Hold 'em for Hunger
From Ni Wiki
Hold 'em for Hunger is Nourish International's charity poker tournament venture.
Contents |
History
The first Hold 'em for Hunger was held at UNC Chapel Hill in the Spring of 2005. Featuring a field of 300 players, Hold 'em for Hunger 2005 was the largest charity poker tournament ever in the state of North Carolina. Empire Poker, World Tavern Poker, Progressive Graphics, Schoolkids Records, and 20 other businesses all sponsored the tournament, which took place in the Great Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The tournament profited over $5,000. Money raised from the first Hold 'em for Hunger helped construct a nutrition center for teenage mothers in Mbale, Uganda.
Since then Hold 'em for Hunger has been an annual tradition at UNC Chapel Hill. With a field of 250 poker players Hold 'em for Hunger 2006 raised over $5700 for summer projects. Apple Computer, Cardplayer Magazine, World Tavern Poker Tour, STA Travel, and poker legend Phil Gordon were among its sponsors. The tournament winner took home a 42" DLP HDTV worth more than $2,000. HEFH '06 even featured a rock-paper-scissors tournament for the first 52-players to get knocked out, the winner receiving an iPod Nano.
Attendance doubled in 2007 with Hold 'em for Hunger attracting 502 poker players from UNC, Duke, NC State and the surrounding poker community. Over $5200 was raised and prizes included a 42" DLP HDTV, a SunDrop Vending machine, a Vegas style Slot machine, a Nintendo Wii, and a totally refurbished couch from the Dean Dome.
Operations
Hold 'em for Hunger is a complex Event Venture with a number of necessary committees. Committees for Hold 'em for Hunger include Sales & Marketing, Sponsorship, Event Day Planning and Finance.
Sales & Marketing
As for any Event Venture the Sales & Marketing Committee's job is to create buzz and build up interest in anticipation of the day of the event. In order to do this effectivly, the committee must first identify a target market and then execute a publicity strategy. Specific markets for Hold 'em for Hunger include:
- Poker players on campus. Go to all the big games around campus and tell them about Hold 'em for Hunger. These people won't just be first to sign up, they'll be the first to sign up their friends, their cousins and their girlfriends as well. They can be your best evangalizers so make friends with them and lose to them in their weekly games.
- Poker players in the community. Part of your publicity strategy should be to reach out to poker players outside of your university. By collaborating with World Tavern Poker to publicize at their bar games and by connecting to the local poker media you can reach a lucrative and avid base of players.
- Fraternities. Visiting fraternity lane can be a very profitable for your tournament. It is a known fact that fraternity brothers love to play poker and the organized structure of these institutions is condusive to bulk purchases. Since fraternities are required donate a certian percentage of their income to charities, Hold 'em for Hunger tickets can count towards this service requirement.
