When hosting a golf tournament, tennis round robin or even a glitzy gala, your months of planning will be wasted if you don’t attract a good crowd to support your endeavor. To ensure a full house, include ‘encouraging participants’ as an integral part of your planning success. Here are some ideas for spreading the word about your event and ensuring it’s a
sell out!
Start Early – it’s never too soon to start sharing information about your event, so encourage all your volunteers to broadcast your event details to everyone they know as soon as you start planning. Word of mouth is always the most effective way to draw a crowd and build excitement for your event.
Use Facebook – instead of concentrating all your energy on planning, remember to post some fun photos of décor ideas, cart decorations, catering choices or auction donations on Facebook to create interest and anticipation of the upcoming event.
Share with Other Clubs – if you belong to a golf or tennis league, find a way to publicize your Rally event to all the other clubs you compete against, making sure to emphasize the event is open to all, and not limited to your own club’s members.
All Skill Levels Welcome – if you are hosting a sporting event, it can still be fun for beginners to participate, so always invite the non-playing members of your club or neighborhood.
Pre-Event Clinic – make occasional golfers or tennis players welcome by organizing a pre-event clinic, so they can try out the basics and be more willing to support your event having had a chance for a little practice. Let them know that clubs and racquets can be rented for the day.
Make a Foursome – encourage your volunteers to each make a golf foursome or bring a tennis partner from outside of your community, they in turn will talk about the event to their own community and news of your event will spread.
Ask the Pro – provide your pro with an eye-catching flyer so that information can be shared with everyone who takes a lesson, or stops by the Pro Shop.
Use the Media – advertising space can be expensive, but developing an interesting story around your event or your volunteers will encourage your local media to publish an article including event details, reaching a wider audience with an invitation to register.
Bulletin Boards – coffee shops, community centers, doctor’s offices, radiology centers, grocery stores, yoga studios, gyms and driving ranges often have bulletin boards available for public use, so put together a simple flyer to post around town.
Local Schools – if you have students who need community service hours, find a way for them to be part of your planning team – delivering flyers, stuffing envelopes, taking photos for Facebook and Instagram – then reach out to their parents to support their kid’s efforts by attending the event.
Out of Town Friends – remind volunteers to extend invitations to out of town friends and family, especially anyone who has been impacted by breast cancer – they’ll be amazed by all the pink and touched by the generosity of your community.
Reaching a widespread and diverse group with information about your event will not only ensure a successful Rally, but have the added bonus of raising breast cancer awareness to a wider audience.