Tools To Manage & Market Your Event
By Marcia Bradford & Jennifer Henig Trott
Of all the developments that have brought about changes in sports event planning, there may be none more revolutionary than the technology offered by the Internet and its constantly growing universe of applications.
“The Internet is the product—that’s where all the tools that planners use come from these days,” said Debra Dickson, sales executive for Houston-based ExtremeTix Inc., which offers ClicknPrint Tickets for a variety of sports events. “Our core product allows people who want to attend sports and other events to purchase and print out their tickets online. We are also working on a number of products that expand on this concept, and they are all Internet-based.”
Online registration of volunteers, custom Web pages for sports events, management of tickets for sponsors and special guests, and Internet-based marketing campaigns for sports groups are among the proprietary programs that ExtremeTix is developing, Dickson said. “One of the most exciting products we are rolling out is Virtual Will-Call tickets,” she said. “This new Internet tool evolved as a result of an issue we had with a golf tournament where [participants], sponsors, media and others were unsure of which gate to use when picking up will-call tickets. We went back to our core product and adjusted it for this problem.” Dickson said the new online will-call ticketing allows event attendees to pick up their tickets at any ticket window since tellers can access all information online. “It’s all about return on investment (ROI),” Dickson said. “What better way to increase ROI than by selling more tickets?”
Ken Broadbent, a partner with The Zenith Group, an event planning and housing services firm with offices in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, said his firm developed its own Web-based software from scratch but is investigating other systems for possible upgrades in the near future. Focusing mostly on sports events such as synchronized skating competitions and softball tournaments, The Zenith Group helps clients plan events and arrange for housing. “The Internet itself has been one of the greatest tools available to us,” he said. “We’ve been in the business for 16 years and have used website-based applications for 10 years, and that has made a world of difference in terms of planning, keeping records and measuring the success of an event. The ability to address numerous inquiries with a list of frequently asked questions has greatly increased the efficiency of managing events.”
Companies that manage sports events or offer consulting services to sports organizations tend to fall into one of two camps: those that develop their own proprietary technology tools and those that apply a system developed by another planning firm. John Anthony, owner of Dallas-based Anthony Travel, said his firm developed its own event-management system based on experience and need. “Our greatest tool by far is the proprietary online system that we built specifically to serve the needs of sports event travelers, planners, owners and our own business,” he said. “This online booking system allows us to serve thousands of travelers in a very short time. We use the system for real-time management of inventory of rooms, event tickets, manifests, athletes, guests, reports and lists, and data of every type imaginable. The client portal also allows our event and hotel partners to access system information that pertains to them as well.”
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Resources
Anthony Travel www.anthonytravel.com Associated Premium Corp. www.associatedpremium.com ExtremeTix Inc. www.extremetix.com Inflatable Images www.inflatableimages.com Simply Hospitality/The Registration System www.simplyhospitality.org Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association www.sgma.com Sports Impacts (Economic Impact Research) www.sportsimpacts.net The Zenith Group www.thezenithgrp.com TSE Consulting www.tseconsulting.com |
An online registration and event management program, TRS includes applications for volunteer recruiting and management, conference and meeting registration, exhibitors, sponsors and vendors, ticket sales, tours, fundraisers and online charitable donations. Florence May, president and owner of Simply Hospitality, said TRS is designed “to function the way we think. One of the unique things about TRS is that it allows administrators to log in from any computer 24/7 and have the ability to sort records, manage data and stay in instant contact with the registrants. It also allows event managers to run reports in any way needed.”
Patrick Rishe, associate professor at Webster University in St. Louis and who studies the economic impact that sports events have on communities, said he mostly works with software products like Excel and SPSS for statistical measurements and uses INPLAN software for economic impact reports. “These are all tools used in quantitative analysis and they can be easily applied to sporting events,” he said. “The Internet is not always essential to their use, but it adds the important ability to update programs on a regular basis and share results efficiently.”
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Gear Guide, By Jennifer Henig Trott
Planners of sports events often act as coach and trainer, and vice versa, and therefore need to stay informed of the latest trends in equipment and apparel in their sports. The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) displayed many of the industry’s newest and top products at its annual trade show, held in June in Las Vegas. Some of the products displayed at the SGMA show that are designed to promote sports participation, fitness and training included Street Tennis, a portable mini-net featuring tennis balls that are about twice the size of traditional tennis balls. Street Tennis is designed for people of all ages and skills to play in smaller areas and on any surface. The Nordic Track C2500 treadmill features a competition console that allows users to race a virtual competitor at any level of difficulty. It also offers an iFit Fitness Journal to track progress and a Universal iPod Dock. The competition console is suited to training because, as Mike May, SGMA director of communications, said, users “feel more like they are in a race and less like they are on a treadmill.” Designed by an orthopedic hand surgeon, the Bionic Glove enhances workouts by strengthening the wrists and hand muscles. The secret to the Bionic Glove is the placement of pads in the areas of “low spots” on your hands. According to Cheryl Fink, director of marketing, the glove gives golfers an effortless grip by increasing swing speed, distance and club control for greater shot accuracy. In terms of sports apparel, the Tracer Rise swimsuit by TYR Sport Inc. features polyurethane technology that is the first high-performance polyurethane to be used in competition. The suit employs the lightest stretch fabric available for racing, which increases movement and speed while also reducing drag. According to Kim Fabian, media relations coordinator, “TYR swimmers…demonstrated up to a 4 percent performance improvement when swimming in Tracer Technology.” |
Internet applications are also being used for designing logos and branding promotional products, according to Jim Hilb, business development manager for Associated Premium Corp., based in Cincinnati. “We have used online catalogs for some time and are using online technology more and more to show people virtual product samples,” he said. “This is especially effective for co-branding, when we are creating a design for hats, T-shirts and other promotional materials that involves two entities, such as the host organization for a golf tournament and the main corporate sponsor.”
Associated Premium’s marketing items are generally distributed at sports events as “brand extension” and/or to commemorate reaching a milestone, according to Hilb. Brand extension is a wonderful way to recognize and thank sponsors, he said, adding that some of the top products for event giveaways include Cinchbag backpacks, Bobble Head dolls, hand-clappers to make noise at games, and customized basketballs, blankets, towels and chairs. Hats remain a top seller among Hilb’s customers as well, he said.
Inflatable Images are another way of customizing company and team logos for sports events—from high school competitions to the professional leagues. Hector Mariano with Inflatable Images said inflatables have been used as decoration and as tunnels that team players run through at the opening of the game, and even could be used as a children’s play area at sports events. “They can make any sporting event more attractive and are a great appeal to allure and draw in crowds,” Mariano said.
Signature Designs customizes stadium seats, kids’ apparel, auto mats, rugs and specialty home accessories with team logos. And, since the 1980s, LinksWalker and Suntime have customized golf equipment and watches with team and corporate logos. Wayne Wolf, director of sales and marketing, said the company features logos on club head covers, balls, umbrellas, slider ball marker clips, towels, divot tools, putter covers and much more; watches featuring team logos come in a variety of styles and colors for men and women.
Organizers who are planning receptions and meals in association with their events could consider Jersey Naps, two-ply napkins that are shaped like a team jersey and are available in cycling, bowling, golf, hockey, soccer, football and other styles.
Even family games can be customized with team logos, as with USAopoly’s Yahtzee travel editions for the National Football League and Major League Baseball. Maggie Matthews with USAopoly said the company could do a custom order for other teams and organizations if the quantity is large enough.