IQA Update

IQA Announces 2014-2015 Bid Process

by IQA Staff | December 17, 2013

 

Interested parties may review the IQA’s bid manual, accessible here, for detailed information on deadlines and requirements for hosting one of the IQA’s premier events next season: World Cup VIII, Regional Championships, Global Games, IQA Open and QuidCon.

To initiate the bid process, interested parties should first download and review the bid manual. Potential hosts must submit a letter of intent, along with the bid snapshot and the completed bid package, by March 7, 2014. The IQA will select finalists from among the bids received, and will conduct site visits of all the finalist locations over the months of March and April. The locations for events for the next season will be announced at the beginning of May 2014.

We will soon be releasing instructions for teams who are interested in encouraging their local city groups to submit bids. Before those are prepared, teams should refrain from reaching out to their local city organizations to solicit any bids.

BID PROCESS TIMELINE
- Dec. 16, 2013: bidding process begins
- March 7, 2014: bid package submission deadline
- March 14, 2014: finalists for each event announced
- May 1, 2014: locations for 2014-2015 events announced

REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Recently, the IQA polled official members asking player preference for the timing of their regional championship and the reason for that preference. Those responses were used to guide the time frame selected as acceptable for each region’s championship. For further questions on the poll, please feel free to email .

Regionals that will be held in the fall were selected largely on the basis of concerns expressed by players regarding weather. Players preferred a championship date that has the greatest likelihood of affording playable conditions both during the event itself and in the practices leading up to the championship. Additional support for this time frame also came from concerns about having fundraising and preparation time in advance of the World Cup.

Fall regionals:
- Eastern Canada (62.30% prefer fall)
- Mid-Atlantic (75.00% prefer fall)
- Midwest (76.53% prefer fall)
- Northeast (87.16% prefer fall)

In addition, European and Oceania regionals will be held in the fall to allow qualifying teams an appropriate amount of time for fundraising and to make travel arrangements in advance of World Cup in the spring.

Spring regionals were supported largely by concerns regarding having more time for recruitment and training of new players in advance of the championship, as well as being able to give players more tournament experience prior to the event.

Spring regionals:
- South (81.82% prefer spring)
- Southwest (92.00% prefer spring)

Western regionals are open for bidding in either the fall or the spring, as the region was fairly evenly mixed in preference, with 45.45% preferring a fall regional and 54.55% preferring a spring regional.

The IQA is currently specifically soliciting bids for the nine regions that held regional championships this year, but this list may not be comprehensive. Since all teams must qualify at a regional championship to participate in the World Cup, the IQA may hold additional regional championships in other parts of the world to serve a demonstrated need on the part of teams in that area. If a team or host believes that there is a need for a regional championship in their part of the world that is not met by one of the events on this list, please contact .