Kevin, your last two posts have been mocking and very negative. I gave you 3 posts with cold logic and real-life implications of shooting your marketing load too early.
The athletes who are interested in doing the shows have been encouraged to contact Wayne. He is giving them the info they need to do shows. Kevin, when you choose to enter a PDI qualifier, I am sure that Wayne will give you that information too.
Kevin, listen man, let's take the insults out of this. We're both better than that... Sorry I went there, and I plan not to again.
Kevin, you're a photographer. I do not claim to know your business training, your experience in competition strategy, or your skill in market delivery of a product or service. If I wanted to know if Nikon owns HP in megapixels, I'm calling you.
However, I do not think you do not have a great understanding of how competition works in America. Here, if Company A learns about Company B's future plans... and B can steal market share and resources/athletes/fans from A resulting in losses of million of $ and possibly overtake A as the monopoly eventually... then A is going to attempt to stop B.
The first response methods might be as simple as sending its employees on boards to bash B. To start rumors about B's shows being cancelled. To attack the character of B's mgmt team. To even start pissing matches with B's outsourced labor, like 240. This is knee jerk PR reaction.
Next, A will secure its own resources. Send memos and Chics out to pass the message that A is strong, B is weak, and leaving A for B will be punished. This is happening now. A will also secure promoters, photogs, web guys, sponsors, expo personnel, and anyone else who B might be using to make the event a success. This is defending your entrenched position.
Then, and this is the case when millions of dollars on the line, A will develop greater plans to defend their industry position. They will give money to vendors to be unavailable that week. They will try to secure infrastructural resources which B will need. They will do other things, but I don't wanna give them any more ideas lol... This, of course, is A's attempt to attack B's "railroad", so that B is too busy putting out small supply fires to attack A any more, which subsequently stifles growth)0
Horton, you're a great photographer. However, I do think that your immediate dismissal of any notion that the IFBB would utilize a few strategic moves (read: dirty tricks) to keep their position is, well, laughable. People with the intelligence to get millions of dollars are typically bright enough to know how to defend those millions of dollars.
Professor 240 has spoken. My consulting fee will be in the mail.