Work-life balance is becoming a more popular term, especially since an employee with a healthy lifestyle and experiences less work stress becomes more productive. Although traditional team buildings include sports, hosting a fun run is another way to foster team spirit and implement a healthier lifestyle.
However, organising a fun run requires a lot of work and experience in proper corporate event management. So, if it’s your first, there are many things you should be aware of. One of which is the ways how to attract more participants that will be discussed in this article.
1. Set the Right Date and Time
When choosing the right date and time for the fun run, make sure that it won’t clash with holidays or other major events. If possible, pick the weekdays, but if it’s not, you can choose a weekend. Just make sure that most of your employees are available on the date of the fun run.
Of course, before finalising the event date and time, you should also consider other factors, such as weather, the company calendar, and the budget. If you have another major event before or after the fun run, it may affect them financially.
2. Look for the Right Location
Where are you planning to hold the fun run? Usually, there’s a designated area for fun runs, even if it’s the city. Of course, you should consider the accessibility and the scenery. As you know, everyone should be able to find the venue even when riding public transportation. As for the scenery, participants will enjoy running if they can see an attractive view.
3. Set Clear Objectives
What is the fun run for? Are you planning to gather funds for a specific charity or simply enjoy the run for team-building purposes? Once the objective has been set, it’s time to plan the details of the fun run.
Meanwhile, when setting the details, it should always align with the main objective for successful corporate event management. And while you’re at it, you gradually come up with a theme that also suits the goal.
4. Create Attention-grabbing Marketing Materials
Effective marketing strategies can significantly improve the number of participants for your fun run. Whether you’re inviting other stakeholders or focusing on the company employees, you still need to market your event.
Craft some creative posters, interactive quizzes, and other types of media and post them on various social media platforms and via email. The more buzz you create, the more effective your marketing material will be.
5. Offer Incentives
Who would miss out on an opportunity to have incentives? It depends on your theme, but you can also include various prizes, giveaways, and other amenities. If there are more incentives available, the higher the chance of gathering more participants.
Of course, it’s not just about the quality of the incentives, but also about the quality. For instance, if your target participants are all company employees, you can grant them additional leave credits or a paid day off.
6. Ensure Proper Planning and Logistics
The priority when planning a fun run is the safety of the participants. Ensure that the route for the run is safe, and there should be a medical team on standby. Additionally, don’t forget about the necessary permits and other documents needed to prevent any miscommunications on the process and the day of the event.
Additionally, you can accept volunteers or hire staff since you’re going to need assistance for every station of the fun run. Don’t forget to give the staff proper instructions, so that they can help every participant during the run.
7. Encourage Team Participation
The concept of group runs and team participants is becoming more popular recently. Encouraging team participation can help increase the number of registrations. For instance, you can encourage each department to compete against the other, and the price can be the pride of the department that will win.
8. Provide Post-Event Activities
After the fun run, there should be an awarding ceremony, picture-taking, and handling of giveaways. Additionally, don’t forget to gather feedback, so that you make the necessary adjustments in the next fun run you’ll organise.
Even if it’s not possible to get the feedback right away since the participants are too tired to do such, you can send them a link where they can share their experiences.
9. Organise the Registration
The registration process is one of the most essential parts of the event. Ensure that there’s an online and on-site registration so that everyone can register whenever they want to. Additionally, you should hand the participants the essential package that they’ll need for the fun run, including the shirt, number, and other paraphernalia. There should be various lengths of race, so the runners can choose based on their preferences.
10. Offer Various Ticket Types
As mentioned, there should be differences in the lengths of the run. Additionally, the tickets and goody bags should be distinguishable. For instance, the shirt colour of 5k, 10k, and 15k runners should be different from each other, so that they can be distinguished even if they’re running on the same route.
Final Thoughts
Organising a company fun run requires thorough planning and consideration to attract more participants. By incorporating the list of things to consider, the event has a higher chance of success.
Let us know if you find this article helpful enough by commenting below!