Free game today has turned away 100+ people anyone else think thats poor form?

SYDEWYNDER · 30-12-2012 4:08pm #1

Right well a well known site based in Stamullen today had a free game today and this happened:

''Place is packed to the rafters.... Massive numbers down today...we had to turn away 100 plus players at the gate this morning! Sorry to all who could not get in.''

This was posted on the sites FB page. Now I have nothing but fond memories of this site and the people who run it have always been very nice, but the fact of the matter is that over one hundred people got up early this morning, got prepped and were then turned away. Now I understand it is the sites prerogative as to how many they let in but should this not have been better prepared? I myself was planning on going and its not an easy trip for me to get out there (101 bus and then a nice stroll) but is/would anyone else not a bit... peeved? I just feel bad for the poor lads who were told to go home. I understand that its free and all but the site is a ways out for most people and its not easy to get to.

PS This is not a dig at the site or any of the lads who run it, it is still the best around in my opinion but in all fairness one hundred people were told to jog on this morning because of bad planning.

PSS Anyone who was there let us know how ye got on!

Lemming · 30-12-2012 4:21pm

Can't say really as I have no experience of the site in question; taken at face value of what you have written it looks like they were unable to cope with the numbers. But you don't know if their site insurance (I assume they have insurance .. ) states a limit for safety purposes, or if they themselves felt that the numbers would not be conducive to either a safe or good days play for all concerned.

As sh*tty as it might seem, sometimes the old adage "first come first served" has to be applied unfortunately.

fayer · 30-12-2012 6:18pm

I think its a demonstration of responsible management IMO. Its crap that people were turned away, but if the site was at capacity it would be no fun / could be unsafe / could be not covered for that number / all of the above.

This is not the first time I've seen people turned away from sites like this due to demand, is to be expected.

Leftyflip · 30-12-2012 8:22pm

Well obviously people are going to get turned away on a free day- if the site is operating at maximum capacity that the facilities/insurance and site itself allow - having anymore is just reckless on the sites behalf, putting people in danger and thus putting the site in danger. It's nothing more than responsible management and common sense from the site operators/owner.

If a plane could only hold 50 people + crew, they're hardly going to allow another 25 on after its full are they? Same principle applies.

FingalAirsoft · 30-12-2012 9:33pm

There is no way to plan for numbers like this on a FREE day, it is a simple break down of first come first severed.

I understand that you are pissed that you did not get access but why even start a thread on it?

If you look at the last 3 days that we have been open over the xmas period it was for the benefit of charity on the 23rd were we waived the game fee in lieu of presents for sick kids.

Yesterday we had a FREE day for our members, our membership costs 10 Euro for the year and you get a proper credit card size photo ID..... this card has gained our members access to 3 FREE days for our members this year alone (Value 75 Euro)

Today we had a FREE day for everyone which we do every year right after xmas..... now we can make money at this time of year as everyone has new toys they want to try out and it would be an easy day to charge full price as the numbers would be great anyway, but we choose to keep it free so new players can try out the sport!

So our last 3 days of operations were free, the site made little money but still had wages, rent and insurance to pay, I think you'll find if you look that no other site offered this over the xmas period!

But yet here we are with me trying to explain to you why we had to close the gates on a FREE day because you did not get in:(:(:(

Bren
PS. Just to add we had over 150 people playing on site today, anymore on the field would have been nonsense.

PodgeD1997 · 30-12-2012 9:53pm

This is quite sad to be posting about. I understand that you were planning on going, so was I , with a couple of friends. I think that you should realize that people jump at any sort of free day. Its not something that Bren can plan for. What did you expect him to do? Rent a tent for you? Its not a site that was designed to fit such huge numbers. It has to be one of the best sites around, and Bren puts a lot of effort into it, and you're giving out because he can't accommodate 120 plus people. Its a site where there's usually 30-50. This is being extremely bitchy in my opinion. I don't mind, and I personally don't enjoy free days. If Bren can't accommodate that am mount of people, its not his fault. Its way above (almost double) what the site can hold. Maybe you should try go on a non free day.

