Online Regatta Management

There's become an expectation within society these days to be able to manage and do just about everything online: Dating, paying your taxes, grocery shopping, banking, buying concert tickets, and renting movies. People expect to do all of these things effortlessly, online, 24x7, with the click of a mouse. This same change is happening in the sailing industry too, albeit at a much slower pace.

Here are some useful tips meant to help yacht clubs choose a good solution for online event management.

Make sure the solution or provider:

Specializes in regattas: There are plenty of providers who will process your registrations, take a percentage and provide very little in return. You want to work with someone who understands sailing.

Is a stable company: You want to work with a well-established company who is committed to growing with the sport rather than engaging with a weekend developer.

Thinks globally: Ask if they can accept multiple currencies and have managed events on a global scale.

Established in the market: Do they work with National Yachting authorities and have they run all size events? Ask for reference clubs or races and check these references.

Provides additional benefits: Make sure the provider is more than just processing your credit card fees. Do they offer a website, a photo gallery, resources for teams and crew, Volunteer management?

Integrates with scoring programs: Can you easily export and import results from a variety of scoring packages? Can you post results quickly and easily?

Helps with event promotion: Do they provide tools to help with Email communications to participants and sponsors? Is it easy to integrate online registration with your existing club website?

Understands sailing: Make sure you're not using the same solution to manage your regatta online that your neighbor is using for their son's baseball league. Yacht racing is a complex sport and demands an understanding of the sport.