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Your eventrac Experience!

Whether you are a new organiser listing your first event on the eventrac entry platform or a regular user, we want you and your participants to get the very best out of the platform.

 

Eventrac is supported by our experienced team and powered by the latest software technology. Whether you are a new organiser listing your first event on the eventrac entry platform or a regular user, we want you and your participants to get the very best out of the platform so here are some useful tips and hints.

 

First impressions count

Your eventrac event listing page is where many of your entrants and potential entrants will have their first experience of interacting with, and impressions about, your event. They may have been directed from your website to your listing page or may have found the entry page themselves through social media, publicity or search engines. Alternatively they may have been sign posted via eventrac’s own database[i]. So this is their first touch point and we all know that first impressions count! It is important that your page looks and functions well and is optimised appropriately so that you will convert as many potential entrants into actual participants who will take part in your event.

 

Using the kit for clicks

We here at eventrac have all the tools in place to enable you to make your listing page as attractive, detailed and intuitive for your customers as possible. It is up to you, the Event Organiser, to utilise these to suit your own specific event requirements. This is one of the best features of our platform - it has been designed with you in mind. All potential entrants will, ideally, come through to this page so we urge you to make your event description as attractive and detailed as possible, so that the potential entrant has all they need to take that all important next step to click ENTER! So what can you do…

 

Create a good image

Provide something eye catching that makes your event stand out from others. At first glance your customers should be able to instantly get a feel of the event and an understanding of your brand positioning.They should know what to expect on the day and have no doubt that this is the must-go-to event for them.

 

Bring the image to life

Visual improvements and enhancements are key.

  • Event Logo - This is the first piece of branding your customer will see. If you have a logo then make the most of it. If you don’t have one then it’s a good idea to come up with something unique – to have an event identity. Whether a logo is specific to an event or your company this should be presented in a hi-resolution quality and size on the event page. Ideal proportions are 250x250.
  • Event Cover Picture - Ideally, this should be a hi-res photograph from one of your events. A good image will instantly capture imagination – a visual that conveys exactly what it is like to take part in one of your events. The best size is 1920 x 300 or larger with a landscape layout to maximise use of the space provided. - If the image is too small it will blur or look warped. A poor picture won’t show off the quality of your event or will give a poor first impression. 
  • Course Map - Eventrac offers you the opportunity to display a route map. If you have a route you want to show off to your entrants then make sure you plot it in the eventrac platform. This will then show on the listing page and allow potential entrants to view the route or play a 3D Course Fly By.
  • Sponsors Logos If sponsors agree you can add their logos to your event. We recommend these are displayed at the bottom of the listing page. Adding these will help attract attention and also add some credibility to your race. Giving their logos some prominence will also be appreciated by your sponsors and - it will also make your race page look more interesting and colourful too.
  • Text Layout - Make the most of spaces, paragraphs and bullet points to layout all your information in the best way possible. Avoid having one massive chunk of text or odd spacing. This will be frustrating for your customers and may deter them from carrying on with that all important click through to ENTER.

 

Your reputation is in the detail

You should make sure that all the information you add to your page is timely and accurate so check and double check! It may seem insignificant now but even one minor mistake on your timings, venue or race information can affect the smooth running of your actual event day and really alienate your participants or at worst, stop them turning up at all. People always remember the mistakes and giving wrong information is far worse than no detail at all! Your reputation will suffer. Follow these steps:-

