The BDO Annual General Meeting

[The Crusader]

We get all the money from the ticket sales..........£2000

Venue hire........£10000


Well done Des.

Maybe he sought financial help from Diane Abbott

[oche balboa]

Crusader wants the BDO burned to a crisp

[ChrisW]

Anyway with all this good news do folks reckon little Richard and his team have blown it walking out just as the bdo is about to take off again?

Was a reason given at the agm for their decision?

I doubt it. Maybe the question is do they want to work for the BDO again with the new pay.

[The Crusader]

Crusader wants the BDO burned to a crisp

Far from it.

I think the info released lately is huge gamble. Boom or bust and I sincerely hope its boom.

[Skewball]

Massive massive gamble.
The event is going to cost £200k plus to put on including hire, tv production and the stage set. That's a lot of tickets. And this will be in the back of two events coming up that will lose money.
And there is no sponsor!

[Astonvilla]

There is no sponsor that YOU know about. Des isnt an idiot and he clearly wouldnt have signed up to such an expensive contract if he didnt have people
to pay for it. He is just announcing the news piece by piece.
When he announces the sponsors for the earlier tournaments its likely you will know who is sponsoring the WC.

[nikkiboy]

There is no sponsor that YOU know about. Des isnt an idiot and he clearly wouldnt have signed up to such an expensive contract if he didnt have people
to pay for it. He is just announcing the news piece by piece.
When he announces the sponsors for the earlier tournaments its likely you will know who is sponsoring the WC.

Then announce it!

[ChrisW]

If there was a new sponsor in place it would have been announced.

[Astonvilla]

Des doesnt seem to be the sort of guy who is forced into early announcements just to please darts forums.

What people here seem to be saying is he has signed up a new major venue for a tournament costing a fortune with nobody to pay for it. Thats more
than risky isnt it? It would be far stupider than anything we have seen in recent years from the BDO. I just cant see that he would do that, far more
likely someone else is on board and for some reason they have chosen to delay the announcement.

Maybe a big announcement at the WDT?

[nikkiboy]

Des doesnt seem to be the sort of guy who is forced into early announcements just to please darts forums.

What people here seem to be saying is he has signed up a new major venue for a tournament costing a fortune with nobody to pay for it. Thats more
than risky isnt it? It would be far stupider than anything we have seen in recent years from the BDO. I just cant see that he would do that, far more
likely someone else is on board and for some reason they have chosen to delay the announcement.

Maybe a big announcement at the WDT?

But it's not just to please darts forums, the WDT is under a month away - no sponsor which from a sponsor's point of view means that any tickets bought now will not have the sponsor's name on them, what's the point? The savvy sponsors have realised that they don't have to pay tens of thousands to sponsor an event they just hang fire and pay for a couple of hotel rooms and the BDO will let them have a banner by the board and picked up by the TV cameras.

[Buzz Fledderjohn]

Des doesnt seem to be the sort of guy who is forced into early announcements just to please darts forums.

What people here seem to be saying is he has signed up a new major venue for a tournament costing a fortune with nobody to pay for it. Thats more
than risky isnt it? It would be far stupider than anything we have seen in recent years from the BDO. I just cant see that he would do that, far more
likely someone else is on board and for some reason they have chosen to delay the announcement.

Maybe a big announcement at the WDT?

Given that we all seem in agreement that this new venue is going to cost a fair old whack, if there is a sponsor putting in enough to cover the majority of the venue, production costs, and prize money, then they'll be spending a lot for the privilege.
Any sponsor putting up that sort of money is going to want their name front and centre at the earliest opportunity in order to reap the perceived commercial benefit of their investment.

I'm not saying your theory about the sponsor already being on board but not being announced isn't true (nothing would surprise me these days), but I can't see any logical reason for it.

[Zapp Brannigan]

There is no sponsor that YOU know about. Des isnt an idiot and he clearly wouldnt have signed up to such an expensive contract if he didnt have people
to pay for it. He is just announcing the news piece by piece.
When he announces the sponsors for the earlier tournaments its likely you will know who is sponsoring the WC.

He’s a gambler and he’s gambling here

It’s the age old thing that every new promoter does. Hype up an event, hype up names and venues and then hope to god the sponsors and fans come in to cover the costs.

This could work, o2 is a big name and they have links to a lot of people, a lot to mailing lists, a lot of promoters.

But the major problem is it’s still, in the eyes of 99% of casual fans, 2nd rate amateur darts. It’s still “hey we have the world darts championship at the o2” “oh sweet the pdc?” “Nope the bdo”. If they can’t fill out 200 seat venues, if they can’t get more than 50 people in for a major final then this is going to fail terribly. People love to complain about sue and Wayne losing 100k on the masters, If these 3 events fail Des is going to lose far more than that.

The masters and the wdt is going to be the test to see if the gamble on the worlds is going to pay off.

