There has been some questions on where we came up with the $500 entry fee for the WiTC and I’d like to spend some time going through all of this with you.
As Nathan and I have run a lot of events, we’re beholden to a certain quality of event. We want good tables, space, and atmosphere for the event to be the best that it can be. That takes money. We’ve run many local events within our game stores, using supplies that belong to those communities and those work well. What we’re trying to do with this event is make it self-sufficient without breaking the bank and likely our respective marriages by trying to keep the personal costs of the event minimal. We’ve spent a lot of time talking to different locations to find the best value for you.
To give you a breakdown, here’s roughly what a two-day convention will cost if we maxed out the teams (that’s 32 teams): $13,536.00. Thirteen and a half grand for a two-day convention for 160 players. It was just as much a shock to us as it has been to you.
To reach that thirteen-thousand dollar number, we utilized the following math. We did the math based on a full pairing, 5 players on a team versus another 5 players. This gives us the best resolution on why we have the total we did.
- The rental cost for the convention for two days is $2000.00.
- To rent 5 4’x4′ table spaces, it is $76.00.
- A chess clock is roughly $33, making that $165.00.
- We need terrain, we’re looking at $45 for 2d terrain, $180.00 for 5 tables. The terrain packs have more than 1 table’s worth of terrain, we need less than 5 per pairing.
- We’ll need zones to play on, that’s roughly $40 a set, $200 for 5 tables.
- We’ll need 4’x4′ mats to play on, $20/each for $100 total.
This gives a grand total of $721.00 per pairing to play on.
After that $721, we need to divide the hall rental up per team. Here is the list of costs, per team, including all of our numbers.
- $2460.50
- $1360.50
- $1027.17
- $860.50
- $760.50
- $693.83
- $646.21
- $610.50
- $582.72
- $560.50
- $542.32
- $527.17
- $514.35
- $503.36
- $493.83
- $485.50
- $478.15
- $471.61
- $465.76
- $460.50
- $455.74
- $451.41
- $447.46
- $443.83
- $440.50
- $437.42
- $434.57
- $431.93
- $429.47
- $427.17
- $425.02
- $423.00
To use this list, the cost per team is based on the number we have signed up. It gets less based on the number of teams that sign up.
Nathan and I are not making money on this. The time and effort we put into working on this event is not paid by you or anyone. We’re doing it because we love to run this type of event for you.
We’re looking into methods to reduce the costs in each of these areas as best we can. We laid out the price as a “worst case” because we wanted you to be aware that until we know the final count of teams, we just don’t know what the cost is. We’re doing everything in our power to try to make this event cost less for each team. We’re looking for the best deals and the best sponsorship we can to try.
One slight grace is that this year is the most expensive the convention will ever be. Assuming we find a way to succeed, next year all those costs I listed above besides the hall rental won’t exist. We’ll own all the materials and be ready to use them for the events. It is just hard today due to the costs.
Thank you,
-Travis
