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Paintball defined
Paintball, a game first played in 1981, has become one of the worlds most exciting outdoor team sports. Paintball is played by two rival teams on a field with various goals depending on the game played. The path to victory is made by shooting at the opposing team with paintballs tiny mock bullets filled with bright paint using a paintball gun, which uses CO2 gas as a propellant. Once a paintball hits an opponent it breaks and marks him/her with the paint which then means that the hit participant is out of the game and is forced to leave the field. The game is won when a team fulfills the objective of the game which can be the successful capture and return of the oppositions flag, elimination of the other team or taking over their area mentioned are just a few of the many other types of games. This can be played in an indoor field or what is usually the case an outdoor field. Depending on the country your playing in settings differ, preferred however, is an area in which players can easily camouflage themselves. Portable fields are quickly gaining popularity as they can easily be set up and have the advantage of protection from harsh weather conditions depending on the type of field covered or open. A time limit is allocated to games, which doesnt usually exceed half an hour, during which players are equipped with paintballs, guns and protection (it may depend on the type of game being played). They then play out a strategy that is designed to mark out the opponents and secure their objective. Paintball just like any other sport, is fun, relieves stress and exercises participants. The game requires team work and every player is essential to the teams chances of success.

Paintball businesses
The main requirements for setting one up includes staff that have experience in such dealings or know how to work such an operation and how to take care of daily events, a good game site weather and animals along with residences nearby have to be taken into consideration and the equipment being used should not be faulty as, if a paintball gun were to go off on a person less than a foot away major injuries can take place. A paintball game business collects fees for the use of its facility, rents equipment for the play of the game and sells the paintballs and CO2 gas necessary to make the paintball marker do its thing. In 1. a Persuades nutshell, its customers the to paintball play business: Advertising

2. Needs to have a procedure that customers are required to go through by the staff All fees need to be collected Going through and checking waivers Making sure any equipment brought by the customer for game play is safe and isnt damaged Making sure all equipment rented is noted and forms are filled (this doesnt apply to all businesses, as some rent the equipment as part of the fee and thus they are not required to fill out forms, they should however take note of any equipment provided and make sure they are returned and are not damaged) Giving customers an introduction recounting What their schedule for the day is (this depends on the type of customer, as in whether or not they have their own schedule (a booked appointment for say, an hour) or they are there for a

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program set by the business programs are not a necessary requirement in the businesses but may attract more customers) What the types of games there are (if they dont know and have to choose the type they are playing) The rules of the game and safety procedures How to use the equipment and the safety precautions to be followed while using them Give out equipment that is up to or above the standards set by the government or governing bodies

The business should have any upgrades the customer may want to rent such as higher quality equipment or equipment with more features (guns) They should be able to sell paintballs and equipment 3. Conducts games 4. Has vending machines for light snacks (This is optional but is recommended) 5. The business may provide lunch or a lunch break for themselves and their customers by arranging bookings or games around it (optional) 6. Selling additional paintballs and CO2 for customers if they require more mid play or when needed 7. Takes care of customers equipment and clean up needs (during a break between games they may want their jumpsuit, goggles or gun cleaned or changed) 8. Needs to check on their equipment on a daily basis for any flaws 9. Every night their equipment should be counted, cleaned and put away. Along with cleaning the equipment their office, grounds, equipment shed and front desk should be cleaned.

Features of the game site or the grounds of the business

The paintball game site should have the following attributes. (1) The location should be accessible (2) There should be parking available (3) 2-3 playing fields (4) The check in, concession, CO2 fill up station and equipment area may be at the same desk. If otherwise, for checking in there should be a table (optional but is recommended) The concession area, if a vending machine can be right next to the check in desk or near the field for easy access for the customers. The equipment area can be a desk with shelves behind it to sport the goods and for easy viewing. This can be next to the check in area for instant access. The CO2 fill up station should once again be an arrangement with counters or a table It is often so, that there is one desk for all four as it saves on space (5) There should a storage area that can be locked. (6) There should be a section assigned for staging and cleaning up (7) The field should be divided, one section for game play and the other for target shooting (8) A timer can be set up at the fields to remind players of how much time they have left this is optional (9) Preferably next to the field should be an area designated for the team to have their lunch or just to even pass time if the field is occupied. (10) Trashcans (11) Rule boards, safety signs and directional marks (12) Rest rooms (13) Electricity, lights, barbeque stands, dumpsters and speed ball courts are optional

Revenue Centers
A revenue centre is a division that generates income through sale of goods or services. The paint ball business can be a good revenue centre if run correctly. Many paintball game businesses are started through rich players that want a place where they can drop by with their friends and play without any beginning hassles.

Its the same as opening a spa just so you can go and pamper yourself for free; it ruins the business as you dont have goals for the business to run profitably set, youre making it to suit your needs. The same goes for paintball. In order to run a paintball business successfully, your main motive should be profit making. This helps in keeping costs low and drives you to find out what it is the market is seeking. It also encourages new and improved games and equipment due to competition. If your starting the game just to increase on your self-worth, you should change your priorities as this has a higher probability of your business going into a loss which will cancel out the driving reason as it will end up bursting your ego bubble rather than blowing it. In paintball your main revenue centers will be from game fees, paintball sales, CO2, vending machines, air refills, equipment upgrades, equipment repairs, group lessons, promotional items and depending on your contacts and if youre willing to you can even sell in wholesale to smaller businesses in your vicinity. Your main revenue centers. Game fees This will differ from the type of game being played to the type of field being used to the number of participants. It could be charged per single individuals, pairs or a party depending on the type of packages you offer. Game fees on average may vary anywhere from 60 DHS to 300 DHS. Paintballs Paint being a consumable product makes the costs a spending variable depending on the player. Your main concern is to maximize use of paintballs. Its common for customers to use 250 3000 paintballs in a day. Your gross profit can stand from 60% - 75% of your selling price.

CO2 (rental)
CO2 tanks are an inexpensive purchase for a game operative. Buying these in bulk provides a large margin for your business. CO2 sales may generate a minimum of 500% mark up over your cost if distributed properly at the right prices. In the Middle East you can easily find whole sale cylinders from 20 kg 40 kg that you can easily distribute into various 9, 12, 16, 20 or 24 ounce cylinders.

Food
Energy drinks, soda, sandwiches, crisps and other such quick picnic foods are cheap on wholesale and large on demand.

Promotional items
In many areas fans of a particular business are willing to buy their promotional items, namely key chains and t-shirts with the companys logo with a catchy phrase, one such for a paintball game business may be Survived being shot on a backdrop of a paintball splat with your companys logo (make sure to mention its a paintballing themed shirt to avoid misunderstandings to make sure of this you could add a picture of a paintball gun at the back)

Equipment sales
Selling equipment may bring in a large amount of revenue but a major drawback is storage costs and trying to sell equipment to customers who come to play a game as it is likely they will be acting

on impulse if they decide to buy it. It would be profitable for the business to offer repairs or upgrades to the customers existing products and then offer better paintballing gear.

Tutorials
This can bring in large amounts of revenue as all this needs apart from equipment which is already in hand is a professional instructor, however they may not only be hard to find but they may ask for a higher salary.

Whole sale
Selling to other paintballing businesses not only helps with creating contacts but also allows you to gain a greater discount for you self as youre buying in bulk. This also helps in diversifying your business and helps get rid of excess stock which reduces storage costs. Paintball is an industry that is making a steady climb. There are many opportunities for investors and interested entrepreneurs to prosper. Paintballing having just recently become international, its possibilities for future growth are endless. Not only is paintball gaining recognition internationally, its also a business thats cheap and easy to set up. It has a history of being unpredictable, rough and on coarse grounds. It was then that the operators noticed that there wasnt a sense of longevity and started to shapen things up into even grounds and made it mandatory to have safety gear while playing. It was through these thoughts that paintball is what it is today and may come to change in to future. Competitors should not worry you. Paintball is a business which can benefit from competitors (to a certain extent). Your competitors have already introduced paintball to the market, thus lack of knowledge doesnt have to be worried about in your locality (in some cases). What you are is technically another ice rink; you are now just another place to skate. This isnt necessarily a bad thing. By providing paintball in a different area, you attract new customers. Your competitors, if they have done a good marketing job, will have already tempted potential customers to try their hand at the sport. By opening a new place they may come to you instead as you may be closer, or you may have learnt on your competitors mistakes and improved on your location and equipment. Paintball is a sport that keeps attracting customers. Potential for improvement is endless.