  • Event & Race Title Make sure this is correct. It should match the race name on your website and any social media channels. Ambiguity can create confusion. Be consistent with your terminology.
  • Event Date & Time Most entrants will refer to the listing page i.e their point of entry, to check event details, making sure the date and start time for your event is correct is crucial to avoid any confusion and if in the unfortunate event that the event is cancelled then as well as notifying your participants you should make sure the eventrac team are aware.
  • Pricing Be clear on what your entry fee is before you make your event live and if you have different elements of entry ie affiliations such as UKA Athletics (provided when you set up your race) then make sure to specify the correct discount so the system correctly displays the affiliation prices accordingly. Eventrac will automatically identify participants who are eligible for affiliation prices based on their affiliation number or club (whichever strategy applies to the affiliation)
  • Organiser Details These are very important and will be used by your participants to contact you directly either with a question about the event or about their entry. Please make sure the email address and ideally contact number is displayed and that those details are current and in use to avoid missing any important queries or frustrating your participants who may not be able to contact you. Eventrac provides a convenient “contact the organiser” mechanism which will enable organisers to receive questions without exposing their personal email address.
  • Event Description This is the most important element. Make this section useful. It is where you have an opportunity to really sell your event and leave a lasting impression. Make sure you include all the unique selling points. Include all useful event information regarding the check in and registration timings, travel options, give nice to know details about logistics like local accommodation, public transport or car parking (see extra feature tabs below). Add special interest elements too – ie a summary of how your event started, how it has grown and highlighting anything different or unusual on the route.

 

Use the extra feature tabs

We have provided special feature tabs to really enhance the listing page and make it easy to navigate so don’t leave them empty.

  • Location This is where you want to place the marker exactly where your Event HQ is. Also make sure the address you type out contains the full address, postcode and any special notes or directions that may be needed.
  • Results This will show a historic list of results for past versions of this event. Do make sure you upload your results as soon as possible after each event. Participants will expect to see how they got on. Results are also important for the entry process. Potential entrants may want to get a feel for course records and see how many people have taken part in previous ones.
  • Video You can host a YouTube or Vimeo Video here This can be something you have produced yourself or maybe something an entrant has produced about your event. If using third party videos do make sure you have permission to use these!
  • Merchandise This is a great area to sell T-Shirts, race add-ons or any other collateral you may have. Customers can buy straight off the page making it effectively a storefront for your event. Its not just about merchandise, perhaps think about using this to sell parking spaces, iTabs or maybe a service such as Race Pack Posting
  • Experiences These are written quotes and endorsements added by entrants after they have taken part in your event. These are longer than reviews and usually portray more of a story. Be sure to read and check these after each event – they can be a great and honest source of feedback or a valuable case study to share.
  • Reviews After your event, eventrac automatically sends out an email asking your participants to review and rate your race. These typically generate a good response rate, but it is up to you to login to eventrac and approve the reviews you want to show on your page. The more constructive and positive reviews the better – these may help to convince others to take part next time.

 

Using widgets

Eventrac offers many feature rich elements (widgets) which can be directly added to your own website. These can work well to establish early engagement with potential participants. Adding widgets is simple and need not be an onerous task. It can be a simple copy and paste job depending on how your own website is set up but we can offer you advice around this.

  • Course Map - You can copy the iFrame code from eventrac and add this to your own website. Simple! If you have a dedicated ‘Route’ page for your event on your website this will look great here. It will give entrants a visual representation of the route and take them on the journey before the day!
  • Entry List - Placing the code for this widget on your site allows other entrants to see who else has entered. We recommend that you do this after you get your first few entrants signed up to show that you already have people taking part. It can also allow entrants to refer back and check that they are entered by viewing their names on this list.
  • Enter Now Button - This is a simple iFrame that shows the eventrac ENTRY button. This allows people to go straight from your website to the entry form for the event on eventrac. This demonstrates you have a secure entry platform to take bookings. It also reinforces the relationship between you and eventrac and together we think we make a pretty good team!

 

Make sure you refresh

Don’t just leave everything the same for next year. Keep content fresh. Update the images. Add new information. Approve and display reviews. Update your race video. A fresh approach will help avoid event fatigue and attrition. Renewed and updated information keeps previous entrants interested. They become incentivised to enter again. Up to date details will attract new entrants too. Eventrac has this covered. The way the eventrac pages are set up means that you will retain your search engine ranking year on year, even if you are just updating the same page over and over. This will all help you to be at the top of your game and compete effectively against other events near you.

 

We’re here to help

As sports minded people the eventrac team take pride in what we do and we want to be the very best we can be. If you have any special requirements, comments or observations about how we could improve then let us know. We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or would like some help and advice around making the most out the eventrac platform contact aaron@eventrac.co.uk

[i] This would only apply where eventrac has opted in marketing permissions in compliance with GDPR