The complaint that we often listen from people is that table tennis not popular in the United States. That’s true to an extend. There are so many reasons we can pin point. I don’t think this should discourage us.
I was contacted by our state transportation department yesterday. They are going to a convention soon, and require few tables to run a ping pong match. It is such an odd request that I have heard in a while. A great opportunity to bring people to this sport where thousands of people gather.
There are venues where with a little bit of effort we can contribute to this sport. The coventions are great venues. Thousands of people visit conventions like outdoor expo, religious conventions or something like a transportation covention.
They are good opportunities for clubs. As I have negotiated for an exhibition match, the clubs can negotiate for such opportunities. I have seen the impact of an exhibition match at the Killerspin Tournament in Ohio some two years ago. The amazing athleticism of Killerspin players like Andre Filimon, Kreanga, Biba was an instant attraction to the people passing by.
Picture: Biba of Killerspin
I list some guidelines for you:
1. It is easy to transport lighter and small frame tables. Have one or two such tables for this kind of job. In many situations you dont require more than two tables.
2. Have some club fliers with the contact information of the club. Get pre-approved for distribution of materials. You can get into trouble for advertising.
3. Talk to the convention board as early to add the event information in the suvenier and event schedule.
4. Run some videos of international matches in a TV close to the table. That can educate people how athletic the table tennis sport is.
5. Talk about benefits of playing table tennis rather than projecting this as a fun paddle game. I would add benefits like reducing weight, increasing mental sharpness, reducing cholesterol.
6. Have a place for the people to leave their email address in a sheet of paper. Follow up with them to come to the clubs near by.
Be an evagelist of table tennis!
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