HAPPY GO RUNNING

Handbook for Organisation & Promotion

Sport, Health & Well-being Department

2018
Content
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 2
HappyGoRunning - Background ..................................................................................................... 2
Happy Go Running Analysis ........................................................................................................... 3
Organisation .................................................................................................................................. 4
SMART Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 6
Promotion .......................................................................................................................................7
Online promotion ....................................................................................................................... 9
Target groups and how to reach them ........................................................................................... 11
Target groups............................................................................................................................12
Setting up an online promotion strategy .......................................................................................14
...................................................................................................................................................... 15
Suggestions .................................................................................................................................. 15
Integrate an official Happy Go Running Website ................................................................... 15
Guided group preparation ..................................................................................................16
Use target group specific promotion actions.........................................................................16
On campus promotion ............................................................................................................16
Campus Pontevedra & Ourense ........................................................................................16
Cooperation with other events ............................................................................................... 17
Intern recruitment .................................................................................................................... 17
Volunteers................................................................................................................................18
Appendix .......................................................................................................................................18

1
Introduction

Dear reader,

this handbook is meant to give you an overview of the organization of the

HappyGoRunning event. Moreover, it is supposed to give some guidelines to
orientate on when promoting the event. Finally, the handbook will give some
suggestions on the organization of the event to evoke a constructive thinking
process to make the event more effective and sustainable.

As HappyGoRunning is an already well-established event the chief organizers

(Javier & Roman) know what needs to be done to run a successful event,
however, for newcomers everything might seem a little bit fast. That is why we
will go through the important things one needs to know to assist in the
organization successfully and to promote the event in the best possible manner.

HappyGoRunning - Background

It is important for you to understand the history of the event to understand the
event and its purpose.

HappyGoRunning is an initiative of the Sport, Health and Well-being department

of the University of Vigo in collaboration with the Vigo City Council, the Galician
Foundation against drug traffic, the Universitaria S.A. and the Pena Trevinca
Mataneiros Galician Club.

The mission of the event is to promote physical activity and connectivity

amongst the locals and the students of Vigo. Moreover, the event is fulfilling a
social purpose as 1Euro of each ticket is donated to the Galician Foundation
against drug traffic.

Originally named “10km Cidade Universitaria” the event was solely focused on
the 10-kilometer competitive distance until 2014. In 2015 the name change to
“HappyGoRunning” as we know it today. But that is not the only thing that
changed.To attract more people and to give less competitive people a chance
to participate in the event two new categories were introduced. These
categories are the “Andaina” (fast walk), which is favorite of the elderly

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participants and the 6,6km run for fun. As these are meant to be additional side
events with the focus on fun rather than on competition it important to know that
there is no winners and ceremony for these categories.

The maximum amount of possible participants is 1000. However, the usual

participation range is between 500-700 people. More detailed information about
the participation follows in the next chapter.

Happy Go Running Analysis

The graph below shows the number of participants from 2008-2018 ( 2009 no
data available). It becomes obvious that the there was a negative trend in the
number of participants in the last five years, which the organization could fight
effectively in 2018. 604 participants made 2018 the participant richest
HappyGoRunning run since 2013. With a total of 448 competitors in the 10k
race, 62 runners in the 6,6k and 94 participants in the Andaina.

We can recognize that most participants sign in during the last 10days before
the event. The peak is reached in the last three days with 259 inscriptions
(2018).

That is due to weather conditions and similar events in the region.

For the sake of the long-term analysis of the event, one should keep this
statistic up to date as it can give crucial information about the customer
behavior.

You can find more detailed information in the public folder:

Public folder – Eventos – HappyGoRunning - Statistics

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FIGURE 1 - HAPPYGORUNNING PARTICIPATION TREND

Organisation

The organization of the event well managed and the tasks are clearly distributed
with Javier Rial as coordinator, setting up meetings, taking care of the
permissions, and dealing with the stakeholders. Román Lago acts as secretary
and takes care of all technical concerns such as registrations, classifications,
dorsals, and finances.
Depending on your competences and the point in time you join the department
you will be assigned to different tasks by Javier and Román. In any case one of
your core tasks will be the communication and promotion of
HappyGoRunning.

