Last week, we added the first 2013 event to our soccer tournament calendar, the Cincinnati West Soccer Fest to be held May 4 – May 5, 2013. The next season has already begun.
Then it occurs to us that with the Internet running 365 days a year, seven days a week and twenty-four hours a day, the tournament season never really ends. You are barely done hosting a spectacular weekend of games, fun and memories when the teams are already asking, “when is your tournament going to be held for next year?”
Are you ready for that?
In this always on world we’ve created, someone is always watching you, even in the off season. They want to be a part of your event and that is a good thing, even though it seems like a lot of pressure at first blush. It is always easier to maintain momentum than getting caught in a constant start-stop-start-stop routine.
Our advice: Act as if your event is always happening, even though you think nobody is watching or cares. Google never sleeps so anything you put out there on the Internet about your soccer tournament will get picked up and added to the index and library you’ve already created.
Your website is always getting traffic. Sure, during the tournament weekend it is going crazy with traffic to the scores, standings and DEALS but if your event needs 250 teams, that is only 250 or so visits within a forty to fifty week period your application is open. Why not keep the front door unlocked all year round if there is no downside?
Assign a small group of people to work on next year. This only needs to be 2-3 people. Their role is to watch what works or doesn’t work well for this year and be ready to turn over suggestions to the tournament committee immediately after the current year concludes. Often, the tournament committee is so exhausted after the weekend that — while they mean to get started on next year’s event quickly — they never get to it. Then, it is later in the year and panic ensues. A dedicated forward team doesn’t suffer that exhaustion.
Lastly, make a commitment early for next year. Get your sanctioning forms completed, lock down the venue and the dates, sign the hotel contracts, get yourself on the calendar and turn your web site over to next year. Make it real as soon as you can. It is an advantage.