PSA: HOW TO PLAN TO ATTEND A TOURNAMENT

1. General Background

Greetings Melee community! This is D. Disciple and clowsui, and today we are here to speak to you, dear Smasher reader, about saving and planning for tournaments. As high-quality Smash tournaments get larger and more numerous, not only is coordination important for T.O.s, but for attendees also. After all, your experience does not begin at the tournament – it begins as soon as you set your heart and resources on attending, and you only have one heart and limited money.

2. Registration

Below is the relevant information for the three majors of the Platinum Summer (AKA Summer 2014):

MLG Anaheim – June 20-22 – Anaheim, CA.

March 14 to April 13: $55.00
April 14 to May 11: $65.00
May 12 to June 16: $75.00
June 17 to Door: $125.00

Spectator passes are priced at $40 I think, not sure. Note that spectator passes run out extremely quickly.

Community Effort Orlando 2014 (CEO) – June 27-29 – Orlando, FL

Before 4/7: $35 Venue; after 4/7: $45 Venue.
Singles entry (PM or Melee) $10
Spectator Pass: $25 for whole weekend, $20 for Saturday/Sunday

Evolution Championship Series 2014 (EVO) – July 11-13 – Las Vegas, NV

Competitor Pass: $50 + $10 for each game you enter
Spectator Pass: $40 with shirt and bag, $20 without. Note that spectator passes run out extremely quickly.

As you can tell from above, registration fees typically have two “variations”: spectator vs. competitor, and early-bird. Make sure you know which type of pass you want to pay for, and when the early-bird deadline is so you can avoid price jumps
Passes usually run out really quickly for large scale tournaments, so it’s in your best interest to buy early
Make sure you have an electronic form of payment. Most tournaments do not allow you to pay at the door due to planning purposes.

3. Travel

3a. Airfare

1. The earlier you book your flight the cheaper the tickets.

Plane tickets are always available and they sell more tickets than seats on each aircraft. They love to overbook flights to get the most out of your money. So if you book early you will get a very good deal on the prices.

2. Try to book the flight in the middle of the week.

You have more available seats, and they need to fill them. People always try to leave on the weekend for convenience on account that they usually don’t have to work on saturday or sunday, and because of that those flights are booked more and cost more. If you can’t do book on a wednesday or thursday it isn’t a big deal but something you should consider.

3. Always check for deals.

Southwest, Sun Country airlines love giving out deals for vacation travel especially during the summer time, Delta…not so much. (I work there they really don’t care.) So it’s always good to check priceline, orbitz or kayak.com for better deals and each airline company has a different policy on returns. Be careful though if you book your flight from a 3rd party, you usually wont get a refund from the airlines. A lot of people are afraid to mix and match airfare, but it’s often cheaper than sticking to one carrier. Sites like momondo.com specialize in this and will save you a few bucks in the long run.

3b. Driving/Carpool

Not everyone can afford plane tickets. So here’s what you need to know about planning for the next best and most common option of travel, carpooling. This section is further subdivided into two categories: driver responsibilities and passenger responsibilities.

Driver Responsibilities

Cost calculations – Driver cost is usually comprised solely of gas costs but sometimes can include wear-and-tear costs. Smashers usually base their decision to join a carpool or not on the cost figure alone, so any driver has to take this responsibility very seriously. Any changes in projected costs must be communicated to riders ahead of time. Otherwise, things get really hairy.

Initiating pick up/drop off discussion – It’s the driver’s luxury to decide where (s)he is willing to go to get and leave people, though most drivers graciously drive wherever. Nevertheless, the driver should give a clear description of their range of comfort for pick ups and drop offs so that way passengers can negotiate if necessary. This makes sure that drivers don’t feel their authority is challenged, and passengers don’t step on any toes while voicing their preferences.

Availability during tournament – drivers, make your passengers know whether or not you’ll be doing your own thing during the tournament. Chances are everyone has their own arrangements and will be OK playing it by ear, but you should just let them know in case they’re depending on you.

Passenger Responsibilities

Checking driver on cost calculations – not that drivers are out to screw passengers, but you want to make sure you’re paying your fair share. For example, you don’t agree with paying wear and tear then you ought to find a driver who doesn’t charge you for that.

Pick up/drop off information – it’s the driver’s responsibility to initiate pickup/drop off discussion, but the driver’s initial preferences don’t always match up with your own. In that case, you need to speak up ! It’s your responsibility as a passenger to make sure to find a way to meet in the middle, or figure out that you need to find another driver. Nobody wants to feel like they’re screwing anyone over – the driver doesn’t want to feel like it’s their fault you couldn’t get to the tournament, and you don’t want to feel like the driver ignored you.

As soon as possible, information about potential changes in passenger status – nothing is more frustrating for a driver to hear a day before the tournament that they will lose a passenger, and cost figures will change as a result. If at all possible, you need to make sure you let your driver know if you can’t make it well in advance! If you often find yourself in a position where you let your driver discover changes in passenger status very close to the departure date, you should consider if your planning (financial or otherwise) contributes to this habit.

3c. Busing/Public Transportation

If you’re busing, make sure to look around for deals. Services such as MegaBus will sometimes come out with amazing deals that can get you to a national for dirt cheap. Additionally, make sure you have transportation to/from bus stop(s). You don’t want to be stranded in a place that’s foreign to you, and most of the time your fellow Smashers don’t want you to be stranded either.

4. Hotels

Unless you’re really strapped for cash, you should invest in getting a hotel with a group of friends. Many of the recent nationals or majors have their venue in the hotel, reducing the need for intermediate transportation costs and creating an amazing experience. At the hotel, you have the luxury of hanging out with other Smashers until the wee hours of the night. Look for the tournament to provide a “coupon code” for discounts. Keep in mind these tend to run out quickly, so I would highly recommend booking at least 3 weeks in advance.

When preparing your finances and arrangements, it’s useful to remember the 20% rule: whatever the initial projection is, add 20% to the figure. In the case of rooming, hotels usually divided between 5 people. It’s a good rule of thumb to not only ensure that you can afford up to 20% more of the initial cost, but also try to find other roommates that can afford up to 20% more than the amount split between 5 because of an unexpected drop by someone (which happens quite often).

5. Food/Daily Misc. Costs

Food – Most venues have readily available food. At larger tournaments with the venue inside the hotel, the food can be expensive. Eating out 2-3 times per day can get pricey. Set an allowance of $15-20 per day if you’re aiming to be real thrifty, but realistically you will probably be spending anywhere from $25-50 per day on food based on if you’re eating at a restaurant once a day with other smashers. If you’re fortunate enough to have carpooled to the tourney, you can save some money by getting some basic necessities as a local groceries. Foods such as nutri grain bars, fruits, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are great especially if you have a small refrigerator to store the food in.

Again remember the 20% rule: whatever your “minimum” spending amount is, make sure you can cover up to an additional 20% more. There have been countless a smasher which think they will get away with spending $5-8 a day, eating one meal a day, only to find themselves starving or caught up in eating socially.

Hope this helps everyone!