Let me expand on that. if p!p notices a big drop in masters numbers at regionals then maybe they would look at why.
I was wondering when this would come up, I don't feel that Fall Regionals will be the best indicator of this decision's damage. Many players have already made travel plans or invested in cards to participate in Regionals at this point. Many have taken off work. At this point, those are all 'sunk costs' as economists would say. There is no crying over spilt milk. Furthermore, you shouldn't be looking for a drop in Masters attendance. There will be more players at each Regional. There should be a 'predicted growth' versus an 'actual growth.' If the actual growth falls short of the predicted (again, I mean at a future Regionals) we have reason to believe that something has caused this besides random chance.
I might feel differently if we had a way to track hotel cancellations, but we can't.
Well, you're leaving out the other valid business philosophies. Dave said the company is interested in creating more devoted customers by targeting the 12-and-under age bracket that research shows has the greatest chance to turn into lifelong fans.
Growth is vital to a business. Investing the most in the people that are the most devoted doesn't make business sense. I'd really like it if you could share examples of companies that do this, as well as those that flat-out treat all customers equally.
Companies that reward their most devoted customers occur in two common arenas. Many supermarkets have rewards cards, and while the devotion you need to show (signing up) is small, you're also giving them your information.
Only recently, The Wall Street Journal reported on "Luxury companies have grown in China, and so have the lengths to which they will go to make Chinese consumers feel special." (
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444772804577618682194946736.html)
Other companies pride themselves on treating everyone the same, I think the name of the restaurant chain I'm thinking of is Dick's (in the Seattle area) where you can't modify the order at all (there is no extra X or hold the Y). They were literally unkind to my friends and I when we showed up, it is part of their gimmick.
I think it's tough for some of us who have lived with this game for so many years. I remember getting my first trip from Wizards of the Coast, and they paid for me and my Dad to go to Long Beach CA to play in the Super Trainer Showdown. I never imagined a day where I wouldn't be playing this game. Then they eliminated my age bracket. I tried the Professor Shtick they offered, and I enjoyed it, but it simply wasn't the same. Maybe it was the lack of prizes? I'm honestly not sure. I left for the game for longer than I needed to. I could've come back sooner, but I had moved on to other things in my life. High school was a busy time for me.
I never expected to get back into the game during college. Frank and Michael Diaz basically convinced me to get serious again. I got 2nd at a States that year, and remember feeling bad about it because of the big gap in prizes between 1st and 2nd. This was mitigated since I lost Frank Diaz, and he is one of my closest friends. I whiffed my Worlds Invite pretty hard between a disappointing Regionals run and a bad Nationals performance. A handful of my friends convinced me to go to Orlando and try to grind. Winning that trip to San Diego (as a Master) is what probably has me playing today.
Read into my experience how you will, but the way it speaks to me is that giving out a trip (or part of a trip, ie a stipend) helps drive someone to feel a long-term connection to the brand no matter what age they are.
As said by many others, I appreciate knowing the reasoning behind the decision even if I'm not happy with it. Perhaps mostly so I know which of my reasons for disliking the choice is an effective counterpoint.
