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Advice Report Sport Canterbury Swim Series
Title: Advice Report Sport Canterbury Swim Series
Author: Liese Schram
Number graduation project: 1314-010
Year of publication: January 2014
Organisation: Sport Canterbury
University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam Bachelor Sport, Management & Business
Liese Schram
Title page
Title:
Author:
Liese Schram
Graduation project:
1314 – 010
Address details:
Sport Canterbury
Physical address
1 Brynley Street, Unit B, Hornby.
Christchurch 8043
New Zealand
Phone: (03) 373 5060
Website: www.sportcanterbury.org.nz
Postal address
PO Box 2606, Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam
Sport, Management & Ondernemen
Dokter Meurerlaan 8
1067 SM Amsterdam
Assistance:
University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam:
Name:
Martin Breedijk
Rem Pronk
Function:
Thesis Supervisor
Co-reader/Coach
E-mail address:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Sport Canterbury:
Name:
Chris Hutchinson
Function:
Commissioner
E-mail address:
[email protected]
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Acknowledgements
I have always had the dream to do an internship project abroad. This dream turned into
reality when I got in contact with Sport Canterbury, a sport organisation in New Zealand.
They offered a placement for a Dutch student and I decided to take this opportunity. A
number of e-mails and Skype conversations made it clear for both parties that I could join
the Sport Canterbury team during September 2013 – February 2014. In that period I have
worked on different projects and reports. This advice report is one of the outcomes. It has
been such a great experience doing my internship in this amazingly beautiful country, so far
from home. There has not been any day that I have not felt like going into the office.
During my internship I was part of the Sport Canterbury Swim Series Crew. It has been a
great opportunity and I have learnt a lot through helping organise this event and by doing the
research for my report.
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all those who provided me the opportunity
to complete this report. There are quite a few people that have given me their help and I
would like to thank them for all their time and effort. A special thanks and acknowledgement
goes to my graduation coach of the University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam, Martin
Breedijk. His contribution, suggestions, knowledge and feedback have really helped and
supported me. He has always answered my questions efficiently and given quick feedback
and responses within my report. With a 12 hour time difference it was a challenge to find the
best time to set up a Skype conversation, but we have managed this and it worked out very
well.
In addition, I would also like to thank Rem Pronk, who has been the co-reader of this report
and my coach for the last two years. He has always been an amazing help when I felt lost
and did not know what to do anymore. Rem was there to support me when we had
conversations about future plans and he always had an input and great ideas for possible
internships. This inspired me and made me feel wholly supported.
Furthermore, I would like to offer a special gratitude to Sport Canterbury’s General Manager,
Chris Hutchinson. Chris let me use this issue for my thesis, providing contributions and
suggestions that helped me work on this project. With Chris’ rich knowledge of university
reports he was a great help in coordinating and giving input for writing this report.
I would also like to express my special appreciation and thanks to Lucy Ryan and Janine
Gainsford. These two girls have given me the best support I needed when I was working on
the report. They have helped me check my English spelling and grammar, which has helped
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to improve my level of English writing. Words can not express how thankful I am and the way
they have encouraged and assisted me along the way.
I would also like to acknowledge the opportunity that Sport Canterbury has given me. I have
been very fortunate to be able to do my internship through this great organisation.
Everybody has always been really friendly and helpful which has made me feel welcomed
and supported for the time that I was part of the team.
Last but not least, many thanks go to my family who has been supporting me from the other
side of the world. They were always there when I needed advice or support. My sister Bauke
has been a great help to bring me back to the ‘Helicopter view’ in times when it was
necessary to take a step back. Also, my parents have given me a lot of support by telling me
on a number of occasions to stay focused and relaxed, this has helped me keep on track to
reach my goal.
The support and guidance received from all the people mentioned and those not, was vital
for the success of this project. I am so, so thankful for all these amazing people. They have
made it possible for me to work on this research project, write this report and finishing my
graduation project in the best way possible.
I hope you enjoy reading this report.
Kind regards,
Liese Schram
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Abstract
Thousands of organisations all over the world are running sporting events; one bigger than
the other and one better organised than the other. The organisation of events in the field of
sports involves many disciplines and a good coordination plan is necessary. Sport
Canterbury is one such organisation which organises a number of events throughout the
year - the Sport Canterbury Swim Series is one of these events. Three of their pillars in
terms of event organisation are Participation, Income and Awareness of trust involvement
applies to the Swim Series event.
The reason why this research project has been started is due to the fact that the Surf ‘n Turf
now known as the Swim Series was running at a financial loss. The trust is likely to carry on
with running this event, but something needs to be changed. The purpose of this research
project is to identify how Sport Canterbury can run the Swim Series more profitably, within
the wants and needs of the participants.
This study has made use of a literature review, an online survey, face to face interviews and
meetings with stakeholders.
An online survey was conducted and completed by participants of the Swim Series (N=66)
which gave an insight into their opinion about the event. Face to face interviews with the
participants (N=12) has also given more insight and in-depth information about their wants
and needs. The use of literature review and meetings with stakeholders has given input for
the research project and the outcomes of this report.
The most important findings of the research were that the majority of the participants felt
really satisfied with the overall running of the event, but they would like to see a lower entry
price. However, Sport Canterbury needs this entry price to cover the costs they make for the
running of the event.
Seeing the participant numbers growing will help to provide more income and lowering some
of the costs that are not really necessary can contribute to a more profitable event.
This report will provide advice on how to gain more participants for the Swim Series which
will create a larger amount of income. In addition to this, advice will be given to lower the
expenses of running the event.
Keywords: Swim events, triathlon, online communication, financial viability, participation, and
event planning.
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Table of Contents
Title page .............................................................................................................................. 1
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... 2
Abstract................................................................................................................................. 4
1.
Introduction .................................................................................................................... 7
2.
Background.................................................................................................................... 8
3.
4
5
2.1
About Sport Canterbury .......................................................................................... 8
2.2
Sport Canterbury Event Outcomes ......................................................................... 8
2.3
History of the Surf ‘n Turf events ............................................................................. 8
2.4
Sport Canterbury Swim Series ................................................................................ 9
Orientation ................................................................................................................... 12
3.1
Main question ....................................................................................................... 12
3.2
Sub questions ....................................................................................................... 12
3.3
Aims and objectives .............................................................................................. 13
3.4
Scope ................................................................................................................... 13
3.5
Definition of terms ................................................................................................. 13
3.6
Outline .................................................................................................................. 15
Literature review .......................................................................................................... 16
4.1
Events Management ............................................................................................. 16
4.2
Event planning – Venue selection ......................................................................... 19
4.3
Online communication .......................................................................................... 20
Methodology ................................................................................................................ 21
5.1
Literature survey ................................................................................................... 21
5.2
Data collection & Analysis ..................................................................................... 22
5.3
Procedure ............................................................................................................. 22
5.4
Materials ............................................................................................................... 23
6
Results ......................................................................................................................... 25
7
Discussion ................................................................................................................... 32
8
Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 41
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Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 45
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References ............................................................................................................... 46
Appendices ......................................................................................................................... 48
1.
List of Tables and Figures ........................................................................................ 48
List of Figures .............................................................................................................. 48
List of Tables ............................................................................................................... 48
2.
Online survey ........................................................................................................... 49
3.
Outcome online survey ............................................................................................. 51
4.
Overview other swim-related events ......................................................................... 55
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1. Introduction
Sport Canterbury has now completed the first six races of its Swim Series and it has been a
new experience and a learning curve for the team at Sport Canterbury. The series is being
held in Corsair Bay, every Wednesday night, with over 100 participants each evening. For
some reason the first series has been running at a financial loss, as such, this research will
monitor ways in which the event can be run to make a financial profit. This report looks at
participant’s feedback and the options to run the event at a lower cost. Advice will be given
to help the organisation run a financially viable and a more sustainable Swim Series event.
The first section of this report will give a more highlighted insight about Sport Canterbury and
the history of the Swim Series event. It explains the three most important pillars that are
relevant for the Swim Series (Participation, Income and Awareness of trust involvement) and
how the event is currently run. The main challenge of the Swim Series for Sport Canterbury
has been to make it financially sustainable by increasing participation numbers and reducing
operating costs. Research will be conducted throughout the series looking at a number of
factors including participant’s feedback, financial outcome and input from stakeholders. The
participants’ feedback is based on an online survey and face-to-face interviews. Sport
Canterbury needs to find a balance between the participants wants and needs and the
possibilities of running the event at the lowest costs possible.
Other outcomes and information regarding this research will be collected by literature
reviews and a breakdown of the current financial situation. The secondary data will show
how to organise well-planned events regarding the three phases of event planning (Confirm
project objectives; Evaluate financial viability; and Confirming the structure to the
stakeholders). It will explain how to select the best venue for an event and it will clarify how
online communication can assist in promoting an event.
Once all the required data is collected, advice will be given to help ensure the Sport
Canterbury Swim Series will be sustainable going forward.
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2. Background
This chapter contains a brief overview of Sport Canterbury as an organisation and the
history behind Sport Canterbury’s new Swim Series.
2.1
About Sport Canterbury
Sport Canterbury is a charitable trust with offices in Christchurch, Ashburton, Timaru,
Greymouth and Hokitika. Sport Canterbury creates opportunities for participation,
development and sporting success by developing partnerships in their local communities.
Sport Canterbury believes in the value that sport and physical activity provides to people of
all ages across the Canterbury region.
The team at Sport Canterbury has a depth of experience in leadership, education, health
and sport, to deliver funding assistance, resources, programmes and events that reach over
500,000 people each year.
Sport Canterbury has a small event team that delivers a number of participation events
throughout the region. The events team focuses on delivering participation events that align
with sport Canterbury’s mission statement of getting ‘more people, more active, more often’.
2.2
Sport Canterbury Event Outcomes
Sport Canterbury has six event outcomes that it measures against when looking to take on a
new event. The following are the six outcomes:
-
Participation
-
Income
-
Awareness of Trust involvement
-
Stakeholder relationship
-
Program promotion
-
Targeted schools/communities
The three main outcomes that were recognised as being the most appropriate when Sport
Canterbury was looking to take over the running of the Swim Series were Income,
Participation growth and Awareness of trust involvement.
2.3
History of the Surf ‘n Turf events
Dave and Claire Bennison started running the ‘Surf ‘n Turf-series’ in Corsair Bay 8 years
ago. Historically, the event included several options: swim-only, swim-run, run-only and
stand-up paddle. Each event included a short, medium and long course option. Over the
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years the event has grown popular among the experienced and competitive Canterbury
open-water swimmers. After eight years of running the event, Dave is now employed fulltime and no longer has the capacity to run the series. Dave offered Sport Canterbury the
opportunity to take over the delivery of the Surf ‘n Turf event, which they accepted.
2.4
Sport Canterbury Swim Series
Sport Canterbury took over the running of the Surf ‘n Turf series in September 2013 which
they renamed the ‘Sport Canterbury Swim Series’. Sport Canterbury has changed the event
to swim-only event and will host a six-race swim series on Wednesday evenings throughout
November – December 2013. If this series is successful a second series will be held postChristmas (January – February 2014).
Sport Canterbury took over the running of the event for two main reasons:
1. The event would have fallen over otherwise (Sport Canterbury believed that with
the right formula and environment they could grow participation levels by making
the Swim Series appeal to not only the high-level/competitive open-water
swimmers, but also those novice swimmers, with little or no open water
swimming experience);
2. To generate income.
Following the take-over of the Swim Series many aspects had to be reviewed and decisions
made. The Swim Series needed to be accessible for anybody wanting to take part in open
water swimming. Juniors, adults, males, females, experienced swimmers or those who have
never been swimming in open water before. To guarantee a safe and fun event for this wide
range of participants, there are three types of courses to swim: long, medium and short.
These distances will increase every week, so swimmers have the opportunity to challenge
themselves. The distances of the course in the November – December 2013 series were as
follow:
Table 1 - Course distances first Swim series
Event
13 November 2013
Short
300m
Medium
600m
Long
900m
20 November 2013
350m
700m
1050m
27 November 2013
400m
800m
1200m
4 December 2013
450m
900m
1350m
11 December 2013
500m
1000m
1500m
18 December 2013
550m
1100m
1650m
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The swimming course is a triangle, formed by three inflatable buoys in the water. The
direction of swimming is clockwise. Each week the buoys will be further out the bay to create
a longer distance. The short swimmers have one lap around the course, the medium course
two laps and the long course swimmers have three laps to swim. The three groups start in
waves with the long course swimmers starting first. With the start of the race the swimmers
first need to cross the timing line which is in ground in the sand and then they can take place
at the water line to wait for the starting signal. After the required number of laps the
swimmers run out of the water and cross the finish by running over another timing line
concealed in the sand.
See the pictures below for the Course and the Site map.
Car park
Car park
Figure 1 - Course map
Figure 2 - Site map
The venue of the event is ‘Corsair Bay’, in the area of Lyttelton. The beach is sheltered,
there are parking facilities, changing rooms and toilets. The area is not accessible for public
cars, but Sport Canterbury as an event operator is allowed to park the required cars on the
venue.
People can pre-register online to participate in the Swim Series. The pre-registration is open
till 10:00am on the day of the swim. However, if people still want to register after this time
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they can register at the venue, but this will cost an extra 5$.
Entry fee for participating in the Swim Series is as follow:
Pre-registration (on-line):
Adult - $ 20 per race
Junior (U18) - $ 15 per race
(Online registrations close at 10am the morning of the event).
On the day registrations:
Adult - $ 25 per race
Junior (U18) - $ 20 per race
Swim caps:
Participants of the Swim Series must wear a Sport Canterbury Swim Series-swim cap. The
swim caps are available at the pre-registration and on the day registration. A swim cap costs
5$. Entering three or more events gives the swimmer a free swim cap.
Sport Canterbury works together with two other organisations to run the Swim Series:
1. Active Timing
2. Surf Life Saving New Zealand
Active Timing is responsible for the timing of the swimmers. They arrange the timing chips
for the swimmers, the timing line in the sand and will give the accurate swimming time at the
end of every swim.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand is responsible for the safety of the event. They are operating
on the water with four qualified Surf Life Saving guards on a surf board and two qualified
Surf Life Saving guards in a motor boat. The lifeguards keep an eye on all the swimmers
during the event.
Besides that Surf Life Saving set the course out in the water. They use instruments to
measure the course and bring the buoys at the right place.
The Sport Canterbury Crew is responsible for all set up and registration tasks. The majority
of the work consists of setting up the registration area and the P.A. system, coordinating the
start and finish and being available for participant information. One person of the crew has
the responsibility of being the race director. The race director manages the race briefing as
well as the prize giving at the end of every swim.
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3. Orientation
Sport Canterbury Swim Series is currently running at a financial loss. If the event continues
in 2014 Sport Canterbury will need to make the event sustainable and financially viable. The
findings of this report and the recommendations gathered will be given to Sport Canterbury
and will be used to make improvements to the sustainability of the Swim Series going
forward.
3.1
Main question
The following primary research question is formulated to support this goal in achievement:
“What does the Sport Canterbury Swim Series need to do to become sustainable and
financially viable (beyond the two years of earthquake recovery funding) for the upcoming
series within the wants and needs of the participants1?”
3.2
Sub questions
When completing the research, the following questions are considered:
-
-
Promotion

