We had the opportunity to speak with Guillaume Le Gall, one of the co-founders of Ma Target, located in Lorient, a picturesque mid-sized town in Bretagne, France. Guillaume and his partner Maxime Leon were newcomers to the pub industry 4 years ago when they launched their first establishment in Brest, transitioning from the finance sector. They opened a darts bar using automatic scoring technology from Dartsee. Recognizing the potential, they decided to expand their business and opened a second location in Lorient, just an hour's drive away.
We sat down with Guillaume to uncover the secrets and best practices behind their success and how these tournaments can transform the slow days into bustling evenings of fun and profit.
Guillaume Le Gall and Maxime Léon in the building process. Image credit: Ouest France
Key takeaways:
Offering free tournaments can significantly boost revenue through increased foot traffic and food & beverage consumption
Utilize multiple lanes for tournaments while keeping some lanes available for regular players to maintain a steady flow of customers.
Stick to two-person teams to foster a friendly and competitive atmosphere
Have an animator to oversee the event, ensuring smooth operations and an engaging experience for participants.
Dartsee: Guillaume, could you share with us how long you've been organizing these tournaments?
Guillaume: We hosted our first tournament in Brest two years ago. Last year in September, we expanded to Lorient and have been organizing weekly tournaments every Wednesday since then. It's been a rapid success, filling our venues each week with participants.
Dartsee: How big is the place and how many people do you typically host during these tournaments?
Guillaume: We have 8 lanes in Brest and 7 here, and we accommodate around 100 people at a time. We have 16 teams, each comprising two players, so altogether 32 people. We've found that having two-person teams works the best: fosters a friendly atmosphere while ensuring everyone gets enough playtime.
Dartsee: That sounds like a great setup. How do these tournaments impact your business?
Guillaume: We see a significant increase in income, particularly on slow days like Mondays and Tuesdays, with a solid 30-40% boost. Additionally, the tournaments are excellent marketing tools, attracting new customers who often return with friends on other days. While the tournaments are free, our revenue comes from food and drinks, as we have 8 people on every lane.
Tournament winners and poster - image credit Ma Target
Dartsee: Keeping the fun alive seems crucial. How do you ensure everyone has a good time?
Guillaume: We prioritize creating a welcoming environment for players of all skill levels. It’s important that these are casual players, not professionals, so they come to make friends and hang around with others too. Even losing teams get to continue playing among themselves, ensuring they don't leave early. We also have a bigger race on the birthdays of Ma Target, which is a bit longer and where the crowd plays a bit better.
Dartsee: Was it hard to organize the first occasion?
Guillaume: Actually, people were asking us for a long time to do something like this, so we had an easy start, and after that many of the teams came back on other weeks. The remaining slots are quickly occupied: sometimes we post on social media requesting additional teams for the following Wednesday, and they are always filled.
Dartsee: How do you organize these evenings? Does it require special preparation?
Guillaume: You don’t need anything special. Typically, one person, sometimes myself, acts as an animator. This involves managing registrations, ensuring games start on time, and even assisting with orders when necessary. Teams start with a classic 501 and in the later rounds at the quarter finals switch to cricket, which is exciting to watch for others. We only need a whiteboard to keep scores, so nothing fancy or complicated. You can also adapt the timing a bit if needed by changing how many won games you need in a certain round, but the teams have to agree on that before the first one.
Dartsee: What was the biggest challenge for you organizing these?
Guillaume: We had some too competitive teams in Brest for a time, playing much better than others who just started to play. Now we can bring in those more competitive teams to our birthday parties.
Poster about the tournament
By implementing the strategies discussed and embracing the excitement of competitive darts, bar owners can unlock untapped potential in their venues. If you're eager to learn more about how Dartsee can revolutionize your pub experience, click here to explore our offerings and take your business to the next level. Join the Dartsee community today!