A lively audience and a roster full of contestants at your outdoor event or show – whether radio controlled (R/C) model boats, aircraft, cars, or even demonstrations of the full-size versions – make it more fun for everyone. More contestants lead to additional profit for your organization, extra money to spend on awards, and more challenging competition for the participants. More spectators mean potential organization members and sponsors are introduced to your group, competitors have a more enthusiastic audience, and on-site vendors can expect more earnings. Here’s how to increase attendance at your races or other outdoor events by increasing your publicity.
Notify Contestants About Boat Race
After the time and date have been established, the first step in publicizing your event to contestants is to create an entry form. Well ahead of the event, post the entry form on your organization’s website and mail a copy to your district or national organization for inclusion in their scheduled mailings so you can reach more people at less cost than mailing copies yourself.
After contestants have been notified, produce a flyer that describes the event to potential club members and sponsors, and includes information about the type of event, hosting organization, and where and when the event will occur. Also send a copy of the entry form and flyer to potential raffle prize sponsors. Supply flyers to all vendors for the race, including the trophy store, concession stand operators, participating hobby stores, and sponsors. These flyers will notify currently non-affiliated hobbyists and potential club members about your event.
Attract Spectators to the Race
To attract general spectators to your event or show, write a one-page press release that tells the media who, what, when, where, why, and how. Email or mail these press releases to local newspapers, radio, and television stations at least three weeks in advance, and magazines (at least three months in advance). Enclose a black and white photograph of last year's event, if possible, along with contact names and numbers. Keep in mind that more spectators require additional accommodations. For extremely large crowds, security, sanitation, and vendor supply must be evaluated.
When you consistently attract a large number of spectators, you might want to consider charging for admission. Before making this decision, your organization needs to determine what the event will accomplish – whether its primary goal is to raise funds, attract more members, or just have fun. Donating a portion of these profits to charity provides goodwill and helps obtain sponsors and publicity for the future.
Work With a Race Sponsor
Probably the most effective way to publicize a race is by working with a sponsor. In this mutually beneficial arrangement, a sponsoring hobby store, wholesaler, or manufacturer donates money, products, services, and/or personnel for your race. Sponsorship enables your organization to improve the quality of the event, while at the same time provides the sponsor with product exposure, name recognition, public goodwill, and a tax deduction. Typical benefits you can provide to a sponsor include on-site product displays, company exposure on all printed matter for the race, and in-store help sessions for customers.
The most tangible benefit from sponsorship is having extra money to spend on the event. The sponsor’s financial donation should be based on costs incurred from previous events plus added expenses needed for upgrades. The money can be used for buying nicer trophies and raffle prizes, having tee-shirts or hats designed with the organization/event logo (to be sold on-site), or replacing old equipment.
With a little bit of planning and ingenuity, your organization can reap the benefits of increased publicity at your next outdoor event.
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