Sanctioned Match Prize Table

[ajg308]

We are putting on our 2nd state IDPA championship here in Idaho. Last year we did not have a prize table, but this year we are. We are looking for some help in any form we can get it. If anyone can give us some guidance, it would be appreciated.

Also, if you know of any company or person that is good to contact for prizes that would be great as we are compiling our list. Thanks.

Aaron Goodfellow

[Carlos]

Might give Kimber a call; they make a lot of the very 1911s used in IDPA.

[Ted Murphy]

People who go to SHOT show get a book listing all the exhibitors, with their contact information. If you know someone who is going, get the book, and a lot of stamps.

Ted

[Bones]

Aaron,

Ted's advise is spot on.

I PM'd you.

Contact me if you need more info.

Best Regards,

Craig

[Bill Nesbitt]

I've heard that businesses decide what matches they will donate to at the first of the year. Don't wait to ask.

The match video from last year might be a selling point. It is one of the best I have seen.

[JakeMartens]

I did the prize tables for several of the Indiana IDPA Championship matches and had a couple of over $20k prize tables with everything donated to the match

Instead of going to SHOT, use their website to get the names of the companies, web address, phone, fax and mailing address.

http://www.shotshow.com/App/homepage.cfm?m...&appname=100300

Any gun magazine ad I would use as contact info, the back of the Blue Book has company names and phone numbers as well.

To set up a prize table you have to ask yourself why would a company donate a prize to us. You need to realize that these guys get literally a 100 calls a month asking for free stuff so you have to set yourself part from the other matches and sell them on the idea of what you can do for them.

Will you have their name in a match brochure?

Will you have their name listed at the stages?

Will you be making match announcements about the companies that donated?

Are you willing to pass out the catalogs, brochures and other literature to your shooters?

Do you have any local media (Newpaper or TV coverage)?

Do you have a website, will you display their info and link?

Are you going to have expo bays for them?

Are you able to display their banners?

Companies have limited funds for donations and they look at this as an advertising event and that is how you have to sale them on the idea.

One thing that all these marketing folks hate is not providing them with important information.

When, where, how many shooters (very important the bigger the better), return contact info, levels of sponorship, shipping info

Here is what I did

6 months before the match I would put together a letter/email/fax that had the match announcement with all the important information and levels of sponorship (i.e. bronze $50-149,silver $150-249,Gold $250-500, stage $300, if you make it too big you will scare off the folks that are willing to send you a $50 certificate) and what you would offer in return for these levels. Also include what you are looking for, guns, holsters, bags, training classes, hats, shirts,pens, ammo, accessories, certificates and discount coupons and that to please also include the product catalog, brochure etc. (big deal that you want to pass out just the brochures of the companies willing to donate to your event, also from here on out it is an event, not a match....hell you get spectators that come out and watch right?)

I would send this out in mass, by mail on bright colored paper (regular paper folded over, yellow, green etc)and fax and email. I would wait 1 month and then start calling about the information I had sent out and to make sure it got to the right person, get that persons name!! and email address.

You will find that 70% of that didn't make it anywhere and nobody knows anything about it, but you now have an in, "well I sent it across to this number, who should I send it to" Now you have the most important thing, the name of the person who makes this decision.

That is your point of contact for the next 3 months ( you have to set a deadline as to when you need to receive everything by)

This is who you will need to contact and call, emails, faxes and letters only go so far you have to work the phones.

Now here is the big thing, none of these people want to talk to you (especially since they are getting ready for shot show right now)

During the show they will get lots of folks that will solicate them there, and will be beating them up for stuff the day they get back. Timing is everything when it comes to this.

Also organization on your end. I kept an A-Z binder with a copy of the letter I sent out and any information I got I kept on it. Like when I sent a fax or letter.

I printed and kept all the email replys as well.

Plan on spending sometime doing this, I figure that for at least 2 or 3 weeks I spent the better part of 30 hours a week on the phone. A couple hundred bucks in postage and lots and lots of late nights sending out emails ( I found that is taken more seriously when you send it to 1 company at a time instead of a bulk email, they just think you are hitting any and everybody then.)

Now you could also go small scale and just look for a sponsor of each stage and try for something big that way.

Or you could work it from a raffle angle, buy stuff at discounted prices for raffles tickets.

And after doing this for 4 matches I decided no more.......It was fun, I made several contacts and really enjoyed seeing the shooters get something back but it was way too time consuming.

Hope this helps,

good luck

(BTW Kimber isn't big on giving anything away, they will offer to sale you a gun at cost)

[Steve J]

Great info FortyFiveShooter. I'm bookmarking this thread for future reference. Thanks!

[ajg308]

Everyone,

your replies have been more than helpful! Thanks for all of the knowledge you have shared and imparted. Anything else would be great.

Aaron

[CSEMARTIN]

My hat is off to Jake. I went to the Thunder on the Ohio match two years ago. The prize table was absolutely incredible. I've never seen anything like it!! I ended up with more in prizes than the entire cost of the match.

I don't doubt that it was a lot of work. Thanks Jake!

[postal]

hats off to you fortyfiveshooter, i went last year, and it was not only a well organized match, the prize table was a sight o behold compared to others, heck the shooter package alone was better than some prize tables

oh! while i have your attention, whats the word on a date for this year, or at least speculation on the month?

[JakeMartens]

Not sure, the last Indiana State Match last June was the last IDPA match I have shot.

PM sent with contact info for the guy who runs it

[RickB]

We are putting on our 2nd state IDPA championship here in Idaho. Last year we did not have a prize table, but this year we are. We are looking for some help in any form we can get it. If anyone can give us some guidance, it would be appreciated.

Also, if you know of any company or person that is good to contact for prizes that would be great as we are compiling our list. Thanks.

Aaron Goodfellow

Aaron - Contact Jon Gilbert and/or Dan Michels, from NWPPA. If you need email addys, let me know. Those two guys ran the prize tables at our '02-'05 matches. Talk nice to Dan, and he may even give you our contact list.

Rick

[John K]

I solicited several gun/gear manufacuturers for the CA state match.

I can email a copy of the letter I snet if you wish. Some declined, some donated, some i never heard from. Interestingly, Ruger sent a large box of stuff, t shirts hats gun rugs etc, and not a single ruger at the match, on the other hand Glock USA, who had almost a third of all the guns in the match said that they just didn't have the resources at that time.

Springfiled Armory has a great program for the purchase of guns to be used as prizes. Contact them and get the specifics.

Most importantly, send the "thank you!" letters after the match.

shoot me a PM and i'll send the letter I wrote if you arte interested.

godd luck,

John