Par: Chicago 2006
Every 90 Seconds
During the last 3 days of 2004, noted Kevin Boyer, Gay Games registra-
tions were coming in every 90 seconds as athletes and artists worldwide
rushed to beat the early registration deadline. Chicago extended the dea-
dline three days to accommodate last-minute signups and to account for
different time zones and computer access issues. “We’re extremely proud
of our online system,” said Gay Games VII Vice Co-Chair Tracy Baim.
“Despite heavy traffic from all over the world, our registration contractor
performed admirably with no downtime whatsoever.” The system provi-
des real-time data access, eliminating doubt about registration numbers
or payment status that often plague other registration solutions. Backend
registration processing for Gay Games VII is being provided by Chicago-
based Afficient Corporation, linked from the Gay Games VII home page.
Group Pre-Pay Running Strong
Individual registration has remained strong since the New Year began and
group registrations – called Pre-Pay – have accelerated. Pre-Pay allows
groups of 5 or more to pay a lower base fee by purchasing their Gay Ga-
mes VII registrations as a group. Chicago benefits by getting additional
paid registrations in the door more quickly, allowing for better advance
planning. The groups benefit by paying less per person. “We’ve had in-
ternational associations buy as many as 30 registrations at a time,” said
James Simmons, Gay Games VII Registration Consultant. “Teams are
registering as a group to save costs or to award as scholarships. We’re also
glad to see friends working together as a group, planning their trip to Chi-
cago, and signing up for the Gay Games together.” Pre-Pay is available by
calling 1-773-907-2006.
Ahead of Schedule
“We want to thank our volunteers, partners, sponsors and the athletes
and artists who continue to support the Gay Games movement, nearly
25 years after the first Gay Games took place in 1982,” said Suzanne
Arnold, Chicago’s other Co-Chair. “Last March Chicago was awarded
the honor of hosting the Gay Games. Now, less than a year later, we are
ahead of schedule in planning, fundraising, and fully paid participant
registration.” “Our planning and financial goals,” added Sue Connolly,
Gay Games VII Finance Committee Chair, “were accomplished in par-
tnership with the international Federation of Gay Games and allied sports
and cultural organizations. With volunteers and supporters worldwide,
and start-up staff and consultants that number only 5, our low per-regis-
trant cost has left us with significant cash reserves as we entered 2005. Chicago, IL – The 2,000th person to register for Gay Games VII was
either a Swedish badminton player, a New York volleyball player, a sin-
ger from New Zealand, a South African wrestler, or a member of a Los
Angeles softball team that registered as a group. The nature of Chicago’s
24-hour worldwide online registration system means that registrations
come in all hours of the day and night, just like the phone calls and emails.
But, according to Kevin Boyer, Chicago’s Marketing Chair, the 2,000th
person signed up at approximately noon (Chicago time), on Tuesday, 1
February 2005. The 2,000 registrations come from 26 different countries
on 6 continents.
Registrations Ahead of Forecast
“Gay Games registration figures are running well ahead of forecast,” said
Gay Games VII Co-Chair Sam Coady. “We ended 2004 with fully paid
registrations that were 40% ahead of our year-end forecasts, and approxi-
mately 800 registrations ahead of the pace set by Sydney in the months
before the 2002 Gay Games. We are confident we will reach or exceed our
target of over 12,000 registered athletes and artists.” Coady attributes the
successful registration numbers to the network of international sports or-
ganizations working in partnership with Chicago 2006 as well as the $3.5
million print, online, and television marketing campaign being conducted
in 6 languages through more than 25 media sponsors including Le Point.