There are a serval important documents you need to study to gain a better
understanding of the event. These are the following:

Regulations:

The regulations are the core pillows of your knowledge about

HappyGoRunning; it is essential to know them to answer participants questions.
There are two versions you can choose from depending on which language you
feel more comfortable with. A description where to find them follows:

English Version:

Public folder – HappyGoRunning – HappyGoRunning_EnglishDocuments

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Galician Version:

Public folder - Eventos – HappyGoRunning – HappyGoRunning18 -

Regulamentos

Tasklist:

The tasklist is another important document you need to read to understand the
different task, that has to be conducted to execute the event successfully. As
assistant to Javier, you are in charge of keeping this list updated during the
process of the organization. The Galician version can be used to do so.

English Version:

Public folder – HappyGoRunning – HappyGoRunning_EnglishDocuments

Galician Version:

Public folder – Eventos – HappyGoRunning – EDT_HappyGoRunning

Organirgam:

Coordinator: Javier Rial

Direction carreira/circuíto: José Luis Armada

Direction Andaina: Carlos Garrido (P. Trevinca)

Volunteers: Intern / Student worker

Secertary: Román Lago

Security: José Luis Domínguez (AVA)

Resources/Materials: Jesús Campos

Protocol: Conchi Hermida

Cidade Universitaria: Montserrat Alonso

Communication/ Promotion: Intern / Student worker + Alex

5
SMART Objectives

A great tool to clarify the objectives of the Event one can make us of the
SMART-Model. That way one can identify key goals to drive the future success
of the event. This method can also be used to set goals for the next promotion
campaign.

IMAGE 2 - SMART - MODEL

One goal for the future could be to raise the number of participants to the
maximum of 1000 people. A SMART Objective for 2019 may look as follows:

Specific
HappyGoRunning attracts between
800 participants.

Measurable Thanks to statistics taken it this goal

can be measured after the event.

Attainable Looking back to the year 2012 (see

statistics) when HappyGoRunning had
770 participants one can tell that this
goal is clearly achievable.

Relevant As the event is dependent on the

number of participants, it is of
uttermost relevance to aim to achieve
that goal.

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 Time-Based The goal is clearly set for the next time
HappyGoRunning is hosted in April
2019.

Promotion

Moving on to one of the core tasks for an intern - the promotion of the event.
The intensive event promotion should start about two months before the event
that means at the end of January. This will happen through different channels,
offline and online.

Promotion tasks

HappyGoRunning is promoted via multiple channels to reach out to different

target groups.

The core pillow for a successful promotion is updated information materials, and
the design of a poster and a brochure that highlight the most important
information.

"How to sign up guide":

The "How to sign up guide" is an integral part of the promotion. To make it a

simple as possible for the participant to go through the process. This guide
needs to be checked, updated and published on the different platforms every
year.

It is important to keep the steps simple and to empathize with the participants,
as the process can be difficult to understand.

You can find the latest version following this path:

Public Folder – Eventos – HappyGoRunning – HappyGoRunning_EnglishDocuments – EN-

Regestration_HappyGoRunning2018

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Newspaper:

Next, to that, the local newspaper "Atlantico" is used to spread the word in the
city and surrounding areas.

Before in the weeks before the event, you should take care of the
communication with Alex to make sure that HappyGoRunning is being
promoted in the newspaper at two-three times.

Another important part of the promotion is the promotion on campus. This action
is particularly dedicated to attracted students to the event.

Promotion on campus:

Physical stands:

In the period of intense promotion, a month before the event, you need to
promote the event on campus to attract one of the main target groups –
students. Use the brochures, and poster to promote the HappyGoRunning in
the different facilities of the CUVI campus. The goal is to talk to as many
students as possible. Hand out the information material and answer questions
about the event. Make sure to show a pro-active and open attitude. This can be
a challenging task to do, however, stay motivated and do your best. It will pay
off on the event day.

Screen promotion:

Another important promotion channel is the screen promotion. Make sure that
the latest poster is sent to the communication office. The goal is to have the
screen promotion on all three campuses one at least one month before the
Event day. Alex will help you with that.

Partner Universities:

Thanks to a broad network of universities the promotion of the event also

includes a network marketing strategy. Besides direct calls from Javier to the

8
partner universities Email promotion is used as a tool to spread information
about the event.

Besides the internal partnership with Campus Ourense and Pontevedra, there
are a few other external universities participating in the HappyGoRunning event.
These universities are from the north of Portugal, Including the University of
Porto, University of Minho - Campus of Gualtar and the University of Trás-os-
Montes and Alto Douro.

Javier will contact the universities. However, it is your task as assistant to

remind him to do so. Moreover, information Emails with the poster and the
brochure should be sent.

You can find a pattern Email here:

Eventos – HappyGoRunning – HappyGoRunning18 – Communication e imaxe –

Promoción

Online promotion

Furthermore, the online promotion throughout multiple channels is a significant

driver in the promotion of the event.

