Is it all right to have rules of conduct? Will the players respect them?
For the most part, yes. You may have some people who get upset and yell, but you have to realize that people are playing for money (even if it's in something "trivial" like a video game).
Has there ever been any stealing issues at tournaments?
Yes. More specifically, at VLS (Viva La Smashtyclism, i may have the wrong tourney). Somebody stole the money for the Crew battles. I dont know the details as to how this was pulled off, or how this was allowed to happen; but i'll take a stab in the dark and say if you double check your security of the money, you can avoid this.
Is it better to plan too little? or too much?
Too much. Plan too little and you'll have an unorganized tourney, and in extremely rare cases you'll run out of time and get kicked out of the venue (Pound 3)
What is there to do for players who have already lost?
Initially when players lose they tend to walk around and talk, watch other matches, or sulk. As room clears up, they may sit down and play friendlies with people as they are allowed. When finals start forming, most people watch finals. Also, dont be surprised if people bring stuff to do (i.e. other systems, trading card games, etc, etc.)
What is the general opinion of Trophy's? Ribbons in addition to the prize money?
There's no reason not to, but it shouldnt be substituted for money. Players want money. It's not being greedy or ungrateful, it's just the notation that "If I have to pay money to drive to a tourney and pay to enter the tourney, I expect to WIN money."
What is generally considered a fair percentage for the cash pot?
70/20/10 or 60/20/10, 10 for the house. I really dont know the specifics to that cause 1), i've never hosted a tourney and 2) i've never won (a real tourney. 
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How does the double blind system work?
There's no rule for the inital character picking, so theoretically both people could change characters in response to others until somebody says **** it and they play. So basically, I pick A, you pick B. I see that A gets rocked by B, so i switch to C. You dont like playing B vs C, so you switched to D. I switch to A.
To stop that, somebody calls for double blind. Both people tell a judge (or an honest person) who they're going to pick, secretly. Then both characters pick that character and they MUST use that character for the first round.
So You get mad, you say Double blind. I say i'm playing D, you say you're playing B. I get rocked, you win, awesome work, great job.
How does the neutral and counterpick stage system work?
First off, you can ban any legal stage.
The first round is randomly selected by the game from the 6 or less Neutral Stages (im talking melee, btw, i dont know stages for brawl off the top of my head). I say less because you can ban neutal stages (which is normally what happens).
After the 1st round is over, the loser then picks a stage. The loser HAS to pick the stage first. After the loser picks the stage, the winner is given the chance to change characters. After the winner chooses their character, the loser then changes their character.
Is it better to just have one price for entry that covers everything or give players options by letting them join into different events and paying for them when they sign in?
Let them pay for what they want.
If i go in, and I have no friends, why would I want to be forced to pay for teams?
And (this happens alot), if I come with a friend, but im too lazy to play all day, why would you force me to pay for singles?
Is it alright to have spectators? Should it cost money to come but not participate?
That's a grey area. In most local level tournies, you generally do not charge spectators (or even people who come play friendlies). This is assuming you arent providing anything beyond the space.
However, if you have specific guidelines (door fee or general entry fee for like, lan centers), or if you're in a shop of some sort and spectators take up too much space, you MIGHT want to make them pay.
Again, this is a real grey area. Its usually ok to not charge spectators.
How do you go about making seeds especially when you aren't sure of player skill?
The way it's normally done in the smash community is by pool results. You'll wind up with say, 3 seeds out of a pool of 6. When you form brackets, make sure the 1 seeds are away from each other, etc, etc. (It's not always perfect.)
The other "unwritten rule" is that you dont want crew members playing each other. People constantly complain that they shouldnt have to "drive and pay just to play their friend and put each other out of the competition' (Which is a valid arguement).
Is there a general consensus on what is considered a neutral stage, counterpick, or banned stage?
In Melee, yes.
In Brawl, not exactly.
How do you decide tie breakers?
In the event that both people have the same stock at the end of the match, the winner is whoever has the lowest % (which is, in theory the person who is winning).
If both people have the same stock and same %, let them fist fight irl (i dont think this has EVER happened).
What is a good time to start?
11amish-1pmish. It really depends on the people you're pulling in, and how they feel as a whole. If you have alot of people driving long distances, you want the tourney to start a little later to give them time to drive.
What is a good time to end?
Whenever the tourney finishes. If the venue closes at a specific time, then the tourney needs to be ran efficiently. That may include enforcing DQ rules for people not responding to and playing matches in a specified amount of time (i.e. "The Mages Rule").
It may also include not allowing friendlies, or limiting them to one or two tvs. (This happens often).
In real desperate times, you may have to make a bigger bracket than planned; or on the other end, cut out pools. (Pools is gerenally expected in Smash).
What are some good ways to go about advertising your tournament?
Post In the Tourney Listings Forums Or post in your respective regional zone.
You can also make fliers to put in local hangout spots. Good places include game stores, high schools, colleges, youth centers. You're main base of people will be from ~16-24ish?
Is it a good idea to provide food and drink in the entry price?
I personally say no because if you charge them for food and drink, they feel obligated to get food and drink, and they may not want food and drink.
I say it's better to provide food and drink to pay for seperately, but you run the risk of losing money for leftovers.
However, it is a good idea to provide food. Alot of people tend to leave and get food, and this can slow down a tourney drastically.
What is a fair amount for entry price and prize pot?
Eh, usually $15 for Singles, $20 per team for doubles. Give or take 5 either direction for both.
How many people generally help with setup and tear down?
It's never a specific number, but just the people who bring stuff (unless you provide it). If you get people interested, im sure there will be some people willing to help. Generally, people set up anything they bring (if they do bring anything) and take it when they leave.
