Major event closing dates

[EddieH]

Wharncliffe and the CSC final area are as alike as Stalin and Mother Theresa. Variety -just one of the main reasons why this is such a fabulous sport.

I rate Wharncliffe as just about the best English area outsideof the Lake District.

[bob]

The obvious solution to this is email push where the BOF computer emails members weekly with your relevant list of forthcoming events and closing dates

I know - let's get BOF to enter us automatically (and direct debit us of course) for all the events they think we should be running in.

[Scott]

Hijacking this thread: this Sunday (20 Feb) is the closing date for cheaper entries to both the JOK Chasing Sprint on Sat 12 March and the TVOC Southern Champs the next day.

[denzil53]

You may have already noticed that JK entry fees increase by £2 - £2.50 on 27th February.

[IanD]

Not sure that we need emails from BOF, at least not as a first step.

What would be really useful, and a lot easier to program, would be a web page listing all events with declared closing dates in the future. First column to be the closing date, others could be event date, region, level, event title, and a link to the rest of the event details.

When an event has multiple closing dates (at different prices) the listing should use the next future closing date.

I suspect this could be programmed fairly easily from data already on the BOF database, although events with multiple closing dates might need manual intervention to update the closing date each time one passes (since I suspect the database only holds one closing date per event).

[SeanC]

I agree that the BOF events website should if possible give the information needed, such as closing dates.

My suggestion about an emailer was in response to Seabird's more general point about the need for competitors to be pro-active in the internet age - seeking out event information rather than it being promoted to them. A long long time ago I remember event information was pushed to competitors by organisers putting paper fliers on cars, or if was a really big event by sending out details with CompassSport. This got the attention of the less committed competitor and maybe helped them on the way to being more committed/regular (or it did with me anyway). Putting fliers on cars sounds like a lot of time and expense best avoided - but the modern equivalent is sending email alerts, which can of course be automated to reduce workload (if we were prepared to pay for it). One way to increase the amount of money in the sport is to encourage existing Orienteers to go orienteering more often, maybe not the typical nopesport poster who probably goes quite enough already.

The best (and cheapest) answer is probably for club captains to email their club members who can then pick the most appropriate events and explain things (like the difference between sprint, middle and classic) but that's more work for them.

[Wayward-O]

Ollie's event listing does include a coumn for closing date of entries but only those closing in the next couple of weeks.

As data are derived from the BO database, they are only as good as the information stored there (for example, no closing date listed for the Northern Champs weekend, although entries close soon - not sure exactly when online entries close but postal entries to arrive by 25/2).

[binman]

I'd like to say well done to BO for not sending out loads of paper flyers for events. I know they were a physical reminder but a) they cost money (and put up entry fees) and b) us binmen are expected to recycle them all for you (at substantial cost, I might add, to the public purse).

As Eddie says, this problem applies to a small number of generally major events, which on the whole, people are aware of well in advance.

The solution should be e-marketing - putting up adverts on the BOF fixtures page or here, for example - and sorting out the Fixtures List so that entry fees and dates are more prominent. No major new electronic systems, please though!

[Mrs H]

I - putting up adverts on the BOF fixtures page

I just tried to do this at BOF as I had placed a news item on here about the return of the SinS camp site and was told :"sorry we only publicise British Orienteering events". It's interesting that I have had no problem getting the item on here or (I hope ) in the next edition of CpmpassSport, but BOF are not carrying news about events (no matter how newsworthy) unless their officers have had a hand in organising them - I'm not sure how I feel about that (yet!)

[greywolf]

One straightforward fix would be if the BOF "major fixtures" page listed "major fixtures"* and contained key details for these, such as closing dates, rather than just being a list of all registered Level A, B & C events....

* Maybe just Level A events plus a few key others: Scottish 6 Days, Harvester, etc

[IanD]

I just tried to do this at BOF as I had placed a news item on here about the return of the SinS camp site and was told :"sorry we only publicise British Orienteering events".

Sounds like one of BOF's non-orienteering employees may have misunderstood what constitutes a British Orienteering event - if SINS is not a British Orienteering event, then of course there will be no levy....

[DeerTick]

Wharncliffe and the CSC final area are as alike as Stalin and Mother Theresa.

So they're very similar then.

AP