Monday 19 January 2009

Seventy five days to go until the 16 National teams from around the world arrive in San Diego for the USA Sevens Rugby Tournament. The Tournament is one of eight held throughout the year under the auspices of the IRB and hosted by eight different countries.

We are entering the crunch time period of orchestrating and managing the single largest rugby event in the Northern hemisphere. Eight months of planning, negotiating, soliciting, educating and changing are now at the implementation stage. Our distinct professionals, all sharing the one common goal of producing an event the world of rugby can be proud of, are now heavily engaged in their specific roles. We have our primary and secondary management of the Padres and PETCO Park finalizing in stadium and on site activities. These include broadcast setup, field sign design and layout, Festival plans, entertainment contracts, locker room assignments, medical assignments, concession agreements and distribution plans to name but a few. Putting on the San Diego Invitational at the polo fields in Del Mar is spearheaded by a dedicated committee of rugby administrators. Laying out the fields, setting up the concession vendors, ensuring merchandise and ticket availability, scheduling for 80+ teams are some of their responsibilities.

In San Diego, we involve ourselves with City funding applications, promotions for the Tournament at major functions like the Holiday Bowl, the Car Show, the Mira Mar Air Show and a multitude of other events. Our partnership with the Gas Lamp Association and many of the 84+ restaurants in the Gas Lamp is a significant value to our arriving fans. Local sponsorship sales and Festival vendor solicitations are a priority.

Coordination of the entire ticketing process, including our general admission and higher end hospitality tickets, requires diligent attention. Fulfillment of our sponsors entitlements is a critical component of ensuring they are satisfied with their partnership.

The arrival of all the teams, most from the Wellington tournament the week prior, requires immense logistical planning and execution. Picking up the teams in Los Angeles, transporting them to San Diego, checking them into their hotel, providing them the required meals, transporting them to their respective practice facilities, on time, are all important components of the overall operational plan. Media buys and execution are the responsibilities of our management staff and our PR firm. TV, radio and print media interviews are coordinated by another specialist who utilizes both the Managing Director and the Tournament Director. Scheduling and assigning of our multitude of volunteers is another critical element requiring on site management.

This is merely a topline review of several of the key requirements involved in putting on a tournament of this magnitude. There are many more. We commit to this because we believe in the sport and in our fans. We ask only that you come…fill the stadium…and have the best rugby experience of your life.