Organising sports events covers very different things: a school relay, a corporate sports day, a city run and a professional club match at a stadium. The paperwork and scale differ, but the logic of preparation is similar. Here it is step by step, with a separate look at the spectators, who are often overlooked.
Types of sports events
- Official competitions. Part of the federation, regional or municipal calendar. Held under the sport’s rules, results count towards rankings
- Fitness and mass participation events. Runs, swims, bike rides, fitness festivals, neighbourhood tournaments. Taking part matters more than results
- Corporate. Company sports days, inter-department tournaments, sports team building
- Spectator events. Club matches, show tournaments, exhibitions. The main audience here is in the stands
What the organiser needs to prepare
- Competition regulations. Goals, dates and venue, participants and eligibility, programme, how winners are decided, awards, funding
- Venue. Stadium, hall, course. Check capacity, changing rooms, surface, sound
- Officials. Chief referee and team, score sheets, timing
- Medical. A doctor or ambulance crew on site, medical clearance for participants
- Safety. In Russia official competitions follow separate government-approved safety rules. Security, barriers, an evacuation plan, notifying the police
- Registration and race packs. For mass runs this is a big project of its own
- Awards. Medals, cups, partner prizes, a stage
For official competitions, check the requirements of your federation and sports committee in advance: some documents are approved by them.
Spectators are often forgotten
Athletes are busy competing, spectators are waiting. Between heats, during breaks, before the start and during the awards the stands are idle. If nothing fills the gap, people turn to their phones or go home, and next time they do not come. How clubs deal with this is covered in sports marketing and matchday.
Typical gap fillers: cheerleaders and dance groups, contests for spectators with partner prizes, kids’ races, draws by ticket number, a host with a microphone in the stands.
A show the stands take part in
We run pre-match and halftime shows where the main performers are the spectators. A QR code appears on the stadium screen, fans raise their phones, and the flashlights across the stands flash to the music, run in waves, light up in club colours. Commands travel via ultrasound through the stadium sound, so an overloaded mobile network does not matter.
We have run such shows at Krylia Sovetov matches, including the Russian Cup semi-final against CSKA with 27,000 spectators, and at Tatiana Navka’s ice show. How to prepare one is in how to organise a pre-match show.
Advertising at competitions and sponsors
Sponsors cover a significant part of sports event budgets. They are usually offered logos on banners and race bibs, announcer mentions, prizes at the awards. These positions are hard to measure, and the sponsor has nothing to base a renewal on.
The show gives a sponsor a measurable position: after the show a partner promo opens in every participant’s browser. At the Krylya Sovetov vs Lokomotiv match, 1,493 of 9,000 spectators joined the show and 362 went on to the promo. More for partners on the stadium advertising page.
FAQ
Does the show suit small competitions? Yes, if there are spectators and sound. It works from 30 people in a hall to a full stadium.
How much does a match show cost? The price depends on the number of spectators: for example, a match with 10,000 spectators costs 212,000 ₽. See the calculator.
All formats for clubs and competition organisers on the stadium show page.