What's important to you in an OTB tournament?

As a TD/Organizer, I'm looking for things that might draw you to a tournament, or drive you away.  If you are fortunate to live somewhere where a variety of OTB tournaments are available, which ones do you choose?

Some things I have heard in the past include:

Cost.

Likely participation by high- ranked opponents.

Cash prizes.  Usually high is good.

Pleasing facilities. Ammenities at tournament site.

Specific time controls.

Availability of a "skittles room".

Timing.  i.e, tournament is just a few hours, over by dinner, or all weekend.

Reputation of organizer/TD.

Number of players.  Is bigger better?

Obviously, there are no "right answers".  Not everyone likes the same kind of event, but I'm still trying to gather information about what is important to different sorts of players.

For me, big pluses are:  Cost.  I'm a cheapskate and won't pay very much to play Chess.

Time controls.  If it is more than G60, I definitely don't go.  G30 or G45 are good for me.

Cash prizes- Actually, a turnoff for me.  I know that's unusual, but they are usually correlated with high costs and even when they are not, high cash prizes somehow just don't "feel right" to me.  It makes me wonder if the other people there are just hoping to score some cash from me.

Also unusual for a Chess tournament attendee, "something different" would be a big plus for me.  Whether it is some game other than Chess, or a "thematic" tournament, like a Sicilian Defense opening tournament, would make me more likely to come.  Side events of bughouse, or blitz chess, or backgammon would all be bonuses for me.

One day events are more likely to draw me in than two day or all weekend events, although, for me, as long as the day is shot, I might as well play from morning til evening.

So, what say you?

From my personal experience the best tournaments are -

• High prize fund, usually $200+ for 1st is good and attracts alot of people
• A weekend tournament, if someone is busy for 1 round in a 1 day tournament they wont come, but if its a weekend tournament they will take a bye
• FIDE RATED: Most popular, if you have FIDE rated tournament (with uscf rated as well) you will attract alot of people
• Entry fee: around $50 is good, $75+ may be too much unless you are planning a 7 or 9 round tournament
• Time control: 90+30 is popular for a weekend tournament, 60 minutes is good for a 1 day tournament
• Analysis or Skittles rooms are recommended.
• It has to be a nice area, not that people will know how it looks like until they come, but if its a nice area, comfortable seats etc.. they will come next time.

The only important thing for me is:

"Pleasing facilities. Ammenities at tournament site."

But i go to the tournements i can, no matter what.

IMO, I go to different tournaments for different things. As a 1400 in high school, there are two reasons I would go to a tournament

1. A casual tournament I go to either for rating or as a tune up for a bigger event. These usually take the form a quad. Because it's a quad, the more players the better, as you want good competition. I look for it to be cheap (no more than, say, $20), not too long (the one I generally go to for this reason starts at 1:30-2:00 on Sunday afternoons, and I'm out by 7), and have a friendly environment.

The quads I'm thinking of has a $50 prize for the winner of each quad, and entry is $15 to $20, so there's motivation for players to come and you (the TD) may end up making enough to buy yourself dinner.

Most important: Number of players so everyone gets good competition

2. A longer tournament, generally using the Swiss System, that I go to in order to compete; I play in these for the satisfaction of beating out a large group as well as for a rating and the oppurtunity to improve skill-wise. While these come in many forms (from three-day, G/180 things to one-day G/25/5 events), what makes me want to go is the sections. The more sections, the better. When I was just under 1400, I was attracted to tournaments that had U1400 sections, because I knew that I would have a chance to win while still being provided with a challenge.

If it's a shorter tournament (5SS, G/30 or G/45), then it would help having some sort of food vendor on site. In a longer tournament, students and adults alike bring work to do and might want to analyze with their friends, so having a couple of open rooms (preferably with outlets) will make people more likely to come back.

As just a personal preference, if it's any type of swiss that goes all day (2 or more day events included), I like being able to walk around outside between rounds, preferably not in some loud urban setting. That's just me, though.

I never thought of some events as "practice" events, but it makes sense.

I agree that the number of sections matters, for the same reason pointed out by Mm40.  If there are not multiple sections, I might end up playing players much better, or much worse, than myself.  As an organizer, though, it causes a problem, because you can't guarantee who will show up.  If I say that I'll have a U1200 section, and I only get four players over 1200, what then?  Quads are good like that.  Unless the tournament is very sparse, it's likely you'll get three good games against reasonably matched opponents.

The one event I attend regularly is a quad event.  G30, fived dollar entry fee, $16 prize per quad.  The prize is just enough to make winning "worth something" but in reality, the tournament is practically free, as you will go up and down against various other players, and sometimes will be on top of the quad, and sometimes on the bottom.  It's held in a coffeehouse, so the site makes its money by selling food to the players.  It's held 1-2 times a month and attracts a pretty good crowd.  (40 players or so.)

I have to wonder something about people who seem to like the "upscale" events, held in hotels with $50+ entry fees and all weekend play.  Where do you play Chess when not at a tournament like that?  I don't know anyone who plays Chess outside of a club.  Where do you practice?  Maybe at tournaments like mine?  You wouldn't really like them.  Ten dollar entry fee held in a church basement with no cash prizes and G/30 games.  I can't see someone who really likes the "big ticket" tournaments liking the Chess clubs I go to either, where the prevailing attitude toward any tournament is that they are far too stuffy.

Actually, I like club chess, five round tournaments, any time control greater than game/60. I have more or less played continuously in club chess since 1975. Nevertheless, I will always play weekenders that are within the county that I live (San Diego, CA), unless I have other committments, no matter what the entry fee is. When I wanted to get a FIDE rating, I played in a bunch of FIDE rated tournaments but once I got one my interest diminished. Anytime the US Open is nearby, I generally attend, I played in 2 in Los Angeles, one in Orange County, one in Phoenix, Arizona and I will play in 2012 in Reno. Cost is important consideration, but the lure of playing usually is too much and I'll pay whatever once I make up my mind to go. However, I do have a limit of around $200 to play. Hotels and meals, of course, are another problem.

One thing that is clear is that Chess tournaments involve some niche marketing.

I won't go to a tournament with any time control longer than G/60.  I prefer G/30, and G/45 is ok.  I have never gone to tournament with G/60, but if it met my other main criteria (cheap) I would go. 

Other people simply won't go to anything less than G/60.  I have heard them say that in their opinion, G/30 may as well be blitz chess.  There was a debate once on the Michigan Chess Association's forum about whether it would be better to hold G/30 or G/29 tournaments, because someone might decide to go to a G/29 tournament just for fun, but at least he wouldn't risk his "real" rating.