Paintball today
At the start
The origins of paintball can be traced back to the 1970s, when three gentlemen, Bob Gurnsey, Hayes Noel and Charles Gaines, were discussing survival in the woods. This soon led to a twinkle of an idea, they decided to use tree marking paint guns (Forest Service marking guns) to test their survival skills against each other. The first paintball game was played in New Hampshire in June, 1981 by 12 players including Bob, Hayes and Charles. The first recreational paintball field opened up in 1982. In 1983, the first tournament was held, with a grand prize of $14,000. The next year, 1984, saw the first indoor paintball field. In the late 80s, paintball fields began to appear in England and Canada. By 1991, fields were opening throughout Europe. In 1992, the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) was founded and began hosting highly-publicized tournaments offering

hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes. By 1996, paintball fields and tournaments were being established and hosted all around the world. "A friend of ours found a gun in an agricultural catalog that was used by cattlemen to march cows. It wasn't long afterward that we bought two of these things and had ourselves a little duel. After it was over, we just knew we had stumbled upon something great." - Hayes Neal, One of the founding fathers of paintball. It was Bob Gurney who pulled the game forward and turned it into a company, The National Survival Game, Inc. It was then the revolution of sports had begun. Soon, paintball began to be known as The Survival Game and franchises soon started opening up paintball sites over the country. The franchising fees were humble, but the company support was feeble. Despite this, Bob entered a contract with Nelson Paint Company to be the sole distributor of their paintball equipment; because of his monopoly he received profits within the first six months of operation. The paintball marker used originally was called a Nelspot, which was in fact used to mark trees and cattle. They used 12-gram CO2 cartridges, held only ten rounds, and had to be tilted to roll the ball into the chamber and then re-cocked after each shot. Dedicated paintball masks had not yet been created, so players wore shop glasses that left the rest of their faces exposed. The first paintballs were oil-based and thus not water soluble; "turpentine parties" were common after a day of play. As players had a limited number or shots, shooting was rare and games lasted for hours. It was during the time of 1981 and 1983 that rival manufacturers such as Pursuit Marketing, Inc. (PMI) and Benjamin Sheridan Air rifles entered the market that the game started to take off and gain popularity. Paintball technology gradually developed as manufacturers added a front-mounted pump in order to make re-cocking easier, then replaced the 12-gram cartridges with larger air tanks, commonly referred to as "constant air". These innovations were followed by gravity feed hoppers and 45-degree elbows to facilitate loading from the hopper. Early business operators had problems with liability insurance among other things. Some ran without it, some lay the groundwork with insurance companies that werent too familiar with the game and the workings and a few lucky ones found companies that that were willing to write their liability policies and carried on protected from game liability risk. In the beginning years of paintball, safety wasnt taken into much consideration. Goggles were bought randomly off of hardware stores and were propped on logs and shot pointblank. The ones that were resistant and didnt break were considered safe to use. The paint used in paintballs back then was filled with acrylic paint which left a stain. Instead of being able to be wiped off after every game as we are able to do now, they sprayed it with black paint for it to be considered clean and ready for the next game. The markers or paintball guns were cleaned with turpentine.

Back then it wasnt known how fast or how hard the pellets were being shot but it was noted that they hit harder in warm weather. The speed wasnt of much concern back then except for the customers who wanted markers that shot the hardest. In 1984, RP Scherer Company was filling pellets with a non-staining colored liquid that was environmentally safe and biodegradable. This was a breakthrough for the paintball industry as it changed the way the game was played, it also helped in reducing costs as new clothing wasnt required as often and paintball operators didnt require black spray paint anymore. RP Scherer soon opened factories on every continent making it easily available worldwide. However, the main drawback was that despite providing paintballs around the world, they werent doing any marketing, thus making it the same as going to Alaska and selling polo saddles. Paintball operators had to do their own informative advertising by entering these new markets. Before RP Scherer, customers had to buy their paintballs from Nelson Paint Company which was costly, charging customers 25 cents per ball. Once RP Scherer entered the market the price reduced marginally making it more affordable to play, however businesses were forced to buy their paintballs in excessive quantities that wasnt required and would be able to last them for months or even years. Soon PMI started buying RP Scherers bulk quantities and distributed them to firms in smaller amounts at reasonable prices. By this point, the trade was still growing and was a mess of entrepreneurs going their own ways. An official name for the sport hadnt been decided on as of yet. The Survival Game was a name solely used by it franchise. The most well known name was War Games that was often used by the media and was the most familiar with the public. A few called it a strategic adventure game, pursuit game or even action pursuit game. By 1985 a magazine was formed once a few sites popped up around southern California that appeared to be doing well. IT provided California with game tactics, provided local paintball business with a place to advertise, wrote relevant reviews and covered the field on a regular basis. Some time towards the end of 1985 the magazine staff visited Skirmish. During the interview and game play, they inquired as to what they were calling the sport. Skirmish was obstinate on not calling it War Game. A game with a peach basket became basketball and a game with bases became baseball. Heck, even a game where you tie a rope to a ball and secure it to a pole became tetherball. Paintball is the way to go.

Skirmish
The next issue of the magazine sported the game calling it Paintball. Despite different versions of the game around the world, paintball stuck. Paintball now gained its individuality and its status began to grow as a sport.

The marker has evolved into something completely different from what it started out from in the eightys. It has moved from bolt knob cocking, to pump cocking to using CO2 gas. The paintball propellant has moved from 20 shot, 12 gram enerjet CO2 to 1000 shot CO2 tanks. In the present day, regulated nitrogen and compressed air is taking over previous demands. The masks completely cover the eyes, mouth, ears and nostrils of a person. Some masks even feature throat guards. The lenses are designed to protect against paintballs traveling up to 300 feet per second. Double-layered or "thermal" lenses are also available. These lenses are much less prone to fogging. The exterior of the thermal lenses (or the lenses, in non-thermal masks) is usually made of Polycarbonate. The speed and velocity of a paintball shot is recorded. With the new safer equipment and laws passed, paintball has safely entered the 21st century. Despite the obstacles the sport has faced in the past, what were really concerned with is how paintball fares today. If the sport still held the standards of its past, it would have long since died out. Paintball firms are lucky for the changes that have been made in the equipment and rules, for if nothing had been done, the game would surely have gone extinct. Paintball is an industry that had gone through various corrections, changes and developments. It stands today as a 200 million enterprise worldwide, whose sales go over the 60 million ball count. Its played on every continent except for Antarctica and the name paintball is already a part of most dictionaries. Paintball rather than having reached its peak is still climbing steadily with the number of participants increasing annually. Now more than individuals families have added it to their activities. Many companies (coca cola as an example) are using paintball as a field activity to help increase team work and strategic thinking. Paintball is making constant appearances in movies, music videos and many other magazines. Ever since ESPN broadcasted paintball through television, public acceptance of the sport has soared. Forums around the internet are in excess discussing various paintball tactics and many paintball tournaments are being held around the world. In 2007 people started a request forum to ask ESPN for Paintball coverage for the 2007 season. The Palm paintball league Middle East holds yearly tournaments that in 2009. Millennium Series - the European Paintball Series - which is the oldest, largest and the most powerful paintball series in the world; sets the rules of the sport and runs the sport worldwide. On its main news website it stated For the first time in 2010, a major series event has sold out 6 weeks prior to the starting date 26 of August, 2010, showing us how far paintball has progressed as a global sport. A station called pigtv aka paintball television opened in 1997, has been broadcasting anything and everything on paintball ever since. Paintball is an official sport thats playing in its own league. The publicity paintball has been receiving has created a positive image, making it a common household word. Such exposure has increased business for firms in the industry and has enabled paintball to become one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Previous problems such as consumers not having enough exposure to the sport, it being called a war game and liability insurance is no longer an issue. The Middle East has accepted paintball

with a roar and is participating in the various tournaments. Thus customer awareness is not a problem. Liability insurance can easily be found across the Middle East with well known companies. Having your own paintball business has never been easier. Paintball, despite its stereotyped image of being dangerous has actually proved to be safer than many sports even tennis. Throughout its course in time, it hasnt been troubled by lawsuits and injuries any that do occur is because of not following the rules. Now that insurance companies are in favor of paintball, it goes to show how safe it really has become. Insurance companies wouldnt come near it if they hadnt the chance of making money and paintball was filled with clients that were injured often. The Middle East has many paintball fields scattered around their cities and many are prospering the business they are receiving. Paintball has become something of a pastime for family and friends and is expected to grow all the more as time progresses.

Securing an appropriate location

Locating a site
If you dont own 10 100 acres of empty land in a well zoned area, finding a site for your business is of utmost priority. This is the basis and one of the most important parts of starting your paintball business that will determine half your popularity and sales. It may appear to be that many rural areas are suitable, but that isnt the case. You will at first need to make sure there arent any neighborhoods too close by that may be disturbed by all the noise. You will need to get government permission and ascertain the location isnt zoned for anything specific (mining, neighborhoods) or there arent any animals in the vicinity that may get harmed. You can check with government bodies that are in charge of zoning and find out on which lands you can start a paintball field. This will help save time, costs and any future fines that may occur due to starting a paintball field on the wrong zone.

What are you looking for?

As mentioned in Game Site Features, your ideal field should have at least 2 playing fields, easy access and generous parking space. The required size of the field can be uncertain as it depends on the locality, the types of games that are going to be played, number of people participating and terrain. It should be taken into consideration that, even if a small field may not be as fun, its the same with overly large fields. Trekking 300 yards to look for someone may drag the game on endlessly and will cause players to tire.

Environment
As the Middle Easts weather generally tends to be really hot, locating in a place that has a cool breeze would be preferred. Keep in mind you can buy a portable field with a roof covering to shield the sun; this will be discussed later on. As the terrain here tends to be flat with minimal natural covering, operators are required to build their own obstacles. This can be an advantage the operator as he can create maximum customer satisfaction through arranging the field in a manner

that helps the games being played. The flat surface that is common in the Middle East would help players as they wont tire as easily running up and down hills, thus they will be likely to play for longer providing more business for the operator. Future operators should be warned that sand (aplenty in the Middle East) can damage your equipment and will need to be handled with special equipment. Once a spot has been found, you will have to talk to the owner to discuss, lease, buy or pay a percentage of your gross revenue for your land use. You will also have to get all the required licenses and permissions from government officials.

Approaching the landlord

You will need to confirm with the landlord if you can use the space for paintballing and if he has any conditions, or if you have to apply for anything. If finance is not a problem but you still arent too sure if it will be successful, you will need to either look for a lawyer or if you already have one, ask him and a real estate agent for advice. If a property that youre interested in for renting is for sale, dont be discouraged as you may be able to call the owner directly. Many spaces have been on the market for long periods of time; they may be willing to rent it out to you as they get additional income and will remove it from the market once rented out. When you contact the owner, keep in mind that youre the one in need. Be polite and inquire about the size, price and make sure they are aware you havent trespassed but are showing interest in the property from what youve seen. Talk to them about what youre planning to do and what changes you will make. Describe your intentions honestly and in a positive manner. The owner will be interested in two things in particular, the state you will keep the land in and the money he will make. He will want to make sure, youll keep the area clean, trimmed and with no problems. He will be interested in the revenue he will make and if your insurance money will protect him from any liabilities. This may be discussed after you have viewed the property and find out if the property use is fulltime or on a part time basis. You will need an accurate description of your insurance policy and be aware of what the liability coverage limits for your field is. If you do not have an insurance policy in effect, reassure the proprietor that any agreement for the property use will be dependent on your ability to provide a minimum sum of money thats worth liability insurance coverage for the landowner. You require the insurance company to send verification of the policy before any game participation takes place. lease. Offer to leave your name and phone number with them in case they change their mind or come across someone with property to lease. Remain thankful and appreciative. Make sure you were professional and polite. Landlords are known to change their mind about offers they have turned down if the impression left is positive.

Money sense
If the proprietor is satisfied with your insurance plan and your dedication, what will next determine his decision is the amount he receives. If you already have a paintball field and have a strong

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player base then you would know the amount you can afford to offer. If this is not the case and you are new to the field, then it may be hard for you to determine what you can manage to pay for as youre testing a new market. Your goal is to pay as little as possible. Keep in mind, the landowners image of the business is what you have offered unless he has offered land to other paintball businesses, you will need to alter his perception to suit yours. If you tell him of how high your expectations are and about how you expect over a 100 turnover per day, he will sense how important the land is to you and how much more he can charge. Keep it low. Tell him about how much business you realistically expect within the first month and about how much time and money youre going to spend in order to uphold the image of a professional business. Various options of negotiating an agreement with your landlord are available. By agreeing on a fixed amount of money every month, you wont have to give a larger sum when business is running profitably, though this may be hard to pay in the beginning months when your business is just taking off.You have a variety of choices of paying the landlord that can be considered.

Per use
This method requires for you to pay only when you have business, thus saving on costs when you dont. You can accordingly plan out your schedule for when to run the business and arrange bookings on the same day.

Per person
This method reduces on risk by quite a lot. You basically pay the landlord a fixed cost per each person that plays. As a warning you may want to be careful with this method as you may let your friends and family play which may total up to just about as much as the paying customers thus paying your land lord a higher amount of your collected fees (to make up for the players that dont pay)

Revenue Percentage
Through this system, youre able to keep your costs fixed on a percentage basis. By offering your landowner a percentage of your revenue, youre aware of what exact percentage of your revenue you make, rather than having it vary every month. As with per-use and per-person, you only have a rent factor when you have business.As a word of caution, make sure you specify from which area the revenue percentage is being taken from. It would be best to avoid gross revenue as this is the amount you have left after removing all other costs (maintenance, advertising and so forth). If you find it necessary to pay a percentage of your gross revenue try to limit it to your game fees, as this is easier to track.

Gross profit sharing

This arrangement may be preferred by the land owner and is a fair deal for both parties for a long term relationship. Net profit sharing benefits you. Net revenue sharing gives a percentage to the landlord after costs are out. Hes basically, sharing your profits and not your total sales. Though it is uncertain if your landlord will go for this arrangement as it allows you to with many ways to

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adjust your profit; you may give yourself a salary and argue it as a legitimate expense, this may allow you to run your business at zero profit and still take home a pay check. This will cause your business deal to fail In the long run and will cause bad feelings between both parties. You may find a common ground that both of you agree on but legal guidance would be strongly recommended.

Fixed monthly rental

This is beneficial for you in the long run, once your business picks up. As the rent is fixed on a monthly basis you dont have to worry about giving too much up when sales rise, which is the case with a per person or percentage arrangement. The methods mentioned above can all work, if given the right terms and if fairly played. It may be essential to agree on a given time period. A lease is a document that grants you use of a property given a certain time period for an agreed regular sum of money. By signing the lease it gives you a sense of permanence, giving you a chance to develop your business within the stability of your location. However it also leaves you liable, if your business were to fail, you or your corporation will be held responsible for the lease payments. The methods mentioned above are just a few of the many other payment methods. You should specify appropriate incidents in the lease that may allow you a way out if the location changes, or other factors beyond your control, cause you to not be able to use the property for you intended business. The benefits if a long-term lease outweigh any of the negative; it would mean you have the property for a stated period of time. You can build any needed parts (buildings, obstacles...etc). You can plan out any long term arrangements that may be required for your business accordingly. If the day comes where you wish to sell your business, not only will you have an existing fan base, and equipment but also an established location. Your business will have a higher value if the buyer has a sense of permanence in your location.

Rent
The amount of your rent is decided on by a number of variables.

a.

The economic climate The area where your field is located in is of utmost

importance. The closer you are to the main city or to moving traffic the higher the rent. Similarly, an area in the desert where there are no passerbys, is likely to have a low rent. b. Size Another running factor is the size of the area, how many people can it hold. The larger the area the more expensive it tends to be. c. Indoor fields vs. outdoor Many a times outdoor fields are more expensive as they can be modified to as how the operator requires it to be, the playing field tends to be larger and oftentimes it is preferred by players. However indoor fields can be beneficial to the business as well as it guards against harsh weather conditions, it isnt always the case that outdoor fields are cheaper, it may depend on which region you live in. the size may cause a difference of price between the two as well (refer to previous point).

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Land lords oftentimes want their land to be profitable and of good name. If you arrange a meeting with a landlord to discuss future leasing and you undermine your ambition and your businesses likely productivity in hopes of a low rent, your landlord may be put off and may not be quite as willing to go ahead with your proposal. However if you oversell the businesses likely profitability with delusions of grandeur the land lord may expect a higher rent so to match your expectations. You need to find a middle ground where you can show your landlord that your business may go slow in the first few months but it will pick up and gain profitability. You can suggest various types of agreements with your landlord, you can have an agreement to have rental increases after a certain length of time or once volume increases to a certain level. Many landlords may want to see your business in play before tying down to a long-term agreement. If this is the case you may not want to commit yourself to many structures being built or starting all the operations out. You should talk to your landlord about this and decide on a designated period of time that isnt too long for customers to think this is your best foot forward. Once the time limit is up and your landlord is happy to provide a long-term lease, you may then set out your business completely. With these points in mind, you can either move onto a different site, or set up a temporary site with removable tents and tables or you can take your landlord to another paintball field to see how things are run. Make sure your there with him when he goes to another field as you can point out the good points as he may be only looking for the bad points which may damage his property. You should consult your landowner on how he thinks the site should be set up and what he thinks will he would do. You dont need to do these things but you can take them into consideration. This may get the landowner caught up in the heat of the moment and accept your offer.

Area arrangement
The staging area
The staging area is the core from which all paintball activities begin. Its the first thing your customers experience about your facility. First impressions last. Its the area where you process your customers, collect fees, issue equipment and so on. This area is also used to refill air tanks, buy more paintballs, purchase food and beverages and get their equipment cleaned. This area should be close to the washrooms, changing rooms (if they are separate units) and far enough from the playing fields so that there isnt a danger of being hit by stray bullets. The staging area should be well signed (warnings, pricings and rules) You will need to consider the parking of the area and make the staging area easily accessible. There should be counters or tables for the customer to fill out forms and paperwork. When starting out if you dont already have a customer base one table should be enough. This will also help with making sure your facility doesnt appear to be empty which can be a turn off for potential customers. It would be convenient to rent your equipment from the same area as it wont be as confusing for customers and everything is close by.

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You will need to make sure there is room for expansion. You need to make sure if business picks up you can add in another counter if you think the current one wont hold well for crowds. By having the rental, sign in and equipment maintenance in one area, it not only saves on space, but also helps keep the number of staff low.

Target site
Close to your staging area should be your target area. This area should be sealed off (preferably with a net, this is cheap, strong and effective) signs should be put up to show the requirement of goggles to be worn and any other house rules (safety and target). Customers renting equipment can use the target area to get accustomed to the equipment or to learn how to shoot or to improve their aim while customers with their own equipment can use the target area to practice and/or adjust their guns. The target area is essential to a business as customers may use many paintballs at a time here. It would be wise to have your targets in various shapes and sizes. Get creative. The material can be meddled with as the sounds the paintballs make differ with what it is they hit (metal, paper, wood). Its important to have a chronograph (an instrument that measures the velocity of the paintball when it is shot out of the marker) on the field available for customer and staff use. This will help keep a standard and wont bruise anyone with a gun thats shooting too hard. CO2 tends to be the preferred gas used to propel the paintball. The pressure of the stored CO2 determines the speed or how hard the paintball will shoot at. The higher the pressure the harder the ball will shoot at and vice versa. The gas is very temperature sensitive; on hot days guns powered by CO2 will shoot with a harder force while softer in the winter. Due to the variation of temperature, a chronograph should be used to measure the velocity and make sure its being kept at a standard. The maximum field velocity for outdoor paintball is 300 ft/sec, approximately 220 MPH. some game sites have dropped to 290 ft/sec while tournaments allow a 350 ft/sec or more. All paintball markers should be checked before they are permitted on the field. Your target area should be able to hold at least 5 shooters. You can have a table or a barrier from which the customers can stand behind of and shoot. If placing a table, players can use it to lay their paintballs and any other items. You can hold contests that can not only get more players in but if the prize is a free entry, future play is promoted. You also gain business through the sales of CO2 and paintballs.

Sitting area
Having an area for lunch with benches and tables is optional. If you do provide this area, it can be used to rest between breaks, meet up with other players or have lunch, which you can provide at a fee. As the Middle East tends to be very hot, having a shade is recommended, however as the winter tends to be very pleasant if you do install a shade, you should have one that can easily be removed. This area should be kept a safe distance from where stray paintballs can hit and should have safety signs (barrel covers) put up.

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Changing rooms and washrooms

As is the case with most paintball fields around the Middle East, the washroom and the changing room are in the same room. You should have two different areas for males and females. If you do have your changing room and washroom in the same compartment you can have the washroom in one corner and the changing area directly opposite with a bench between the two or you can use the washroom as a changing room if customers arent concerned with convenience.

Parking
The whole point of a paintball field is for people to come and play, which may not be possible if the area is not accessible. You need an area which has plenty of parking and has a road which is smooth enough for any car to easily make it through without any worry of getting damaged or stuck.

Playing area
This is the area where you can let your imagination run wild and lay out your obstacles in any manner you want (keeping it to what the consumers need and/or want is of utmost priority). You should make sure the field being played on has nothing that can hurt players or affect their game. If there is an area that is unsafe having your field there is a no-no. Before starting laying out your field, you should check every spot on it making sure there isnt any glass, any sharp objects that can be harmful, trash or plant life that may hurt anyone. If your having your field on plain ground with no plant life and are going to cover the ground with a carpeting, then make sure nothing can grow underneath it and there isnt anything lying around before you cover the ground. Make sure the area you are setting up your field in doesnt have any animal life that can be harmed or can harm players (camels, scorpions and so forth). The field, no matter how you design it should have flag stations, boundaries and an entry and exit, thought the same entrance can be used for an exit. When a player has been marked out the referee should easily be able to send him or her of the field in a prearranged direction. The arrangement of the field is up to your own preference. If youre lucky enough to find a place in the Middle East which provides natural obstacles you wont need to do much, otherwise you will need stuff to act as a cover and a support for players. You can use paintball bunkers which can be set up easily; these not only help reduce the chance of getting hurt if bumped into but make your field look more professional. You may also use old tires and stack them up. Make sure they are tied securely and dont have any bits that can hurt people, it is recommended to paint the outer cover of them to give a specialized feel. If you want to build a really big field with forts and bridges, you will need to have an architect or some on qualified to have a look at your plans before you build them. You may need some licenses as well. Instead of paying for pipes and other obstacles for your field you should look at scrap yards where many of these things are lying around and you can get them at virtually no cost what so ever.

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Portable fields (optional)

These fields can easily be found with paintball suppliers or you can purchase them at dubaipaintball.com. These are usually preferred to other fields as they can be moved around easily or packed up in case of a location change. It usually takes 6-7 people to bring it in but thats just for the set up. After its in place you just need to know how to operate the blower which will blow it up for you. The time taken will vary from the type of field you have. When purchasing the field they usually come in two parts which are joined with Velcro down the middle to create on big field. There are usually two types one is covered with netting and one is fully covered. The netting is usually preferred as it lets the air in and doesnt give a suffocated feel. It also allows people outside to look at the games going on (if players come with friends who arent playing, they cant stand outside and still be able to see whats happening.

Game arrangement
There may be different arrangements the field has to be in for various games. The obstacles placed should be easily movable if this has to take place. It would be advisable to arrange obstacles in a manner that suits almost all the games that are to be played but especially the ones that are most commonly played such as capture the flag.

Entry and exit

Before being allowed to enter the field players should be checked to make sure masks are on, guns are working and barrel covers are being used appropriately. There should be signs put up as reminders. When a player leaves the field they should be informed to keep masks on if there is a chance of being hit by stray bullets and his barrel cover should be in use. If the exit is separate from the entry, players should be informed and told how to leave the field if marked out.

Boundaries
IF you are operating an open field, you will need to put up a red tape around the area that restricts players from going beyond it. About 30-40 ft away should be a green tape circling thered tape restricting passersby from going beyond it. This area between the wires should act as a no mans land making sure there is no one between it that may accidently get hit by stray bullets. There should be signs up warning people that a paintball game is in progress. If you are operating a closed field, you will need to border your field with a netted wall thats at least 20 ft high. You should make sure the height is high enough to make sure people outside the field dont get hit.

Speedball
This game, as the net suggests is fast paced and requires a lot of running and sliding. The main characteristic of the field is both sides of the field being symmetrical. The field is filled with various obstacles (bunkers, tires) but with two sides being identical (the sides the two teams are on). This court is a rectangle and is just a bit bigger than a tennis court. The court is sealed off, preferably with a wired netted wall (at least 20ft high). This is so viewers arent hit by paintballs.

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It would be wise to have a tape slightly away from the net so that spectators dont press themselves against the wall, the paintballs wont hit them but they break on impact and the paint may spray on them through the net.

Others
Its important to have warning signs put up as people may often times come into areas they may get hit. Make sure there is a list of rules and regulations put up that players can easily spot; you should go through them with them before play begins.

Paintball Equipment
Required Playing equipment Arm bands (rental)
While playing paintball its hard differentiating between teams, making it hard to know who is in your group. These arm bands are elastic and are worn on the left arm. The ends are joined together with Velcro; the elastic ensures that it stays on by fitting itself around your arm. They come in bright colors, the brighter the better as its easier to spot.

Barrel Plugs or Covers (rental)

Barrel plugs or Covers are absolutely necessary. They prevent any accidental shots from hitting anyone. Barrel covers are usually preferred as their easier and faster to use. Many paintball markers have a trigger safety button but it isnt recommended to count on them in case they dont work, barrel covers and plugs are easier to spot making it easy for your fields staff to make sure all guns are safely covered.

CO2 tanks (rental)

Paintball markers need CO2 tanks in order to work. These tanks come in various capacities 9 ounces being the standard. This can usually last a player through most of the day. You may need to do some research on how to handle it safely as CO2 is compressed gas and is temperature sensitive.

Paintball goggles (rental)

Paintball goggles are a very important part of your protective gear as your eyes if shot at may cause permanent damage. Paintball goggles are basically a single goggle lens for eye protection attached to a plastic cover that protects your face and ears. Make sure the lens can withstand paintballs at least up to 300ft/sec. theres usually foam lining the inside of the mask for internal protection and comfort. It would be best to take masks whose foam doesnt absorb the moisture from the players face as this isnt only hygienically approved but makes cleaning easier.

Paintball loaders or hoppers (rental)

A paintball loader is an instrument that is attached to your marker; this is basically your guns feeder. The amount one loader can carry depends on the make and design. Make sure your customers dont overload the feeder as if its stuffed the paintballs may jam together and wont fall through.

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Paintball markers (rental)

There are three main types of markers that are in use, pump action (hardly used these days), semi automatic and fully automatic. The semi automatic markers are usually the standard for tournaments and fields. Fully-automatic markers fire continually when the trigger is pressed. In the standard automatic markers, there are two basic types; standard basic or ACT (Anti Chop Technology) which is recommended as it prevents ball breakage inside the gun. There are also the electronic markers that are at times used in tournaments or personal use. The main feature is the trigger being faster and easier. Ramping is a feature in some electronic markers that automatically changes the mode of fire from semi-automatic to fully automatic under certain conditions; normally upon a certain number of rapid shots being fired or a minimum rate of fire achieved and sustained.

Staff Equipment Air horn

There are two types of air horns in use today. The standard and the CO2 air horns. The standard air horns can be used for about three to four weeks depending on use. The CO2 air horns are refillable and recommended as it saves on having to buy a new one every month. If youre operating a small field you can make do with a whistle.

Bright Colored Vests or Shirts

Having your staff dress in bright colors will reduce the chance of them getting hit by wayward shots. It will also help players easily be able to spot staff if anything is needed.

Referee Paintball Goggles

These goggles tend to be brightly colored and some come without face muzzles so the referee is easily able to blow the whistle and be able to talk without being muffled.

Squeegee
A paintball squeegee is usually a stick with a cloth attached to the end of it. This instrument is used to clean the markers barrel. This is usually a necessary item and should be kept close to the field, at the staging area and at the target area.

Operational equipment Arm Bands (rental)

Explained under Required, Playing Equipment.

Baggies
These are plastic bags that are used to sell items, such as paintballs. There are various things that may require batteries, 2 way radios, and flashlights and so on. The customer may also require batteries for their electric ammo loader.

Brochures
This is a necessary marketing tool that helps inform customers about your business. This may also help pass the word on if a player takes on and passes it on to his friends. You should hand these out at the end of the game when the customer is hyped about how the game went and is considering coming again. Keep in mind the next time the customer comes he may bring along a different group of friends.

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Business cards
These are smaller and can easily be kept in the customers wallet. With this they have easy and quick access to contact details. You should keep some with you so you can hand them out to people you meet outside of your business location that may be interested.

Changing rooms
These are required for the customer to change in and out of their overalls easily.

Chronograph
You should be able to measure how fast the markers being used (rental and personal) shoot paintballs (muzzle velocity). The machine used to measure this is called a chronograph. There are basically two types of chronographs. One uses radar to measure speed, while the other uses a sensor. The chronographs that use sensors look somewhat like a field post, with two bands of light, one following right after another. To use it, you have to shoot a paintball through the two bands of light and the chronograph, in turn, measures the time it takes the paintball to travel from the first band to the second. The velocity is then displayed on a screen. With the radar types, you merely rest the end of your marker in the unit's rubber groove and shoot. The radar clocks the paintball about eight inches away

Client information
You should have a list with you, either on a book or on a clipboard, with the details of the deal you just made. Having this in hand will not embarrass you if you have forgotten the name of the group youre taking to the field or the prices you quoted.

Concessions
Providing prepackaged food items such as energy drinks, water, soda, candy and crisps to your customers will sell well. If you plan on having your own kitchen and providing freshly prepared food you should check into any requirements by the health department and if there are any licenses you need to acquire in order to do so.

Copies of business registration

You should keep all legal copies for your business (licenses, permits, registration, leases) at hand in case officials do a check up or if someone irked by the guns may file a complaint.

Fill station
A fill station is an instrument used to refill CO2 bottles. These connect the bottle to the main tank. The fill station has a bleed valve, in case you need to chill them or if you may have overfilled the bottles.

Fire extinguisher
You may be required by the law to have a certain number fire extinguishers at hand. Even if you arent, you should have them at hand in case of any emergency.

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First aid kit

You should always have a kit nearby as cuts, bruises and injuries are likely to occur. Make sure you have bandages in all sizes, butterfly bandages, disinfectants, cotton swabs and any other items necessary. Make sure you keep the kit in a dry place where dirt isnt able to reach it.

Forms
Players have to sign liability waivers. These have all the rules, procedures and risks the individual may get during play. Your insurance company may provide you with this. They should give you some guideline on the age limit and who should sign the waiver if the player is below it. Having a checkout sheet system when players rent items will make things easier and quicker for you. Youll be able to tell what equipment is needed by a player at a glance. This will also help you keep a track of your equipment and how many times it has been used. (You can adjust quantities of these items accordingly, which will help make the best use of your storage space). If players are buying items from you should have receipts and invoices. Some fields have personal equipment form that people who bring their own gear have to read and sign. This is signed after their equipment has been checked by a staff member.

Inflatable Bunkers / Old Tires / Fortification

These are the obstacles placed on the field. Players can hide behind these or use them for protection. Inflatable bunkers are preferred as they are easily movable and make your field look professional. Old tires are cheap and easy to find. These just need to be stacked, tied and painted. You can also use tubes and various other obstacles, though you should make sure they cant harm anyone and can withstand a paintball being shot at them. Having something that can be cleaned easily would be best.

Marker oil/grease
This is used to make sure the mechanism of the gun works fine and doesnt rust

Nets
This is used to cover the perimeter of the field as a wall or a barrier. It can also be used to create a mock roof.

Paintball Loader Tubes

Players can carry their paintballs in these, either while running (attached to their harness packs) or otherwise.

Paintballs
Paintballs will be your most consumable product, thus buying this in bulk will not only benefit you due to lower costs but may on busy months, keep storage costs low. You may have labor costs of dividing these bulks into smaller quantities.

Parts kit
Your equipment will require maintenance as time goes by. You should have a number of spare parts such as springs, seals and so on.

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Pens
You should have these on hand as players will need to fill out forms and you yourself will need to jot things down.

Scale
CO2 bottles are measured by weight. A 9 ounce bottle should be no more than 7 ounces transferred into it. The bottle should be weighed before filling it and after filling it. Once those two are subtracted you find out what the weight of the CO2.

Signage
You should have signs up with directions, requirements, prices, warnings and safety warnings. If your area is open to vandalism you should take them down when youre not in operation. If the area is barred and you have a permanent residence you should place them permanently.

Spray Bottles
These bottles contain, water and defoggers, you can also fill them with other cleaning solvents. Be sure to label the bottles as some liquids can harm goggle lenses.

Squeegees
Explained under Required, Staff Equipment.

Telephone Line
You will need some way for customers to be able to call you and book the field. Suppliers can use this number to contact you as well.

Toilets / Portable
You players will need some place to relieve themselves. It would be recommended to have two different areas for males and females.

Tools
You should be prepared for anything when operating a paintball field. Having a toolbox and a shovel will come in handy.

Trashcans
Having trashcans spread around the area will help it stay clean and reduce injuries. You can have recycle bins as well; this will put you in good light with the community.

Water/power drinks
Dehydration, especially in the Middle East, is a huge problem. Playing paintball makes players sweat in addition to the dehydration lost due to the heat. You can either sell water or have water dispensers set up. You can provide energy drinks for players that get tired but want to play another round or have to drive home.

Optional Playing equipment Chest protectors (rental)

This absorbs the shots from the paintball guns. The 32 Degrees Chest Protector is lightweight, stays cool and despite how thin it is, it works effectively.

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Elbow pads
These help avoid scratches and bumps when sliding on the ground during play. It also fends against bruises from shots. Elbow pads with hollowed EVA padding wraps all the way around, covering the inner arm and providing more protection. The hollowed chambers of this foam allow more air circulation around the forearm by keeping areas of the pad away from the skin, giving the pad a lighter feel.

Gloves (rental)
These protect your hands from the pain and bruises from paintballs. Some come fingerless which protects your knuckles and the rest of your hand, this makes it easy for you to pull the trigger.

Harnesses/ pod packs

This is used to carry extra paintballs (in a paintball pod) on the field. Many a times the harness keeps bouncing around while running or slip down while crawling or running, having a harness with a Non-Slip Friction Pad would be recommended as this helps eliminate vertical and horizontal movement during play preventing paintball pods from slipping down or bouncing.

Knee Pads
This protects your knees from being scraped when sliding on the ground and absorbs the shock from paintballs hitting.

Neck protectors (rental)

Your neck is a very sensitive place and pulling up your collar doesnt usually help. Neck protectors is usually a cloth covered foam that is Velcro-ed behind your neck. It should be like a tight collar and is very effective against shots.

Overalls/ jumpsuits (rental)

Jumpsuits cover players clothes and reduce a bit of the impact (very slightly depending on the material) when worn on top of clothes. While playing many paintball players may stain their clothes even if it can washout, they prefer to avoid it as much as possible. Some jumpsuits when splattered with paintballs can easily be wiped off. These can be rented to customers making it not only preferred by customers but buy game sites as well (cleaning costs, if with the right material, are almost eliminated)

Paintball pods
These are used by your customers to carry paintballs while on the field. Your paintball harness/pod pack is your carry case for it. This helps increasing revenue as players have to buy more paintballs to fill their pods with.

Staff equipment Bull horn

Bull horns help your referees voice reach across the whole field. He can announce safety precautions insuring everyone has heard them. He can easily halt a paintball game if needed by using a bull horn

Whistle
A whistle isnt as loud as an air horn but it isnt costly and usually gets the point across.

