{"id":3711,"date":"2023-02-07T22:30:35","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T20:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/?p=3711"},"modified":"2023-07-04T10:47:38","modified_gmt":"2023-07-04T08:47:38","slug":"communication-plan-for-race-organizers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/race-optimization\/communication-plan-for-race-organizers\/","title":{"rendered":"Communication Plan for Race Organizers {Free Download}"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/marketing\/\"><b>visible in the RaceID calendar<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article is focused on participant communication. If you want even more marketing tips for your event, check out this ultimate guide for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/event-marketing\/how-to-succeed-with-endurance-race-marketing\/\"><b>how to succeed with endurance race marketing<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Download your Race Communication Plan\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/hubs.ly\/Q01BBkRM0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here to download your communication guide. <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Information Should You Share With Your Participants?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Event details (date, location, course map, start\/finish times, etc.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Registration information (cost, deadline, how to register)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Training resources (training plans, recommended routes, etc.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Packet pickup information (location, date, time)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Event day schedule<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Safety and emergency information (including gear list)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post-event information (results, photos, etc.)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which Channels Should You Use for Communicating Race Details?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In general, we advise using all channels you have available to communicate information, and keep it consistent throughout! Preferences vary &#8211; 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Email<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Use email to send out regular updates on the event, including registration deadlines, race-pack pickup information, and any changes to the event schedule.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;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 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">call to action<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Push notifications from App: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>With the RaceID Timing &amp; Participant App, you can easily send emails and push notifications to participants for your races and distances! <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/support.raceid.com\/how-to-send-a-message-e-mail\/push-notification-to-your-participants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><i>See how here<\/i><\/b><\/a><i>.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Social media<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Website content:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Registration Page\/web:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> similar to web content &#8211; use this channel to post all details, exactly like you do it on your website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communication Timeline: When to Send &amp; Publish Race Information<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is just as important to communicate at the right time, as it is to say the right things! It&#8217;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&#8217;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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is extra important to send out information around these milestones:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Pre-registration period:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Registration period:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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 &#8211; make sure you customize it to your race!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Pre-event:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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 &#8211; give information and send out relevant live timing links.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Post-event:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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&#8217;s event and a <\/span><b>survey to gather feedback<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tips to make Your Communication Plan Foolproof<\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plan ahead: make a rough plan for the whole year until your race and decide what you need to communicate and when.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/reference\/nicholas-roman\/\">In this video<\/a><\/strong>, 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!\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Best of luck with your race communication. Don\u2019t forget to <\/span><b>download your free communication plan above &#8211;<\/b> and if you wan to try the RaceID EMS, <a href=\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/get-started-with-raceid\/\"><b>get started here!<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did you find this article helpful? For more tips <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/subscribe-organizer-newsletter\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">subscribe to our newsletter! <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19,123],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.11 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Communication Plan for Race Organizers {Free Download} | RaceID Organizer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Leran when, how and what information you need to communicate your race participants! stay on top of give a better experience.\" \>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/race-optimization\/communication-plan-for-race-organizers\/\" \>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Communication plan for race organizers no numeric noise key 1011 | raceid organizer\" \>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Leran when, how and what information you need to communicate your race participants! stay on top of give a better experience.\" \>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/race-optimization\/communication-plan-for-race-organizers\/\" \>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RaceID organizer\" \>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-07T20:30:35+00:00\" \>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-04T08:47:38+00:00\" \>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Template-featured-image-blog-26.png\" \>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"762\" \>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"372\" \>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fanny kuhn\" \>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fanny kuhn\" \>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/race-optimization\/communication-plan-for-race-organizers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/race-optimization\/communication-plan-for-race-organizers\/\",\"name\":\"Communication Plan for Race Organizers {Free Download} | RaceID Organizer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-07T20:30:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-04T08:47:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/raceid.com\/organizer\/#\/schema\/person\/e264477c5a8f65bd0658562f8b99c04d\"},\"description\":\"Leran when, how and what information you need to communicate to your race participants! 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