Marketting 101: Making regression positive. OR IAO Retro

[Lohman446]

The International Amateur Open Goes Retro!

The International Amateur Open has had an unparalleled 15 year run in the paintball world. It has morphed and evolved over the years to respond to an ever-changing market and industry. By popular demand – The IAO will "Go Retro" in 2006 and brought back to its roots at Three Rivers Paintball in Cranberry, PA. This is where the very first amateur event was held back in 1991 and was the home for eleven years to a national gathering unlike any other. The newly designed and re-named “Three Rivers Paintball Festival” will be a combination of a 5-man rookie/novice event and Scenario game with our partners, BlackCat Productions.


It will be:

- 5 minutes from the support community of Cranberry

- Produced by Three Rivers Paintball at the playing site

- A fun- festival of paintball , food , and shopping

- A tent trade show with a select number of trucks

- July 27-30 - 5-man rookie/novice and scenario

- AirBall Fields for tournament play – Woods fields for Scenario Play

- The attention to detail that our events have become known for


This event will be fun-filled, relaxed version for all paintball aficionados that will be easy and affordable to attend for both teams, scenario players and vendors. Stay tuned to our website at www.TRPaintball.com for details.

Now, I have not been around IAO long enough to know the greatness it once was, and I have to take at the word of people that were there that IAO was at one point one of the greatest things in paintball. I will take those same peoples word for it that IAO had many many positive contributions. Unfortunately all I have seen of IAO is last years event, which was not the most impressive ever. Of course I got to hear the story of the regression of IAO over the past couple years from various people.

Still, its a great marketing attempt, to make this shrinking and movement of IAO into a positive.

[magman007]

i think its the dumbest idea deb could do. she might as well just give up. All it is now is a local tourny, nothing to what it once was.

[Lohman446]

i think its the dumbest idea deb could do. she might as well just give up. All it is now is a local tourny, nothing to what it once was.

After the disconent voiced at the last IAO my the players, venders, and media there, as well as the dwindling attendance by the same, would you take the chance of trying it as it was? Not defending the move, but understanding it.

[Muzikman]

I have been going to IAO since 1992 and played just about every year since 1994 (missed a couple years in the late 90's). It was a great event, I will say how ever except for the first year at the fair grounds, it's actually been going down hill since they moved away from 3 Rivers. I am curious if they can make a go of it.

[FSU_Paintball]

Well, they've got to do SOMETHING. If they did NOTHING the IAO would just continue its downward spiral and cease to exist in a couple years.

If they pull it off, the IAO could reclaim some or all of its former glory. If it fails, they won't be any worse off than they would be if they hadn't tried.

[BigEvil]

They only way that any of these events will survive is with massive industry support. I wasnt there last year, what was the industry turnout like?

If this event gets abandoned by the paintball industry, then it is doomed. They will need something big to get companies interested again.

[nuclear zombie]

I think it is a good idea,even though I've never been to 3 Rivers paintball. I've been to IAO the last 2 of 3 years, if things don't change this year it would probaly be the last.

I really don't see how the trade show can exist with the current trends of the market. Paintball companies try very hard to make it easy for you to purchase their markers, they don't bring out pictures of markers without you being able to buy them within 2 weeks (sp learned the hard way) , markers no longer have a "debut" and if they do, they're reserved for the much larger pro world cup. With the amount of money people are willing to spend on markers you no longer need the trade show to see how high end guns feel, usually someone at any local field will have the newest greatest thing out. So why walk around and see all of the stuff you see every weekend that you could've bought two weeks ago?

As for the tournament, I can't say from personal experience, but from what I hear they should take the money saved from not using the fairgrounds hire more refs, and drop the price of field paint to something reasonable.

just my 2 copper coated 19mm zinc discs

[WARPED1]

I don't get it. Are they making it non electro or something? I see nothing changed in the description, what am I missing? :confused:

[nuclear zombie]

I don't get it. Are they making it non electro or something? I see nothing changed in the description, what am I missing? :confused:

There changing it to local field in Cranberry,pa where it originated (hence retro) instead of the Butler, Pa fair grounds. I'd like to go this year and see how it turns out.

[WARPED1]

There changing it to local field in Cranberry,pa where it originated (hence retro) instead of the Butler, Pa fair grounds. I'd like to go this year and see how it turns out.
Oh, so no real chages. Big deal, a field switch. :rolleyes: