For some events, hosting a captains meeting or check-in prior to your tournament starting isn’t a high priority or required, and yet for others it’s a necessity to making sure their event runs as smoothly as possible. In either case we wanted to share 5 tips for running a captains meeting or check-in to the benefit of your organization, teams and players!
Pick a Fun or Relevant Location
If you’re going host a captain’s meeting or check-in, making sure you find a good location is key. Ideally it would be somewhere relatively close to the sports venue you’ll utilize for convenience, while also providing some level of entertainment, food, beverage, etc so it’s not a complete chore to attend. For our events, we find our participants prefer a fun environment that enhances their experience, such as bowling, arcades, games and other activities.
Get it Sponsored
No matter how big or small you expect your captains meeting to be, getting some local bar, restaurant, bowling alley or other venue to sponsor it in some way in exchange for you guaranteeing a set number of people in attendance is usually the easiest sponsorship you can obtain. Whether it be gift cards or staff meals, comped meeting rooms or even cash, always try to negotiate some level of support for your organization hosting it at their location guaranteeing them business.
Invite your Sponsors and Vendors
Depending on the venue you choose and how many other sponsors and vendors that will be attending your event, giving them the opportunity to attend the captains meeting as well can be a big benefit. Especially with adult events where they may be in game-mode all weekend during the event, getting them in front of your sponsors in a more relaxed environment when their wallets are handy can give your sponsors and vendors more quality time with them and a better overall experience, while also enhancing the environment for your players and fans.
Make sure it’s Worth Attending
Nobody wants to have to go out of their way to attend a captains meeting and check-in if there’s no benefit in doing so. Make sure if you’re going to host it, you make it fun, engaging and worth their attendance if at all possible. We like to have door prizes and raffles, sponsor giveaways, food and drink and more to help give them a reason to want to hang around and also come back next year.
Answer Questions before they’re Asked
Utilize the captains meeting to answer any questions your players may have that will make the event experience better throughout the event, and address them before they have to ask. Examples would be providing printed event schedules, field maps, rosters and other important information that could be helpful for them to know before arriving. Pre-sell parking passes and tickets to enter to reduce the lines and waiting at your event, host FAQ sessions with the directors or officials and other means of getting ahead of questions they may have once the event begins.
Every event is different, and you may have other ideas about how to better utilize a captains meeting or check-in that others would love to know so feel free to share in the comments below!