WhereCanWeGo.Com

[runnerbean]

Came across this website by chance and thought I'd give it a plug as it looks like a reasonably cheap (in terms of effort) way of advertising orienteering events, and it's free!

Here's a link to the site: http://www.wherecanwego.com
The same information is also behind The Telegraph's Family Activity Planner (currently featured on their front page):
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/activityplanner

If you search events for orienteering, there are currently 6 - including a "ladies only" intro session near Cambridge!
The only one of these that appears to have the backing of a BOF Club is, by coincidence, one of ours, but posted by the Visitor Centre. I shall try to find out if any attendees found out about the event through this channel.

The only snag (as far as I can tell) is that you can't include website links.
You can even upload multiple events by sending them a spreadsheet (as long as it's in their specified format). The person I spoke to said this was intended for 20-30 events, but I reckon they'd do it for fewer. Maybe BOF would stump up the £25/year fee to have a "sponsored" link to the BOF Fixtures list.

I hope to try it out with a few of our future events...

Meant to ask...if anyone's seen this and/or used it before and decided against it for some reason, please let me know!

[Scott]

http://www.runningdiary.co.uk, which also offers free listings, has an "orienteering" category - currently containing a grand total of zero events. Maybe a way to attract all those bored-road-runners-looking-for-more-of-a-challenge that everyone is so keen on?

[Mrs H]

- including a "ladies only" intro session near Cambridge!
!

That'll be the one Copepod is organising - it's last entry on the coaching forum.

[Copepod]

And Taster session at Wandlebury for families on Sat 12th April 08.

[runnerbean]

Another 2 orienteering events have appeared since yesterday!
If anyone of the organisers of these events are able to find out whether people discovered the event through WhereCanWeGo, could they let me/the forum know? It'd be very interesting to know if the site is effective.

[DM]

Another 2 orienteering events have appeared since yesterday!
If anyone of the organisers of these events are able to find out whether people discovered the event through WhereCanWeGo, could they let me/the forum know? It'd be very interesting to know if the site is effective.

Will do. Just added a few more. How are you pulling out only the O events that have not happened yet?

[runnerbean]

I've just been using the "Search Events" box (on the RHS of the screen) - that seems to search all future events, everywhere. Good luck with your Intro sessions...

[Copepod]

The Ladies' Orienteering Taster Session at Wandlebury Country Park attracted 20 participants, ages mid 20s to 70s. No-one mentioned wherecanwego.com The 2 most important ways of finding out about the event were Wandlebury CP events leaflets, collected either during informal visits or when attending other events, and items in local free or paid-for newspapers. Several groups of 3 to 5 women attended, after 1 spotted information about the event, then spread the word. Several are intending to go to local club events and / or the family taster session in April.

[DM]

I'm giving wherecanwego a try. Several events were posted about a week ago, so far one person has made contact and says they will come, with son, to our next local event. Events posted on Runners diary seem to be getting quite a few hits, we need to wait and see if this converts to people on the day.

I spent this afternoon distributing posters for events. The most receptive people are libraries and visitor centres attached to parks/open areas. This confirms what Copepod suggests. Interesting to see that flyers people have picked up are getting results. This was suggested by one of the visitor centres I went to, A5 size seems best for them.

The very good response from Sweatshop in Hyde, again where flyers for all sorts of events are available.

Anyone else got other ideas?

[Guest88]

Maybe, we could have a questionnaire at events for first-timers, they get the cost of their entry back if they fill it in and return it.

1) Name

2) Where did you first hear about orienteering?

3) Where did you see this event advertised?

4) What course did you run today?

5) How did you find it today?

6) Would you have preferred your first course to be longer / shorter, controls more difficult / more easy, or generally fine as it was?

7) Would any additional help such as more instruction or loan of equipment have been useful, and if so what?

Would you like us to send you our 3-monthly events list, if so please list your email address here?

9) Would you be hoping to take advantage of the lift-sharing scheme in order to get to events? If so please list your phone number. (Then ask someone local to them with a car to give them a call to offer them some lifts to events)

I would have thought the value of this information would far outweigh the financial cost of the free entries.