Where are our targeted markets;

What are the most appropriate marketing channels to reach participants?
Planning

-
-
When is the best time of the year to run the Swim Series?
Participants

What is the main reason for participation?

What is the feedback from participants regarding the first series?

What do the participants want to see from the event going forward?
Financially viable

What are the event set up costs?

What are the day to day running costs of the event?

What participation numbers are required to break even financially for this 2013-2014
series?

Going forward, if the earthquake recovery funding is no longer available what
participation numbers would be required to break even for the 2014-2015 series?
1
See chapter 3.5 ‘Definition of terms’ for the meaning of ‘sustainable’, ‘financially viable’ and ‘Earthquake
recovery funding’.
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The purpose of this research is to provide recommendations to Sport Canterbury on how to
run a sustainable event that is financially viable while maintaining the wants and needs of
participants. At this stage, the event is running at a financial loss and there is limited
feedback from participants. Based on the outcome of the online survey, face to face
interviews and financial analysis, recommendations will be given on how to create a more
sustainable event going forward.
3.3
Aims and objectives
Aims
The aim is to develop an advice report based on research and high-level evaluation.
Sport Canterbury will use this advice report to improve the Swim Series in the future.
Improving in this case means creating an event that is sustainable and financially viable.
Objectives
This research will:

Identify how the event can grow in the future;

Evaluate people’s experience of the event (participants and residents);

Give insight into the numbers, financial facts, community impact;

Identify the value of the event to Sport Canterbury (financial, participation and brand
promotion outcomes);

Review the first series (pre-Christmas) and offer recommendations that can be in place
to implemented in the second series (post-Christmas) and eventually for the 2014-2015
series;

