Over the next couple of days, Charles Featherer wants to highlight Exemplars from Wave 11 in our region. Here’s one written by Brian Coval about Chris Stagno . I like this one because it shows some pretty clever innovation (great job, Chris!):

Chris recently helped a small store hit the big time with his event management experience and creative thinking. The store, a tiny place that seats about 20 comfortably, held an event that hit 80 players. The store had a partnership with a restaurant in the plaza so seating was not an issue, but pairing the round, calling for a judge, and hearing announcements in general was a major logistical barrier. Chris spaced out his judge staff in a way that covered every table across both buildings and could relay information quickly. The real Stroke of Genius was encouraging the store to post pairings and standings electronically on their Facebook page as well as in paper, thus creating a backdoor “pairings website” like those that have become standard at large events. Removing the need for 80 people to shuffle through the tiny store saved everyone involved a lot of headache. It would have worked, but Chris’s creativity made it flow.