Publicising Orienteering (/European Orienteering Championships)

[WillG]

why is there nothing on the BOF website about the competition? Poor that they're not supporting the guys that are out there representing the nation!

[Gross]

why is there nothing on the BOF website about the competition? Poor that they're not supporting the guys that are out there representing the nation!

I emailed Mike Hamilton earlier today about this.... no response yet

[Oldman]

why is there nothing on the BOF website about the competition? Poor that they're not supporting the guys that are out there representing the nation!

I emailed Mike Hamilton earlier today about this.... no response yet

Gross, I know you've a reputation for making provocative posts, so sorry if I'm responding unnecessarily, but as a BOF member, I would be very concerned about Mike Hamilton's work prioritisation if he had found the time to respond to your e-mail inside 4 or 5 hours. I'm sure that if he is in the office, he will have read it, even if he hasn't replied. But as Chief Exec, perhaps he has more (and rather more important) fish to fry than replying to you in a few hours?

[DIDSCO]

To be honest its nothing short of a disaster that we're 2 days in to the European Championships and nothing is on the BOF website! One of the absolute best guys in the world at the moment is British, we should be making sure everyone knows this both inside and outside the 'o' community - who's in charge of publicity?

[madmike]

To be honest its nothing short of a disaster that we're 2 days in to the European Championships and nothing is on the BOF website! One of the absolute best guys in the world at the moment is British, we should be making sure everyone knows this both inside and outside the 'o' community - who's in charge of publicity?

nothing short of disaster is a bit dramatic methinks; however, it is certainly not clever and I agree that this is the sort of opportunity that should not be missed to promote the sport and our successful elites

[Kitch]

Maybe BOF does not want to publicise something that it is not funding.

Imagine -
BOF has an international budget.
They probably have to account for it to UK Sport or whoever holds the purse strings.
If EOC is not on the list and the funding body sees a British Team is out there they might think "Ah these people can finance themselves, they don't need our money"
ooops.

[Kitch]

none of the recent post on the BOF site are clever.

Notice the one on BOC
1st Hector Haines
2nd Murray Strain
3rd Chris Smithard
"Oli was fourth"
Oli who ? Oli Murs, Oliver Hardy.
Have orienteers reach such a status of single-name celebrity stardom ( Kylie, Beyonce, )?
Not everyone knows "Oli", anyone outside the sport will have not a clue.

If this is the front page to the world for orienteering in the UK then the apparent assumptuion that everyone who reads it knows the sport, it's ins, outs, activities and main protagonists represents a complete failure to understand what the page should be doing.
Rank amateurism

[Gross]

I would be very concerned about Mike Hamilton's work prioritisation if he had found the time to respond to your e-mail inside 4 or 5 hours

Can't disagree with you there Oldman.... but I do think it might be a priority to ensure coverage opf the GB National Team in the European Championships.... a bit higher up the scale than Fleet Community & Rushmore Orienteers

[ruth]

Rank amateurism

Well yes – that’s exactly what it is, because BOF can’t afford to employ a lot of full time professionals.

Dids asked who’s in charge of publicity, see here: http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/page/staff

Answer = Noone. No PR and Comms director, no publicity manager. 3 day a week Marketing manager is simply nowhere near enough.
This is one of the key reasons for dwindling participation in the UK – it basically an invisible sport as there is not one person who’s full time job is focussed on its publicity. I’m not blaming BOF because they don’t have enough funds to do much about it; most sports would pay an agency (like the one I work for) to do all of this for them – but orienteering simply can’t afford to do this.

In my opinion two things need to happen:
1. A realisation of the important of good marketing and PR and a refocus of priorities with current funding to reflect this.
2. A huge drive to increase funding available, focussing on private sponsorship (you can’t rely on hand-outs from teh government).
No 1 being successful will make No 2 an awful lot easier and with more money and good PR the participation will follow. Elite performance is still a priority and should be well funded as that is the bread a butter of good PR.

Oldman – re Mike Hamilton – I hope this sort of thing is very much at the top of his agenda as in my opinion it’s the biggest problem facing British Orienteering (but perhaps I’m biased…)

[tomtom]

I hope this sort of thing is very much at the top of his agenda as in my opinion it’s the biggest problem facing British Orienteering (but perhaps I’m biased…)

Medals = funding = top priority

[Gross]

Medals = funding = top priority

seems like....

community non orienteering = funding = top priority

[ruth]

Community orienteering + fill out some forms = government in recession sized funding 

Medals + hard work + good PR = glossy sexy big bucks sponsorship 

[andy]

Community orienteering + fill out some forms = government in recession sized funding 

Medals + hard work + good PR = glossy sexy big bucks sponsorship 

this is one of the most sensible things I've read on here for a while

[Oldman]

I hope this sort of thing is very much at the top of his agenda as in my opinion it’s the biggest problem facing British Orienteering (but perhaps I’m biased…)

Medals = funding = top priority

No - medals do not bring funding! We are (as far as I understand) losing UK Sport funding worth typically £125K per annum, despite medals in the recent past.

[Becks]

Perhaps not from the government Oldman. But I'm pretty sure that's not what Ruth is talking about here.