Identify the financial cost of the day to day running of the event to Sport Canterbury.
3.4
Scope
All research will be thorough and will be completed by the time the dissertation is finished.
People who are involved in this research are participants of the Swim Series, residents,
visitors of Corsair Bay and Stakeholders. These groups of people consist of males, females,
adults and juniors. The area of research contains of targeted sports and communities in the
area of Corsair Bay in Lyttelton, New Zealand. The research was started in November 2013
and will be finished in February 2014.
3.5
Definition of terms
Some words in this report will be used more often than others therefore a more detailed
description has been given. See the following words below:
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Event
An opportunity for leisure, a social or cultural experience outside the normal range of choices
beyond everyday experiences (Van der Wagen & White, 2010)
Participants
People who are participating in at least one of the series of the Sport Canterbury Swim
Series.
Swim Series
This is used as an abbreviation for the ‘Sport Canterbury Swim Series’. The meaning and
understanding are the same.
Open water swimming
Open water swimming is defined as any swimming that takes place in rivers, lakes, oceans
or water channels. Open water swimming competitions normally occur in bodies of water
such as an ocean, a lake or river, although human-made quarries, rowing courses,
reservoirs and the like can also be used (Swimming New Zealand, 2010).
Sustainability
Defined by the Oxford Dictionaries (2013) as able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.
For this report the measurable level will be finance or participation.
Second series / Short term
January – February 2014
Following series / Long term
November 2014 – February 2015
Financially viable
The capability to generate a sufficient amount of income to meet its financial obligations and
operating expenses and to provide the potential for future growth (Business building blocks,
n.d.). In the context of this report it means operating the Swim Series at break even or better.
Earthquake Recovery Funding Definition:
Following the Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, members of the public gave
charitable donations to help the recovery process. This money was managed by the
Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust (CEAT). CEAT has gifted money to Sport Canterbury
to help provide sporting events that were lost or threatened by the earthquakes. Some of this
money has been used to support the Sport Canterbury Swim Series. It is unlikely that any
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further money will be released by CEAT for this purpose beyond 2014 (New Zealand Small
Business Assistance Centre, 2014; Hutchinson, 2014).
Active Timing
The Sport Canterbury Swim Series uses Active Timing who provides electronic timing
systems to time sports events both in New Zealand and internationally. Active Timing uses
the MyLaps ProChip System which is one of the most advanced and accurate chip timing
systems in the world perfect for multisplit events (Active Timing Services Ltd, 2013).
3.6
Outline
This paper starts with a brief overview that summarises what this thesis is about.
The second chapter, ‘Background’, describes what Sport Canterbury does as an
organisation and how the event team operates within it. In addition to this, it explains the
background of the Surf ‘n Turf events and how it has changed into the ‘Sport Canterbury
Swim Series’.
Chapter 3 defines the orientation of this paper. The main question as well as aims and
objectives are discussed. Also, a list with definition of terms is found in this chapter.
The fourth section contains the Literature review for this research project. Secondary
literature about event management, planning, venue selection and online communication is
summarised. It gives the reader an idea of the information used to support the project and
the outcome of the research.
How the research has been conducted for this project and the methodology is discussed in
chapter 5. This chapter describes methods of data collection, procedures occurred and
material used.
In the Results, the outcomes of the online survey and the face-to-face interviews are
discussed. It includes charts and graphs that present the outcomes giving a better
understanding of the results.
The Discussion gives an overview of all the aspects of this report; it integrates the literature
review and the results as well as discusses the opportunities and threats of the event.
As a follow up of the discussions, chapter 8 describes the recommendations for the Swim
Series. It offers ways in which Sport Canterbury can improve the event in the future and how
to get the event to become more financially viable.
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4 Literature review
This chapter includes secondary data as literature which may be applicable to the Swim
Series. Secondary data will be reviewed initially through using a range of information
sources such as articles and books about event management and strategic management of
events as well as information on the internet.
As Sport Canterbury wants to organise the Swim Series so that it is accessible and
enjoyable for all levels of swimmers in order to encourage a positive and profitable financial
outcome, the sources will be about event participation and creating accessibility for a wide
range of participants.
This literature will be used to write the final advice report for the Swim Series.
4.1
Events Management
In the book ‘Events Management’ by Lynn van der Wagen and Lauren White (2010) a large
amount of information can be found about organising a sustainable event. One of their first
sentences in the book reads: “Running a sustainable event is just one of the many
considerations for an event manager. Events can have positive as well negative social
impacts and, increasingly, governments want to attract events to their states, territories and
regions due to the economic impacts associated with increased tourism”.
They also write about the significant risk to the safety of participants and of course the
financial risks, which are a present concern of the event manager.
Van der Wagen and White (2010) say that successful event management involves many
people who are all undertaking different tasks in a coordinated approach. The key elements
that define the success of an event are clear illustrations, planning and organisation. Most of
the time the local council will be the first point of contact. The local council has the
restrictions on the impact of events, for example the impact of noise. However, before going
to the local council, it is necessary to develop and write the event concept and the project
plan.
The Events Management book explains the phases of event planning. These are stated as
the following:
1. Phase 1 requires the organiser to confirm the project objectives and scope in
deliberation with proper stakeholders;
2. Phase 2 evaluate the financial viability of the project by analysing the key factors in
order to determine and develop a resource strategy for the project;
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3. Phase 3 is to confirm the administrative structure for the project management tools to
communicate the plan to the stakeholders.
Concerning the first phase, stakeholders may include internal and external customers,
funding bodies, organising committees and other government authorities. The input of
stakeholders is considerate at every stage of project management and they are required to
‘sign off’ at critical stages. As a sponsor can sign off on the use of their logo on the event
poster and a complete new print run needs to happen it is very important to have a clear
idea of what the stakeholders’ want. One of the main keys is to have the objectives of the
event clear enough so no misunderstandings can happen.
Looking at limitations of events within time, scope and costs there are several models and
guidelines to control these factors. Time is allocated strictly for which the ‘Gent Chart’ is an
example as a useful tool to manage time and create a structured plan. Scope refers to the
restrictions of the event. The explanation of costs is written in phase 2.
The second phase shows that financial management is necessary to ensure financial
viability, which is the key to the success and durability of an event. The event organiser has
to estimate an amount of income that needs to be created in order to meet expenses to work
out the break-even point. These expenses contain both fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs
do not differ if the size of the event audience increases. In contrast to fixed costs, variable
costs do differ if the size of the audience changes. Once the total income is the same as the
total outcome (fixed and variable), break-even point has been reached. Above this point, the
event is profitable. The organiser would be using the budget to determine how many
participants are needed to break even. All sources of income must be clarified when making
a decision on participating prices. The higher the level of other income, the lower the price to
participate needs to be. The decision of the participation price also needs to reflect the
expected number of participants, the potential for different pricing levels, the price the
participants are willing to pay, the opportunity for discounted prices and many other factors.
Ticket sales on the day of an event can be hard or difficult in terms of service if not managed
properly as this will cause long lines.
Post-event, a report needs to be constructed, showing the confirmed income and the
expenses against the budget.
The third and last phase explains the confirming of the administrative structure for the
project. The development of an integrated project management plan makes use of
appropriate project management tools to communicate the programme to relevant
colleagues. It is essential to create a proper administrative structure owing the fact this could
be a steering committee or an advisory group.
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Maps and models are useful tools for presenting material and information to everybody who
needs to know the details of this information. This can be clients, staff members and
stakeholders. An example for a useful model is the ‘Gantt Chart’ (Van der Wagen & White,
2010). A Gantt chart is generally used in the lead-up to an event, to illustrate a project
schedule. This type of bar chart is developed by Charles Gantt in 1917. It focuses on the
sequence of tasks necessary for completion of a project. The chart consists of a horizontal
axis (X axis) and a vertical axis (Y axis). The horizontal axis is the time scale over which the
project will span. Accordingly, each task bar shows with its lengths the duration of the task or
the time necessary for completion. Arrows can be used to connect the independent bars to
reflect the relationships between these tasks. The relationship is usually co-dependent, so
that one task cannot begin until another is completed. One of the benefits of using this type
of chart is that you can clearly see the interdependence of the tasks.
The following figure gives an example of a high-level planning chart for an event:
Figure 3 - Example Gantt chart for event planning
In Joe Goldblatt’s book ‘Special Events’ he explains that there are five W’s to produce
consistently and effective events. The five W’s are as follow:
1. Why – “Why do we need to hold this event?” It is essential to not only have one but
more convincing reasons why it is important and viable to organising the event.
2. Who – “Who will be the stakeholders for this event?” Conducting liable research will
help to determine the level of commitment to each of the stakeholders. This helps to
define who the event is being produced for.
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3. When – “When will the event be held?” Is the timeframe appropriate for the size of
the event? If it is not, the plans need to be rethought and this might result in a change
of the dates.
4. Where – “Where will the event be held?” Once the location for the event is selected,
the work can become easier or more challenging. For that reason this decision must
be made as early as possible in the planning, as it might effect many other decisions.
5. What – “What is the event product?” The event product (‘what’) needs to be matching
with the needs, wants, desires and expectations of the guests/participants. It is
important to analyse ‘what’ carefully and critically so the ‘why’, ‘who’, ‘when’ and
‘where’ are synergized in this answer.
When these questions have been answered, it is necessary to turn the considerations to
how the organisation can operate and produce maximum benefit for the stakeholders.
4.2
Event planning – Venue selection
It is really important to have a good base as a location for your event. When basic facilities
are missing or essential things are not correct at the chosen location, you can find struggles
with running the event. For this reason it is required to do research to find the best venue
from the many opportunities that are available. Most important is to have all the practical
needs of the event at the chosen venue.
Laurence Carter (2007) says that there are four key site factors to consider when
researching locations:
1. Locations of the facilities
Especially important in relation to have access to the event;
2. Cost of the facilities
If the costs of renting the location and the facilities will fit in the budget;
3. Size of the venue being rented
Whether the size of the venue is adequate for the type of activity that is being
planned for the facility;
4. Facilities available on site
The access and availability of adequate facilities for the event, such as parking and
toilet facilities.
Clearly the venue must be available for the day the event is planned.
Once the options for venues are investigated, you need to develop a list of possible
locations, try to find out as much as possible about each venue and eliminate places that do
not meet the set criteria. For example they are too expensive, too large or too small or
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already booked. After you have done all the steps before, narrow your choices down to two
or three options.
As written in Warwick Frost and Jennifer Laing’s book ‘Strategic Management of Festival
and Events’, they say that other influences to think carefully about are whether the event is
apparently to disturb the host community, which may have an effect on social sustainability
of the event (Frost & Laing, 2011).
4.3 Online communication
One of the most key things you can do to make sure you are successful on Facebook is to
know who your costumers are and the kind of posts that will engage and interest them
(Facebook, 2014). You have the opportunity to check your page insights to see the analytics
behind your page and who is connected to you. Try out different posts and see how it effect
how people respond.
Adding the address of your location also makes it possible for visitors to check in when they
are at the location. When checking in, they are telling their Facebook friends that they are
visiting you. This makes the location more popular and shows more people online that your
location is been using by visitors.
People can ‘like’ your Facebook page, which means that they are interested in your service.
It allows the organisation to publish posts on their timeline. Visual posts such as videos and
photos attracts more attention in the newsfeed and be inclined to get more people engaged
