Need to Register?

Wordapp · January 28th, 2009

I currently have my own clothing line, and I am thinking about holding a pretty big skateboard competition in North Carolina. What do you guys think of this idea and do you have any advice? Also what other kind of advertising campaigns would be helpful?

Wordapp · January 28th, 2009

Also what are some good websites to advertise on that are not too expensive?

CVL Ink · January 28th, 2009

Here's a few bits of advice speaking from personal experience.

-It WILL cost you money. Chalk it up to marketing, but expect to take an L, at least in the short term. The way around this is to raise more sponsorship than the comp costs to throw, and decide to not put that towards prize money. Good luck trying. . .

-Outdoor comps are a crapshoot because of the weather. If you do end up throwing it at an outdoor park, make sure to have a rain out date and make sure EVERYBODY knows about it. Put it on all your ads.

-Don't expect to sell a lot of merch. You might be able to sell a few event shirts to moms, that's about it. The real value of the comp to your clothing line is in the marketing - your logo on everything. Kids don't really come to comps prepared to shop. If anything they're looking for free stuff. Skater labels seem to find popularity virally so free giveaways can really pay off. For every kid that made it to the comp there's probably several more that couldn't make it but are dying to hear all the details later.

-Definitely don't put all of your event staff in the same shirt. It works really well at other types of events, but it a skate comp it comes across really dorky. Go with as many different designs from your clothing line as possible instead.

-Sponsor competitors! You'll be glad you did - ultimate visibility and great for photo ops. Save a couple shirts for skaters that stick out as really good during warm up.

-Work with the community. The best skaters in any given city generally all know each other, or at least their social circles overlap pretty regularly. Make sure these people know about your event well ahead of time so word can spread. Ask around about what skaters have been involved in putting on past comps and try to work with them too. You'll need to find an emcee and a panel of judges. It will really help if the people you pick for these positions are at least locally well known.

--Skate shops are the hub of the community. They will sponsor your comp with prize merchandise or money in exchange for banner/poster/flyer space and mention. They are also the best place to put up a poster and leave a stack of flyers to promote the event.

-Try to have bands (or at least a deejay play the whole time - many local bands will play for cheap to free if you keep them comfortable and provide sound equipment (free drinks go a long way). Plus they will bring people that otherwise would not have come.

-Don't forget the internet! Skaters are using forums and blogs and myspace and youtube and everything else to pass around information, especially when it comes to culturally relevant events like this. Definitely make a myspace account and start promoting there ASAP. I would suggest making a website for the event. We just made a subdomain of our clothing line's website, like http://yourcomp.yourclothinglinewebsite.com

Hope that helps-

Wordapp · January 28th, 2009

I really appreciate the response man. I was not expecting such a good answer when I posted that question and I want to thank you. You got some really great points and they're really going to help quite a bit. This competition will definitely cost a lot bills but I feel like the publicity is totally worth it. The good thing is the skate park that I plan to use is run by a skate shop and they will probably be willing to split the costs of the competition.

I'm also thinking about getting my college's TV station to help film the whole competition so I can possibly put videos up on youtube or something. Do you think this is a good idea?

Comin'OutSwingin · January 28th, 2009

Here's my take on it.

I too have a line of clothing (mainly t-shirts, hoodies, and hats), and I've done a decent size event (attendance of about 700). Although the event I did was different than a skating competition, I can tell you from experience that it isn't easy at all.

On top of it, I sponsor a couple of skaters across the country and have been thinking of doing a skating competition this summer.

First of all I suggest anyone serious about doing an event purchase a book entitled "The Sponsorship Seeker's Toolkit". It's a great book, and helped me out tremendously. My event cost well over $10,000, and I didn't use any of my own money to put on the event, and ended up making a very nice profit. All almost impossible without sponsorships.

Like Dan said, skate shops are vital. You say that you may be able to split the costs of the event with a local skate shop. That would be good. More than likely they've put on an event in the past, and hopefully you can tap into their resources.

Knowing how much time, energy, and work goes into an event, if it were me, I would approach the skate shop and inquire about any events they may be putting on and ask to be the event sponsor. It will cost a few dollars, but it will let you see how an event gets put together from beginning to end. There's just so much to consider, that going into lightly or half-hearted will end up having a negative effect on your brand.

Here's just a few of the things that would need careful attention:

Security
Concessions
Emergency Care
Insurance
Tickets

You need to plan well in advance to make sure that you have every detail take care of.

You mentioned advertising. Local radio is great, especially if you've got sponsorship dollars at your disposal. Also, try to tap into a local newspaper to do a little story about the competition.

Like I said before, it's a lot of work, and if you don't get some sponsorship money, it's going to cost a pretty penny. That's why I suggested maybe starting my sponsoring an event that someone else puts on. You get the same exposure, without the work, and it's a A LOT cheaper.

I only addressed a few things, but if you have any specific questions, I'd be more than happy to help.

Wordapp · January 28th, 2009

Thanks for the response Greg. I am definitely going to take your advise and drive down to the skate shop/park later this week and ask about upcoming events that I could possibly be the event sponsor for. At the current time that definitely makes the most sense; due to my lack of knowledge and I most certainly do not have $10,000 at my disposal! I do know from talking to local skate shops around my area that this specific park has held competitions in the past and other stores have split costs 50/50 with them. So splitting costs with them is a definite possibility.

You also talked about how you currently are sponsoring a couple skaters and I am interested in how you went about doing that. I was thinking about maybe sponsoring a few skaters to compete, or maybe offering a sponsorship to the winner of the event or something. Currently I only have myself riding for word apparel and that is certainly not cutting it! I look forward to updating you guys about my meeting with the shop!

Comin'OutSwingin · January 28th, 2009

Well, since you ride yourself, I'm sure you know all about "flow" sponsorships. Basically, you provide the skaters with the apparel, and they where it wherever they go, and especially when they're skating at the park or at/in an event.

The way I went about it was to visit some skating forums. It's just a hotbed of kids/young adults that can shred! Most of them are looking to get sponsored. I just contacted some of the senior members and administrators the best way to contact their members that I wanted to sponsor. A lot of those guys have their "sponsor me" video footage in their profiles.

I contacted the ones that I thought had promise, and had them fill out our online application. I've got a whole page on my website devoted to our sponsorships, how they work, and what it takes for us to sponsor a skater.

We got TONS of response, and just sifted through them and found the best ones. There's nothing like walking billboards in front of your target audience being worn by those your target audience wants to emulate!

Wordapp · January 28th, 2009

Word man you're right. I just opened up like 4 different skater forums and there are so many different kids with some pretty legit videos. I have a feeling I'm going to be surfing these forums all night.

rejoice · February 2nd, 2009

as metioned above be sure to get other sponsors involved to fund the event... and i would recommend you get involved with Loopd.com | Action Sports Community for Motocross, Surf, Skate, Snow, BMX, Bike and More as that place is a goldmine !!