[ssjsa]

There is no sponsor that YOU know about. Des isnt an idiot and he clearly wouldnt have signed up to such an expensive contract if he didnt have people
to pay for it. He is just announcing the news piece by piece.
When he announces the sponsors for the earlier tournaments its likely you will know who is sponsoring the WC.

He’s a gambler and he’s gambling here

It’s the age old thing that every new promoter does. Hype up an event, hype up names and venues and then hope to god the sponsors and fans come in to cover the costs.

This could work, o2 is a big name and they have links to a lot of people, a lot to mailing lists, a lot of promoters.

But the major problem is it’s still, in the eyes of 99% of casual fans, 2nd rate amateur darts. It’s still “hey we have the world darts championship at the o2” “oh sweet the pdc?” “Nope the bdo”. If they can’t fill out 200 seat venues, if they can’t get more than 50 people in for a major final then this is going to fail terribly. People love to complain about sue and Wayne losing 100k on the masters, If these 3 events fail Des is going to lose far more than that.

The masters and the wdt is going to be the test to see if the gamble on the worlds is going to pay off.

As I posted in another thread Des has already done an interview on the Weekly Dartscast podcast which will be broadcast on Thursday. Will be interesting what he has to say. I hope Burton and Lal have asked him probing questions re new sponsors.

[Zapp Brannigan]

There is no sponsor that YOU know about. Des isnt an idiot and he clearly wouldnt have signed up to such an expensive contract if he didnt have people
to pay for it. He is just announcing the news piece by piece.
When he announces the sponsors for the earlier tournaments its likely you will know who is sponsoring the WC.

He’s a gambler and he’s gambling here

It’s the age old thing that every new promoter does. Hype up an event, hype up names and venues and then hope to god the sponsors and fans come in to cover the costs.

This could work, o2 is a big name and they have links to a lot of people, a lot to mailing lists, a lot of promoters.

But the major problem is it’s still, in the eyes of 99% of casual fans, 2nd rate amateur darts. It’s still “hey we have the world darts championship at the o2” “oh sweet the pdc?” “Nope the bdo”. If they can’t fill out 200 seat venues, if they can’t get more than 50 people in for a major final then this is going to fail terribly. People love to complain about sue and Wayne losing 100k on the masters, If these 3 events fail Des is going to lose far more than that.

The masters and the wdt is going to be the test to see if the gamble on the worlds is going to pay off.

As I posted in another thread Des has already done an interview on the Weekly Dartscast podcast which will be broadcast on Thursday. Will be interesting what he has to say. I hope Burton and Lal have asked him probing questions re new sponsors.

He will just lie again

Remember the major European sponsors he told the delegates he had lined up if they voted him in

[Moongoose McQueeen]

Massive massive gamble.
The event is going to cost £200k plus to put on including hire, tv production and the stage set. That's a lot of tickets. And this will be in the back of two events coming up that will lose money.
And there is no sponsor!

Please show your working or is it simply guesswork.

As per usual.

[ChrisW]

The masters and the wdt is going to be the test to see if the gamble on the worlds is going to pay off.

Is it though?
Noone went to them last few years and the Worlds was well attended.
OK new venue, but I don't think they are linked.

[Buzz Fledderjohn]

The masters and the wdt is going to be the test to see if the gamble on the worlds is going to pay off.

Is it though?
Noone went to them last few years and the Worlds was well attended.
OK new venue, but I don't think they are linked.

They certainly weren't linked in the past because of the "Lakeside effect". The creatures of habit who go every year just because it's Lakeside. There's certainly no guarantee they will go to the new venue in any great numbers, although obviously some will.

Des is pretty much starting from scratch again, and whilst there's definitely an argument that this is exactly what was needed, it does increase the element of risk somewhat.

[ChrisW]

The masters and the wdt is going to be the test to see if the gamble on the worlds is going to pay off.

Is it though?
Noone went to them last few years and the Worlds was well attended.
OK new venue, but I don't think they are linked.

They certainly weren't linked in the past because of the "Lakeside effect". The creatures of habit who go every year just because it's Lakeside. There's certainly no guarantee they will go to the new venue in any great numbers, although obviously some will.

Des is pretty much starting from scratch again, and whilst there's definitely an argument that this is exactly what was needed, it does increase the element of risk somewhat.

Yep. Let's see what happens.

[Tommy T-Rex]

The negotiations broke down between the BDO and the new Lakeside Management (bob potter not involved) Lakeside where not prepared to stump up the usual amount and Barbra Leach or whatever her name is stated that the BDO darts was detrimental to the image she now wants Lakeside to portray (I shit you not). The BDO where left with no option but to find another venue, apparently they got the, Indigo F.O.C and can keep the gate receipts for year one. Without a headline sponsor the financial viability of the event hinges purely on bums on seats, it. Is a risk but the BDO didn't have much choice.