in the post.
To have interaction with your ‘likers’, you need to find a way to get engaged with them. Good
engagement is nothing more than good communication (Haydon, 2013). You want to
motivate your customers to talk about your services – word of mouth marketing. Two main
reasons to interact people with your page:
-
Building a relationship with your customers through dialogue and discussion;
-
The generated activity started on your page (as a results of the dialogue/discussion)
creates more interaction and stories in your ‘likers’ Newsfeed. This results in
awareness for your services.
More likes can also be created in a more creative way, by holding ‘Like & share-actions’.
Your ‘likers’ can win something by liking or sharing selected posts. This gives the Facebook
page more attention and more people will see the page in their News feed.
Also ‘tagging’ is a way to create more awareness in the Facebook news page. You can tag
people in pictures or in the status updates. Furthermore, people can ‘check in’ at a specific
location or an event to show their Facebook friends/followers that they are at that location.
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5 Methodology
This chapter explains what research methods have been used to collect the information for
this report. It describes how participants’ feedback is received and also the way of using the
literature survey outcome. It will help other researchers and the reader of this report to
understand and copy the methods from these descriptions.
This research comprehends on one-on-one interviews with participants and residents, an
online survey for all the participations of the Swim Series and information taken out of
literature. Furthermore, analysing the financial details will be part of the research as well.
Though the research question is previously indicated in chapter 2, it will be given here again:
“What does the Sport Canterbury Swim Series need to do to become sustainable and
financially viable (beyond the two years of earthquake recovery funding) for the upcoming
series within the wants and needs of the participants?”
The main purpose of this report is to give Sport Canterbury an advice of running the
upcoming events more sustainable and financially viable.
5.1
Literature survey
Chapter 4 shows the literature review for this research. The majority of the literature is
coming from different types of event management books. Many articles and books have
been red by the researcher. Only essential and useful information is taken out of the
literature and is used to write the advice report. Keywords were used to find this information
in online books as well as topics in the handbooks.
An overview of the keywords:
-
Sustainable events
-
Event management, running events
-
Financial, financial information, budgets, budget control
-
Venues
-
Sport events
-
Reason for participation in sport events
-
Open water swimming
-
Triathlons
-
Practice, preparing, training
-
Online
-
Social Media
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In addition to this, research has been done to research outcomes of other sporting events.
Unfortunately there were not that many interesting outcomes of other researches found
within this type of events. This is the reason why not much outcome of other researches
could have been used for this report.
5.2
Data collection & Analysis
To understand the wants and needs of the Swim Series-participants an online survey was
conducted to gather primary source data. The survey collects qualitative data on the range
of the experiences and feedback from the participants.
The data collection and analysis is accomplished by using analysis tool ‘Survey Monkey’.
Survey Monkey (2014) is an online survey programme what participants can use to answer
questions over the internet. An online survey makes it possible to ask a large amount of
people all the same questions to gain a deeper understanding of their opinions. In contrast
to face-to-face interviews, online surveys offer a way to sample more people in a shorter
time. Also the fact that this website is free is one of the reasons to use this online service
and besides that it also has the option to analyse the incoming results. See appendix ‘Online
survey’ for the survey.
An overview of the financial data with all the applicable sources of income and amounts of
costs is created with the use of Microsoft Excel. The data is gathered by a weekly tally of all
the financial details. This overview is useful to see the amount of income (for example from
entry fees, earthquake recovery funding) and costs of running the event (for example the use
of Active Timing-chips, printing, spot prizes and marketing material). Financial overviews are
shown in section ‘Results’ and ‘Discussion’.
5.3
Procedure
Part of this study utilised the online survey as told in the paragraph before. The online survey
is completed by participants of the Sport Canterbury Swim Series (N=66) and a face-to-face
interview is undertaken by other participants (N=12). The online version of the survey is
analysed by the software of Survey Monkey.
A digital newsletter was initially sent to 172 people who have registered for at least one of
the series as at 12th December 2013. This newsletter contains the link for the online survey.
The face-to-face interviews have been conducted during the Swim Series on Wednesday
evenings, before and after the series on that evening.
The language of both the online survey and the interviews is English.
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Of the 172 who received the e-mail, 115 opened the e-mail and clicked on the link. 69
people out of this 115 have started the survey but only 66 have completed the online survey
in total. 3 were only partially complete and therefore not usable for this research. The 66
completed surveys represent a response rate of 38.4 % out of all the link-receivers.
Both the online survey and the face-to-face interview was first developed by the researcher
then checked by the organiser of the Sport Canterbury Swim Series and the General
Manager of Sport Canterbury. The researcher tried to find the right time every Wednesday
evening of the event to talk to the participants and ask them the interview questions. A
positive aspect of this was that participants could give their reaction and feedback naturally
and biased as they were completely in the atmosphere of the event.
The researcher also went to meetings with the Swim Series’ stakeholders to get to know
more about their ideas, ways of thinking and their point of view concerning the Swim Series.
These outcomes are used to give Sport Canterbury a notion of the stakeholders input.
All of this has taken place during the period of October 2013 – January 2014.
5.4
Materials
Participants registered for at least one of the series have received the online survey that
includes the following aspects:
-
A five-point Likert Scale, “A scale used to represent people’s attitudes to a topic”
(Oxford University Press, 2013).
This Likert Scale is used in 2 questions, to rate 6 aspects in total (see Figure 4 - Likert
scale (5 points)):
-
o
1 = Very dissatisfied
o
2 = Dissatisfied
o
3 = Neutral
o
4 = Satisfied
o
5 = Very satisfied
A three-point Likert Scale to rate how likely participants are to attend the event in the
future (see Figure 5 - Likert scale (3 points)):
-
o
1 = Not likely
o
2 = Somewhat likely
o
3 = Very likely
Open text boxes to allow extra comments on the questions and for participants to
describe their suggestions or comments for upcoming series;
-
Questions with only ‘yes’ or ‘no’ options;
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The online Survey Monkey website has been used to analyse the results outcome of the
online survey. Microsoft Excel has been used to create an overview of the financial costs
and income and the participants numbers. The use of internet was for searching information
about event management. The key words used for this research are to be found in
paragraph 5.1. In order to write this report Microsoft Word has been made use of. The use of
event management books and all other hardcopy literature was for completing the literature
review.
Very dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Very satisfied
Figure 4 - Likert scale (5 points)
Not likely
Somewhat likely
Really likely
Figure 5 - Likert scale (3 points)
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6 Results
In this chapter the results of the data analysis are presented. The data were collected and
then analysed in order to run the Swim Series more financial viable and make it a
sustainable event. The findings in this chapter mainly present the results of face-to-face
interviews and the outcome of the online survey.
Data was collected from 78 respondents (48% male, 52% female). 12 of them answered
questions in a face-to-face survey and 66 have completed the online survey. The majority of
the respondents are categorised in the adults’ age group (19-50 years).
In terms of prior open water swimming experience, 17.7% of the respondents had no open
water swimming experience before participating in the Sport Canterbury Swim Series. The
majority of respondents had entered the Surf ‘n Turf event before (58.8%) while 41.2% had
not ever participated in the Surf ‘n Turf event. At the time of doing the survey in week 4 of
the series, 27.9% had participated in all of the four races. Comments of the respondents
about participation were: “will be 6 at the end”, “I have entered for series”, “unfortunately
missed one for illness” and “hopefully I can do all of them”.
Level of satisfaction
The respondents’ levels of satisfaction for different aspects were rated by 1 out of 5, where 1
scored as ‘Very dissatisfied’ and 5 as ‘Very satisfied’. (See paragraph 5.4 ‘Materials’ for
more details about the ratings).
The following chart shows the average score of participants’ level of satisfaction within the
five different aspects of the event (See appendix 3 ’Outcome online survey‘ for the exact
percentages):
Figure 6 - Overall score level of satisfaction with different aspects of the event
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The participants are most satisfied with the “Choice of venue/Bay” and least satisfied with
the “Entry price”.
In terms of ‘Overall level of satisfaction’ with the Sport Canterbury Swim Series, 59.1% of the
respondents answered to be ‘Very satisfied’ and 37.9% said to be ‘Satisfied’ with the event.
Only 3.0% gave the answer to be ‘Neutral’ with the overall level of satisfaction. Nobody said
to be ‘Very dissatisfied’ or ‘Dissatisfied’.
Overall level of satisfaction
Very satsfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Very dissatsfied
0
10
20
30
40
50
Figure 7 - Overall level of satisfaction with the Sport Canterbury Swim Series
Entry price
The review of the face-to-face interviews regarding to the entry fee revealed a majority in the
next two answers:
-
“I would prefer the discount rather than a towel or free merchandise”.
-
“I would like to have a towel, but the next event I would prefer to have something
else”.
7 of the 12 interviewed participants’ suggest having a discount, rather than a free towel or
merchandise. 5 of the 12 interviewed participants’ would like to have a free towel or a
different type of merchandise.
Venue
Owing the fact that 77.3% of the participants are very satisfied with the choice of the
venue/bay (see paragraph 6.1 ‘Participants feedback’). The following arguments were given
in the face-to-face interviews about the venue:
-
“The location is perfect. The bay is sheltered and I really like the atmosphere”;
-
“I think the location is very good. It suits the situation”;
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“I like the sheltered bay. It is a really good location to get confident with swimming in
the open water”;
-
“Perfect, it is nice and sheltered”;
-
“I really like it. It is accessible to all level of swimmers”.
Swimming course
Besides the fact 63.64% of the participants were ‘very satisfied’ with the swim course, there
were various comments regarding the swim course. Particularly the long course swimmers
mentioned they prefer to see the course longer in distance. Their opinion is in contrast with
the short course swimmers, who prefer to keep the course the same and not make it any
longer.
Other participants’ comments as given in the face-to-face interviews:
-
“I would say, to the course the other way around. The sun is going down into the side
we are looking at, so it is hard to look forward for the next buoy when the sun is
shining bright”;
-
“I would prefer to swim the other way around. I used to swim anti-clockwise and this
course is clockwise”;
-
“Maybe a longer start line would be a good idea. It was very crowded”;
-
“I think the course is really good. I like the last run to the finish line”;
-
“It is really challenging for me that the course is getting longer every week. It is
perfect”.
Numbers of participation
The following chart shows an overview of the total swimmers over the first six races:
Table 2 - Number of participants
Race number
Number of participants
Race 1
115
Race 2
125
Race 3
117
Race 4
134
Race 5
146
Race 6
145
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Over 400 unique swimmers have participated in the first series with an average of 130
swimmers each race. 25% of the participants have entered the series (6 races in total).
There was an average of participation in 3-4 races each.
The following chart shows three different numbers:
-
Number of on the day registrations;
-
Number of pre-registrations (online);
-
Total number of participants (see ‘Table 2 - Number of participants’ for an overview
of the actual numbers).
The following chart shows how many swimmers have participated over the first Swim Series
and how participants registered for the swims.
Participation and registration numbers
Number of participants
160
140
120
100
80
Total participants
60
Pre-registration
40
On the day registration
20
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Race number
Figure 8 - Overview different numbers participants and registrations
The number of ‘on the day registration’ has almost doubled with 23 on the day registrations
at the first swim and 40 at the last swim. The number of ‘pre-registrations’ started with a
growing number for the first three races, but after that this number has decreased and ‘on
the day’ numbers has increased.
Promotion/Marketing
In terms of using online communication channels, the participants are using the following to
find information about the event:
-
Sport Canterbury Swim Series Facebook page: 46.38%
-
Sport Canterbury Swim Series website: 60.87%
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66 people have answered this question where 5 of them said to use both of the
communication channels to find information about the event.
The online registration included the question ‘how do you know about the event?’ Multiple
answers were possible:
-
Flyer
-
Mailing list
-
Previous events
-
Website
-
Word of mouth
The analyses of the above question give the following percentages:
"How do you know about the event?"
3%
20%
Flyer
7%
Mailing list
Previous events
13%
Website
57%
Word of mouth
Figure 9 – Percentage: 'How do you know about the event?’
Reason for participation
One of the online-survey questions is “What is your reason for participating in the Sport
Canterbury Swim Series?” The people were given the opportunity to answer this question by
writing down the reason in an open textbox. The outcomes gave many different reasons for
participating, though many of them showed similar answers. A selection was made to
indicate the top four of these answers, as written in the list below:

