't have to lug around equipment and, coincidentally, you often live close to the venue! However, there are many issues with hosting in your home. To start, you have to convince strangers to go to a house they may have never been to before, and in this day and age, that may not be an easy task. If you get past that point, you then have to be ok with letting many potential strangers into your house; You may have to worry about your home being trashed, or the possibility of theft. Location is important, too: you might be too far away from the town to really get folks to come out, or you might be in an urban area where it's hard for people to even park cars. I personally can't recommend in-home Smash events--unless it's just a gaming night with people you already count as close friends--but if you have absolutely no other options and are feeling brave, you could attempt to make this work.
Community Centers
It's likely there are several community centers in your area that you could look into to see if they would let you host an event. These venues include places like local senior centers, churches, and local community action groups like the Lion's Club or Rotary International. If you are involved with or go to any of these places regularly, these should be rather accessible; however, therein lies the biggest con. If you aren't involved with these groups, it might not be as easy to get in there and get hosting. So, while they are not a workable option for some, they are an excellent resource for those who can use it.
Local Parks
A few years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported on a Smashfest that actually took place in a local park. This is the ultimate form of a free, no strings attached venue-- just find a public park where you can plug in and enjoy playing! Many local parks have pavilions and outlets to work with, as well as picnic tables where you can set-up your TVs and consoles. Depending on how frequented the park is, it's also a very unique way to show off how positive the Smash scene can be to the general public. You might even pick up some brand new Smash players this way!
Picture From The Wall Street Journal Of Smashers In The Park
One of the most obvious issues here is the weather. Winter will cause lots of problems considering the cold and snow, and if rain starts up, you'll find yourself more than likely having to hastily pack it up and head home. Some might be willing to brave the outdoors if it's a bit chilly or boiling hot, but others might just stay home. If you want to try and Smash in the park, be sure to keep an eye on the weather during scheduling and have a back up day planned in case the weather gets in the way. If you can weather the weather, it is an awesome and rare experience to play Smash outdoors and enjoy the fresh air.
Must-Haves
There are some things that are necessary for every venue for it to be successful. To start, you need to make sure there is enough space in your venue to comfortably fit everyone who plans on attending. You don't want to cause a fire hazard or cram too many players into a small space. Plus, tons of sweaty bodies squished together isn't exactly pleasant.
Next, you need to be sure you have enough electrical outlets. If you don't have enough places to get all of your setups plugged in, you'll have a hard time playing. You can always use power strips if you need to, just be sure to be careful and responsible with them.
Make sure you have a bathroom! The term "No Johns" does not apply in this situation! You really don't want to have tons of people coming to Smash that have to leave just because they've "got to go".
Finally, if you can, try to be close to food. Players need to eat, and the harder it is for them to get a quick bite, the more problems you'll have with your brackets running smoothly. If you want, you can always supply snacks for entrants, perhaps for a small fee--just make sure you're not breaking any local laws on selling food. Many places allow you to sell certain kinds of prepackaged food without a food license, but make sure you research to be safe!
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Hopefully, this helped you get started started in your hunt for a local, cheap venue for your Smash event. I personally decided to take my two year old daughter and TO in training out to help me scout out local parks! I'll be sharing pictures of our adventures today on my Twitter account to show first hand how to scout for a good venue, so be sure to follow me there! Also, don't forget to check out (and maybe sign up for) the Sunday Sunday Sunday Smash Tournament to get a taste of how online tournaments are run. I hope to see you here next time for If I Can, You Can: Finding A Venue [Part 2], where we'll talk about hunting for a paid venue!
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