Tournament Expansion

Newcastle Brown Ale and Hudson Shuffleboards promote traveling tourney

The introductory “No Bollocks” traveling shuffleboard tournament was so successful last fall in the Atlanta area that it’s led to expanding the tournament nationally.

That’s right. Newcastle Brown Ale and Hudson Shuffleboards are teaming up to roll out the “No Bollocks” traveling shuffleboard tournament throughout the country. The event concept was recently promoted and offered to Heineken’s national distributors at the annual National Distributor Convention in Phoenix.

The Atlanta tournament was sponsored by Newcastle Brown Ale, one of many Heineken brands. Here’s what happened with last fall’s tournament to create all the excitement:

• The 12-week tournament involved more than 400 participants at 12 bars, microbreweries and pubs. It’s success far exceeded the expectations of Heineken,Hudson Shuffleboards and especially bar owners.
• The matches were played on new lightweight and portable Hudson-manufactured tables, which can be set up and taken down in less than 15 minutes. The same tables were easily transported each week to the the next scheduled bar.
• The host tournament venues sold nearly twice the amount of Newcastle Brown Ale on tournament nights than sold during the entire month.
• The Newcastle distributor received sales orders for other seasonal Heineken brands as a result.
• The response in Atlanta also further established shuffleboard’s growing popularity.
• And even more important, Heineken took notice.

Portable tables showcased at the convention

Without surprise, Newcastle Brown Ale and Hudson Shuffleboards decided to promote the proprietary tournament concept and the portable Hudson tables at the National Distributor Convention. Hudson displayed one of these portable shuffleboards — with Newcastle Brown Ale and Hudson logos — at the Newcastle Brown Ale booth.

“The purpose of this convention was to give the distributors and bar owners throughout the world an insight on new products and events involving all Heineken brands — Heineken, Amstel Light, Dos Equis, Sol, Tecate and of course, Newcastle Brown Ale,” said Hudson Shuffleboards owner Will Hudson. “Given the success of the test tournament in Atlanta, we expected there to be a good response at the show. Having attendees, including the CEO of Heineken USA, come up to the display table and express their appreciation on the program, truly surpassed our expectations.”

Hudson Shuffleboards and Heineken plan to begin rolling out the program in various markets around the country. This will be a great way to reintroduce the game of shuffleboard to a younger crowd, while boosting beer sales to bars making it a “win-win” situation for everyone.

Portable table facts

Hudson Shuffleboards began marketing its unique portable table at the end of the year. Here’s what makes them unique:

• At 14-feet in length, the table is easily collapsible or set up
• Fully assembled, the entire shuffleboard table weighs about 200 pounds, less than half of a traditional table
• Maintains the same functionality and unsurpassed craftsmanship qualities of all Hudson-built tables
• All-weather built, which allows setup on your deck or even at your tailgate party before the big game
• Crafted with Newcastle Brown Ale and Hudson Shuffleboard logos