Fun, training & experience
52.18 %

Triathlon training
30.43 %

Fitness training
11.59 %

Surf life saving training
5.8 %
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For the exact comments people have given regarding their reason for participation, see
Appendix 3 ’Outcome online survey’.
The outcome of the online survey shows two big groups: ‘Fun, training & experience’ and
‘Triathlon training’. Both are about trainings, where 30.43% of them are using the Sport
Canterbury Swim Series specific for triathlon training. The triathlons that people are training
for include:

Challenge Wanaka

Roturoa Half Ironman

Le Grand Swim, Akaroa

‘Other Ironmans’
People in the ‘Fun, training & experience’ could be using the Swim Series for triathlon
training as well, but they have not mentioned this specifically.
Other swim-related events
The first Sport Canterbury Swim Series were held in November 2013 what is at the
beginning of the summer season. Most of the other swim-related events in this region are
organised after the Christmas period. See appendix Overview other swim-related events for
an overview of the swim-related events in New Zealand in the period November 2013 – April
2014 (Triathlon New Zealand Inc., n.d.), (Totally Try, 2014), (Quantum Events, 2013)
Financial overview
The following charts give the financial overview of the income and expenses from the first
Swim Series (November – December 2013):
The expenses are made up of ‘set up costs’ and ‘series costs’. The ‘set up costs’ will be a
one-off cost to Sport Canterbury where as the ‘series costs’ will be an expense from series
to series.
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Table 3 - Income series one
Income
Earthquake Recovery Funding
2,500.00
Total participants income
$ 13,564.87
Swim caps & Towel sales
$ 425.48
Total income series one
$16,490.35
Table 4 - Set up costs series one
Set up costs
Promotional costs
$ 4,725.00
Swim caps
$ 1,425.00
Towels
$ 2,608.70
Total expenses
$ 8,758.70
Table 5 - Series costs series one
Series costs
Active timing
$ 4,200.00
Surf Life Saving
$ 3,000.00
Sport Canterbury Crew
$ 525.00
Vehicle running costs
$ 100.00
Spot prizes
$ 140.00
Sport drink + cups
$350.00
Total expenses
$ 8,315.00
Table 6 - Total Profit/Loss series one
Total Profit/Loss
Incomes - Expenses
$ - 583.35
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7 Discussion
This chapter gives an extensive explanation of what the results of the research show and
how the literature reviewed can be applied. It also combines personal interpretations and
judgements.
As revealed in the literature review, Goldblatt (2002) outlines that to produce consistently
effective events, ‘5W’s” should be applied to every event decision. Regarding the Swim
Series event, application of the ‘5W’s are explained below:
1.
Why do we need to hold this event? Sport Canterbury must design and implement
events in accordance to their six pillars. These are “Participation, Income, Awareness of trust
involvement, Stakeholder relationship, Program promotion and Targeted
schools/communities”. The Swim Series’ idea was to primarily focus on the first three pillars.
Participation
Sport Canterbury aims to organise as many events as possible to increase participation and
to involve more people in sporting activities to get them active. The outcome of the online
survey shows that 57% of the participants heard through ‘previous events’ followed by 20%
‘word of mouth’. The remaining consists of 7% e-mails and 3% flyers. Through higher
promotion of activities at other events and increased word of mouth, the series would
possibly become more recognised by new participants.
The fact that almost half of the participants use Facebook to find information about the event
and more than half use the Sport Canterbury website, should be a reason for Sport
Canterbury to use more online communication. Two days before the event a weather
forecast is posted online announcing the following swim, with the results and photos posted
online the following day.
Income
Income sources are an important pillar for the trust as well. When events are run at a
financial loss, the organisation needs to discuss if it is worth carrying on with planning and
running the event.
Currently the Swim Series is running at a financial loss. One of the biggest set up costs was
the towels but this cost can be written off across numerous series if the event continues. In
the budget this cost has been spread over series one, two and the 2014 – 2015 series.
The biggest day to day running costs for the event are ActiveTiming and Surf Life Saving.
Another significant cost for the trust has been the promotional material required to market
the event. Going forward, this cost will decrease slightly as the templates have now been
developed and it will simply be a mean of updating the content. Sport Canterbury has looked
into the idea of removing the costly timing chips from the event. But after looking at the
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participants’ feedback you can tell they really appreciate the use of the timing chips. The
participants believe that the timing chips help them to swim faster which allows them the
opportunity to try and beat their time from the previous week. The other challenge with
removing the chips is the role they play in the Surf Life Saving safety-guarantee. All
swimmers are required to wear a timing chip during their swim. The timing chips are
collected as the participant crosses the finish line. If one or more is missing, Surf Life Saving
knows that not all swimmers are out of the water.
There has been some discussion of a sign-out/sign-in system to help solve the safetyguarantee. Swimmers entering the water would need to sign out and when they have
finished the race they would need to sign in again. It will be hard to track swimmers that
forget to sign in once they return from the water, another issue with this option is that it is
time consuming and labour intensive.
Talking to ActiveTiming about the financial burden of the chips has positively resulted in a
new deal with Sport Canterbury to offer them at a lower cost for the event. Originally, the
ActiveTiming price for one series was $ 4,200.00. However, including the second series
resulted in a new reduced overall price of $ 6,000.00. In the new financial overview this cost
will be seen as $ 3,000.00 for each series.
It was not possible for Surf Life Saving to reduce their costs.
It is clear that a larger income generated by the Swim Series event would help to offset the
financial problems explained above. This increased income could be gained by gathering
more event sponsorship and/or a resulting increase in participation numbers. Sport
Canterbury expects a bigger amount of participants in the January – February 2014 series
because the water will be warmer and the similar Surf ‘n Turf event which had pre and post
Christmas races also had more participants after Christmas then before.
The following chart shows the expected financials for the second series. The total income is
based on the amount required to achieve a break even budget. The financial loss from
series one has been written into the budget as an expense for series two. The calculation
required to find the break even amount of participants is given in ‘Table 9 - Financial
calculations second series’.
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Table 7 - Expected income second series
Income
Earthquake Recovery Funding
$ 2,500.00
Total participants income
$ 8,973.24
Total income series one
$11,473.24
Table 8 - Expected expenses second series
Expenses
Promotional costs
$ 3,725.00
Active timing
$ 3,000.00
Surf Life Saving
$ 3,000.00
$ 525.00
$ 100.00
Swim caps
$ 0.00
Towels
$ 0.00
Spot prizes
$ 140.00
Sport drink + cups
$ 350.00
(First series deficit)
Total expenses
($ 583.35)
$ 11,423.35
As discussed above, there are no costs in the second series for Swim caps and Towels
because this merchandise can be used for series two. The Promotional costs are slightly
less for the reason that the templates have now been developed and it only needs to be
updated for this second series.
The amount of participants’ income is based on the calculation of a break even budget
(Table 9 - Financial calculations second series).
Note: This number of participants is based on ‘Adults, online registered’ with the entry fee of
$ 17.39 (excl. GST). The amount of $ 17.39 is chosen as this is the entry fee that is paid by
the biggest proportion of entering participants as well sitting in the middle of the differing
entry fee costs for different groups (e.g. ‘Juniors’ pay $ 13.04, ‘On the day’ pay $21.25).
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Table 9 - Financial calculations second series
Description
Total income
Total expenses
Difference (=required amount of income to break even)
Calculation: price 1 participant for 6 series
Calculation: how many participants required for break even
Amount
$ 2,500.00
$ 11,423.35
$ 8,923.35
$ 17.39 * 6 = $ 104.34
$ 8,923.35 / $ 104.34
Required number of participants 86*
*rounded number
The calculation indicates that 86 participants are required to break even in the second
series. This required number includes the loss from the first series.
The following chart shows the expected financial costs for the 2014 – 2015 series. The
expected costs are based on the expenses of the first series:
Table 10 - Expected Set up costs 2014 - 2015 series
Set up costs
Promotional costs
$ 3,725.00
Swim caps
$ 1,425.00
Towels
$ 2,608.70
Total expenses
$ 7,758.70
Table 11 - Expected Series costs 2014 - 2015 series
Series costs
Active timing
$ 3,000.00
Surf Life Saving
$ 3,000.00
$ 525.00
$ 100.00
Spot prizes
$ 140.00
Sport drink + cups
$ 350.00
Total expenses
$ 7,115.00
Table 12 - Expected Total expenses 2014 - 2015 series
Total expenses
Set-up costs + Series costs
$ 14,873.70
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The financial overview assumes that ActiveTiming and Surf Life Saving will continue with
unchanged cost for the following Swim Series.
A new order for swim caps and towels needs to be made if the first order has ran out. This is
based on an expectation.
The income of the Earthquake Recovery Funding will not be included for the 2014 – 2015
series that means the total amount of income will consist of the participants’ entry fee and a
small amount from the swimming caps and towel sales.
The following calculation will give an insight into the participants required number to break
even for 2014 – 2015 series. This calculation is also based on the largest group of entries in
the first series; ‘Adult, online registration’ with the entry fee of $ 17.39 (excl. GST).
Table 13 - Financial calculation 2014 - 2015 series
Description
Amount
Total income
$ 0.00
Total expenses
$ 14,873.70
Difference (=required amount of income to break even) $ 14,873.70
Calculation: price 1 participant for 6 series
$ 17.39 * 6 = $ 104.34
Calculation: how many participants required for break even
$ 14,873.70 / $ 104.34
Required number of participants 143*
*Rounded number
This calculation shows that the Swim Series requires an average of 143 participants for each
swim in the 2014 – 2015 series to run the event break-even. However, this number of
participants is based on ‘Adults, online registered’. ‘Juniors’ and ‘on the day registrations’ will
be expected in the follow-up series as well.
The ‘Promotional costs’ is the biggest amount of expenses. These expected costs consist of
the following:
Table 14 - Expected Promotional costs 2014 - 2015 series
Promotional costs
Designing, posters, logo
$ 515.00
Print material
$ 310.00
Corflutes
$ 500.00
Radio
Facebook marketing
Total
$ 2,000.00
$ 400.00
$ 3,725.00
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The use of radio promotion is a large cost that can easily be reduced. The majority of the
participants have heard about the Swim Series through previous events and word of mouth,
radio promotion seems to be a minor channel in promoting the event.
Necessary promotional costs for the 2014 – 2015 series consist of the new updated logo,
posters/flyers and marketing on Facebook. The majority of the participants enjoyed using the
Facebook page so it would be ideal to increase this kind of media.
Trust involvement
The reason for calling the event the ‘Sport Canterbury Swim Series’ is so participants and
communities can be exposed of the Trusts’ name which can ensure they are aware that
Sport Canterbury is involved and leading the event. The two main reasons for Sport
Canterbury to take over the Swim Series were already pronounced as:
1. The event would have fallen over otherwise (Sport Canterbury believed that with
the right formula and environment they could grow participation levels by making
the Swim Series appeal to not only the high-level/competitive open-water
swimmers, but also those novice swimmers, with little or no open water
swimming experience);
2. To generate income.
The Surf ‘n Turf series was the only event in Christchurch that included an outdoor swim.
When the Surf ‘n Turf series finished, this exclusive outdoor swim would have disappeared.
Sport Canterbury thought it was interesting to keep an event with this unique character alive.
Additionally, it is a good opportunity for more brand promoting.
2.
Who will the stakeholders be for the event? Sport Canterbury was not allowed to run
the event at Corsair Bay without permission of the Community Board. After discussion with
the Board, they gave permission to run the first series with six swims. Using positive,
substantiated reasons and outcome from this research project, the Board will make a
