by Welcome to the ultimate guide to a successful sports event! Here, we’ll go through everything you need to know to get the ball rolling, come out swinging, and score points with your attendees.
What you’ll learn in this guide
- How to plan each aspect of your sports event.
- Ways you can promote it to sell tickets.
- Your responsibilities as a host on the day.
- How to turn your attendees into fans.
Billetto is a ticketing platform that helps you manage, promote, and host events. Set up an event page and start selling tickets in 5 minutes.
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1. Planning your sports event
The planning phase is all about seeing the big picture and then zeroing in on the minutiae. Not only do you need to formulate a budget and timeline, but you also need to think about the athletes and sponsors.
Let’s look at what’s involved in the planning process:
The big picture
Your plan should include the goal and feasibility of the event, how much time you have to execute it, and recruiting potential athletes and sponsors.
Date, time, and place
Once you’ve got the big picture down, it’s time to set some deadlines for yourself. When can you secure the venue, and does it have all the facilities you need?
Revise and refine
When you’ve set yourself some deadlines, it’s time to look at whether your big picture plan needs to be revised and adjusted.
Sponsorship
With a plan in place, it’s time to look around for some financing and approach potential sponsors.
Schedule
Schedule in everything that needs to happen on the day and consider making it family-friendly.
Supplies
You can’t pull off a sports event without some supplies, so write down everything you need including balls, trophies, whistles, and scoreboards.
Health and safety
Now is also a good time to consider some of the risks involved in sports and how you plan on tackling them should accidents happen.
What to do now
We’ve covered each of these points in greater detail in our guide on how to plan your sports event.
Further reading: How to Plan a Sports Event: 7 Actionable Steps.
2. Promoting your sports event
Sports are huge in marketing, so you’ll have a lot of competition in that space. But you’ll also have a lot of opportunities to get the word out via the many different channels.
Name
Before you promote your event, it’s essential that you come up with a catchy event name. Make sure it’s easy to remember and simple to spell.
Posters
Posters are ideal for promoting your event at gyms, sports halls, and other places where potential attendees might see them.
Influencers
Whether your event is small and local, or a major tournament, you should leverage influencers to help you promote it.
Social media
Create a website for your event and promote it online with a custom made hashtag people can use to find out more.
Sponsors
Any sponsors you get on board are likely to promote the event as well, so make sure you talk to them about your their strategy.
Ticketing
Your life will be made a lot easier if you use a ticketing platform to promote the event.
What to do now
You’ve just read a brief overview of the many ways you can promote your sports event. Head over to our dedicated article on sports event promotion to learn more.
Further reading: 6 Effective Strategies to Promote Your Sports Event.
3. Hosting your sports event
The day of the event will arguably be the most hectic part of your event planning journey. You’ll have to make sure everyone’s having a good time, make important announcements, and manage risks.
Weather
If your sports event is outdoors, then make sure you double check the weather forecast on the day.
Briefing
Hold a briefing with your event team and hand each member a copy of the event schedule.
Health and safety
Double check that there is a first aid kit, and someone who knows how to use it.
Technical equipment
Set up and test all technical equipment you need to make announcements, such as a microphone and a sound system.
Sports equipment
Ready all the sports equipment that you’re supplying, such as goals, whistles, and scoreboards.
Refreshments
Make sure that the athletes have plenty of water and healthy snacks for when they arrive.
Prizes
The prizes you award to the winning team should be polished and lined up for display.
Registration
Keep tabs on who’s at the event by setting up a registration table for attendees and athletes.
Content
All sports fans like to see the highlights of an event they went to, so make sure you have someone take some snaps and videos.
Social media
Display your event hashtag clearly so all attendees know what to add when they share footage on social media.
Award ceremony
Get out your best public speaking skills when you award the prizes to the winning team.
Pack up
Ensure that the site is left squeaky clean when the event is over and everyone has gone home.
What to do now
There is a lot to keep an eye on when you’re hosting a sports event. That’s why we’ve written a comprehensive guide on how you keep the stress to a minimum.
Further reading: 12 Points for a Win: How to Host a Sports Event.
4. Following up after your sports event
The game might be over for the athletes and the attendees, but not for you as an event organiser. The follow-up is where you remind everyone how epic the event was.
Say thank you
There would be no event without the fans, athletes, sponsors, and your team. Make sure you thank them all properly for coming and helping you out.
Post-event coverage
Now is the time to share all the good content you’ve collected from the day on social media and to your mailing list.
Collect feedback
When you collect feedback, remember to ask specific questions so you have valuable information you can use to improve the next event.
Evaluate
With the feedback in hand, you should evaluate the event as a whole together with your team.
Plan
Once the evaluation has been done, you’re in a great position to plan your next sports event.
What to do now
You can read more about which specific questions to ask when you collect feedback (and much more) in our guide on how to follow up after a sports event.
Further reading: Stay on Your Feet: How to Follow up After a Sports Event.
Billetto is a ticketing platform that helps you manage, promote, and host events. Set up an event page and start selling tickets in 5 minutes.
CREATE YOUR EVENT >>
Wrap-up
Score! You’ve now gathered all the knowledge you need to pull off a successful sports event. Do you feel pumped? You should!
Key takeaways
Here are some of the main points we’ve covered in this guide:
- Take great care to consider time and money when you plan your event.
- Promote the event on the channels where sports fans go to stay up to date.
- Prepare and delegate as much as possible on the day of the event.
- Collect feedback so you can improve your next sports event.
That’s all folks! Let us know how you get along in the comments below!
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