There’s few things in life more exhilarating than attending a high quality sporting event. However, planning a successful sports event involves a great deal of planning and organisation - there’s several things you’ll need to take into account and accommodate. Read on to discover the 10 most important things you should know about sporting event planning.
Start by determining a purpose
The first thing you need to do is determine a purpose or theme that will embody your event. All sports events vary greatly - for example, a local league tournament will be vastly different to a celebrity charity golf event. The latter will require a lot more work, including sourcing celebrity participants, landing sponsors, and working closely with a charity to pull it all off. Therefore, once you’ve decided on a purpose you can start to think about the unique components that will make the event successful.
Make a list of everything you will need
Pulling off triumphant sports events requires strong attention to detail. There are many different aspects you will need to factor in to ensure the day runs smoothly. Here are some important elements you’ll need to consider planning:
● Referees
● Shirts or uniforms
● Concessions
● Sporting equipment
● Sports complex fees
● Portable toilets
● ATMs
● Temporary employees
● Security
● Photographers
● Announcer/commentator
● Event insurance
● Sound system
● Wheelchair access
Work out a budget
Setting a stringent budget for a sporting event can be difficult. The best way of managing costs is prioritising tasks and making sure you sort out the most important things first. Once you’ve prioritised your list, you can assign a budget to each element of your plan.
Don’t hesitate in booking a venue
Your chosen venue or location will have a huge impact on your event, from logistics and practicality to the overall atmosphere of the day. This is why you should think carefully about the feasibility of your ideal setting but also proceed with haste, as popular venues can become booked very quickly. Some important factors you should consider include:
● Location - your event should be a reasonable distance from local attendees and fairly easy to access.
● Parking - does your venue have parking facilities or will you have to book local car parks?
● Capacity - how many people will your venue be able to accommodate?
● Services and amenities - does your venue have toilets, kitchens, wheelchair access, tables, chairs, etc.?
● Layout - will the layout of your venue affect the activities you’re planning on putting on?
● Insurance - are you insured to host your event in the first place?
● Acoustics - does your venue have loud or echoey acoustics that will cause confusion and affect the proceedings of the day?
● Ambiance - does the architecture, interiors and other features match the intended vibe of your event?
Outdoor Events
If you’re hosting an outdoor event, it’s important to understand that other event planners are trying to avoid the same seasonal weather shifts you are. This means you are likely to run into some competition when it comes to landing your preferred dates.
Indoor Events
Hosting your event indoors also comes with complications. The limited number of indoor sports complexes or spaces large enough to accommodate a large-scale sports event means you need to be on the ball with your booking. Remember: if you can’t land that sports complex, you’re going to have to pour money into transforming another space into a viable court setup for your needs.
Locate sports simulators
A sports simulator is exactly what it sounds like; allowing fans to physically participate in the sport using advanced technology with real life sports environments. They typically consist of two elements, a practical element and a virtual one. The practical element consists of a space to play in, this could be a putting green, baseball plate or base line on a tennis court. The virtual or electronic element that provides the simulation. You might see a golf course stretching out in front of you, or a virtual bowler ready to throw a baseball at you. Hiring a sports simulator is a great way to add a unique and entertaining experience to your event - it is a standout product that will most likely be the highlight of their experience at that event, as well as also being a great source of exercise.
Sort out catering
The next thing you will need to consider is catering. Don’t neglect this step, as people will get very hungry throughout the day. It’s a good idea to have a range of both hot and cold food options.
If you need to free up some space in your budget, you could rely on food trucks. Many local trucks will jump at the chance to cater to such a large audience, saving you the time, manpower, and up-front costs of bringing in your own concessions. This is also an opportunity to make a little money by charging vendors an up-front fee (or suggesting a revenue sharing model). After all, the opportunity to serve fans at your event is a big business opportunity.
Plan a marketing strategy
It’s important to formulate an effective marketing strategy to get the word out and publicise your event. There are a few ways you can do this:
Local Partnerships
Getting the word out to both fans and participants means meeting them where they already are - gyms, golf courses, sports bars, and beyond. Partner with these sorts of local establishments to put yourself on everyone’s radar. Some of these businesses may even be willing to share promotions with participants or sponsor the event - think branded merchandise and more.
Social Media
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are a great way to narrow your marketing to a more qualified audience that will be interested in your event. Use a custom audience to target users in a specific location by their interests (using sport, charitable cause, etc.). You’ll have extensive access to a pool of potential participants, which will essentially draw higher attendance and create greater revenue.
Look for sponsors
Whether you’re planning a tournament, a charity game, or something else altogether, sponsorship is a crucial part of sports events management. Here are a few keys to landing sponsors and getting the most out of the partnership:
● Cast a wide net – the more you reach out, the more likely you are to find a viable sponsor.
● Get creative – sponsors can supply prizes, charitable contributions, equipment, uniforms, in-race refreshment, and beyond. The more open you are to creative sponsorship ideas, the more likely you’ll be to land sponsors.
● Look to similar events – reach out to sponsors from similar events to see if they’d be interested in sponsoring your event as well. They’ll be easier to work with and more likely to participate since they know the ropes.
Source as much volunteer help as possible
To reduce costs, relying on help from volunteers can be a quick fix. Luckily, depending on the type of sporting event you’re planning, finding volunteers can be easy - especially for charity events, fundraisers, and youth events. Volunteers can even be one of the many ways that businesses help sponsor your event, as it saves both parties money while still supplying your event with much needed manpower. Just be wary of over relying on volunteer referees - from parents butting heads at a small league game or company teams clashing at a corporate football event, you’ll want to avoid any drama stemming from too much competitiveness and overexcitement.
Enlist the help of a reliable event planning company
Pulling off a successful sporting event can be a challenging feat, and it’s a great deal of work to tackle on your own. That’s why you should enlist the help of a reliable sports event planning company to help you get everything sorted, especially if you’re after that polished, professional touch.
Here at Provision Events, we’re eager to show you why we have such a longstanding reputation as one of the world’s leading full-service sport activation agencies. From our immersive simulators and event structures to production and design, our team strives to create memorable experiences across major international sporting events. Don’t miss out on our fantastic services - contact us today to find out more about how we can help you.
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