Participant Restrictions and Lockdowns Q&A
As Melbourne, and now New Zealand has imposed restrictions, we’ve been responding to a number of enquiries from event owners; some directly impacted and others thinking ahead just in case.
We’ve taken the essence of these questions and summarised below in case others find it helpful.
The suggestions below are from an eventplus perspective explaining what’s possible, offering some flexibility. We'll continue working with our clients, partners and our technical team to make the most of the present situation.
Of course there are a number of factors influencing the decisions being made, such as event type, when and where the event is taking place as well as local restrictions and health guidelines.
We are happy to discuss the specifics of your event and situation. Book a chat.
General Questions
1 - My registration is open already, how can I now manage gathering limits?
Set up a question for participants to login and answer, choosing their start time from a list of options (e.g. 9:00am, 9:30am), each with a capped limit.
Or you can talk to us about bulk assigning all of your participants a start time, even based on their location or other criteria.
Then publish a list on your website for your participants to see their details; such as wave, arrival time, starting time, location, whatever details help you to deliver a safe event.
On event day provide your suppliers (medical, commentary, timing..) a live link to participants updates as they check-in to pick up race packs. This could extend to Volunteers and Supporters if tight restrictions are in place.
Your crew will be kept updated from one master source live without having to chase information.
2 - I’m needing to make changes to the event arrangements. Can I ask my athletes which option suits them?
Yes, set up a new question(s) for the participant to answer. When they login they'll see the new question(s) and be able to select their choice. e.g. If the date changed would you attend, defer to next year, request a refund, confirm their most recent location, have they been in a hotspot area.
3 - My event can’t proceed in-person but is suitable to be run virtually, how can I do that?
Nothing much needs to change. Set up some “Challenges”, such as a 5km backyard run and the timeframe it needs to be completed in. After your participants have completed their challenge, they can login and update their details e.g. time it took, their experience, photos/selfies etc and share with friends.
You can use the comments and photos to create a virtual event atmosphere using stories and photos on your social and media outlets.
Then send out or arrange a pickup point for any medals or merchandise purchased.
4 - Some of my runners are impacted and others aren’t. Can I mix my event up - some participating virtually and others in-person?
It’s not a problem to have some participants competing in-person and others virtually. Virtual is very low touch for the event team and contained under your control on the platform. Remember with a virtual event your audience size can extend beyond who may enter an in-person event.
Participants just get on with their challenge/event and then login and log their times, photos and whatever else you’ve asked for.
Then send out or arrange a pickup point for any medals or merchandise purchased.
5 - Can I easily see and manage who’s entered my actual event and who’s doing a virtual event at home?
Yes, it's easy to see who's doing what via the dashboard. Additionally, this can be shared with other team members or suppliers.
6 - Can I give participants a free entry to another event in the future?
This can be a great option to reduce the number of refunds. Issue a unique one-time use voucher code for a % or set $. It’s possible to limit the event(s) which are eligible and also set an expiry date.
7 - Can I refund participant funds if I need to?
Yes absolutely refunds are made directly from the dashboard, returned to the participants credit card. There are no fees to issue a refund.
8 - Does my waiver / terms and conditions need to change?
Prior to opening up event registrations it's opportune to review the terms and conditions in light of the current environment and the options which you may take (e.g. rescheduled dates, switch to virtual etc.) This ensures these options are clearly communicated to the participants and included in the terms which are accepted when entering the event.
9 - Can I change the date of the event and roll all the participants to the new date?
Yes that’s been quite a popular decision, no problem at all.
We appreciate your input, feedback and questions.
Talk to us if you have a specific challenge, or would like us to elaborate on anything further.
We will keep this page updated with anything we can share. Equally we won't share anything which is unique, or a specific organisations inititive. If you have any ideas on how you are using eventplus to help then drop us a note.
Register here to receive regular updates.
Last updated: 15 February 2021.
