Tackling a tournament: setting your sights on hosting a national tournament has its rewards.

Imagine trudging around in 90-degree heat, covered in dust for four days. While covered in sweat and dirt, imagine that you are also managing parking and general safety for more than 2,000 paintball competitors and 3,000 spectators. Doesn't sound like fun, does it? So what would drive a park district to undertake management of an outdoor tournament, and why would they recommend your agency try a similar feat?

Last spring, Bolingbrook Park District in Illinois was approached by Paintball Sports Promotion (PSP) to host the four-day 2005 Chicago Open Paintball Tournament. The tournament was slated to be the second largest paintball tournament in North America, second only to the tournament held in Walt Disney World, Fla. The proposal sounded intriguing to staff, but there was one catch--the event was six weeks away. That didn't leave much time to plan for parking, hotels, promotion, volunteers, beverage sales and more, let alone continue the flurry of work that normally plagues staff in the month of June.

"Looking back, some may think we were crazy taking on an event like that in a short timeframe," explains Margaret Resnick, Bolingbrook Park District's deputy director and primary negotiator for the event. "However, the lessons learned in those four days were well worth the hours of blood, sweat and tears."

The knowledge gained was indeed immeasurable. During the event, several key points became obvious for anyone considering hosting a large national tournament, whether it be for basketball, softball or paintball.

Before diving into hosting any large event, the organization needs to determine if it and the community can support the basic logistics for the event. In Bolingbrook's case, the DuPage Visitor and Convention Bureau referred PSP to the town. The basic requirements for the event were seven to eight open acres and parking for 1,000 cars to host the paintball tournament in June.

The Chicago Open paintball tournament was previously held in Maywood Park, but schedule conflicts forced PSP to look for a new venue in a short period of time. The site that seemed most logical for the event was the 12.2 acres of open space next to Pelican Harbor Indoor/Outdoor Aquatic Park. PSP instantly loved the site because it provided ample space for operations, and Bolingbrook and the surrounding areas could provide the minimum 1,500 hotel rooms needed to host the event. From PSP's perspective, it was a perfect fit.

But was it a perfect fit for the parks and recreation department and the community? Bolingbrook addressed major concerns before heading into negotiations. First, could parking be provided for 1,000 cars without inconveniencing Pelican Harbor Indoor/Outdoor Aquatic Park patrons? Drawing on a long-standing relationship with a local developer, the department negotiated the use of his open land across the street from our site for parking.

Second, would this benefit the residents of Bolingbrook and local businesses? Looking at the economic impact the tournament would have it was quickly decided that this could be a huge benefit to area businesses and the community because many Bolingbrook residents work in town or run their own businesses. An additional benefit to the community was the media exposure it would receive.

Third, could quality service be provided to the tournament directors? The answer to this question depended on the staff. "In the past, each department has jumped in to help with community-wide events," says Resnick. "But this was so much larger than anything we had previously undertaken."

An agency looking at possibly hosting a national event should first take an honest look at operations and the surrounding community to determine key concerns. In some instances, it simply may not be a correct fit--in that case, the community should not be scared to pass on an event. It will be best for the event promoters and the park district in the long run.

After careful review, five objectives for the tournament were established:

* To exceed expectations of tournament directors

To give participants and guests a memorable Bolingbrook experience

To provide unique entertainment to Bolingbrook spectators

To work with the local chamber of commerce and local businesses to make this profitable for them

To generate positive cash flow for the district

Setting clear objectives can help keep the department focused during the negotiation phase and also helps determine if the event met expectations upon review.

After setting objectives, it's time to move into the most challenging phase--negotiations. If your town has never hosted the event before, it is impossible to determine what needs to be included in the contract. Start with the recommendations from previous event hosts and tournament directors, and ask for a copy of previous events proposals. This is an appropriate starting point.

If the event organizers want to include exclusive beer and wine sales, remember to include soft drinks, water and all other beverages. Detail exactly what will be sold. If the community plans on charging for parking, be sure to include that in the proposal. Then take a look at operations.

One key area to pull off the tournament was the buildings and grounds staff. It took 1,276 staff hours from the buildings and grounds department alone to keep up with the 30 tons of garbage picked up during the event.