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Operational equipment Anti fog solution

While playing your goggle lens can fog up this can lead to players being unable to see. Paintball operators should have anti fog solution at hand to prevent this.

Cash register
Having a cash register means, the field can have a more detailed look into what sales is being done. Details are usually recorded when entered in. if the field doesnt have access to electricity (rare cases) they can use money boxes or money drawers where employees put in all the money they receive. This method doesnt provide any additional details for the field operator.

Mobile
Having a mobile can prove to be useful, as its a direct line. If the landline is busy customers or suppliers can reach you easily. If the landline or electricity gets cut off you still have contact with customers or in case of emergencies, help.

Clip boards
Clip boards help you and your staff stay organized. You can have all you rules and requirements to refer to ready when needed. It also helps provide a professional image.

Computer
Having a computer on hand can help you keep records of everything without having files lying around. You can sort everything out easily and in case you need to confirm something you can access the net (if you have installed a router or have installed the internet). You can even email suppliers reminding them of deliveries.

Cooler
If you arent using a refrigerator you can use a cooler to store beverages or items that need to stay cold.

Cover Shelters (old unused cars, towers, etc.)

You can use items that are found around the place or in scrap yards. You should make sure these items cant harm anyone before placing them on the field.

Duct tape
Duct tape is something that is useful to have around. You can use it for quick fixes, to cover patches on jumpsuits or to even temporarily hold up signs.

Flagging tape
Flagging tape is brightly colored tape that is used to mark objects, either to draw attention to them for a game or to mark it off.

Flags
Various games in paintball require flags (capture the flag). In order to play you require flags.

Flashlights
It helps you see if your electricity goes off. It also helps you see at night if the lights are dim and your playing field is a little way off from the sign in area.

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Explained in Optional, Playing Equipment Ice

You can use this too keep drinks cool in coolers or even for injuries (icepacks)

Lanyards
The paintball lanyards can be used to carry individual team's name badges or paintball guns

Reservation Book
By using a reservation book you can keep track of reservations that have been booked and be able to arrange games for participants that arrive without booking one accordingly.

Wrist bands
By using wrist bands, staff is easily able to tell players who have paid from those who have entered without playing.

Zip ties/ Hooks

Zip ties and hooks are a great way of fixing goggle straps safety screens and netting. These should be a part of your tool box which should have extras

Storage room
Having a storage room is essential for your business as you need a place to store all your equipment and extra supplies.

Big ticket items ATV (All Terrain Vehicles)

These can be useful for driving around your field if you have a large piece of land which is separated for newbies, target and so on.

Barbeque
You can use this to provide fresh food for your players at a price or you can offer it to them for use for lunch at a price (or as part of the entry fee)

Camera/video recorder
Team photos and videos can be in demand by your participants. You can take these and sell it to them on CDs

Compressor
A compressor makes filling air tanks easier and faster.

Generator
If you dont have electricity readily available on your site, a generator can produce enough to run a cash register, power tools and so on.

Refrigerator with freezer

This can come in handy for storing snacks and beverages. It can also create ice thus eliminating the need for buying ice or for having a cooler. You can also use this to chill CO2 tanks.

Tent/ Awning
The middle heat, known for its summer heat, may find paintball uncomfortable under the hot sun, having a tent set up to rest or a shaded area would be recommended.

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TV/ DVD Player

You can use this to show the video you had taken of the players to them so they can confirm if theyd like to buy it or not.

Sound System
You can use this to create an atmosphere by playing trance or upbeat music to keep players in the mood or to make announcements.

Operations and staff procedures

The number of staff needed to operate a paintball game varies on how many customers there are playing. What doesnt differ are the procedures and jobs that have to be done in order to insure that the customers are safe and are having fun. A field manager (FM) is a person that takes charge of the group that arrives, makes them feel comfortable and helps them through the check in procedure. The FM should learn the group members names and call them by it (unless preferred otherwise) and should know what equipment they require and help them with the pricing. Its his job to make sure all arrangements are made and make sure they start correctly with the check in process.

Check in and operations procedures

Upon arrival players should fill out liability waivers that safeguard the business against any accidents. This is collected with the game fees at what point of time wrist bands (if you use them) are given out as well. During the queue up at the counter you can make announcement that inform players about upgrades. You should have a board up as well that has a rental equipment list and their prices and the various packages you offer. If the group has been offered any extra equipment as part of their game day fees, this is the time to issue it to them. Participants who bring in their own equipment should fill out a self equipped sheet and give it to a staff member who then checks the equipment to make sure its safe and stable and then signs the paper. Once the check in is done, the FM gathers the group and gives a pre-game introduction, during which time staff should keep markers (barrel plugs/covers, hoper and CO2 tanks attached) and goggles kept ready to hand out. At the orientation the FM should introduce the group to the game referees, the people who take over from the end of the orientation and take charge of the group till check out. As it is these staffs members that create the impression of your business make sure they are smart, efficient, have strong language skills and have good people skills. Once the orientations ends, the fm breaks up the group into teams and the referees hand out arm bands. They are then led to the equipment counter and use their equipment check out sheets to get their required gear. When handing over the equipment you should take either their drivers license or their id cards as a security deposit, once they return the equipment you hand this back to them. Once equipment is

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handed out they can be taken to the target field where they test and get accustomed to their guns (optional) and the players with their own equipment chronograph their guns (necessary).

Refereeing a paintball game

Depending on the size of your field you many need a minimum of two referees, with one referee to one team. Referees should ensure that the players guns are in safety mode and have their covers/barrel plugs on. They should inform the players that once past the entry gate it is mandatory for the players goggles to be on and should remind players that there is to be no shooting until the start of the game. Its optional but preferred to take the teams through a tour of the field so the team members can know where different obstacles are played and play accordingly. In order to start the game, if your field has two referees, they should be in sync. Having an air horn or a two way radio can help, if however, their using whistles voice communication may be needed, there should be a 1 minute warning whistle before the start of the game. All players should be at the team base/flag station before the game starts. They shouldnt be looking around for places to hide. Referees should make sure barrel covers/plugs are off and the safety mode on their guns is switched of, players should be once again reminded to keep their goggles on at all times. Referees should give out incremental countdown warnings and countdown the last 10 seconds left for the game to start out loud. During play, referees should make sure players are playing safely and within the rules. He should make sure a person that is eliminated covers his gun and exits the field after alerting other players to cease firing or not to shoot the eliminated player. They should assist the player of the field in a straightforward manner and try to make the exit through a place where the firing is little or nonexistent. The referee should be positioned in such an area as well. They should make sure not to stare at hiding players as it may give away the players position. Paint checks should have been covered in the orientation. When a player is hit they should call themselves out only when they are certain about it. If not they can call for a paint check, which is when a referee comes over and checks the player. Once a referee hears paint check he should make his way over to the player and announce that the player is under paint check and is not to be shot at. Once the referee has announced so, he checks the player. He may ask the player to rise and do a 360 degree turn in order to make sure there wasnt any paint splatter (the size of a coin). Once the outcome is determined the referee announced the player eliminated or if no paint was to be found he then announces the player clean and resumes play. However if other players had advanced on this player during the paint check the referee is to return them to their original positions. Shooters can ask for paint checks on someone they think they may have shot. The referee should confirm which player the shooter thinks he may have shot as some shooters may ask for a paint check to get the location of a player.

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The referee should be positioned not only in an area that is out of the line of fire but where he/she can easily see the play on the field, being able to tell when a paint check is actually in need as many players can lie just to get out of a difficult situation. Referees can often be faced with difficult situations, such as when a players say they were shot by the person they shot first or whether a person was shot a second before or after hanging their flag. You can either use your judgment (in extreme cases) or try to get the player to give in and confess (in the cases where the player may really know the answer) or you can call both players out. If a player is marked by a player that, it is determined is already marked you can bring the first player back in. positioning is crucial for the referee to really know who is out. (The referee can move into position to get a clear view when he sees a flag being taken to the base) Once the flag is hung the referee blows his air horn and whistle and calls for all players to freeze and checks for paint on the flag carrier. If paint is found the player (or any player) should take the flag back to the opponents flag station and the game continues with the marked player eliminated. When the game ends depends on the game being played (time limit, flag retrieval and so on).

Post game procedures

Once the game is over, equipment and jumpsuits are handed over to attendants to wipe off (jumpsuits can be wiped off while the player is wearing it if they are going to play another game immediately after). There should be a maximum of a 10 minute break between games. Staff should gather the teams, give a 5 minute warning and take them back to the field. While games are taking place staff should make sure the counters and area is clean before the players return. Once players have finished playing you have to make sure all the equipment is returned, keep track of equipment that may need maintenance and that all ID cards and driving licenses are returned.

Clean up
This is a lengthy but crucial procedure that needs to take place either everyday or once every two days depending on business. Paintball markers have to be disassembled, cleaned and lubricated during which you have to make sure parts arent mixed up. You should keep your guns velocities from about 15 to 25 ft/second lower than of your fields maximum to allow for temperature fluctuations. Goggles should be cleaned inside and out with a clean, soft, un-abrasive cloth. The sealing foam should be wiped with a disinfectant after every use. Hoppers/ loader should be kept clean and dry, dirt being easy to wipe off; paintball residue is problematic to take off. Soaking it for a short amount of time in water should dissolve the paint and then should be hung to drip dry.

