We are in a new era – as schools and work are being done remotely, events, celebrations and parties are transitioning to the virtual space. Sport races such as 5K, 10K and marathons, have been pivoting to virtual race. For many runners, one of the most important aspects of entering a race is to receive a bag of goodies before and a shiny new medal after, so should you be considering race kits for virtual races?
As organizers, it is a great opportunity to drum up excitement interest with your race kits. As we can see from Boston Marathon and Santa Monica Classics, the two races have set a new standard in how virtual races are run. Both races have integrated the use of race kits and social media to generate interests and buzz around the events. Here we will show you how to put together race kits for virtual races.
During the lockdown, many have turned to running and other outdoor exercise as a way to destress and to go outside. So it is no surprise that the number of virtual races are becoming more and more by the day. Completing a race and receiving a well-deserved medal is a way to cheer ourselves up when so many things in the world is so grim.
Creating a race kit
The gift box – the mailer box that it comes in, will be the first thing runners see when they receive it. Make sure it has a nice presentation on what’s to come. A full color mailer box with race logo, sponsor info will be ideal for this purpose. If you have sponsors, printing their names/logos on the box will be another way to create brand visibility. A more simple approach will be a blank mailer with a race logo sticker placed on top.
Selecting the Items in Kit
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There are usually 2 categories of items in race kit. Items from first category will come from sponsors, which can be anything from coupons, samples, to actual products. The 2nd category will be branded race items such as race shirt, branded socks, branded hat, wristband, headband. This will very much be determined by the budget you have. Remember, most runners love having a branded race item for keepsake, and it will remind them the following year to register for the race again. Marketing to existing runners is much easier than new ones!
Mailing to Homes
This may actually be the only work you have to do when you work with us on a custom gift project! Getting accurate address information on all your recipients and formatting them on our drop shipping spreadsheet. It can be done while the products are being produced. Keeping in mind that some addresses such as PO box cannot accept UPS / Fedex deliveries, screening all the addresses ahead of time will save you much time later when dealing with shipping returns.
The Unboxing Moment
Now here is the best part, the unboxing! Our goal is to create an awesome race kit that your recipients are thrilled to open! Create social media buzz with the unboxing of the kit! Include a card with special message, and encourage people to post pictures, videos with a special hashtag. The pictures and videos will be great content to use for the future social media posts. What’s better than seeing these happy faces revealing the kits?
Let us help you on your next race kit. Contact us today!