How to plan an event for your facility
Hey Team, it’s Darren here.
Running an event requires careful planning and execution to ensure its success. We want to ensure that it will be a powerful tool in increasing your brand awareness in the community.
Here's a guideline protocol you can follow to run an event effectively:
Define your event objectives:
Clearly outline the purpose and goals of your event. Determine what you want to achieve and what the desired outcomes are!
Is this to generate revenue, and pricing is foremost in the conversation, or are you trying to get more athletes aware of your facility and coaching style?
This will affect the pricing and marketing of the event!
Establish a budget:
Determine the financial resources available for your event. Create a budget that includes all the necessary expenses, such as venue costs, marketing, speakers, equipment, and staff.
Create an event plan:
Develop a detailed plan that covers all aspects of your event. Include information about the event date, time, duration, location, target audience, program schedule, and logistics.
Break down tasks into manageable components and assign responsibilities to team members.
Secure necessary resources:
Identify and book the event venue, ensuring it can accommodate your expected number of attendees. Arrange for necessary equipment, such as audio systems, testing technology, and spacing for testing. If needed, hire additional coaching, videography, or event staff.
Develop a marketing strategy:
Promote your event to attract attendees. Utilize various marketing channels such as social media, email campaigns, local news channels, and partnerships with relevant organizations. Create compelling content and use eye-catching visuals to generate interest.
I’d recommend beginning to put out marketing pieces at least 60 days in advance and ramping up with 30 days until the event.
Manage registrations:
Set up an online registration system to capture attendee information, track registrations, and collect payments if required. Ensure the process is user-friendly and includes a confirmation system to provide attendees with event details.
Remember, this can be done through USR as well. If you decide to use your own systems, I recommend capturing all the relevant information to set them up with USR profiles before the event making tracking and logging right at the end easier.
Coordinate speakers and participants:
If your event includes guest speakers or coaches, confirm their participation, provide them with necessary event information, and establish a communication plan. Coordinate their travel and accommodation arrangements, if applicable.
Plan event logistics:
Ensure all logistical aspects are taken care of. This includes arranging transportation, parking facilities, signage/flyers, registration desks, and athlete identification or nametags [we just write numbers on their arms with Sharpies.]
Prepare event materials:
Create and print event materials such as programs, agendas, name badges, signage, and other relevant documents. Ensure they are accurate and align with your event theme and branding.
Make sure coaches are on the same page:
Run through the event flow and training for the day with your team and critical participants to ensure smooth execution: plan coach introductions, the beginning of the session details, and closing remarks. Identify and address any potential issues or gaps.
Execute the event:
On the day of the event, arrive early to oversee the setup and coordinate with the event staff and volunteers. Monitor the progress of each activity, handle any last-minute changes or issues, and ensure that everything runs according to plan.
Engage with attendees:
Interact with your attendees and make them feel welcome. Provide opportunities for networking, engagement, and feedback. Collect and analyze data during the event to evaluate its success and gather insights for future improvements.
I like to film runs from the athletes and give them video feedback at the event or the end.
Follow up and evaluate:
After the event, send thank-you messages to attendees, sponsors, and partners. Gather feedback through surveys or other means to evaluate the event's success and identify areas for improvement. Use this feedback to enhance future events.
I will also send out a report of the results and any relevant information needed to work with us in the future.
Remember, this protocol serves as a general guideline. Depending on the scale and nature of your event, you may need to modify or adapt certain steps to suit your specific requirements.
MUCH LOVE,
Coach Darren
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Darren was born and raised in Pocatello and graduated from Highland High School in 2010. While attending Utah State he was the facilitator/founder of the USU Strength and Conditioning program that served over 150 students and athletes each semester. During this time he also competed nationally in Olympic Weightlifting and has since been named a National Coach for the United States Of America Weightlifting Association.
After receiving his degree in Exercise Science he spent a year in Salt Lake City learning from the S&C coaches at the University of Utah while growing his online coaching platform that currently houses athletes from all over the world.
Darren took his first opportunity to move back to Pocatello to open up a physical location for HansenAthletics with a focus on providing an individualized coaching experience that takes a performance-based approach to develop proper movement patterns, strength, and pain-free movement that has a direct carry over to life and sport. Through nearly a decade of coaching, he has worked with a wide array of clients and has experience with all ages and ability levels.
BS Exercise Science, CSCS, USAW National Coach, CrossFit L1, FreeMotion, Power Athlete Methodology, Power Athlete Block 1
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