decision on whether they agree to a follow up of the first series. This also applies for the
2014-2015 series. There was also the risk that the people who are living in the Corsair Bay
area may protest against the running of the Swim Series because they feel the event may be
a disturbance to the community. Sport Canterbury has sent a letter to the residents to inform
them about the event; giving them contact information in the instance that they had any
questions. This way of informing the residents has helped to keep them satisfied and
persuaded them not to protest as they have been made aware of what is going on.
37
3.
Liese Schram
The swimmers are also stakeholders of the event and from the surveys it can be
deduced that their overall level of satisfaction is really high (59.1% of the respondents are
‘really satisfied’ with the event)
The swimmers were least satisfied with the entry price. However, it should be noted that the
price on the day is more expensive.
4.
When will the event be held? It can be said that many people participating in the
Sport Canterbury Swim Series use this as their training for an upcoming triathlon. For that
reason it was important to align the series with other triathlons planned throughout the year.
The overview of these events in the ‘Results’ section show that the majority of the events are
held in the period that starts in January. Sport Canterbury’s’ Swim Series is relatively early
with the first series’ starting in November compared to the placement of other events. This
timing was continued when Sport Canterbury took over the Surf ‘n Turf series. Also as higher
participation numbers are expected in the post-Christmas series (January –February 2014),
the Sport Canterbury team and the Stakeholders of the event will have the opportunity to
improve the second series by implying their learning from the initial November- December
series experiences. Chris Hutchinson, General Manager of Sport Canterbury and Race
Director of the Swim Series, says: “Start small and build”. Besides that, Chris thinks that a 12
week-windows gives a better exposure for Sport Canterbury.
A risk was taken by doing this early-scheduling, because the season had just started and the
water is still cold. A selection of the swimmers said it was too early in the season and too
cold to swim. In contrast with that, the majority of the swimmers’ motivation to swim in the
Swim Series was to prepare themselves for other swim-related events. They noted on their
evaluations that they were really satisfied with the early-event timing as it meant they could
use the Swim Series for their training and preparation for other upcoming swim-events.
Combining the input of the swimmers and the placement of other swim-events, it seems the
first Swim Series were early but well-planned. Going forward to plan the series event for
2014 – 2015, it is a good suggestion to repeat this scheduling with a November start.
Owing the fact Sport Canterbury is running more events during the year they can have busy
periods with the event-planning. This could result in chaotic times; the originators can forget
more details and some important things can be unnoticed.
5.
Where will the event be held? The Surf ‘n Turf event was based in Corsair Bay, so it
was Sport Canterbury’s first choice to use this venue for the Swim Series as well. Despite
the fact the location is beautiful and easy accessible, Sport Canterbury did explore the
possibility of having the event at other venues. Laurence Carter (2007) says that there are
four key site factors to consider when researching locations. The two most important site
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Liese Schram
factors for the Swim Series were the ‘size of the venue’ and the ‘facilities available’. With the
race distance increasing each week, the biggest challenge has been the long-course
whereby the buoys have had to be placed further out of the bay to accommodate the
increasing course length. It has now reached a length that the buoys can not go out of the
bay any further and the swimmers must now swim an extra lap. Outcome of the survey
showed that some swimmers were getting bored by doing so many laps or would easily
loose count of laps completed. For this reason we have been talking with Surf Life Saving
about the options. Their feedback about increasing the length was that it is not possible
because they could no longer guarantee the safety of participants when the course is
pushed further out of the bay. Another option was to hold the event in a different location.
Alternative locations in the area are Pegasus Lake, New Brighton and Sumner beaches.
Reasons why these venues were an option and outcome and arguments resulting in why
they were not chosen are explained below:
Venue
Pegasus Lake
Reason why venue is an
Reasons why venue was
option
not chosen
Offers a large amount of
Large distance to travel from
space for parking.
town.
Easy access
New Brighton & Sumner
Large area for long course
Not as sheltered as Corsair
Beaches
swimmers
Bay (really choppy water
and can be very windy).
Table 15 - Reason for venue choice
Outcome of the online survey and face-to-face interviews gave an insight into the swimmers’
opinion regarding the venue. ‘The atmosphere is great/wonderful/lovely’ was the majority of
the reactions about Corsair Bay. The swimmers were also satisfied and happy with the fact
that it is a sheltered bay, so the weather can still be windy but the water will stay calm for a
swim.
The limited parking space at Corsair Bay is another reason for Sport Canterbury to
considerate an alternative location. On a warm day many people who are not competing in
the event will visit Corsair Bay resulting in less parking spaces for event participants.
Pegasus Lake offers a large amount of space for parking which could solve this problem.
The lake in Pegasus could have been a good alternative, except for the fact that this location
is a long distance to travel from town. In consideration with Surf Life Saving, Sport
Canterbury has decided to keep the event based in Corsair Bay. To solve the problem with
the increasing length of the course, they will create a new plan. With more buoys it is
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Liese Schram
possible to set a different course in the bay (for example a diamond instead of a triangle).
This will be more interesting for the swimmers and give the opportunity to keep the length of
the course increasing. To solve the problem with the limited space of parking area, Sport
Canterbury needs to find a solution to offer more parking spaces. Conversations with
participants gave an insightful possible solution to the parking-problem. They said they
would love to bike to the venue for their training. The current reason why they can not bike to
the venue is because they need to go through the Lyttelton tunnel to get to Corsair Bay and
it is car and bus access only.
What is the event product? Sport Canterbury wants to run events that involve as many
people as possible. Regarding the Swim Series they have changed the Surf ‘n Turf event
into an only-swim event, giving it a focus toward those who only prefer to swim. This change
was also initiated due to safety reasons. Sport Canterbury has created an option for all level
of swimmers by running a short, medium and long course. Looking at the other pillars for
taking on events, Sport Canterbury promotes their name by calling the event ‘Sport
Canterbury Swim Series’.
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Liese Schram
8 Recommendations
Reflecting on the information and outcomes of this report, this section will discuss options
Sport Canterbury can use to run the Swim Series at break even or with more profitable
outcomes, taking count of the participants’ wants and needs.
Planning
Better communication plans
For the event, the most profit to be made is to keep in constant communication with the
participants. This is because the majority of the swimmers are really satisfied with the
running of the event but need continual updates about the event. For the following series I
would recommend Sport Canterbury send an e-mail to all participants of the previous series
to notify them of the updates and changes to the Swim Series.
In addition, owing to the fact that Sport Canterbury runs a large number of events, it may be
a good option for the events team to keep a clear planning schedule, communication plan
and/or Gannt Chart which will guarantee e-mails are sent out at an appropriate time. The
communication plan could also ensure people are regularly made aware of the benefits of
entering online. This can be done through updating the website and Facebook and would
help alleviate the amount of people registering on the day.
Due to the fact that Corsair Bay has a limit on the size of the course offered in relation to the
safety of participants, more Surf Life Saving-guards are required if the course distance
increases. This will cost more money but if not rectified could result in the loss of swimmers
as they have to complete a significantly large number of laps which could decrease
participants’ satisfaction. In future, Sport Canterbury should have discussions earlier in the
planning with Surf Life Saving to discuss how the limitations of the course and the number of
Surf Life Savers can be rectified.
Financial
Skipping unneeded costs and increase income
Radio promotion expenses are costs that can easily be reduced. It is a large cost and the
majority of the participants have heard about the event through word of mouth or previous
events. Radio advertising was not a medium that many people used to find about the event.
Owing to the fact this is a large expense and it does not successfully promote the event, I
would recommend Sport Canterbury avoid this way of promotion and use their money for
other promotional material that can be more useful.
One of the other significant expenses is the use of ActiveTiming chips. Since the timing
41
Liese Schram
chips are really popular amongst the swimmers and it is an important factor for guaranteeing
the safety, I would recommend Sport Canterbury accept this cost and continue using the
timing chips. This cost will become less significant and can be justified when other,
unnecessary costs can be decreased and when more income can be created.
Sport Canterbury plans to make the ‘on the day’ registrations more expensive. The
underlying reason for this is to avoid lines becoming too long for those registering on the day
as this causes stress for the ActiveTiming team and delays the event. However, the
participants were least satisfied with the entry price before this plan was made to increase
the price; so this will keep being one of the points that the participants are not satisfied with.
Nevertheless, participants can still preregister online for the same price as the first series. By
making announcements about this price difference more often, people will be made more
aware and may encourage them to preregister online. This will avoid long lines at the venue
registration and it will make work easier for the Active Timing team.
Furthermore, Sport Canterbury can give a discounted price for participants who register for
the whole series at once. A discounted entry will make it more worthwhile for people to sign
up for all the races and will mean they do not have to try and remember to register each
week. This way of registration is a disadvantage in terms of financial/income for Sport
Canterbury, but the benefit is the event will run more smoothly on the day. Also, I will advise
Sport Canterbury to make an announcement on their website statin that ‘Sign in is closed’ at
10:00AM on the day of the event, when the online registration closes. This will make people
more aware of the fact that the registration is officially closed. In addition to this, I will also
recommend conveying an extra message which tells the participants that they need to be
make more of an effort to be at the venue in time due to avoid the long queue at the
registration desk and so the event does not get delayed due to late entries.
Participants
Increase participant numbers by more online promotion and reminders
The majority of people knew about the event through ‘previous events’ (57%). With this
information we can say that potential swimmers can be reached by promoting the event at
other (sport) events. Another aspect is that potential swimmers still do not know about the
Swim Series and therefore have not taken part. Sport Canterbury can promote the event on
different websites, for example by announcing it on the sport and/or swim events calendars.
Off-line promotion could consist of announcements at other events in the region. Appendix 4
shows an overview of swim-related events which Sport Canterbury can use to promote their
Swim Series. Apart from this ‘word of mouth’ had a high score in terms of ‘knowing about the
event’ (20%). As such, more promotion can be done to increase ‘word of mouth’. As seen in
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Liese Schram
the results, 46.38 % of the participants make use of Facebook to find out more information
about the Swim Series, so, this can be a potential communication channel to increase the
promotion of the event. ‘Share & Like actions’ are a popular way to get more people involved
in an event on Facebook. I would recommend Sport Canterbury do more with the tools
Facebook has to offer, for example, Facebook-actions can be used to create more
interaction and promotion online if the ‘likers’/’followers’ is asked to:
-
Share and like a selected picture or an announcement about the event;
