Almost all departments here at the office are busy doing a million things for our biggest event – LIVE 2008. And this year, it’s even bigger since the first-ever Ragnarok World Championships will be held outside of Korea.

We have a lot on our shoulders.

We have to impress not just local, but international guests – players and VIPs from other gaming companies as well. Me and my fellow managers have began preparations as early as February of this year. With the event date looming in the horizon, the pace is now frenetic and a lot of things have to checked, double-checked and finalized.

The event requirements for this year are so huge that we have to get ALL the halls of the World Trade Center for October 18 to 19. Since we announced official mechancis for the LIVE side-activities and contests, a lot of entries have begun to pour in. Guild booth applications reach my inbox everyday and I’ve also received some notable entries for the Filmfest contest this year. Some are in youtube and I plan to post them and share them with you in the coming days.

Also, as Tournament Director for all the games, it’s a big responsibility once again on my shoulders. Of course, without the support of my team, especially the head judges for the games and the LU Tournament Execom (executive committee), yours truly cannot function. So I owe them big time… they’re the real heroes, not me.

So, what’s happening with all the preparations?

Here are some of the stuff that me and the rest of the team are doing. It’s hectic – but still a lot of fun;

• Jackets and uniforms – the official jackets and uniforms designs are being finalized and we’re ready to have them made. Each game has their own color and design.
• Final Line-ups – All tournaments are in their semis stage right now. Except for pRO, which will have their RPC finals on October 4 at the MOA, all team line-ups for LIVE will be finished a couple of weeks from now. That’s not the end, though. We still have to coordinate all their travel and booking requirements for the teams. That’s close to 200 official competitors that we have to take care of.
• RWC - We already have the final mechanics for the RWC. We’re coordinating with Gravity now for their technical requirements and also for the tournament tree. The execom is also helping me on this one.
• Early Birds – this year, the traditional early birds will still happen. But based on the learnings from last year, we plan to improve upon the system to avoid issues during the lining up.
• In-game items – there are TONS of in-game items to be given away for the raffles, the special events and contests, the early birds and even the tournament itself. Close coordination with the GM team so that all awarding will be done on time is now being done.

That’s just some of the stuff on our plate now. In the coming weeks, I’ll share with you more “behind-the-scenes” on the our preparations and developments.

In the meantime, you’re free to offer comments on feedback on how we can make the event better. We value your feedback, of course.

Thanks!

GM T