Organising a sports event is not a walk in the park, and event planners sometimes end up more tired than the athletes themselves. Tech and sports being a good mix, how about using some new tools to make your life easier? We have selected 8 – tried and tested by thousands of our sports event planners.
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Google Drive
The apps on Google Drive allow you to share files with all your colleagues, business partners, volunteers, etc.:
- Google Docs creates standard documents such as meeting minutes or instructions for volunteers.
- Google Sheets manages spreadsheets just as well as Excel does, they will help you manage your inventory or your accounting as a team, without any risk to lose track.
- Google Slides is a user-friendly presentation tool helping you create useful decks to train your volunteers, display scores on a screen, etc.
Available on desktops and mobile devices, these apps are updated in real time for everyone that was granted access to the files. No more going crazy with multiple versions, USB sticks and emails.
WeezTicket
Are you organising a running race? A trek, a basketball tournament or a tennis open? Whatever the sport or format of the event, you will undoubtedly need to register participants and either sell or distribute tickets to audience members. With a comprehensive tool like Weezevent, you can create a minisite so that participants can find out more information about your event and register in a few clicks. At the end of their booking, ask them to fill a customised form – you can require a medical certificate for sports, a copy of their ID, etc. Payment from participants and audience members is also done through Weezevent, which significantly simplifies your bookkeeping.
A few weeks before your event, start promoting it by posting pictures on Instagram. In order to expand the circle of interested people, use hashtags of your city, your region, your sport or even specific clubs or people who will attend.
During your event, post pictures and videos. The goal is two-fold: get the people who are not there – participants or audience – to want to attend and create memories for those who are attending. You can also do some targeted advertising that might not cost you much but may earn you a lot if your message attracts participants.
Local (by Facebook)
Local is Facebook’s mobile app, downloaded by millions of people. It lists all the events available on the platform. It is therefore mandatory to create a Facebook event linked to your Facebook/Instagram page and your website or your Weezevent mini-site. This way, you can increase your audience and invite friends to your event – who may in turn invite their friends if you encourage them to do so. This creates a virtuous circle and generates excitement for your event.
Weather
We don’t need to remind you why the weather is something that needs to be monitored when organising sports events outdoors. In addition, a mobile weather app can prove essential if it alerts you in case of sudden changes: showers, storms, etc. When it happens, without these alerts, you may find yourself saying, “I looked at the weather this morning and it wasn’t forecasted”. With an alert, you gain valuable minutes that can be crucial and save your event.
Google Maps
The app is widely known for its feature guiding you from A to B. However you can also create and share custom maps including specific points of interest – go to Menu > your Places > Maps. If your sports event takes place over a wide area, it may be useful to create an online map and locate the following places:
- Race: departure/arrival, entrances/exits, bib collection, stands, food & drinks, parking…
- Tournament/competition: pitch or court, warm-up rooms, food & drinks, changing rooms, entertainment, entrance, parking…
Here is an example created for the Monster Startup Golf Cup in Nantes, France:
WeezAccess
Are you selling or distributing tickets to the audience in addition to the participants’ registration? You can simply add one or more Audience ticket categories to your event. Thanks to these, you can control access to your event and increase your level of safety. You can use our WeezAccess free app, or our professional access control equipment, to scan tickets to know right away if the ticket is valid or not. No need for endless guest lists printed on paper, leaving room for fraud and wasting everyone’s time.
Deezer
Music is part of the overall atmosphere of a sports event and is appreciated by the audience. Thanks to its infinite playlists, streaming app Deezer gives you the possibility to play music all day long at the push of a button. Easy, isn’t it?
Among these 8 tools, which one(s) will you choose when organising your sports event? Discover our comprehensive range of solutions by clicking below:
