What to charge?

[ipscron2000]

I've been around USPSA for a couple of years now. I've been curious how the $ figure becomes what it is. Is it as simple as figure out all of the expenses for putting on a match then add 20% to go to the club? I see some prices at $50 for a section match or which I call a specialty match. Ex. "The shoot em up mountain jamboree" All the way up to $125+ for Area and National matches. Is it just the difference in prizes? Someone set me straight.

Ron

[hopalong]

Ron, For mine I just went with the going rate of a match the same size (round count state match ect.) Hope that helps.....

When you get the shooting done you will have all the expences take that from the match fees, give the range their fee and what is left is what you give the club, get stuff for your staff ect.

SAM KEEN

[ipscron2000]

Thanks Sam.

I was hoping for a magic formula. But I guess it's allot like life, I wont learn until I either try and fail or try and suceed.

Ron

[kimel]

Whatever you do don't just add up what you "think" it will cost and base your match fee on that. Add in something for contingency. This goes for everything from the local match on up.

It is wayyyy too common for matches to under-charge thinking that they will be okay. Then a ways down the road people are dipping into their pockets to keep the match afloat. I have been to a couple matches that promised cash payouts at the end but making the match go ate up all the match fees so there was no payout at the end. This lead to hard feelings as you might expect.

It is far better to have a bit of surplus cash at the end which can be reinvested in range improvements, more targets & props, etc.

I am also of the opinion that shooters form expectations about the match based on the match fee. Around here local matches run from $7 at the low end up to $20 at the high end. They actually are essentially all the same caliber of match but folks will drive for 2 hours to go to the $20 match but won't drive more than an hour to go to the $7 match because they don't figure a $7 match is any good...or so folks have told me. Obviously you can go overboard on this but you get the idea...don't undervalue your match.

Edited March 2, 2005 by kimel

[ipscron2000]

kimel

I believe what you do about match fees. I'll have to say Americans believe that you get what you pay for... for the most part. I myself would be leary of a $7 match and not have a problem with a $20 match. I also find it true that USPSA shooters are willing to spend a little more money than the other shooters do from that other shooting sport. At least here locally.

Ron

[shred]

For local matches it's not too hard to figure out what it costs in terms of targets, pasters, paper, range fees and club operating overhead per shooter. Add a few $ to cover long-term prop wear and you're there. Round to the nearest convenient dollar figure for ease-of-making-change.

For bigger matches you need to start budgeting for everything-- and then it gets tricky, since there are a lot more fixed costs that don't scale with the number of shooters, so then you have to estimate how many shooters you'll get and split the fixed costs among that number. If you're estimate is too high or you go over budget, you're likely to be out some $