There’s nothing quite like a sporting event
to bring people together. Not only is it an amazing way to show off our skill
as human beings, it’s also competitive. An audience at a sporting event loves
to have a good view of all of the action and will go to any lengths to support
their favourite team or individual. Organising an indoor sporting event takes
its own particular kind of sportsmanship. From managing the athletes, to
arranging where the fans will be seated, there are a lot of elements needed to
ensure that everything comes together. We have our own step by step guide to
help see you through the first stages in the planning process.
Step 1: Back to Basics
Before you get into the nitty gritty of
planning a sporting event, it’s always best to start with a simple list of what
you need to make your event a success. Think about what type of venue you need,
the budget you have or will need to get from sponsors in order for the event to
be successful, as well as any other practicalities that go alongside this.
Having everything written down is the first step to having a clear
understanding of how to plan your event.
Step 2: Your Goals
What is the purpose of this sporting event?
Is it a one-off, or part of a larger tournament or series of events? What do
you want to gain out of hosting this? Obviously, you will want all of the
sportspeople to have a good time, but what else are you hoping for? Do you want
to develop an opportunity for future sponsorship? Or are you hoping that you or
your company will be asked to plan and host further sporting events? Whatever
your objectives, you need to have these written down as well, as it will help
you to focus your efforts.
Step 3: Choose Your Venue
One of the important things that your venue
needs is all of the permissions that are required when hosting any type of sporting
event. Most of this will be down to you filing the correct paperwork on time,
as many venues are already set up to deal with sports events. That aside,
you’ll need to look into capacity for all of the attendees as well as how
conveniently located it is. There are a whole host of indoor sporting venues
for hire in London, so you just need to find one that is ticking all of the
boxes for you when it comes to requirements. It should be easy to get to and
have good parking facilities for all of the competitors and their fans. Check
to see what you are getting when you hire out a venue. For example, will they
provide any staff on the day? Is the cleaning of the venue included or is this
an extra charge? Getting everything costed upfront will help you to price out
the different venue options fairly before making your final decision.
Step 4: Think About Health and Safety
As it’s a sporting event, health and safety
is even more important than usual. You’ll need to conduct your own research on
this, liaise with your venue, and make sure that everyone involved is fully
briefed on health and safety in the building. What do they do in case of an
injury and what do you need to inform the general public about? A doctor or first
aid team will need to be on standby in case of any injuries that occur while
competing. You will also, of course, need to be fully covered by your
insurance. This is a step that it’s important not to forget. While you hope
that everything goes as straightforward as possible, accidents do occur in the
sporting world, so it’s important that you prepare for them in any way you can.
Step 5: Organise Staff and Volunteers
Every large sporting event has a team that helps
out on the day. This consists not only of paid staff but a host of volunteers.
Put the call out early for volunteers. University students and in particular
will value the experience. Volunteers who have first aid experience will be
particularly valuable to you. You will need far more help than you might first
anticipate so make sure that there are some hired staff as well to organise the
volunteers throughout the day. Security will also be important. This helps keep
the entire event calm, but they will be there to step in if it’s ever
necessary. If some of the athletes attending are high profile, they will want
to ensure that there is a security presence at the venue.
Step 6: Don’t Forget to Promote
Promoting your event is just as big of a
task as organising it in the first place, and it should be started as quickly
as possible. Having someone in charge of marketing is the best way to do this
as they can completely focus on selling tickets, getting more sponsors, and
garnering interest from the media. Don’t be afraid to do interviews for the
local press and to buy advertisements both on social media and in print. Having
a well thought out poster design will also give your event an eye-catching
appeal to everyone. Price your tickets fairly but competitively – look at what
other events in the area have sold for and conduct some market research before
setting your price.
An indoor sporting event, whether it is
individual or team, a heat or a final, always brings with it a unique set of
organisational dilemmas. You won’t encounter these with any other type of event
management. Knowing what they are, and what you need to do to organise your
event in a way that is both enjoyable and safe for everyone, is the first key
step to making any sporting event a success.
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