Incremental Entry Fees for Relays

[andy]

For major championships (JK and BOC in particular) there is no need to have incremental entry fees for relays, especially 3 months before the event!
I can almost comprehend them for an individual competition (don't agree with them though) but for a relay? It relies on knowing who is going to the event, I don't see why there should not be 1 fee where the final deadline is after the individual entries close. It's not like it's difficult to email your map printer with a number the day entries close.

Can anyone give me a reasoned argument behind this practice?

[SeanC]

The same logic as used throughout the leisure/travel industry. Encourage the customers to pay early so that they choose your activity/holiday etc rather than someone elses - and are committed. It can be an advantage to Orienteers

eg "I'd love to spend a morning at Topps Tiles discussing bathrooms, but I've already paid for the British Relay Champs. Sorry".

[andy]

The same logic as used throughout the leisure/travel industry. Encourage the customers to pay early so that they choose your activity/holiday etc rather than someone elses - and are committed. It can be an advantage to Orienteers

that doesn't hold for relays unless you are travelling a short distance, if you're going to the individual you're more than likely going to stay for the relays.

[Scott]

if you're going to the individual you're more than likely going to stay for the relays.

That's true, but the number may not be as high as you think. For the JK I believe a little under two-thirds of the competitors from the individual days normally stay on for the relay, although I guess it may be higher when the JK is in Northern Ireland (although for many people Northern Ireland isn't much more inaccessible than north Devon). I'm not sure about the figures for the British.

[SeanC]

The club captain is a good way of publicising the whole event, relay and individual. Our captain has been emailing early (maybe to save some money with an early entry?) requesting names for relays, this gets people who may not have considered going to these big events thinking about it. Again early is better so that people's diaries don't fill up with non Orienteering stuff.

[andy]

The club captain is a good way of publicising the whole event, relay and individual.

So have I been emailing (JK only thus far) but because people don't know this far in advance if they are going they don't commit.

[graeme]

if you're going to the individual you're more than likely going to stay for the relays.

Unless it's on a day when you have to go to school/work...

[Spookster]

For major championships (JK and BOC in particular) there is no need to have incremental entry fees for relays, especially 3 months before the event!

You may think there isn't a need, but we want to give you a choice. If you choose to commit early, we can give you a discount. If you are unable or unwilling to commit by the normal closing date, then we can accept later entries, but need to charge you a premium (and we will probably have determined how many maps to print before that date, based on entries at the normal closing date). Hence three rates.

We know it can be hard for club captains to co-ordinate teams for relays, so we've added an extra week to the closing date for the relays.

[seabird]

With the very short notice given for BRC's first cheap closing date, our club captain has already made the decision to not even bother getting any teams in for that deadline, which he deems unrealistic.

[andy]

With the very short notice given for BRC's first cheap closing date, our club captain has already made the decision to not even bother getting any teams in for that deadline, which he deems unrealistic.

that was my decision too.
Spookster - all your arguments hold true for the individual but when the individual's choice affects that of the club (captain) it just doesn't make sense.

[NeilC]

I can normally make a pretty accurate guess at how many teams (N) my club will have at a given relay champs. Since electronic relay entry has appeared I have entered N-2 teams by the first deadline in a variety of classes (particularly short open ). Fabian then allows you to edit those relay classes if the actual competitors that want to run the relay don't fit the classes that you have entered.

[smf]

You may think there isn't a need, but we want to give you a choice. If you choose to commit early, we can give you a discount. If you are unable or unwilling to commit by the normal closing date, then we can accept later entries, but need to charge you a premium (and we will probably have determined how many maps to print before that date, based on entries at the normal closing date). Hence three rates.

We know it can be hard for club captains to co-ordinate teams for relays, so we've added an extra week to the closing date for the relays.

It would have helped to put this on the British Orienteering Website http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/index.php?pg=80&action=details&id=58474as they are stated as TBC. I see you also don't know the "Course Description" or "Terrain Difficulty" yet! I note the individual day is also lacking this infromation.

[EddieH]

I tend to agree that it seems unneccessary to me. However I am so grateful that anyone takes on the organisation of these big events that I'd forgive them almost anything.

[Spookster]

Spookster - all your arguments hold true for the individual but when the individual's choice affects that of the club (captain) it just doesn't make sense.

I'm sorry it doesn't make sense. Just forget about the early and normal relay closing dates. Your deadline is 1st May, just two weeks before the relay event, and well after individual entries have closed.

(why am I getting involved - I'm not even the relay organiser....)

[graeme]

Spookster - all your arguments...doesn't make sense.

Indeed, you're not going to get any useful information about likely entry from the clubs who enter before the first deadline.
If you're organising a big event, you have a major cashflow problem - lots of expenditure before the entry monies start rolling in. Giving cheap rates to clubs willing to help you with this problem seems an obvious and sensible solution.