Bren even gave out free food and drinks on the last day!

elDiablo79 · 30-12-2012 9:59pm

fingal is one of the best sites around and bren runs it because he loves airsoft not to make loads of money. he could make more throughout the year but he chooses to run free days like he did over xmas and he puts alot of money back into the site. oh my god people didnt get in on a free day what do you want. plenty of other days people can come but sorry you will have to pay like every other site on every other wkend.??? the cheek!

SYDEWYNDER · 30-12-2012 10:04pm

Leftyflip wrote: »

Well obviously people are going to get turned away on a free day- if the site is operating at maximum capacity that the facilities/insurance and site itself allow - having anymore is just reckless on the sites behalf, putting people in danger and thus putting the site in danger. It's nothing more than responsible management and common sense from the site operators/owner.

If a plane could only hold 50 people + crew, they're hardly going to allow another 25 on after its full are they? Same principle applies.

Indeed but a plane is booked in advance is it not? Fingal has often used FB as a gauge for numbers, why not use it organise numbers instead of wasting over one hundred peoples time?

You can underline the word free all you like Bren and Kudos for the presents for the kids but the whole event could have been organised better. One hundred people had their morning was wasted because of poor planning, that's the point I'm making.

As I said in the first post I'm not taking a dig at the site or any of the people who run or maintain it but simply put a lot of people had a morning wasted that could have been avoided had a little bit of organisation been applied.

I'm glad to hear it was a success anyway, just maybe put a cap on the numbers before the event. Like any other popular event does.

PodgeD1997 · 30-12-2012 10:07pm

SYDEWYNDER wrote: »

You can underline the word free all you like Bren and Kudos for the presents for the kids but the whole event could have been organised better. One hundred people had their morning was wasted because of poor planning, that's the point I'm making.

Organised better? How? There's not much Bren can do to plan for this. It's a walk-ons free day.

FingalAirsoft · 30-12-2012 10:10pm

SYDEWYNDER wrote: »

Indeed but a plane is booked in advance is it not? Fingal has often used FB as a gauge for numbers, why not use it organise numbers instead of wasting over one hundred peoples time?

You can underline the word free all you like Bren and Kudos for the presents for the kids but the whole event could have been organised better. One hundred people had their morning was wasted because of poor planning, that's the point I'm making.

As I said in the first post I'm not taking a dig at the site or any of the people who run or maintain it but simply put a lot of people had a morning wasted that could have been avoided had a little bit of organisation been applied.

I'm glad to hear it was a success anyway, just maybe put a cap on the numbers before the event. Like any other popular event does.

Look I do understand what you are saying but FB is no way to gauge numbers, it is not reliable.
You can look at it another way "100 plus people did not get to the site on time!" and had to be turned away due to safety concerns.
I'm not going to argue this point all night here mate, I'm sorry to all who could not get in as the site was full.

To ensure you get in sign up for membership and go on the members free days.

Bren

cathal_flynn · 30-12-2012 10:40pm

NOT EVERYONE HAS A FACEBOOK PAGE.......

TerrenceAnth · 30-12-2012 10:44pm

Its as simple as this lads. Bren made the call to close the gates after discussing it with the head marshal staff and first aiders on site. There where lads gearing up in the car park there where that many lads there. Gates where close due to 1: Site had reached captivity. 2: Stop members of the general public seeing anyone in the car park with and aeg. 3: And most important the safety of everyone on site. If 100 more lads where aloud on site then we would have had lads falling over each other and all sorts.
I drove from Letterkenny, Donegal today and got to the site at 9 which is pretty early when you think gates do not open till about 9:30 and the marshal staff where run off there feet trying to get things ready for all the lads that where going to turn up

Now the site has taken into account the safety of everyone, And what the site can hold.
So my dear friend can you point out to me where the poor management happened?

In regards to judging numbers on facebook

attending: 57
maybe:129
Not attending:89

And id say maybe 30 would show. People look at an event on facebook and go aw yea ill go to that without even thinking what else is on. Facebook is useless for guessing numbers :P

spooky donkey · 30-12-2012 11:38pm

Well I went today, I knew it could be busy and that being turned away was a possiablity so I got there for 9:15.
It was a great day but I think they made the right call caping it at what must have been 150+ playing. Even at that I thought there were to many playing.

Fair play to bren letting people out free today but the line just had to be drawn. And as regards face book I did not even know they had a facebook page till today.