University website:

Based on the updated information a text must be written, which then will be
published on the newsfeed of the official University of Vigo Website. Depending
on your Galician skills you will be in charge of it.

After formulating the text, it will be passed on to serval persons that

countercheck the text (Alex & the Website administration).

Deportes.uvigo.es:

The same text that has been formulated for the University website can also be
used to provide further information about the event on the Deportes website.
The text can either be used on the front page of HappyGoRunning or be
attached to the website in a backlink. The decision depends on the individual
evaluation of what is most suitable.

CCN:

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ChampionchipNorte is a bigger Organisation that is organization and promoting
different events in the region of Galicia. It is important to get in contact with the
organization to promote the event in the best manner. CCN will also publish the
results of the run.

https://championchipnorte.com/

https://championchipnorte.com/evento/detalle/id/1387/happygorunning-cidade-
universitaria-2018

RunRunVigo:

RunRunVigo is another important supporter in the promotion and organization

of the event.

https://www.runrunvigo.com/

Get in contact with the organization as early as possible to find out possibilities
to promote HappyGoRunning at different events.

Email invitations:

The Email promotion is supposed to attract sports clubs in the province of

Galicia. As an intern, it is your responsibility to distribute these invitations
frequently and to answer incoming questions about the event.

The invitation should include the digital version of the brochure and the poster
plus an appealing text that triggers the interest of the target.

An Email list of all the clubs and gyms in Vigo and surrounding areas have
recently been created. However, it must always be updated every year.

You can find the list of the clubs following this path:

Public folder – Eventos – HappyGoRunning – List of clubs

Social Media:

The Sports department also acknowledged the importance of a social media

presence and therefore uses multiple accounts to promote Sports activities.
The HappyGoRunning event has an extra fan page where frequent posts keep

10
 the followers updated with the latest news. The Facebook page is also used as
a direct channel to stay in touch with loyal participants and to attract new ones.

Below you can find an overview of your responsibilities in regards to the

promotion of the event.

IMAGE - HAPPYGORUNNING PROMOTION PLAN

Target groups and how to reach them

Next, it is important to know whom the department wants to address the promotion. As before
mentioned there are two main categories – the competitive running and the Run for fun. Each of
these categories must be targeted differently since the motivations to participate differ. In
general, the motto is “an event for everyone.” In that sense, it is important to find a way to ensure
that both the competitive runners and the casual sportsman and women feel attracted.

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 Run for fun
(correr por Competitive Carreira
Andaina y Carreira
diversión) (competitivo)

IMAGE 3 - HAPPYGORUNNING CATEGORIES & MOTIVATION

Target groups

Below you can find an overview of the different target groups. Make sure that you adjust the
promotion strategy to include the different target groups. Do that by creating posts and
promotions that match with their interests. Subsequently, a more detailed listing of the target
groups follows. Use this to list as helping to optimize the promotion strategy.

Personas de edad
Familias (Families)
avanzada (Elderly)

corredores avanzados principiantes

( advanced runners) (beginners)

compañero Alumnos
universidades
(Partner Universities) (Students)

FIGURE 2 - TARGET GROUPS HAPPYGORUNNING

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1. Run for fun

1.1 Andaina (Fast walk)

Objetivo (Target):
Nenos, Familias, personas de edad avanzada (lugareños / locals)

Unique selling point:

A social day with Friends and family

- child center
- Side events

Promotion channels:

- Schools
- Newsletter
- Social media

1.2 Carretera (Run)

Objetivo (Target):

Students and runners principiantes Age 17-25

Unique selling point:

Challenge yourself and get in form

- Guiado preparación grupal (guided group preparation – see below)

- Lema: #mejor juntos #better together
- Prezo (Price money) (1. 400€ 2. 300€ 3. 200€)

Promotion channels:

- Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)

- Word of mouth advertising
- Newspaper

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 2. Competitive Carrerira

Target:

Intermediate runners Age 17 – 40+

Unique selling point:

- Prezo (Price money) (1. 400€ 2. 300€ 3.200€)

- a beautiful running track

Promotion channels:

- a personal invitation to loyal participants

- runner networks and sports clubs

- social media

- newsletter

- ESN Facebook group

Buttom line is: Create a tailor made promotion for each

targets group to increase the participation and
engagement on the online platforms.

Setting up an online promotion strategy

Now as you got to know what are the different channels and target groups you need to consider to
promote the event effectively it is time to set up the strategy. Consider the model below when
doing so. The next step is to créate an explicit timeline for the post you want to publish and
through what channels. After that, you need to combine the knowledge of the participants, your
design skills and creativity to create an appealing promotion campaign.