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CAUTION: paint balls should never be put in a wet hopper as they dissolve in water. Jump suits are to be washed, dried and folded. Tables, counters, restrooms should be cleaned or restocked when required Trash is collected and gotten rid off.

Staff demeanor
Your staffs first concern should be safety. They should encourage safety habits in customers at all times. They should be friendly and firm while doing this not harsh and disrespectful.

Orientation Speech contents An introduction

To start of the orientation, you will introduce yourself and welcome them to *insert your businesses name*

Day plans
You will then tell them the plans for the day and about how you will be breaking them up into two teams (if required). You will tell them the games you will be playing and in what order. They should also be informed if they are going to wear arm bands (to differentiate between teams)

Paintball Rules
Depending on the game you are playing, you will explain the aim of the game and how it is played. You will them lead them through the various rules. If you are using a point based system and a score is being kept, you will need to explain how points are accumulated. You will need to tell them how big a paintball mark after being hit counts as being eliminated and what counts as not being eliminated (like if your sprayed with paint from a paintball that hit near you but not on you) Make sure they are informed on how to leave the field once hit. (They are to lift their gun above their head and shout Im Hit. Once this is said or done they cant take it back, they are out of the game. If the player is hit with a paintball, and it doesnt break, they are not out. Unless they lift their gun above their head or shout Im out. Players should look and make sure there is a mark before declaring themselves out; if they arent sure they can ask for a paint check. Notify them about the number of referees that will be on the field and tell them what various phrases are to be said when something happens (paint check or Im hit, for example) If the player is close enough to the opponent to touch them, they can tap them and tell them theyre out.

House rules
If you have any personal rules that only apply to your field you should tell them at this point. Confirm that all the rules are understood and that there arent any questions.

Safety rules Paintball Gun

At all times, handle your paintball gun as if it were loaded. Never shoot at another player when he or she is closer than 20ft. Always use a barrel sleeve or plug while not in play. The barrel cover is another important safety gear. This is supposed to be on the gun while of the field, going into the field and going off it. It should be removed during play.

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Explain that it helps protect everyone from any accidental shots while not in play and that despite the guns having a safety lock, the covers or barrel plugs are easily visible from a distance. Never look down a barrel.

Equipment
At all times wear your facemask or goggles when paintball guns are around. The goggle is one of the most important part of your gear. Make sure the players understand this. If their eyes are not protected and they are hit, they can receive permanent eye damage. If the goggles are accidently caught on something and come off, they should cover their eyes and call for a referee that will come running to help. If the lens of the goggles fog up, a referee will call them off the field so he can de-fog it. Emphasize on them not removing their goggles while in play or on the field for any reason. Wear proper clothing that covers as much skin as possible. No modifying of any rental equipment.

Participating
Never verbally abuse another player. Anyone without a mask should not be shot at. If another player is within 15 feet, you should give a verbal command to surrender. No blind shooting.

Equipment demonstration
You should explain the various options on the paintball gun such as the safety lock, the trigger, how the paintballs are fed into the marker and so on. You can show them how to adjust the straps of their goggles if they need to tighten or loosen it. Once again confirm if everything is understood. Then split them into two groups you can let them choose or you can split them up. Hand out their arm bands and lead them to the checkout counter where they can get their equipment from.

The significance of revenue centers

Game fees
Your average entry fee per player can be found by dividing the total game fee revenue by the number of players. If say you had 40 players and have a total of 500 that would mean that youre charging 12.5 per person. If however youre charging 15 per player, your total should be 600, you or your staff may have let someone in for free or someone must have misplaced or taken some money from the game revenue. This helps make sure you have all your revenue and know if you are running short.

Paintballs
This is your main source of revenue. People tend to spend the most on these. Make sure you have a suitable profit margin that doesnt increase the price over your competitors but still yields a profit. You should keep an eye on your paintballs in case of any fraud or attempt to take extra without paying. Keep count of how many you have at the start and at the end of each day. The difference should match with your sales and accounts. These methods wont help you identify the problem but they help letting you know if you have a problem which is always the first step.

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Edibles
These need to be priced according to the costs. Try buying items that are high in demand in bulk, that way you can receive bulk discounts.

CO2
These yield high profits as the costs are very low especially if bought in bulk

Upgrades
These are another beneficial sale as many consumers once they start playing can get hooked to paintball; this encourages them to buy better equipment and the latest types of guns, jumpsuits and so on. You should keep track of which staff member sells the most items and which staff member is barely making any sales. You can the accordingly place members in positions that best suit them. (Check if the reason in the difference in sales has something to do with their shift timings or just luck with the type of customers visiting.

Pay
You should make sure the total pay your staff receives is lower than your total sales revenue. Try and keep your labor cost figure to a minimum. You can achieve this by employing part time. This way you can pay by the hour, thus not paying for time they take off or when your field is closed.

Per person averages

By knowing how much exactly you gain per person, you can estimate the amount you need to order when youre low on stocks. This way you have an idea of how much is used every month and in various seasons. Keeping a record of your accounts and business is important for you to keep a track of your profitability and helps you realize what changes can be made or if there is money being tied up or lost in any department. Having an accountant is would help in keeping accurate records.

Marketing in paintball
Many businesses, once having found a location that is well traveled and out in the front dont require any marketing. Most of their sales can also be done on a whim. In paintball however, people need to make plans before making a trip. Marketing is a crucial aspect of your business that helps its profitability. In this business you need to inform the customers about what you have and at times what you are. You need to put yourself out there and make sure that customers are aware of your existence. How well your business does may depend on how well you market your business. Try and keep marketing costs low but dont skimp out on good marketing just to save costs. If you have ever passed by a really well made billiards hall with an unknown but found it empty and one which is sloppily done but is crowded and has a familiar name, despite how good the site is people tend to go towards something familiar. The same stands for a paintball field. If your site is really good but you have bad marketing, a paintball field with a bad field but good marketing may end up doing better business than you.

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Image
The image of any product is its main selling point. In the past paintball used to be known as a war game. Its image was that of people decked in war paint, fighting mock battles. The paint being used was red which didnt help soften its image. As time went on, paintball slowly began to lose that image and is now accredited for being safe and fun. The change in name and paint colors is now presenting paintball as a fun game. During the game, keep in mind that paintball is nothing more than a game. Using phrases such as I shot you, your dead! doesnt bring a safe and fun image. Phrases used should being about a positive feeling about the game.

Target market
Your target market is everyone. People the age of 10 and 60 have been found playing paintball. As long as the game is played properly, its one of the safest of many extreme sports. The minimum age limit across many fields goes from 10 16 years. If parents are still unsure, you can allow younger children to shoot at the target shooting area. You can host birthdays, where each child receives 100 paintballs. You will need to think of ways in which the children will use the paintballs slower. You can take them for a tour around the main field. This will also show the parents how safe the game really is.

Word of mouth
This form of advertising is not only effective but is cheap as well. People tend to go for a sport more so, if they hear about if from a friend. Marketing via the internet is a great way of getting across to paintball fans. There are not only hundreds of paintball blogs, fan pages and websites, there are social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Through this you can access over 500 million people that may be potential customers. Having a group on facebook can lead to paintball fans joining and being kept up to date on all your activities. If you had a tournament, people would be informed at virtually no cost to you. Which is another big advantage you gain by using the internet as a marketing tool, your costs are kept to virtually nothing. Your main or only costs would be a computer/laptop and internet charges. The internet isnt one method of marketing but quite a lot. You could have a blog, group, your own website or your own email service just to name a few.

Flyers
Flyers are very economical. These are supposed to be eye catching and straight to the point (preferably). You can post these on bulletin boards in shops or in residential areas. Acquire permission to do so before hand. You can attach coupons onto them, which can provide either a discount or a free game. This will encourage customers to visit your field and have a trial run. If you provide a free entry pass, they will still need to pay for their equipment, which makes the entry fee the only thing youre losing out on. Coupons get customers to turn up. Having an expiry date would be wise as it creates a sense

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of urgency. This encourages them to make plans rather than keep putting it off. Make sure terms are clear.

Broachers
These are very handy as you can fill it in with all the information of your business. You can keep these at the desk for your customers to take home. Even if they leave it somewhere and someone else picks it up the information is passed on. It should include the basic information about what you offer timings, prices and location. This can also include what the customer should expect when coming to play.

Groups
When having large groups booked for your field or important players attending, you can send thank you letters (you can create one and save it as a file, just change the name and send it) when they finish. This gives a sense of personalization and encourages them visiting your field again if plans arise. You can also give the person booking the field a package with all the information about the field, costs, business cards and so on, before they book the field so they can book a package that best suits their needs.

