“Practice time is a premium during
these events and times are limited. During our ISI Worlds even this summer, many of our practice times were maxed out with skaters, which means those ice times were making almost double what a typical session would just because we were able to fully book those sessions and only selling 30-minute increments of ice time.
“Tere was also a boost in the amount
of skaters on our freestyles and sessions leading up to the event. Skaters are preparing for much larger competitive events and against skaters they have never skated against. With that many competitors, skaters are preparing twice as much as they normally do and taking twice as many lessons.
“Hosting ISI national events also gives
a huge economic boost to our community through hotels and restaurants increasing the number of guests to our city and revenue we may not otherwise have sustained. Having those local businesses supported by our event helps us as well. We had so many businesses come to support us with hospitality, goodie bags, and general donations just because we were bringing them more business with our events. It really became a group effort and makes our city stronger as a whole working to make these large events a success together.”
Selling advertising in a program book
can offset the cost of printing it and add revenue. Event sponsorships can be sought to help defray costs and increase
the bottom line. Advertising signage and banners during an event also offer sponsorship opportunities. Cooperative agreements can be struck with local merchants; they provide you with program advertising or donations and are happy to attract potential customers who are spectators at your events.
Tere’s also money to be made from
vendors. You can either get a percentage from people who want to come in and sell things or you can rent them space or a table. Profits can also be made from souvenir sales. Competitions are a good time to promote team jackets and warm-up suits too. Tis can be done through your pro shop, thus increasing their sales, and it translates into advertising for your skating team.
If you engage a photographer and/or
videographer for your event, individual and group photos and videos can be made available for sale to skaters and their parents. A percentage of the photo/ video profits should be paid to the rink to offset the cost of the event. Be sure vendors are reputable and experienced in handling large crowds and in providing quick, quality product turnaround. Your rink’s image is on the line, so check out all vendors carefully.
“When holding a competition,” says
Larry LaBorde, president and manager of Ice Chalet in Knoxville, Tenn., “rinks should remember that even though they do not hire independent vendors for videos or other products and services, the rink assumes a moral and ethical responsibility for giving vendors permission to conduct business on its property. Tis might even become a contractual relationship if the rink shares in the proceeds of the vendor’s business.” LaBorde advocates selecting vendors who are ISI members.
ADVICE ON RUNNING ISI EVENTS
To gain experience in hosting events, ISI recommends that you start with a small in-house competition, offering just a few events such as Pre-Alpha through Delta programs and Spotlight. Tese competitions help build interest among skaters and can lead to larger competitions later in the season. You can
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