-
To ‘check in’ at Corsair Bay as their location and make an announcement about the
Swim Series;
-
To ‘tag’ themselves in a picture of the Swim Series that is posted on the Facebook
page.
Regarding the ‘tag’ suggestion mentioned above, I would recommend Sport Canterbury post
the pictures of the event on their Facebook page. At the moment they are uploading them
onto a Flicker profile (another social media site) which means people are unable to ‘share’
these pictures with their Facebook friends. To make this way of promotion more successful,
they can provide the pictures with a Sport Canterbury Swim Series logo. This logo will show
that the picture is taken at the Sport Canterbury Swim Series and it will create more
awareness of the event.
Facebook competitions could also be created to encourage people to share photos and
promote the event. The prizes for these competitions could be:
-
A free race entry;
-
A free entry for the winner and half price for a friend.
Car park
Announce carpool and bus options to participants
As there are not enough spaces for cars to park when participant numbers increase,
alternative options could be arranged to deter people from coming to the event by car.
Two alternatives have come out of the results to solve the car-park problem which have
been discussed in this report. I would recommend that Sport Canterbury communicate the
participants that the number of car parks is limited. They can try and get people to carpool
with other participants. Since Sport Canterbury’s website is only making use of one-way
communication; it would be a good idea to construct a forum where swimmers can
communicate with each other. This will create an opportunity for people to let others know
that they have space in their car and would allow participants to talk about the carpool
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Liese Schram
options. In contrast to the website, the Facebook page gives people the option to post a
message. Participants can state that they would like to make use of car pooling with other
swimmers. Sport Canterbury can encourage this by placing a post on their Facebook page
which explains that there are limited car park options and ask people if they would like to
carpool.
The second recommendation in terms of the car parking would be the use of a bus.
Participants can bike to the entrance of the Lyttelton tunnel, but cannot bike in the tunnel. A
solution for this barrier is to make use of the bus that drives from one side of the tunnel to
the other. Bus number 28 makes a stop next to the path that goes to Corsair Bay (Metro info
Environment Canterbury, 2014). Participants could bike to the tunnel opening at Lyttelton
and then park their bike and then take the bus the rest of the way to Corsair Bay. This busoption will give those who are training for a triathlon the option to combine their swim with a
bike ride. However, while road bikes are quite expensive, the bikers will need a safe spot to
park their bikes. The difficulty with the bus rides is that it does not run very often, therefore,
people may need to ask other swimmers to give them a lift back to the other side of the
tunnel.
Sport Canterbury can announce the bus-options on the website or Facebook. It will make
people more aware of the opportunities available as respondents reported frequent use of
the Sport Canterbury Swim Series website (60%), while 47% said they use the Sport
Canterbury Swim Series Facebook page to find information about the event. Thus they
would then have the option to make use of their bikes. To make it easier for participants to
find the bus’ timetable I would suggest showing this timetable in the same post as the
announcement. The impact of the parking-problem might decrease if more people come by
bike and bus. The outcome of this will be a win-win situation for both parties; less cars in the
parking area and more benefits for triathletes.
If Sport Canterbury were to take these recommendations into consideration, the Swim Series
could become more financially viable. Going forward, it has the possibility to become a
popular and sustainable event in the future.
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9 Conclusion
This research project has been conducted for Sport Canterbury. The report analyses the
way of the Sport Canterbury Swim Series can be run in a more financially viably way and be
organised as a more sustainable event for the future.
In general it can be said that the Sport Canterbury Swim Series have the potential to grow.
This is why it is necessary to work on the marketing of the event in order to bring more
swimmers to the series. More swimmers entail more income and this is essential to
compensate the missing of the Earthquake Recovery Funding in the 2014 – 2015 series.
The outcome of the results has shown that the most successful marketing channel used is
‘word of mouth’, therefore Sport Canterbury should try to create more discussion among
participants’ networks to increase the number of swimmers. There is also a large amount of
options in terms of using social media as a marketing and communication channel.
If Sport Canterbury is able to reduce other costs and the ActiveTiming cost remains the
same, the next step would be to lower the price for the participants. The survey showed the
majority of the swimmers said they were least satisfied with the entry price so this could be a
good idea for Sport Canterbury to meet the needs of the participants.
Obviously there will be other limiting factors that will make it more difficult to run the Swim
Series in Corsair Bay if the event increases. Like the limited car parks available. But, as
seen in the outcome of the research, there are no options in the immediate vicinity that are
more suited than Corsair Bay.
Future suggestions could be made to improve the Swim Series by creating a Social Media
plan and in-depth research project focussing on the safety-guarantee without the use of the
timing chips. This would allow participants the choice of using the timing chip on a user pay
system.
Overall the majority of the participants said to be very satisfied and the recommendations
given are to support, maintain and further grow the Sport Canterbury Swim Series.
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10 References
Active Timing Services Ltd. (2013). Retrieved December 11, 2013, from
http://www.activetiming.co.nz/
Business building blocks. (n.d.). Definition Financially viable. Retrieved January 15, 2014,
from http://businessbuilding.com.au/certification/unit/68
Cabbage Tree Creative Ltd. (2014). Sport Canterbury. Retrieved December 17, 2014, from
Swim Series: http://www.sportcanterbury.org.nz/new-zealand/ocean-swim-series/
Carter, L. (2007). Event Planning. Bloomington: AuthorHouse.
Cooper, B. B. (2013, July 23). 7 Powerful Facebook statistics you should know for a more
engaging Facebook page. Retrieved January 7, 2014, from Buffer:
http://blog.bufferapp.com/7-facebook-stats-you-should-know-for-a-more-engagingpage
Facebook. (2014). Posting content. Retrieved January 14, 2014, from Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/business/products/pages#posting-content
Frost, W., & Laing, J. (2011). In Strategic Management of Festivals and Events (pp. 84 - 91).
South Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia.
Goldblatt, J. (2002). Special Events. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Haydon, J. (2013). Facebook marketing for dummies. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.
Henry, A. (2008). Understanding Strategic Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Inc., New York.
Hutchinson, C. (2014, January 8). (L. Schram, Interviewer)
Janalta Interactive Inc. (2014). Definition - What does online survey mean? Retrieved
December 19, 2013, from Techopedia:
http://www.techopedia.com/definition/27866/online-survey
Metro info Environment Canterbury. (2014, January 21). Timetable Bus 28 to Lyttelton.
Retrieved January 21, 2014, from
http://www.metroinfo.co.nz/timetables/Pages/Timetable.aspx?routeid=28
46
Liese Schram
New Zealand Small Business Assistance Centre. (2014). New Zealand funding grants.
Retrieved January 13, 2014, from http://www.nzfundinggrants.org/?gclid=CM350PfIbsCFYQRpAodBnwAgQ
Oxford University Press. (2013). Oxford dictionaries, definition of Likert scale. Retrieved
January 14, 2014, from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Likertscale
Oxford University Press. (2013). Retrieved January 14, 2014, from Oxford dictionaries,
definition of sustainable:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/sustainable
Piombino, K. (2013, February 7). Infographic: Photo posts get 120% more engagement on
Facebook. Retrieved January 10, 2014, from Ragan:
http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/Infographic_Photo_posts_get_120_more_engag
ement_on_46290.aspx
Quantum Events. (2013). New Zealand Ocean Swim Series. Retrieved January 15, 2014,
from http://www.oceanswim.co.nz/event-info/
Survey Monkey. (2014). Survey Monkey web survey development cloud. Retrieved October
29, 2013, from https://www.surveymonkey.com/
Swimming New Zealand. (2010). Open Water Swimming Manual. Retrieved January 5,
2014, from
http://www.swimmingnz.org.nz/uploads/files/SNZ_Open_Water_Swimming_Manual.p
df
Totally Try. (2014). Triathlon Events Calendar. Retrieved January 6, 2014, from
http://www.triathlon.net.nz/triathlon-events-calendar.html
Triathlon New Zealand Inc. (n.d.). Event calendar. Retrieved January 9, 2014, from
http://www.triathlon.org.nz/#
Ultimate Triathlete NZ. (n.d.). The premium New Zealand triathlon series. Retrieved January
9, 2014, from http://ultimatetriathlete.co.nz/
Van der Wagen, L., & White, L. (2010). Events Management for tourism, cultural, business
and sporting events. Australia: Pearson Australia.
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Appendices
1. List of Tables and Figures
List of Figures
Figure 1 - Course map ........................................................................................................ 10
Figure 2 - Site map ............................................................................................................. 10
Figure 3 - Example Gantt chart for event planning .............................................................. 18
Figure 4 - Likert scale (5 points) .......................................................................................... 24
Figure 5 - Likert scale (3 points) .......................................................................................... 24
Figure 6 - Overall score level of satisfaction with different aspects of the event .................. 25
Figure 7 - Overall level of satisfaction with the Sport Canterbury Swim Series .................... 26
Figure 8 - Overview different numbers participants and registrations .................................. 28
Figure 9 – Percentage: 'How do you know about the event?’ .............................................. 29
List of Tables
Table 1 - Course distances first Swim series ......................................................................... 9
Table 2 - Number of participants ......................................................................................... 27
Table 3 - Income series one ................................................................................................ 31
Table 4 - Set up costs series one ........................................................................................ 31
Table 5 - Series costs series one ........................................................................................ 31
Table 6 - Total Profit/Loss series one .................................................................................. 31
Table 7 - Expected income second series ........................................................................... 34
Table 8 - Expected expenses second series ....................................................................... 34
Table 9 - Financial calculations second series .................................................................... 35
Table 10 - Expected Set up costs 2014 - 2015 series ......................................................... 35
Table 11 - Expected Series costs 2014 - 2015 series.......................................................... 35
Table 12 - Expected Total expenses 2014 - 2015 series ..................................................... 35
Table 13 - Financial calculation 2014 - 2015 series ............................................................. 36
Table 14 - Expected Promotional costs 2014 - 2015 series ................................................. 36
Table 15 - Reason for venue choice.................................................................................... 39
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2. Online survey
On behalf of the team at Sport Canterbury, we would like to thank you for supporting
Sport Canterbury's Swim Series. We are dedicated to seeing this series grow each
year, and we value your feedback to help us improve the experience for everyone
participating.
The survey should take no longer than 2-3 minutes to complete.
Thanks again and we look forward to seeing you participating in the remainder of the
series.
Regards,
Sport Canterbury Swim Series Crew
1. Have you had any open water swimming experience prior to the Sport
Canterbury Swim Series?
Yes
No
2. Have you participated in previous Surf n Turf events?
Yes
No
3. How many races have you participated in throughout the Sport Canterbury
Swim Series?
1
2
3
4
5
6
4. What is your reason for participating in the Sport Canterbury Swim
Series?