Go to the site on a paying day you wont get turned away and you wont be sorry you went.

SYDEWYNDER · 31-12-2012 12:01am

Ah sure I have been to the site a fair few times! Its the business and all the lads are sound! I don't mean to sound bitchy lads! My main point is perhaps finding a good way to organise something like it again. Obviously the safety and capacity aspects are the main concern but as I said above one hundred people could have had a lie in this morning.

And you are correct some people dont have FB, but at this stage most should and do.

I'm not out to cause trouble or argue, my point from the beginning is a little planning might go a long way.

A simple rule would be if your not on the FB event list your not getting in. Free to all who join the page. Something along those lines, am I making sense?

Sorry for any and all consternation caused gents but a lot of people went home today fairly pissed off.

Lemming · 31-12-2012 12:26am

Sentences that call for facebook usage & accuracy do not fit together well. As someone else already mentioned the obvious, not everyone has (or wants!) a facebook account. Secondly, and more importantly, the number of people that say "oh yeah, I'll go" & then don't is going to be higher (usually by a sizeable margin) than the numbers you see come through the gates.

Short of making people put down deposits (i.e. "put your money where your mouth is") and also defeating the purpose of a free day, there's not an awful lot you can do to guarantee accurate numbers.

Southern Dandy · 31-12-2012 12:29am

Completely understandable that people went home in a huff. For the owners turning people away is not an easy thing I'd imagine, because at the end of the day all we want to do is have a laugh and enjoy ourselves knowone would appreciate being told that you can't play. Maybe more info could have been divulged but to be fair I doubt they expected that kind of turn out.

Going by the posts people are putting up about "Bren", if they were able to facilitate another 100 people they would have, but he couldn't simple as that, he put the safety of the attending players first. Fair play to him.

TheDoc · 02-01-2013 8:41am

Wow....

Numbers across most sites I read about over the weekend had MASSIVE influxes of people, even those not running free sessions.

Its simply to be expected.

As mentioned above its responsible management. If you did get in, you could have easily posted how it was a **** day, too many people and the marshalling was ****e, and that it should have been better planned.

As you even alluded to yourself, it was clearly well planned if the site operator knew the limit of people he/she could have on site. And not even for safety reasons, to just ensure quality gaming.

You can play airsoft every weekend of the year, don't be getting huffy cause you missed out on a freebie

the_syco · 02-01-2013 11:21am

FingalAirsoft wrote: »

Bren
PS. Just to add we had over 150 people playing on site today, anymore on the field would have been nonsense.

150??? :eek: Have played there with 30-40, and it was mad. 150 would have been insane!

SYDEWYNDER wrote: »

Indeed but a plane is booked in advance is it not? Fingal has often used FB as a gauge for numbers, why not use it organise numbers instead of wasting over one hundred peoples time?

Because people don't always turn up, ESPECIALLY when it's free (as they don't lose anything not turning up).

Kashkai · 05-01-2013 6:40pm

There were 198 at Redbarns free day and it was brilliant. Closest thing to a war game you could have with the two opposing sides attacking and defending in the large field at the back of the site. Even to stand on a hillock watching the various battles going on was entertaining. However due to the large numbers attending and the chronoing, the game was delayed by over an hour......but hey it was free so what's to bitch about!:D

Having played at both Fingal and Redbarn, I'd say Redbarn can handle the larger numbers better due to the more open field that makes up half the site. Having 150 at Fingal must have been mental as its more "closed in" and not getting hit would have been some achievement. I'm not slagging off Fingal, but it's a much different site to Redbarn and more suited to smaller numbers.

As for being turned away, yes it must have been annoying but it's not as if Fingal took your money and then said you can't play. In future, get up earlier:p

jayod30 · 06-01-2013 3:03pm

I'd say the if's, buts and maybe's have been argued out and in the end most bar small minority know Bren was dead f**king right in doing what he had to do. Not sure why the mods don't lock this damn thread, serves absolutely no purpose being open.

Kashkai · 06-01-2013 3:57pm

jayod30 wrote: »

I'd say the if's, buts and maybe's have been argued out and in the end most bar small minority know Bren was dead f**king right in doing what he had to do. Not sure why the mods don't lock this damn thread, serves absolutely no purpose being open.

