How to Make Non-Stay-To-Play Events Work

• Posted: Aug 19, 2022

Let’s be honest, for a tournament that is not Stay-to-Play, most event directors do not take hotels seriously. The reasons are many, and I will get into the meat and potatoes of Stay-to-Play another day. However, if I were to say you can have a Non-Stay-to-Play and still generate revenue from hotel room bookings, would you as an event director, believe it? Most likely not, but there is a way - here’s how:

1. You have to give a damn about hotel bookings. Just because you are a Non-Stay-to-Play event does not mean you just put a link to your website or give out a few phone numbers of nearby hotels. As a Director, I know you spend countless hours reviewing every tournament detail. Do the same for your hotel booking platform. Make your tournament look like a Stay-to-Play but be very obvious that your event is Non-Stay-to-Play.

2. Provide a simple hotel link with discounts to 50+ properties. Creating a convenient pathway for Team Managers to provide their teammates with over 50 properties and an easy way to make room block requests will be appreciated. Remember, Team Managers are used to dealing with hotel booking requirements so if you're doing it as a courtesy with no strings attached, it's great way to set you apart from the rest.

3. Set up a stellar marketing plan. This is by far the most important part of making hotels a significant part of your revenue. You want to make sure your hotel link is on your website, on the page after registration, and that you have a solid email marketing campaign designed. PS. Lucid Travel can help automated all of this for you (Learn More).

Even though you will make ~50% less than a Stay-to-Play event, hotels can still be a huge part of your revenue.

Lucid Travel has everything you need to be successful, ready to go, in a blink of an eye. You can sign up for free, add your events, and choose what kind of rates you'd like to offer. You can sell our automated deals that are aggregated from 40+ vendors (including Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels Directly, & more). You can also request room blocks and our agents will negotiate deals on your terms. The best part about Lucid is that you can define how much you earn per room night and you get paid automatically every month. Login at any time to track every reservation and view your earnings. 

If you are not a Lucid client, call me (my cell 702-491-6237). If you already have an account, let's take some time to review and make sure all the processes are set up correctly.  Pick A Time Here - Danny Vegas' Calendar

Danny is a tournament producer in the southwest. He markets and consults with youth soccer tournaments. He is also a soccer dad. His daughter Monica has been in club soccer for over ten years. She is currently playing as a senior in high school. Danny resides in Las Vegas, NV, and recently joined the Lucid Travel team as Director of Growth.