How many staff members should you have?
Depends on the size of the tourney. You can run a tourney by yourself if it's small enough. Heck, you can run decent sized ones if you dedicate yourself to not playing friendlies.
A good idea is
If you have pools, dedicate 1 person as pool captain to keep up with the pool sheet for results.
Then, run the brackets from T/o (tourney organizing program. I know NOTHING about it, but i've seen the link floating around here). As long as you keep and eye on the cpu, people will actually do the work themselves (it's not hard, just double clicks and looking at a screen.)
What are some good places to hold a tournament?
Any place that has alot of space. It's better if you can get tables, chairs, and alot of outlets, but anywhere with space.
I've seen tourneys run at hotel conference rooms. I've seen tourneys ran out of comic book stores. Game stores. Volunteer Fire Departments. College student centers. Lan centers. High school gyms. Warehouses. People's basements (no joke, that was probably one of my fav tournies). You dont even really need that much space, as long as you can set down tvs and chairs. You just need power. >.>
How many people generally bring their own equipment?
It is always an understood rule that you bring your own controller. Put it in the tourney info so nobody can complain, but for ANY video game tourney EVER (except for like, arcade cab tournies), it's generally understood that you bring your own controller.
As for systems and tvs, it's hit or miss from there.
Alot of people will brings cubes/wiis and copies of the game, but about 1/4th of those will bring tvs. That's just how it goes.
If you need people to bring stuff, ask. And thank them dearly when they bring it. A small 8inch tv is better than no tv and a slower tourney.
And you want to have as many tvs as you can get.
Is it better to have one standard controller or let people use what they think is best?
They bring their own controller.
If you're talking about brawl, i have heard talk that you should only allow gamecube controllers. I dont know the details about that.
But regardless, they bring their own controller. period. That way, nobody can cry "omg this controllers broken, button doesnt work, etc etc."
Do tournament host have an orientation time in which you welcome the players and wish them the best of luck?
Um, you want to have time so that you can announce pools and brackets. As for wishing good luck, it's a nice gesture but it's not a required ritual.
How long should warm ups last?
Um, when people get their (which they should be allowed to get there before the tourney officially starts), they should be given time to play and warm up some. People who need to warm up will, people who dont wont.
During the tourney, people who need to stay warm will find their ways to stay warm (stealing friendlies, etc, etc) and it is usually not a problem.
I've never heard of a designated "warm up time" before a specific match, though.
Is it better to keep things simple?
Yes.
Its good to designate 1 or 2 tvs to pools. And it's good to assign a specific tv for 2 people (or 2 teams) to play their bracket match on.
However, if people are playing their matches (not friendlies, matches), and stuff is happening, dont get hellbent on making specific people play on specific tvs.
Do high level players come to locally run tournaments?
That's another vague question.
It depends on the people, the location, size of the tourney, etc. etc.
If somebody in New York were to hold a decent sized tourney, it's a safe assumption that some big name people will wind up there.
If I hold a decent sized tourney in Central GA, i'd be surprised if anybody from the community came.
How do you deal with complaints?
It depends on the complaint. You have adjustable.
Generally, if somebody complains about something before they play the match (i.e., they're playing on a laggy tv and they complain before they play) they should be compensated since the match has not been played yet.
If somebody goes through a match, and THEN complains; the complain should be addressed, but there should be no replays or adjustments. They have already completed their set, and it would only give them a cheap second chance that they do not deserve.
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If a technical error happens (somebody trips a cord, tv dies, etc), it's generally good to restart the match. Not the whole set, but just the match. There is actually a basic rule for this somewhere, but I dont remember it off the top of my head.
If people travel just to come to the tournament, is it a good idea to provide them with maps?
It's nice to.
All you have to do is put the address and people will find it their own way.
However, if there is something crazy that mapquest/googlemaps/etc wont pick up, such as a location in a plaza, you may want to note that.
And, if you're located deep within a building, put up signs.
Is it a good idea to give the entrants your contact numbers?
Yes, incase somebody has questions, comments, concerns. Somebody may get lost on the way, etc, etc.
If you want to have a side tournament to test some feature of the game such as items or special brawl, will there be an interest?
Generally, no.
If you're having a brawl tourney, a melee side tourney may be good to attract people, and vice versa.
But having items, stamina, etc etc, is a bad idea.
Do players generally bring their own video cameras? Which cameras are the best to use?
People who record matches will bring their own equipment. Some people use camcorders, others use vcrs. I've heard that dvd recorders lag, but i cant confirm that (I personally use vcrs).
If they use a camera, it doesnt matter as long as they just stay out of the way. (Which is obvious).
If they use a vcr, they need to make sure that nothing can happen and cause the screen to go blank (alarms, tape ending, etc).
How long does it take to put up the results?
However long it takes you or whoever is responsible. It depends on if you post the brackets, or just list the results.
Heck, if you just list the results, you can post them AS the tourney is going on.
Are the top level players generally friendly towards the noobs?
It depends on the person.
I actually cant think of individuals who are generally rude or mean to noobs.
Generally, top level players are rude to each other, or mid level players who bring it on themselves. (regardless of what people say)
If a noob approaches a "top level" player, said player will normally be nice. The smash community is, as a whole, a nice community; inspite of all drama you may see on the boards right now.
Has there ever been an issue with trash talking?
You have to define "an issue"
If you mean an issue of it happening, yes, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. You have two people competing. Everybody is not going to be friendly about it, that's the nature of competition.
But if you mean getting out of hand and fighting breaking out, not as far as I know. There have been arguements that have brooded rivalries, that happens. But again, i've never heard of somebody talking smack and then getting decked for it.
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Aight, welp, i answered everything you have the best that I can.
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