In the public relations field, event organizing is a very important aspect in establishing a successful PR campaign. During my time with Badminton WA, i have had the good fortune of over-seeing one event. The Autumn Tournament which is an annual event was held over the weekend of 16-17 April 2011.
Like many other events, this event had its challenges. One of the main challenge was to garner a good size entry field. To get on top of this, i had to diligently network around the badminton communities in Perth. Attending social sessions held by clubs around Perth was one key way of spreading awareness of the tournament. In fact, many of the tournament entry forms were disseminated through this channel. Due to the fact that Badminton WA do not have the funds to run a proper PR/Marketing campaign such as advertisements on media channels, word of mouth worked best in a small badminton community.
Another challenge was to mend stakeholders relations. Over the years, many active badminton players have decided to stop participating in Badminton WA's event initiatives. This was due to unhappiness with the way Badminton WA organized and ran the association. Many players were unhappy that previous tournaments did not have cash prizes and felt that participating in tournaments organized by Badminton WA was a rip-off. I had taken the initiative to promote the fact that from this tournament onwards, cash prizes will be offered.
The steps i had taken under the supervision of Badminton WA had been effective. The number of participants was 170 players which was a vast improvement from last year's number. The tournament was played in a competitive yet friendly manner. I had also prepared a survey form for players in order to identify the problems that might exist in Badminton WA and also the relations with stakeholders.
Overall, the campaign for the Autumn Tournament prove to be successful based on the number of participant entries.
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