You can find an example of a strategy for 2018 in the following folder:

For design ideas look in this folder:

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Public folder – Eventos – HappyGoRunning – HappyGoRunning18 – Communication e imaxe –
Material publicacións Happy

Video
Cooperation content
(cooperación) (Contenido
de video)

Written & Visual

content (Contenido
escrito y visual)

FIGURE 3 - ONLINE PROMOTION MIX

Suggestions

Integrate an official Happy Go Running Website

One of the most important things to consider when thinking about improving the
event promotion is to establish an independent website for HappyGoRunning.
Research has shown that as soon as potential participants recognize an event
online on social media pages like Facebook, they are more interested in getting
more information on the event website. Participant does not use Facebook as a
direct tool to look for upcoming events. That is why I suggest to set up a
HappyGoRunning Homepage. The following link will lead you to a design idea
that can be used to create an attractive website, based on best practice
examples. This website can either be used as a website or serve as an idea for
one.

https://uvigotrainee.wixsite.com/happygorunning

In any case, I will list the most important parts a website for the purpose of
presenting a running event should include improving the customer experience.

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 - Homepage for an overview of the next event
- A gallery with a picture of the past events
- A hall of fame in which the best times are presented
- The results of the past events or a link to the page that leads to those if
external
- A chapter that explains the registration process
- An about us chapter
- An FAQ chapter
- A contact chapter

Guided group preparation

The idea is to set up a community of practice for students who would like to run,
but feel insecure or out of shape. This way we could help people stepping out of
their comfort zone and facilitate their progress.
The group would be running twice a week. A variety of routes will be used to
keep it interesting. This process should be initiated at least three to four month
before the event to give room for preparation and recruitment of participant. A
suitable way to promote the activity is through and in collaboration with the
Active Campus Europe program and student associations.

Use target group specific promotion actions

On campus promotion

Give clear instructions to the person who is promoting the event. In 2018 Happy
Go Running was promoted on four different days. However, the intern in charge
was not aware of his role and how to promote the event in a proper manner. In
order to ensure a certain effect of the promotion, the person has to be instructed
probably. Moreover, a sufficient level of Spanish is necessary to interact with
the students. These conditions were not given and subsequently the promotion
could have been more impactful if the before mentioned point is considered
beforehand.

Campus Pontevedra & Ourense

Students of the partner campuses are not fully aware of the activities conducted
by the sports department. A simple screen promotion is to less to make a
lasting impact in the minds of the students. Regular promotion activities and
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touchpoints are recommended to improve the student – sports department
relation. That would not only have a positive impact on the regular activities but
also on the participation of the Happy Go Running Event.

Cooperation with other events

In 2018 we did not manage to be present at most of the Sporting events that
took place before the HappyGoRunning event. However, it is great chance to
get in touch with potential participants to promote HappyGoRunning.
Create an overview of events in the area, get in contact with them and ask for
the possibilities to collaborate as soon as possible.

Intern recruitment

A more precise job description for interns can help to improve the efficiency of
the sports department further.

Job description:
An intern in the sports department should be a student in the field of either of
the following fields: Marketing, Communication, Event management, Digital
design.
If not native to the Spanish language the intern should a least have a Spanish
A2 level and fluent English to make the internal communication easier.

Responsibilities:

 take care of our social media profiles

 select, create and post content on social media (FB, Twitter & Instagram)

 write content for our web

 help us with our own marketing on the Internet and off-line marketing
activities

 assist in event management activities

 networking

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Required competencies:
 Skills suitable to the before mentioned responsibilities

 design skills (Photoshop, Adobe)

 self-management & independent thinking

What the department offers:

 Independent work
 Flexible working hours
 Spanish speaking environment
 Free Access to sports facilities
 Intercultural experience
 Open assignments

Volunteers

Currently, Volunteers are only used to help on the event day. To improve the
promotion in the campuses in Pontevedra and Ourense volunteers might be
recruited to promote the event on these locations.
The next intern could take care of the recruitment, instruction, and monitoring of
the process.

Appendix

https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1809&context=ttra

http://www.majorevents.govt.nz/resource-bank/marketing-communications/document-image-
library/Writing%20an%20Event%20Marketing%20Plan.pdf

https://www.eventmanagerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2018-Event-Marketing-Plan-
Template-1.pdf

https://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/direct-marketing/your-mailing-list/the-art-of-customer-
segmentation

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