2002 Area 7 Vendor / Sponsorship Issues
Rob Boudrie
July 18, 2002
Infinity Firearms has become aware of the controversy involving the
Match Director's dedicision to sell exclusive rights to various
product lines to various firms. In order to preserve domestic
tranquality, that firm has agreed to waive it's negotiated right to
"exclusivity", and offered the following statement:
Strayer Voigt, Inc. as an exclusive member manufacturer of the
Infinity US Open, Inc. (a non-profit organization) and supporter of
both the Infinity US Open and the Infinity US Open Series wishes the
match directors and competitors attending the combined Area 7 and New
York State match a safe, fun and educational event. The exclusive
nature of the member manufacturers (each a leader in their respective
fields) that have joined in support of the Infinity US Open events to
promote training and education in the safe use of firearms has
prompted several of Strayer Voigt Inc.'s competitors to complain to
USPSA officials about not being invited to the upcoming combined Area
7 and New York State match. It is important to Strayer Voigt,
Inc. that the noble mission of the Infinity US Open, Inc. not be
tarnished or muddled with controversy. As the exclusive Open and
Limited Pistol manufacturer support member we would like to exercise
our right to invite all pistol manufacturing competitors to attend the
match and display their products as our guest. - Sandy Strayer,
President, Infinity Firearms
Since promises of exclusivity have been made to other
vendors service our sport, this waiver extents only to promised
made to Inifinty Firearms
July 2, 2002
I have been asked about future years. My position
is as follows:
- Jon Whitmore put this deal together for the New York State
Championship. The Area 7 match is associated with this sponsorship
deal due to the necessity of combining the two matches.
- I have informed Jon Whitmore and Infinity Firearms that the 2003
Area 7 Championship will not attempt to take arrangement Jon Whitmore
has made for an "Infinity Series Match" away from the New York State
Championship. Jon is welcome to pursue a continuation of this
sponsorship arrangement for the 2003 New York State Championship.
- I both hope and expect that Jon Whitmore will continue
to run the New York State Championship at Square Deal each
year.
June 6, 2002
I have been contacted by some "member vendors" who are concerned about
the vendor policies for the 2002 Area 7 Championship. I will do my
best to explain what the situation is, how it came to be, my position
on the matter, and thoughts on what the future holds for 2003 and
beyond.
Some Background
As I have previously discussed on
this web page, I was unable to find a club willing to host the
2002 Area 7 Championship as a stand-alone match. Although one club
was interested, their president made it clear that they would not host
the event unless I could lock in 2002 and 2003 for them, since they
felt they could not make enough profit in one year of running the
match. Since the 2003/2004 matches had already been promised to the
Northeast Section, I was unable to agree to this condition.
I then contacted Jon Whitmore about the possibility of offering the
Area 7 Championship in conjunction with the 2002 New York State
Championship. Jon accepted. Planning for the New York State
Championship was well underway at the time I made this request of Jon
Whitmore.
Under "normal" circumstances, I would prefer to negotiate a detailed
contract with the host club regarding matters such as prize policy,
expenses, etc. (One example of such a contract is posted with the
2001 Area 7 match results on the USPSA web site). Since the Area 7
Championship was being combined with an existing match, I did not feel
I could step in and start imposing all sorts of conditions.
The "Infinity Series Match Deal"
Jon Whitmore informed me he was pursuing a major sponsorship with
Infinity Firearms. Since I consult for SVI, I told Jon I could not
participate in the discussions or negotiations in any way, and also
informed president Michael Voigt of Jon's activity.
Jon made a "business deal" for the match in which Dave Uchida will
recruit a number of sponsors and deliver them to the match on a silver
platter (figuratively speaking). The "catch" Jon agreed to is that
Dave would set the sponsorship standards (level of financial
contribution), and would also be able to offer "exclusives" to various
vendors in return for a "greater than typical" level of financial
support.
There have been a few consequences of this approach:
- The match has been able to attract a number of sponsors who, in
all likelihood, would not have made significant donations to the match
absent the "series sponsorship" deal.
- The "entry cost" for a sponsor has been set at a relatively high
level. It is my current understanding that the "buy in" for a sponsor
is $1000 in product at "dealer cost" (not the inflated "retail" no one
seems to pay, but is typically used to boost the claimed prize table
size).
- The sponsor coordinator (Dave Uchida) has made promises of
"exclusivity" to various vendors exhibiting at the match. Small
vendors, including loyal USPSA members, have been denied the ability
to obtain table space at the Area 7 Championship. On the other hand,
our members who are entering the match have access to a more generous
prize table as a result of this policy.
Competing Interests
We have two directly competing interests:
- Members want the best prize table possible, with the maximum
amount of donated product.
- Vendors who are also members wish to be able to use the Area 7
Championship as a forum in which to sell their merchandise to other
USPSA members.
These two goals are in direct conflict, and Jon made a choice.
He elected to emphasize prize maximization over maximizing the
opportunities for our members to sell products at the match.
Difficulties contacting Dave Uchida
I have heard of some difficulties prospective sponsors have had in
contacting Dave Uchida. I have learned that Dave' was "without
computer" for an extended period of time, and that the problem has
been corrected. Dave can be reached at (972) 513-0378, or via email at
daveuchi278@cs.com.
For 2002
When I asked Jon to accept the Area 7 Championship in combination with
the already scheduled 2002 New York State Championship, I agreed to
let him manage the sponsorship policies for this match. It is my
understanding that the match has already made certain promises to
committed match sponsors. Obviously, I cannot retroactively change
the deal, or ask Jon to go back on promises he has made, so I will
stand by Jon's authority to make decisions in this matter for the
2002 Area 7 Championship.
For future years
The combination of the New York State Championship and Area 7
Championship was a one-time deal for 2002. I sincerely hope that the
Northeast Section exercises their option to host the match in 2003.
(I will ask for their answer by September 1, 2002). If all goes as I
hope and expect (once again having "dedicated area match"), I expect
to be involved in negotiation of the sponsorship philosophy and
approach.
Your comments, Please!
I would very much welcome comments from members on either side of this
issue. If we have the chance to increase donated merchandise, but
doing reduces the opportunity for our "vendor members" to sell at the
match, should we go that route?