Anyone know if and when the Canadian Pinball Championship will be held this year?  Assuming it will be at SB/Playdium Store again?

Not a peep, I'm assuming it won't be happening again.  They didn't do as well as expected last year and since this is more of a promotional event then a tournament for them, I don't see them continuing if it isn't profitable for them.

Damn, would have been a good time to see if IM is worth the hype.  Very disappointing to say the least.  

I know that if they have the CPC that I will support it and attend. If they let it die then the business / hobby will not resurrect itself. When I attended last year the place was full and there was plenty of action. The sales department always had a line, there were kids enjoying the tournament, it looked successful. I guess it depends what reasonable profit margin they are expecting but that amount of traffic had to generate some revenue for these guys.

I got to see the final cash numbers taken in from the tournament.

They took in enough to cover the cost of all the cash prizes but not the pinball machine.

The first year they did great, don't know the numbers from the tourney but they did gang busters in sales on the floor so that made up for any short comings from the tournament.

Last year like I said they covered the cash prizes but not the cost of the machine and sales were lack luster on the floor.  You also have to take into account they aren't using volunteers, all those people there were paid staff.  

Almost all pinball tournaments run are run on a break even policy pretty much.  I know running the TPC even though I won first prize I still lost money, had I had to pay out the $1000 first prize I would have taken a bath.  Playdium can't afford to just break even then need to make money or it's not worth it.  I understand their reasoning's which is why I won't hold it against them if they don't run it this year.  They run a business, they aren't hobbyists, they aren't running the tournament for the good of the hobby, there doing it to promote their business, and that's perfectly fine.

They could always eliminate the pinball machine first prize and adjust the prize payout to a realistic projection of the revenue.

Also, keep in mind last year was the first event AFTER Dec 2008 so everything was down.

Does this mean Sean O'Neil stays Canadian champ in perpetuity?  

Advertising generally isn't free and it is unfortunate that they didn't break even last year but I think it would be in their best interest to be consistent with this event for the sake of appearances (that pinball isn't completely dead), media coverage and general awareness. Perhaps the market for pinball hasn't exactly flourished in the last couple years, taking the recent economic struggles into consideration, but not everyone is suffering/broke. CPC 2010 should be considered an investment into their future and an expense and not a money-making endeavor, imho.

The window of opportunity for Playdium (or any other pinball related venture) to fully capitalize on nostalgia will completely peter off in a few years when the kids of yesteryear weren't old enough to even remember pinball machines/arcades. Now is the time to try and entice new collectors.

Quoted from OTTOgd

Advertising generally isn't free and it is unfortunate that they didn't break even last year but I think it would be in their best interest to be consistent with this event for the sake of appearances (that pinball isn't completely dead), media coverage and general awareness. Perhaps the market for pinball hasn't exactly flourished in the last couple years, taking the recent economic struggles into consideration, but not everyone is suffering/broke. CPC 2010 should be considered an investment into their future and an expense and not a money-making endeavor, imho.

The window of opportunity for Playdium (or any other pinball related venture) to fully capitalize on nostalgia will completely peter off in a few years when the kids of yesteryear weren't old enough to even remember pinball machines/arcades. Now is the time to try and entice new collectors.

All well and good for us to sit in our armchairs and say what should be done, but they are the ones who have to pay for it.  Again like I said this isn't for the hobby, it's for their bottom line.  It's their money, their the ones who have to take the risk, and the loss should there be another one.  

I do understand what your saying Adam.  Buisness is business.  But 1 great year and 1 lack luster year shouldn't kill it should it?  I think they would be jumping the gun to trash it all together based on that.  How many new customers or later sales can be attributed to the "event".  They need to tweek it.  I went to the last one, not for the prizes but for the competition.  Sure, money prizes or a pin would have been exciting to win but just being a part of something like this was amazing for me.  The more I play the new machines the more I want one.  Sure, some advertizing or events garner immediate results with some people and with others its later.  But to can something after such a short run is short sighted in my opinion.  

What was the entrance fee last year?  $30?  That was cheap and I likely dropped another $200 on parts and trying to better myself on certain games.  This year would be no exception and I was...and still am, looking forward to the event.  Hell, if I was scheduled to work I was going to ask for it off and thats why I'm asking now if and when its going to happen.  If they leave it too late and its short notice I won't be able to plan for it.  

I say give it a chance SB.  A couple more years and then crunch the numbers.  I missed the first and regretted it and after being at the last one I don't think I would miss another.  Its something I would mark on my callendar a year in advance but I can't make plans based on maybe's...

Mike

Quoted from Vengeance

All well and good for us to sit in our armchairs and say what should be done, but they are the ones who have to pay for it.  Again like I said this isn't for the hobby, it's for their bottom line.  It's their money, their the ones who have to take the risk, and the loss should there be another one.  

Regardless of the armchair that anyone chooses to sit in, if no one knows their product exists then their sales are going to fail.

Growing or maintaining a business requires marketing that can't be expected to pay off the day of launch. Awareness needs to be nurtured. An special event such as this one has the potential garner the attention of non-enthusiasts via multi-media. "Wow, the Canadian Pinball Championships!" ... whatever that *really* means. It hardly recognizes the rest of the country that I can see but it is 'sensational', 'exciting', 'news-worthy' and, for the most part, a novelty that is deeply rooted in nostalgia ... BUT there are really fun, NEW pins being made. I can't count how many times I've heard people ask me, "Do they still make pinball machines?" Word of mouth is a great way for news to spread but not everyone is interested in what we have to say.

Simply put, it is an opportunity for exposure. Maybe SB/Playdium will be in the red that day but, closer to X-mas, their books might reflect an entirely different bottom line. I'm curious to hear if Mike Hanley received any calls as a result of his City TV BT interview. What did that cost him?

If a solar-powered pinball machine falls over in a forest, does it still tilt?      

Here we are a bunch of 40 year old kids trying to show a game to the next generation that requires reflexes and responsibility. That silverball, -
it is physical and real, and you need to keep it moving, scoring, up and alive. It is small, unpredictable and on a rapidly changing course. This demands acute attention, skill and work. How many kids do you know are able to put in that amount of effort ? Depends on their education I guess.

I think SB should promote the CPC again this year and give it a chance, and I would be seriously pissed at my superiors if they didn't. Opportunity knocks everyday, and small markets are more important than ever. In the end, it may be the only thing our humanistically fragmented corporate society leaves for private businesses to thrive on.

No OTTO, if no one sees it, it doesn't tilt or count, but it doesn't mean it didn't occur.  

Maybe someone needs to come up with different ideas on how to make it work. There was one thing I did notice last year. A Donkey Kong tourney was done, timidly though. My thoughts on this is this:

Why limit it to a pinball championship??? Why not have a vid contest as well? Hell, Starburst sells pins, vids, pool tabls and poker tables. Have a billiards competition. Hell, if legal in Ontario, have a little poker going on.

All I am saying is the more markets you expose, the more people you may have over. Most people out there might not want to play pinball, but vids attract them. And if they come over and find out they can leave with a cheap one from an auction, even better!

I say stop limiting it to pinball. Diversify it to a "gameroom" championship.

Just my 0.02$...