Six ways to help choose your destination location

9 Oct

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Here in the Boston area, we have more than 30 walkathons happening during September and October.

Some popular locations have back-to-back Saturday/Sunday events.

A good walkathon route and site is like an event space or scenic church that serves as a wedding factory.

We have all been there at one time or another.

The balloons are just a different color.

 

What if you want to change things up and bring walkers to a new, and exciting location?

Will that make them want to attend?

Maybe, but you still need to personally ask and invite them first.

 

Having an event at the same location for 5, 10 or 20 years may be turn-key or sentimental.

However, keeping the event and walk route fresh and exciting may invigorate your long-time participants.

 

Here are three things (of many!) you should consider for your new-and-improved walkathon route:

1. Route should be all right-turns.

This will help cut-down on the police if you need to close roads.

2. Route should be scenic.

Please walk it before you publish it and don’t rely on a running website that maps your 5K or 5 miles.

A client once drove me around their route that included lovely things like obscene graffiti, cars on blocks, and bloodied sidewalks.

Needless to say, it was a virgin excursion for both of us.

3. Route should be safe.

Walk it, bike it, run it.  Look for uneven sidewalks, hostile wildlife, broken bricks or cement.

 

Here are three things (of many!) you should consider for your new-and-improved walkathon site (for the stage and registration, etc..)

1. Event site should have plenty of P’s:   Parking or Public transportation or both.

If your guests have parking anxiety like me, then they will need to be assured that their vehicle will be close-by.

2. Event site should have a natural stage.

You don’t want to add to your expenses by hiring a staging company that may not show up in the rain.

3. Event site should have accessible power.

You don’t want to add to your expenses by renting noisy generators that some companies will not allow to be exposed to nasty weather.

 

What if you are stuck at your site because there are not any other locations in your area to have a walk? Talk to the event that has the site before or after you and work-out a tent-share to save on rental costs! Agree on placement so the rent-a-tent folks do not have to move anything.  Same thing with toilets, tables and chairs!

Just make sure you get fresh balloons!

 

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