Boards "used" to be a discussion forum where opinions could be aired. Like a lot of things in this damn country nowadays, you can't voice a dissenting opinion without being shouted down either by the pc brigade or by those who disagree with your opinion.

While I personally would disagree with the OP's view that all comers should have been allowed to play at Fingal's free day (or that it could have been organised differently), I would defend his right to air his opinion. There has been a creeping intolerance eating into Boards.ie over the past few years that has resulted in a lot of former active posters closing their accounts. If you have had enough of this thread, stop reading it.....simples;)

jayod30 · 06-01-2013 10:47pm

I think you'll find Dave if you look through the thread I abstained from saying anything at all on the matter as Bren and Terry were quite able to deal with the matter themselves rather than me unsheething my sword and riding to their rescue like every good keyboard warrior should. I just don't see why the thread should be kept open for people to be commenting on something that's a week old and has pretty much been sorted. It's dead and buried and should be left that way

NakedDex · 07-01-2013 12:41am

So... stop commenting on it and let it be? The entire site is an archive of still-open posts. Should they all be closed because because they're over a week old?

S.E.A.L.s · 07-01-2013 1:09am

I reject your reality and substitute my own

TheDoc · 07-01-2013 12:26pm

jayod30 wrote: »

I think you'll find Dave if you look through the thread I abstained from saying anything at all on the matter as Bren and Terry were quite able to deal with the matter themselves rather than me unsheething my sword and riding to their rescue like every good keyboard warrior should. I just don't see why the thread should be kept open for people to be commenting on something that's a week old and has pretty much been sorted. It's dead and buried and should be left that way

This is exactly why the most prominent posters, don't post here anywhere. People don't understand the internet, and they don't understand forums.

Very simply put, when a thread runs its course, it runs it course. The thread will get no new posts, and eventually will move its way onto the other pages.

A moderator doesn't, and shouldn't, control the flow of discussion, and what is popular or should be read. A major, inherent flow with Boards.ie in general that many people just don't grasp.

This thread, while maybe a week old, has an interesting opinion from the OP, some good posts from Bren, and some input from others.

Now most likely this thread wont get any traction a week or two down the line, and will move away to be forgotten about. If it doesn't its because there is interesitng stuff being posted and its worth being on the front page.

Its as simple as that.

Moderators don't control, and should not intervene in the discussion flow, unless there is a genuine reason for doing so. This effort of " thread has run its course" is the epitomy of bad moderation, and a basic understanding of how forums work.

As someone who has been on this forum since its inception, being on Reddit since its startup, and moderated two of the busiest forums on the internet, it actually hurts my brain, when I see a post like that above, genuinely, hurts me.

*This thread being locked now for being OT, or me getting infracted for being OT, would only go to serve my point

SYDEWYNDER · 07-01-2013 1:13pm

Lads close the thread please. I have been spanked!

TheDoc · 07-01-2013 1:47pm

SYDEWYNDER wrote: »

Lads close the thread please. I have been spanked!

As an OP, you also dont have the right to call for a thread to be closed. Another pet hate of mine. You've instigated discussion, others have partaken, its not your thread

. And who knows, others might have felt the same but saw your post and went "OK, hes summed up my feelings pretty well"

And I wouldn't consider you "spanked" either, this isn't a game with winners and loosers.

You came in with your opinion on the situation, and in fairness, I can see why you were miffed, as does everyone else.

Obviously you just maybe overlooked some of logistics behind the scenes, privy to the site, which in fairness your not expected to know.

So we have a little chat, we share out thoughts, and essentially I think we come to the agreement that it is a once off day, there was massive numbers, and site owners have to be responsible for safety but also ensuring a good days play.

And maybe you accept that ?

If so, you weren't spanked, you've actually been pretty big in accepting other peoples views, and merged them with your own to have a better outlook on the situation.

The only winner here was "un-interupted" discussion.

Times gone by because this thread woulda been locked down immediately after your post, a site owner maybe wanting to mitigate bad press, or moderators being freaked by idle legal threats.

But look what happens when we are just allowed to have a chat. .......

Free game today has turned away 100+ people anyone else think thats poor form?

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