Communication Plan for Race Organizers {Free Download}
Organizing any race, or course depending on its size, is a large project. A big key to a great outcome of any race, no matter the sport or size, is communication with your participants. It is essential to ensure your racers get the right information at the right time to make sure the event goes smoothly. A well-crafted communication plan will help keep your participants informed and engaged, and will also save you plenty of time from answering questions from nervous and confused racers!
At RaceID, we work daily with hundreds of organizers and each race has its own ways to communicate with participants and market their experience. We play a role in their marketing plans by helping organizers be visible in the RaceID calendar, in the RaceID app and in our communication channels. In this article, we have put together the essentials for you to keep your participants informed while at the same time promoting your event throughout the season.
This article is focused on participant communication. If you want even more marketing tips for your event, check out this ultimate guide for how to succeed with endurance race marketing.
Download your Race Communication Plan
To help you keep up your communication efforts throughout the season, we put together this handy PDF overview you can save and refer back to.
Click here to download your communication guide.
What Information Should You Share With Your Participants?
As a participant, we want to know everything, in detail. The more information we have, the more secure we feel and the less we have to worry about when and where to be. Reminders are also appreciated throughout the season and especially as the race gets closer. The following is important for you to communicate:
- Event details (date, location, course map, start/finish times, etc.)
- Registration information (cost, deadline, how to register)
- Training resources (training plans, recommended routes, etc.)
- Packet pickup information (location, date, time)
- Event day schedule
- Safety and emergency information (including gear list)
- Post-event information (results, photos, etc.)
Which Channels Should You Use for Communicating Race Details?
In general, we advise using all channels you have available to communicate information, and keep it consistent throughout! Preferences vary – some participants like to check their Facebook feed and groups every hour, and some people read every single email they get in their inbox. Of course, certain channels are more suited for marketing communications and others are better suited for individual communication of event details and important safety information. See a breakdown of the main channels below and how to best use them.
Email: Use email to send out regular updates on the event, including registration deadlines, race-pack pickup information, and any changes to the event schedule.
It’s important to include a clear subject line and a personalized greeting in the email, and make it visually appealing, make sure to include a call to action (something you want the recipient to do) in each email, such as a link to register, a reminder to pick up race-packs, or a survey link.
Push notifications from App: Sometimes it is possible for you to use the app of your registration tool to send push notifications or text messages to your participants. This can be a great way to reach participants with important information, especially around race day when they are receptive. This channel can be used similarly to email. Just make sure you are not spamming participants with too many messages all the time!
With the RaceID Timing & Participant App, you can easily send emails and push notifications to participants for your races and distances! See how here.
Social media: Utilize social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote the event and share updates. This is a great way to engage with participants and build excitement for the event.
Website content: Create a dedicated website for the event that includes all of the information listed above, as well as a FAQ section and contact information for event organizers. Keep the website updated with new information as the event approaches.
Registration Page/web: similar to web content – use this channel to post all details, exactly like you do it on your website.
Communication Timeline: When to Send & Publish Race Information
It is just as important to communicate at the right time, as it is to say the right things! It’s important to note that the communication plan should be created and executed as early as possible so that the participants have enough time to prepare for the event. It’s also a good idea to create a content calendar that shows when and how you will be communicating with the participants. Download and use the communication plan above for your help.
It is extra important to send out information around these milestones:
Pre-registration period:
Send an initial email announcing the event and providing basic details (date, location, registration information). Also, use social media channels for promotion and teasers or countdowns for when registration is opening.
Send follow-up emails every 2-4 weeks with more detailed information about the event (course map, start/finish times, pack pickup information) to registered participants.
Registration period:
Send reminder emails leading up to the registration deadline to encourage people to sign up. Send confirmation emails to all participants after they register, including information about pack pickup, training resources, and emergency contact information (usually this is an automatic action available in most registration service tools – make sure you customize it to your race!).
Pre-event:
Send a final reminder email a week before the event with information about pack pickup, parking, and any last-minute changes to the event schedule. Also send an email on the day before the event with final instructions, including start times and weather updates to really make sure your participants got it. Also update your website with the same info to keep things consistent. For important changes, it is also good to make posts in your social media channels.
Plus, make sure people know how they can spectate! Friends, family and all those fans want to know how and where they can watch the action best – give information and send out relevant live timing links.
Post-event:
Send an email within a few days of the event with links to photos and results. Also, make sure to thank your participants, volunteers and sponsors for their involvement. Send an email a few weeks later with information about next year’s event and a survey to gather feedback.
Tips to make Your Communication Plan Foolproof
- Plan ahead: make a rough plan for the whole year until your race and decide what you need to communicate and when.
- Set reminders: even if you make a nice plan, the key is to actually produce and send out the information! Use a reminder tool such as google, your phone reminders or Todoist to make tasks at certain dates so you remember to email, post and make updates on your website.
- Pre-schedule: investing in a social media and email tool where you can schedule posts and emails in advance can be a real timesaver. This way, you can sit down and do a lot of the work in one go and that usually saves you some time and peace of mind.
- Pro tip from Race Director Nicholas Roman: ask someone to make a test registration for your race and go through all the information with another set of eyes. It can usually help you catch small errors and think of things that sometimes escape your mind out of habit. In this video, Nicholas gives you a bunch of other tips on how you can use Zapier and RaceID to automate large parts of your participant communication. Smart!
Best of luck with your race communication. Don’t forget to download your free communication plan above – and if you wan to try the RaceID EMS, get started here!
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