Battlefield Live: Mike's Combat Games, LLC - Contact Us - Lasertag on steroids for pain-free teambuilding and fun! No pain, painless paintball and airsoft alternative. More exciting than traditional lasertag, laser tag and lazertag.

Open Events

Open events are obviously our biggest marketing tool. They're also the times when everything seems to go wrong. Here are observations I've made on open events that I wish someone had told me from the beginning. Have one to add? Send it to mike@mikescombatgames.com.

You can't have enough signs. Put them in the halls, outside in the parking lot and anywhere else you think people might go by. Make sure the signs are reassuring to people with concerns but get potential players excited to play and end with a sales pitch. Mine say:

- NOTICE -

You are entering an area where people are experiencing the most exciting and realistic lasertag available. Please do not be alarmed and be aware that despite what you might hear or see there are no actual firearms in the area. Our use of this area is legal and authorized. The authorities are aware of our presence. The laesertag equipment uses infrared light, the same light that comes out of your TV remote. The game is played like paintball, but the guns can shoot farther and straighter than any paintball or airsoft gun could ever hope for. It all comes together for the most amazing live video game experience you'll ever find. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact us or visit our web site.

[ and contact info goes here ]

If you haven't made sandwich boards yet, do it now! Use thicker plywood (> 1/2")so it doesn't flex. Mine were too thin so I had to reinforce them. Also, use gate hinges for durability and don't forget a handle. Loose signs are worthless but sandwhich boards are worth their weight in gold. Don't have less than four available for yourself. You won't use them all at every event, you won't even need any at some events. When you do use them they're invaluable, though.
Definitely offer bulk pricing. I recommend something along the lines of $5/game, $20/half day or $30/full day. If people come in on the fly and are just looking for some fun they're going to want to try it out first but if they decide to stay they'll be more concerned with the time they're spending than the number of games. Offer to credit them the $5 from their first game if they sign up for the time immediately at the end of their first game. Set a point in the day that marks the end of the first half and the start of the second.
Have water on hand (in a bottle) for yourself! You're going to give your briefing about a bazillionty trillion times. Make a point to start the game and then eat/use the bathroom/die temporarily while people are playing and your refs watch for you.
While one person on registration works, two is better. That way when someone gets tired later they can swap with one of the registration staff and you still have someone who's been on registration all day and knows all the answers/procedures/tricks of the job.
Don't tie yourself to one end of the field. Leave yourself able to roam. You'll do it constantly.
FRS radios are your friend. Have one for every employee. Make sure that the employees keep them NEARBY. It doesn't do you any good if they set the radio down five feet away and they can't hear you.
Make sure you have brochures and business cards. Take way more than you need. If you run out before you're done for the day then you lost business opportunities.
Magnetic business cards are teh awesomeness. People throw away or lose business cards in minutes but they'll have a magnet from a visit to a bowling alley that was torn down 15 years ago. Also, tell people to put the magnet on their fridge. I don't know what they do otherwise, but it's always an "Ah-ha!" moment.
ALWAYS give someone two business cards. When they tell you they only need one let them know they should give the second to a friend. Then hand them a third and tell them to give it to an enemy that they'd like to shoot. Worst case they'll take them all home and put them on their fridge where someone else will take one.
It's ok to have both paper and magnetic business cards. Especially if the paper ones were free. www.vistaprint.com is your friend. Also try The Artist's Palette. (Contact page is http://www.artistspalette.com/custom/contact.html.) They mostly do quilting-related things but they're capable of anything and they're usually cheapest, partly because they get quotes from everybody and his brother.
Have a mailing list signup on a clipboard. Push it constantly. People come up to me all the time days later and say, "can I get on your mailing list?" It doesn't seem to matter that the list is there even if I don't talk about it and people seem not to opt-in to the mailing list when it's on the waiver. Even if they aren't signing up on the spot, they at least know that the list exists...
Create a packing list. I've got one that I use (that I'll post soon...) that works great, but feel free to create your own that fits the gear you have. Use a procedure like this:
- Print out a new packing list for every event. Write the date at the top.