Comments
5. What is the main communication channel you use to find information
about the event?
Sport Canterbury Swim Series Facebook page
Sport Canterbury Swim Series website
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Liese Schram
6. Please rate your overall level of satisfaction with the following
aspects of the event
Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied
Swim Course  

Choice of venue/bay

Scheduling and timing

Entry price 


Timing chips 


Neutral
Satisfied
Very satisfied





7. Please rate your overall level of satisfaction with the Sport
Canterbury Swim Series
Very dissatisfied

Overall level of
satisfaction

Dissatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Very satisfied
 

8. Based on your experience at the Sport Canterbury Swim Series, how
likely are you to attend in the future?

Please rate your
answer:
Not Likely
Somewhat Likely



Very Likely


9. Do you have any suggestions or comments to help us to improve the event
in the future?

[Open text
box]
10.Gender
Male
Female
11.Age

[Open text
box]
Thanks again from the Sport Canterbury Swim Series Crew.
Don't forget to follow us on our "Keep Sport Alive in Canterbury" Facebook page to
find out about upcoming events.
50
Liese Schram
3. Outcome online survey
Question 1
Have you had any open water swimming experience prior to the Sport
Canterbury Swim Series?
Answer Options
Response
Percent
Response
Count
81.2%
18.8%
56
13
12
Yes
No
Comments
answered question
skipped question
69
0
Comments regarding this question:
“I am a triathlete”;
“Great event. Well organised”;
“Have swum sporadically in Surf ‘n Turf and completed the State Ocean Swim”;
“Had done two Surf ‘n Turf and two State swims this year also”;
“Just swimming casually, not racing”;
“Started Surf ‘n Turf a few years ago, progressed through State and social swimming”.
Question 2
Have you participated in previous Surf n Turf events?
Answer Options
Yes
No
Response
Percent
Response
Count
58.0%
42.0%
40
29
answered question
skipped question
69
0
Question 3
How many races have you participated in throughout the Sport Canterbury
Swim Series?
Answer Options
1
2
3
4
5
6
Comments
Response
Percent
Response
Count
5.8%
24.6%
36.2%
29.0%
2.9%
1.4%
4
17
25
20
2
1
13
answered question
skipped question
69
0
51
Liese Schram
Comments regarding this question:
“Will be 6 at the end”;
“I have entered for series”;
“Unfortunately missed one for illness”;
“Hopefully I can do all of them”;
“I have only been in New Zealand for two weeks”.
Question 4
What is your reason for participating in the Sport Canterbury Swim Series?
Answer options
Percentage
52.18%
30.43%
11.59%
5.80%
Fun, training & experience
Training triathlon
Fitness training
Surf life saving training
answered question
skipped question
69
0
Question 5
What is the main communication channel you use to find information about the event?
Answer Options
Sport Canterbury Swim Series Facebook page
Sport Canterbury Swim Series website
Response
Percent
Response Count
46.4%
60.9%
32
42
answered question
skipped question
69
0
Question 6
Please rate your overall level of satisfaction with the following aspects of the event
Answer Options
Swim Course
Choice of
venue/bay
Scheduling and
timing
Entry price
Timing chips
Very
dissatisfied
0
22
Very
satisfied
42
Rating
Average
4.61
Response
Count
66
3
12
51
4.73
66
0
1
25
40
4.59
66
7
0
19
8
21
16
17
42
3.67
4.52
66
66
Dissatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
0
2
0
0
0
2
0
answered question
skipped question
66
3
52
Liese Schram
Chart in addition to Question 6
Please rate your overall level of satisfaction with the following
aspects of the event
Timing chips
Entry price
Scheduling…
Choice of…
Swim Course
0,00
1,00
2,00
3,00
4,00
5,00
Question 7
Please rate your overall level of satisfaction with the Sport Canterbury Swim Series
Answer Options
Very
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Very
satisfied
Response
Count
0
0
2
25
39
66
answered question
skipped question
66
3
Question 8
Based on your experience at the Sport Canterbury Swim Series, how likely are you to attend
in the future?
Answer Options
Please rate your answer:
Not
Likely
Somewhat
Likely
Very
Likely
Rating
Average
Response
Count
1
5
60
2.89
66
answered question
skipped question
66
3
Chart in addition to Question 8
How likely to attend in the future?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not likely
0
20
40
60
80
53
Liese Schram
Question 9: Do you have any suggestions or comments to help us to improve the event in
the future?
“No it’s run very well”;
“Longer course please for those of us training for half/full ironman races”;
“The only thing that puts me off a little is the entry price, the rest I am happy with”;
“Not really, I have enjoyed them all”;
“More spot prizes, nice to feel like a winner even when you’re not a great swimmer”;
“Get some more sponsor behind you for more spot prizes”;
“Great event – relaxed and open for all abilities”;
“I think the event is being extremely well run and has a great atmosphere. It is well organised
and I think it is working well to concentrate on just the sea swimming and not cluttering
things up with the aquathon and stand-up-paddle board races. It means all the energy and
resources are going into organising the swim races”;
“More interesting route for the long course-the best bit of swimming from Corsair is being
further out into the harbour”;
“No - I think the series is going very well. Very organised!”;
“Lower entry fees if possible”;
“Knee deep starts. Not necessarily sure we need timing chips on Wednesday social swims!
Do like the fact briefings are brief, you start on time and it’s all over pretty quick!! Thumbs up
to your on the night organising!”;
“Discount for entering series”;
“Spot prizes help to keep people there after the swim and give a neat vibe, even though I
don't know if anyone is really bothered about spot prize. Well done on the organisation. It’s
very good”;
“To keep the cost lower, possibly not use the timing chips to keep costs down.”;
Question 10
Gender
Answer Options
Male
Female
Response
Percent
Response
Count
47.0%
53.0%
31
35
answered question
skipped question
66
3
Question 11
Age
Answer Options
Junior
Adult
Response
Percent
Response
Count
7.58%
92.42%
5
61
answered question
skipped question
66
3
54
Liese Schram
4. Overview other swim-related events
2013
-
Rolf Prima half Ironman, Ashburton
12 November 2013
-
Karapiro Half Ironman
13 November 2013
-
State harbour crossing
17 November 2013
-
Ironmaori Half Ironman
7 December 2013
-
State Bay of Islands Classic
7 December 2013
-
Roturoa Half Ironman
14 December 2013
-
Christmas Cracker
21 December 2013
-
Challenge Wanaka
18 January 2014
-
Placemakers Timaru Triathlon
26 January 2014
-
State Capital Classic
26 January 2014
-
State La Grande Swim
22 February 2014
-
HCSF Women Triathlon
23 February 2014
-
Ironman New Zealand - Lake Tekapo
1 March 2014
-
Kapiti Women Triathlon
2 March 2014
-
Ironmaori Taranaki
7 March 2014
-
Motatapu XTERRA Tri
8 March 2014
-
State Sand to Surf
22 March 2014
-
New Plymouth ITU World Cup
23 March 2014
-
¼ Ironmaori Gisborne
29 March 2014
-
Auckland Half Ironman
29 March 2014
-
State King of the Bays
12 April 2014
2014
55

document/620762 - HvA Kennisbank

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