the way i see it is that badminton is badminton. whether it is warehouse or a backalley or a stadium, as a spectator, i wouldn't careless. as long as it manage to attract people, it is good.
Hi Kwun, I am a huge fan of badminton also. Being the huge fans that we are I think we are in agreement of attracting new people to the game of badminton. Wouldn't it be great if badminton were one day as mainstream as tennis was in the USA? My point is since Li Ning is putting on this fine event it should pick a venue that is first class. That's all. Pick a venue where it could attract more people and also accomodate those people. The last thing I would want is to pay money to see Lin Dan and be uncomfortable because it was so hot. It would ruin the moment and the memories for me. I am looking forward to the event but not looking forward to all those people jammed in a converted warehouse with no air conditioning. I am a human being not a sardine in a tin =p.
Wow! Check this out. I guess the venue was originally to be held at San Gabriel Valley Badminton. This was on their facebook page. San Gabriel Valley Badminton Club (SGVBC) Ouch!! We've been slapped in the face! The Li Ning Lin Dan and Bao Chun Lai event has been pulled from our club and is being moved to Arcadia Badminton Club. We were told officially that it was to be held at our El Monte club and then tw...o days later were told they did not want to come here. That sucks. Last year Yonex brought Taufik to So Cal and they chose SGVBC to be the site of his only official So Cal event besides playing in the US Open. You don't expect a large company to make these kinds of decisions is such a flip-floppy way, but who knows what really went down - not us. The band aid we get to soothe the sting to the face is that our members still have access to 100 of the tickets. Come buy some merchandise or renew your membership for a year and you can still get a ticket to the event, so it's not sooo bad after all.See More Wednesday at 9:07pm ·
littlelucky and kwun, thanks for posting the info and providing your perspectives on this. At the moment, I am very thrilled that LD and co is coming to the US. This speaks volumes as to how much growth USA badminton has achieved. Just a couple of years back, this wouldn't even be a topic to have such high caliber players come to the US. (Thanks to TH for being one of the more recently players to come to the US). What's more important for me is not whether I will be comfortable watching these players at ABC, but I absolutely understand your point littlelucky, it is the impression that LD and co will have walking away saying that in the US, they still play badminton in warehouses. It is almost disrespectful to have these players showcase their talents in a non-grand stand like venue. Very disappointed wtih Li Ning execs., these guys wants to grow their business in the US but continues to make poor business decision. Showcasing one of your best assets in a non-grand stand like venue only further diminishes your not-growing brand in the US. For the record, I know that LABC, ABC and SGVBC all sell Li Ning items.
LittleLucky / hmatter, two things: - it is ok to have some healthy competition between clubs for exposure - i personally have no preferences in which club badminton is showcased because i love you all equally simply because you are a badminton club! however, i do think that if someone comes in and make criticism and comments, they should declare their affiliation. when it comes to public criticism like that, it is only appropriate to have affiliation cleared up first.
Kwun, I have no affiliation to any club because I play all over. I'm a badminton bum. Here is an example Kwun. What if The US Open was held at SGVBC or ABC? How would that look to the badminton fans of the world? The main reason why I posted this thread was because I wanted to point out the indecisiveness, incompetence and inadequacy of the Li Ning management team.
i think people (including me) will go watch wherever these stars will play but of course i would prefer to be in a comfortable air conditioned environment with my reclining chair. the only issue i have is that why can't they make it on a weekend? wouldn't more people come during the labor day long weekend? what time is it on 31-aug and 2-sep? and how much are the tickets?
this was the info i was given: time: 5pm-9pm (same for both clubs) cost: $20 apparently a lot of the tickets have already been reserved or sold.
Hopefully some holywood producer / screen writer will realize how charismatic Lin Dan is and make a Badminton movie with Lin Dan... or even Action movies. Or a badminton Action movie I'm being Sort of serious.
Just my 2 cents: - Time, 5pm to 9 pm, it should be cool enough by then..*cross fingers* - Why ABC instead of LABC or SGVBC or OCBC? my hunch is there is a bit of a tie with the club owners (the one up north in Menlo Park is an interesting one as there are so many of them to choose). For the most part, the sponsorship issue as well..Personally, for this type of event, it would be better held at LABC or OCBC (open layout w/out any posts/column in the middle of the building) for the spectators.. - The one scheduled in Menlo Park (NorCal) should generate much2 more crowd than in L.A. - I wonder why they are not holding one up in Vancouver (Beautiful British Columbia, Canada). Vancouver is arguably the 2nd largest city in North America with the most Asian population. - $20 to watch a 4 hr baddy exhibition. For first timers or for LD fans or for those who haven't watched BCL or LD play live, this event is quite worth it. - I am sure Li-Ning will be selling their products at the events. - Schedule: 2 days after the WC finishes. Basically LD will be flying out of Paris right after the end of the WC (if he goes all the way to the Finals Rd.).
G1/RBA is easy to explain. Mike is the national sales manager of Li-Ning, and he is the founder of G1.
Well connected. Anyway its always good if they get a good event organizer or agent. But since the court owner is the Sales manager for Li Ning, he can get the job done much faster..
It would be for the best to be held at LABC. OCBC would be nice but I think they have strong ties with Yonex.
A few more notes.. ..so i went and stopped by ABC y'day and inquired abt a few more things. These might be different when LD, BCL, LYB & TBY visit RBA (NorCal) on Sep. 2nd: - Apparently, the schedule mentioned from 5pm to 9pm includes 2 hrs of lecture (5pm to 7pm) and 2 hrs of playing (7pm til 9pm). They will not play all 4 hrs. - I don't know if they will have a translator to translate the lecture session or not. - I heard they are limiting the tickets to about 400 tickets only. First come, first serve for the tix. Yes, they will take reservations. No tickets, no admittance. Yes, they will have someone at the door to check the ticket. - They will close the club for open play in that 4 hr period. - Yes, ABC is the largest Li Ning provider in SoCal, at least in the L.A. region.
EBA is now the host of the Li-Ning Champions Tour for Northern California. Please check out our thread or join our facebook page for more details.