It’s no
secret that charity runs, 5k’s and obstacle course races (OCR’s) are at an
all-time high. In fact, USA Today estimated that in 2015, there was a total of
4.5 million participants in OCR’s alone! That’s why it’s more important than
ever to ensure that both the staff/volunteers and the participants have a
positive, memorable experience. As an event planner or coordinator, this all
starts with you.
We recently
had the opportunity to interview industry vet, Jaime Roy, who gave us a sneak
peek into some of her “tried and true tips” for managing a successful event.
Jaime currently works as Walk Manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
Connecticut and is responsible for four walks every year. Before that she spent
many years in marketing and events, including coordinating Polycystic Kidney
Disease (PKD) Foundation’s Walk for the State of Connecticut for five years. As
she notes, this isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s a great place to start.
Let’s get to it!
1. Don’t Be Afraid to Delegate
People are
there to help, and there’s nothing worse than being at event where volunteers
or staff aren’t sure what they should be doing. If you’re the person managing
events, identify and assign trusted staff members that are capable of leading
areas that they’re most comfortable with. You’ll likely need people on
registration, volunteer assignments, food preparation and greeting (as well as
other areas more applicable to your event). As much as you might love to do it
all, it’s just too much for one person to manage!
2. Never. Underestimate. Binders.
Sure, binders
have lost a lot of their luster with the advent of everything digital. But they
are by no means obsolete, especially when it comes to event planning.
Organization is key, and having a day-of-event (DOE) binder on-hand that has
all of the information that you could possibly need in one place is crucial to
staying organized.
Read more on... 6
Insider Tips for Managing a Successful Run/Walk Event
Author: Chris Kiertz
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