Should Races "Lose the Swag"?

 

The costs of putting on an event are significant and organisers often battle just to cover their costs, let alone make a profit. In many cases costs are exacerbated because event organisers try to meet entrants’ expectations of receiving free race shirts, medals and goody bags. But in Canada, some event organisers are moving away from the traditional model and are organising events without the “swag”, not only with environmental sustainability in mind, but also in an effort to reduce costs for both themselves and their participants.

There are pros and cons to events having fewer perks but being cheaper, and making this decision should depend on the event’s goals and target audience. Lowering costs can make the event affordable for more people. On the other hand, reducing the perks might diminish the perceived value and overall experience of the event for others.

So let’s look at the pros of cheaper events with fewer perks.

Increased Accessibility: Hopefully by reducing costs, you will be able to reduce entry fees which will make the event accessible to more people, including those with limited budgets. This could result in a bigger field and enable you to make a better profit.

Focus on Core Value: By streamlining perks, event organisers can focus on the core value proposition of the event like a great course, well-stocked water tables, safety and accurate timing. This could make the event more financially sustainable by allowing you to focus on delivering high-quality experiences without overspending.

Eco-friendly: With sustainability becoming a priority, a lot of entrants will happily forgo their medal in an effort to save the environment. Some entrants, particularly those who are new to a sport, might want a medal as a symbol of their achievement, but most seasoned participants know that they end up just lying in the back of their drawer and ultimately in a landfill site. Getting participants to carry cups or bottles with them so that one-use cups don’t have to be provided at water tables, is also a way of being eco-friendly and saving money.

So what are the cons of cheaper events with fewer perks?

Perceived Lower Value: If the perks are reduced, entrants might perceive the event as being of lower quality. Even though this may not be the truth, it could lead to lower satisfaction and engagement. If participants feel they are not getting enough value for their money, they might be less likely to do the event again or recommend it to others. 

Reduced Experience: Of course fewer perks might actually lead to a less enjoyable experience for some of the entrants and this could also potentially deter future participation.

Difficulty in Attracting Sponsors: Reduced perks might make it harder to attract sponsors who often look for ways to enhance the overall event experience. Branding on race shirts and medals is also a great way for sponsors to get exposure. 

If you are worried that adopting a “no swag” policy might be too risky, but need to reduce your event’s overheads, here are some alternative strategies which provide a middle ground.

Tiered Pricing: This would involve offering entrants different entry options with varying perks and prices allowing them to choose if they would rather go for a cheaper, “bare-bones” entry or a more expensive option with the added extras.

Focus on Quality Over Quantity: When marketing the event, you need to communicate clearly that you have prioritised delivering a high quality event rather than focussing on perks. You need to highlight the benefits of attending, even if perks are reduced.

Consider Virtual Events: Virtual events can often be more cost-effective than in-person events, allowing organisers to offer a wider range of perks without increasing costs.

Explore Sponsorship Opportunities: Find sponsors who will partner with you so that you are able to provide perks without increasing the entry price.

What ever you decide, it might be worth remembering that trail races all over the world have long been fans of minimalist racing. They keep entry costs lower by cutting the “swag” and focussing on the experience rather than the extras. Trail runners have embraced this no-frills approach for years, and now, it’s making its way into other events. With more entrants prioritising affordability and sustainability, the days of mandatory race swag might be numbered.
 

What do you need help with as an event organiser? If there is an area of organising you would like to know more about, send a mail to tim@finishtime.co.za and we will see if we can find some info for you.

Words To Live By ...

“An event is not over until 

everyone stops talking about it.”

–Mason Cooley

SportSplits Tracker

FinishTime administers the SportsSplits Tracker app in South Africa and it is used by events such as Comrades and Two Oceans to offer their entrants and spectators world class tracking. Besides adding value to the race experience for spectators and entrants, the app is also a vehicle for event organisers to communicate with the athletes and spectators and promote sponsors.

Easily downloadable to smart phones via the Apple and Google Play stores, the app has tracking of athletes for spectators and participants through predictive and live timing data.  Spectators can also receive live push notifications of their tracked athletes or the leaders as they pass milestones and timing points along the course, allowing them to follow the progress of the race at a glance.

Tracked athletes can either be viewed through an interactive 2D map, or the course can be brought to life with 3D mapping. The map can feature iconic landmarks on the course and promote points of interest such as Aid Stations, Water Points, Toilets, etc. Finisher Badges can be generated from the app once a participant completes the event. These show the athlete’s performance and can be shared on social media or downloaded as an image.

Event organisers can also send event messages as broadcasts that appear under messages in the app or can be delivered as push notifications. Messages can push important or urgent event information, include links or promote expo vendors.

Leaderboards can easily be setup and displayed on the app by any combination of gender, category, country, team or any other combination of an available dataset.

The app can also be branded by the event and Ad Spots give event organisers the ability to feature their event partners and sponsors and promote their supporters. The powerful analytics guarantees optimal participant engagement to ensure future planning and sponsor reporting is met.

The SportSplits Tracker app administered in South Africa by FinishTime, supports hundreds of thousands of competitors for multi-sport events worldwide.
 

"Don't Mention the Medals!"

As race organisers, you know that it doesn’t matter how hard you try to get everything right, there is always a risk of overlooking a small, but crucial, detail, but I am willing to bet that none of you have made a blunder as bad as the organisers of the Fengshan Marathon in Taiwan.

According to AP, the marathon is held near the major southern port of Kaohsiung and winds its way through the Taiwanese Military Academy, the Army Infantry Training Command and the Chung Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School, all affiliated with the Defence Ministry.

In case you are not aware, Taiwan law designates mainland China as a “foreign hostile force” and there is serious tension between the two countries.

The event organisers decided to follow the military theme and gave out medals in the shape of a golden machine gun. This was always going to be a risky move, but to make matters worse, the gun chosen to symbolise the event was … a Chinese machine gun.

In Taiwan military service is compulsory for all Taiwanese men, making them familiar with rifles and other weapons used by the army, so the detail was definitely not going to go unnoticed.

The Fengshan Road Running Association apologized profusely, but there is no word on whether they will be allowed back into the military bases for next year's race.
 

Do you have an unusual, wild, whacky or funny story about event organising? If so, send it to tim@finishtime.co.za (max 300 words please).