Mails
Having a mailing list would be wise as you have instant access to all or most of your customer base. You can give your businesss email address out as well so customers can email you if they prefer it to calling or they need large amounts of information.

Recognition
Its recommended you open your business, smooth out any cracks that occur and then plan a grand opening. To gain recognition for your business, you will have to work hardest at your opening as its at this point its reputation starts a base. After the first three months your half way there.

Barter
To save on costs and still be able to gain good products, try trading various services for other services or products. You can either offer items on websites such as bartergains.com or you can call up companies. You can sell paintball equipment from a local store with their name, and they can recommend your field to customers who visit them. Or you can offer free play for a company in change for concessions.

Media
You should be able to use the media as a form to get your field known. If you hear about any movie shooting nearby you can offer your fields for them to use as part of their movie. You can give articles to paintball magazines or newspapers to publish. If you hold tournaments some TV stations may be interested in broadcasting it. You should make it a point to let college and university students know about your field as they may be your main customers. You can ask radio stations to talk about your field; you can offer the hosts free game entry. Or you can provide free game entry tickets as a prize to the listeners for answering a question.

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You should distribute your broachers in racks found in apartments, hotels and restaurants.

Types of games played

Paintball is a sport with various types of scenario games, like swimming has different styles, so does paintball. In paintball there are various types of games with three basic styles.

Elimination games
This usually has two sub-types. Team elimination and individual elimination. For the team elimination game, there are two teams both with the aim of eliminating the other team in a given time limit. The individual elimination has no teams but the goal is to survive and shoot others down. The person who has shot the most players in a given time limit wins. Its the same with the team type elimination game. The team which has shot the most opponents wins. This game helps players get used to the field and their equipment but isnt good for a whole day plan. This is good to start the day or to end it for players who still have paintballs left and want to use them up.

Occupation games
This game is simple to understand but hard to play. Its good for big fields. You can divide the areas and have a hanging post for a flag. The team that occupies the most areas by marking it with their flag in a given period of time wins.

Capture the flag games

These are the games that are most popular with not only new players but old as well. They are a combination of various strategies such as speed, defensive, offensive, speed, conservative and even gambling. These games give different responsibilities to different players and have different versions of capture the flag so its hard getting bored of. The standard capture the flag game has two teams. Each team has its opponents flag. The aim is to get to the other side, retrieve your flag and bring it home. There is usually a time limit (20 minutes) at the end of which if no team has retrieved a flag a point base system is used to record the scores. (Points for picking up the flag, flag in motion, per opponent eliminated and so on) A variation of the standard flag game is Center Flag. In this game the flag is places an equal distance from both teams (or a distance that takes both teams the same team to reach it (barriers on both sides are preferably mirrored). The aim of the game is to take the flag and bring it back to your base and hang it on the flag holder, or you can change this to taking the flag to the opponents base (harder, and will drag the game on) The player carrying the flag can pass it on during play, though if they are shot or eliminated they must then immediately drop the flag and leave the field. Any player from any team can retrieve it from its current position and continue the game. If there is a time limit and there is no winner at the end of this, then the same point based system can take place to determine the winner.

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Speed ball
Speedball is basically, center flag played on a speedball court. As the name suggests the game is faced paced and is usually kept to 5 minutes. On a speedball court both sides are mirrored and the flag is kept equidistant from both team bases in the centre of the field.

Command and conquer

This game has two teams. The commanding and the conquering. The field needs to have a fort type shed or set up. In this fort should be a designated number of players from the commanding team. The rest of the players from the commanding team should be anywhere on the playing field. The conquering team begins on a decided spot on the field. The objective of the game for the conquering team is to eliminate the players in the fort. Eliminating opponents that arent part of the fort doesnt help the conquering team to win. The conquering team needs to make sure there is at least one player inside the fort in order to win.

Predator and prey

In this game there are two teams. The predator and the prey. If the prey is marked by a predator they join the predators team. If a predator is marked by a prey, they are completely eliminated. There should be more prey members than predator members.

Tag
This game is often played by new players to get used to the game or by players that want to hone their skills. Two teams start out on either ends of the field and make their way to the other end. Once shot they turn around and start once more from the base. There is no aim to the game. You should keep a time limit as there is no signal for an end.

Big games
This really isnt a game type but is a game that can be a re-enactment of a historical event. Various paintball equipment can be used such as paintball grenades and such. A huge field is usually required to play this as there are over 50 players participating.

Off handed
Players can play any game (capture the flag, elimination and so on) but with the hand they arent accustomed to. If they are right handed, they should use their left hand.

Tournaments
Before holding a tournament, you should make sure you have a large number of paintballers that will be willing to play. If word goes out far enough and you have big prizes, professional teams may come as well which will boost the image of your field. It would be wise to hold mini tournaments to get the hang of running one and smoothening out the cracks before holding a national tournament or one of a large scale. There are four main types of levels that you can except that usually have the following characteristics. Beginners These dont usually come as a team but as a group of friends. Make sure the rules of the games are understood completely. Most of these players dont come with their own equipment Novice This team hasnt played in tournaments, or has only played the local tournaments (the mini ones). Its likely some of them have their own equipment

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Amateurs This is a team thats played in tournaments and may have won a few prizes now and then. Most of these players have their own equipment. Professionals This type of team has won first place in national tournaments and usually have their own equipment.

Team sizes
This can depend on the type of game being played, a 3- 5 man team is usually sufficient for small short games.

Number of teams
This would depend on the number of fields you have. The more games being played simultaneously the more potential your tournament will have for other games and to make it more exciting.

Scoring
In tournaments, rather than wins and losses, its usually points that the scoring is settled by. (Score for picking up the flag, eliminating an opponent and so on).

Prizes
The entry fee for the tournament should reflect on your prizes. If you are offering something like a vacation, your entry fee should be high. You should state your prizes according to the estimated number of teams that will be playing. If you have a small number of teams playing, and you are offering a vacation, you may run the tournament at a loss. Trophies are usually the safest prize to go with, though it may not attract many players that are looking for something monetary or different. You should be aware that you are trying to achieve a goal when planning a tournament. If you are trying to make a profit, try and keep overheads low. If youre trying to create publicity and improve on your fields image or spread the word, make sure the marketing is being done according to plan or better. It would be wise to get a paintball color that is hard to get for participants, so they have to buy the paintballs from you and cant bring their own paintballs. You should be aware of your breakeven point so you have a basic idea of how many teams you need and how many paintballs you will need to make sure are sold. You can call the tournament off if not enough players sign up. Its better this, than to run at a loss. You should call all the teams together before the start of the tournament and go through the house rules and go through any problems the players might be having. Make sure you have a scoreboard that the players can easily see and keep track of what place they stand on.

Publicity
You can invite local paintball magazines to your tournament. They will be likely to take pictures and write an article about the event and your business. If you have a website, you should fill in the details over there as well along with pictures, and if needed a video.

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Indoor fields
The main requirements for setting one up includes staff that have experience in such dealings or know how to work such an operation and how to take care of daily events, a good game site weather and animals along with residences nearby have to be taken into consideration and the equipment being used should not be faulty as, if a paintball gun were to go off on a person less than a foot away major injuries can take place. Your major upside apart from being able to be sheltered from the weather is that your field is operational on any day at any time. People can come and play after work in the middle of the night as the lighting is controlled indoors. You can also have a caf with a view of the field (the caf can be on a higher floor so players or people who arent playing can sit upstairs and watch the game can rest or have a bite. Your major upside apart from being able to be sheltered from the weather is that your field is operational on any day at any time. People can come and play after work in the middle of the night as the lighting is controlled indoors. You can also have a caf with a view of the field (the caf can be on a higher floor so players or people who arent playing can sit upstairs and watch the game can rest or have a bite. You need fire exits, you should check with your local fire department how many are mandatory for your site, fire alarm systems, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, washrooms, changing rooms (the washrooms and changing rooms can be joined), if providing food, you should make sure the health departments requirements are met, air conditioners and you should check with the government if there are any signs that have to be put up (no smoking). If youre planning on changing the scenery outside the building you should check with your landlord and if any permits are required. The flooring of your field should be thought out. Cement isnt suitable as its slippery. You should try and get rubber granulated flooring or a carpet of artificial grass. You will need to make sure its cleaned on a continuous basis (check with your supplier) The velocity of the guns should be lower as indoor fields tend to be smaller and encourage closer shooting. You should make sure there is extra padding or gear that can absorb the impact as there is a higher chance of being bruised.

Game time
Indoor fields being smaller, tend to have quicker games. This usually means that the amount of time a customer spends at a field is shorter as they finish their games faster.

Area for viewing

Friends of participants or people who arent playing should have an area where they can sit and watch the game in play. As mentioned before there can be a caf where they can sit and get a bite to eat while waiting.

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Sources:
How Do You Do Paintball? An In-Depth Look at a Profitable Business Opportunity by Ross Alexander http://paintball.about.com/od/gametypes/Different_Types_of_Paintball_Games.htm http://www.paintball-tips-and-tricks.com/paintball-blog.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paintball