Running an international event like The Cairns Cup

The thought of running an international event is very daunting and one that should not be taken lightly there are many things that need to be planned and a good team needs to be assembled from the outset for good coordination and for the event to run smoothly.

This blog is written with personal experience in organising the 2022 Cairns Cup, at the outset when the idea was raised to run a disability competition between Europe and USA it was never considered the amount of work necessary for it to be a success and to say that we were under prepared was an understatement.

Initially we thought we just needed the following:

• Website – Check
• 2 teams – Check, 
• Suitable Venue – Check, 
• Reasonable costings – Check, 
• Format – Check 
• Plan for Sponsors – Check 

After the basics were in place it soon became apparent that there was much more required that had not been envisaged, a strategy was needed for dealing with international Sponsors & players, the need for collecting foreign currencies, people to liaise international travel and plan to work with different level of sponsorships in different countries.

From the outset running an international event the planning team need to have a process in place for dealing with all the above, because in the case of the inaugural Cairns Cup it was a case of learning in situ which was not ideal, everyday someone somewhere needed information or attention for some part of the event and without a team in place things soon became unmanageable.

In the end the event was successful, but only because the management team got outside help from volunteers who took reasonability for the following:

• Branding
• Marketing
• Social Media
• Blogging
• Press Releases
• Video production
• Live Scoring
• Liaising with Sponsors
• Golf carts 
• Marshalling

All the above were things that originally were thought would happen naturally as the event grew but this was naive oversight, because these things need to be addressed at project start, with different people taking responsibility for their designated post. 

In the case of the 2022 Cairns Cup this help came just in time to make the event a massive success, but everything went down to the wire after 4 years of planning, and a venue change due to 2 covid cancellation’s things that were out of anyone’s control however, in the end it was “Aright on the Night”

Other things that became a big issue and needed plenty of coordination were the communication between players to find out the following personal information that all helps towards making a successful event.

• Clothing requirements – Shirts, Trousers, shoes etc.
• Travel arrangements 
• Dietary requirements
• Special needs at Hotel & Golf course due to disabilities 

Some of issues above also required for sponsors, guests or visitors who are attending any part of the event, whether playing golf, staying at the hotel, or just passing through. All these things need addressing and coordinating because one small thing missed becomes a bigger issue further down the line, so its best to get it right from the beginning.

Looking forward, anyone who wants to organise an INTERNATIONAL EVENT, do your planning, and get people to take responsibility for different aspects of the event, and make provision for international differences not just finances but time differences and cultures as a good Scout or Girl guide would say “BE PREPARED” getting the right team together will make the project even more enjoyable.

Kevin Booth