"Make sure to prioritize the district's activities so that you know in advance what will be completed during the tournament and what you will have to play catch-up on afterwards," advises Chris Martner, Bolingbrook Park District Parks foreperson. "Of course, plan to have enough custodial supplies as well as plenty of water and sports drinks to keep your employees hydrated. Lastly, it helped to create split shifts and rotating the crews' assignments to keep them as fresh as possible."

Build the extra staffing cost into the site fee, and he sure to include the extra cost for security and medial technicians. Include a premium on these costs since the park and recreation department will most likely be paying overtime rates. In this case, the tremendous support from the Village of Bolingbrook Police and Fire departments helped defray some of the costs.

Another important aspect of the proposal is the condition of the property after the event. In this case, tournament directors were required to return the property back to its original condition. A security deposit in addition to the lease fee was vital, as this helped protect the park district if PSP missed anything in their clean up.

PSP was also required to provide a $2 million insurance policy naming Bolingbrook Park District, William Gahlberg & Associates and his corporation, Corridor II Associates LP, as additionally insured. This was crucial in the negotiations for the open property used for parking. This was the only stipulation William Gahlberg had for the use of his property.

It is a good idea to include a clause that any expenses not included in the signed proposal must be paid by the event directors. For example, the proposal with PSP stated that ten portable toilets and two hand-washing stations would be provided. As the event got closer, it became clear Bolingbrook needed to double those numbers. This became an additional cost to the district, and if this clause had been included in the contract, PSP would have had to pick up the costs.

Negotiations are finally over. What is the next step? Prepare, prepare, prepare. Not only did the park and recreation department want the event to be a positive experience for the event directors and participants, but for the residents of Bolingbrook as well. The residents most directly impacted were the neighbors surrounding the event location, so the district delivered letters explaining the event, what to expect with traffic and inviting them to call with any questions or concerns.

Bolingbrook maps were printed featuring "preferred" restaurants and distributed to event participants. Restaurants paid $150 to be listed on the map, which proved to be a great opportunity for the district to generate revenue. Along with information about the map, letters were sent to restaurants informing them of the pending event, allowing businesses to prepare their inventory and increase staff.

Hotels were also notified of the event to prepare accordingly. As another revenue source, the district negotiated "preferred" hotels for paintball participants and a percentage of the room rates were paid to the district.

The park and recreation department of Bolingbrook thought things would become easier once the tournament started and Paintball Sports Promotions' staff took over. Guess again--the work had only begun. More than 100 staff and volunteers worked four straight 14-hour days in grueling heat.

An unexpected twist came on the first day of the event when a few errant paintballs flew out of the netted arenas and hit a few neighboring houses. Senior level staff personally visited all of the houses lining the property to check for paint. Staff immediately washed the houses and even detailed a car. Residents were impressed with the responsiveness of the staff and commended the district for its efforts.

Weather is another factor to consider when hosting an event. What happens in extreme weather conditions, such as excessive heat, severe storms, snow or lack of snow depends on the type of event. The heat during the paintball tournament posed unexpected challenges. Extra cooling stations had to be set-up, and paramedics worked overtime dealing with the influx of heat-related injuries. The full-body gear needed for the sport of paintball did not mix well with the unusually hot and extremely dry days.

On day four, exhausted and weary staff questioned whether or not to host an event like this again. But time and rest gave everyone a clearer perspective, and the department is gearing up to do it all over again this June. Why? Being told by PSP's director of operations that the "efforts were not unnoticed and certainly made a big difference" was very rewarding to the staff.

Teams from England, Russia, Japan and all across the United States commented on how everyone in Bolingbrook made them feel so welcome and they loved the venue. Bolingbrook was featured in numerous magazines and for an hour and a half on the Outdoor Life Network. According to town estimates, the economic impact to community was near $3.5 million.

Area hotels and businesses also enjoyed the event. "It was a great event for Bolingbrook. The teams loved the town. I would like the event to return next year" says Jim Reich, manager of Bolingbrook's AmericInn.

Bolingbrook Park District staff survived the greatest team-building exercise it could face and it made them stronger. Bolingbrook residents became fascinated with the paintball phenomenon and enjoyed watching the tournament. All goals were met. So the real question for park and recreation departments becomes not why should you host a tournament, but why not?