- Make two different marks: one for things you've pulled out but haven't actually placed in the vehicle and another for when the stuff is actually in the vehicle (meaning you can actually pull it out once you get there!)
- Take the list with you to the event. Mark down anything that you think of that needs to be added. Make any notes for equipment needing repairs, maintenance, etc. Write down things you want added to the web site that someone recommends, etc.
- Don't toss the sheet until you've taken care of everything that you wrote down. Make anything written on that sheet a priority task. Don't be afraid to write down related (or prerequisite) tasks on the sheet.
- Once you've finished everything with the sheet make sure to GET RID OF IT! Some paperwork you want to keep, but this you want to be done with and throw away so you don't clutter up and overburden yourself.
Make sure you have more keys than you need for the guns.
Whether you call it plumbing chain, beaded chain (like you have for the pull on your lamp) or simply "the stuff that dog tags go on" you should buy it by the roll (just ask at Home Depot, etc. Don't forget a couple hundred joining pieces.) and use it to hang keys on. When you buy the chain and joins in bulk the joins only cost about $.02 each and the chain isn't much more per foot. Use the phone book and call around. Making the chain 2 feet long keeps the key nice and tight on your neck/chest if you might end up running around on the field but 3 feet is more comfortable, usually.
ALWAYS always always always keep a gun key on your personal key ring with your car/house keys! It eliminates the scenario where you go to demo the guns for someone and forget a key. It also keeps you from forgetting to grab a key before you run across the field and have to reset someone's gun.
Don't give every ref a key. Hide the keys from refs who aren't going to get one. If you don't, they'll find them and with all great intentions they'll pull it out and start trying to help. Soon half your guns will be on Con3, Snd 2 with 7 HP. No one will have any idea how that happened because everyone will believe that they set the guns to Con2, Snd1, 3 HP just like you wanted.
Refs can't remember how to set guns until you've explained it on three different occasions. Your players will remember the first time they see it done. Show newer refs how to set guns at the end of the day and watch them set their first several players. Give them other tasks at the start until the third time they're out there.
A fair whistle is incredibly critical. A great whistle cannot be overvalued. Go to your local boating store (or any store that sells boats) and buy a storm whistle.
Wear an orange hat or something that makes it easy for people to know who you are. They listen quicker.
Don't be afraid to eat in front of hungry players. They won't hold it against you. Even if they do, they're only there for a while but you're there all day. (They'll forget about it later.)
Be relaxed. You want to be able to crack jokes with the players and handle emergencies. You've got employees to handle the nitty gritty stuff.
Be high-energy. You want the players to feed off your excitement. Give breaks to refs who are dying.
Let the players choose which game they want to play occasionally, especially nearing the end of the day. Out of the last three games let them choose one or two and then choose the others yourself to balance the type of gameplay that they're requesting with other types that will keep everyone involved and excited. Also, if you're the one with the final say then newer players won't feel like there's a clique of players that seem to run the show.
Always remember that your job is to help people have a good time. If everyone playing LOVES base assaults or bulldogs then let them play a 15th game in a row. If there's even a minority, though, that would like to play just a simple deathmatch then run a deathmatch to break things up and make those players feel important to you.
Always remember that you're there to help as many people as possible have a good time. Occasionally you'll have someone who's blood sugar crashed two hours ago and only slept for 15 minutes last night. Sometimes you have to be willing to take a hard stand, though you can do it gracefully. "Look, Namename, I recognize you're having a tough time. If I can switch up the teams or play a game that will help you out (never say 'feel better') I will. Right now, though, this game has to get started. It's cool if you want to sit this one out if you'd like." Any time a difficult person manages to control themselves enough to be helpful reward them. Credit them extra game time, give them a staff-only or personal granola bar, whatever. Make a point to check in with them once during the game and make sure they're doing ok. Don't check in with them more than once (and tell your staff to lay off) or the person is going to feel coddled or patronized (whether they're justified or not) and then get angry.
Remind yourself how awesome it is that people pay you to have fun. Share your excitement with your team. (It's contagious.) Don't be afraid to celebrate after the event, even (some might say especially) if you didn't make much.