Over the years, we have worked with hundreds of events organisers up and down the country. We have put together a list of 5 things to make sure your event is a success.
Date and Location
January might seem a little early to start thinking about setting a date and location but believe us when we say – it’s not! Lots of sports events happen in the summer so it’s important to choose and book your event before the next company does. Summer is a popular time for community events so make sure your plans are not clashing. Also, by booking your date and location now, you can give local businesses and communities as much notice as possible.
Marketing
It’s never too early to start marketing your event. Now, more than ever, you have the opportunity to market your event to a wide variety of audiences. Use this list and check off where you’ve started marketing:
Social media
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat…and more.
The local community
Key to the successful running of any event is getting the local community on board. Making them aware of your summer event now can help make sure your event runs smoothly. Advertise in community centres, supermarkets, doctors surgeries, churches… the list is endless.
Local schools
Schools tend to have a high footfall of people from all walks of life. Make sure you put a poster in the Reception area of each school in the local community.
Universities
University students can be quite versatile in what they can offer your event.
- They might want to participate
- Volunteering looks great for their CV
- There are many initiatives whilst at University to encourage students to raise money for charity. They may see your event as an opportunity to do so.
So don’t forget to market your event to University students to give them enough time to plan to get involved.
Charities
People love to challenge themselves with a sports event and raise money for charity. Make sure you tell local and national charities about your event and they will be able to spread the word to their charitable givers too.
One of the most important things you can do to make sure your event is a success is to make sure you have enough help. Really consider how many people you’ll need: staff, volunteers, officials and first aiders. And plan to have more than that ready for last-minute dropouts. Also make sure that the people you have helping you at your event are appropriately qualified and covered under your insurance policy.
Freebies and prizes can be key to making a sports event more memorable to participants. This doesn’t need to break the bank as a little goes a long way. In addition, branded merchandise that you give away to competitors can be great opportunities for photos. Consider any of the following:
- Good quality medal
- Tshirt
- Bag/rucksack – this is year-round marketing for you!
- Water bottle
- Sports massage
Sports massage is a great way to prepare competitors for your sports event. It is also fantastic at helping athletes recover following the event. Not only can sports massage help prevent injury, it can also aid recovery following your event. For more info on how event sports massage can affect people physically and psychologically head here. A sports massage is something many competitors look to for at events. Event sports massage can really help contribute to the feel-good factor of the day too. A normal event turns into a memorable one that participants want to return to every year.
This list is by no means exhaustive but it should be a good starting point to get you on track to organising your sports event this year. Don’t fall into the trap of putting these things off for later in the year but start now!
