Running a Trial

Advertising the Trial to the Public

Your club may want to appoint someone to be in charge of public relations for each trial. Besides helping the sport as a whole, the more spectators a club can attract, the more potential students for your agility classes. Send out a press release and some really good agility action photos to all the regional papers. Most papers will publish a photo as well as a blurb in their calendar or events section encouraging people to check out the event. Sometimes the paper will do a follow up and send someone out for the actual event.

Also send out a notice to be printed in any dog publication that lists current events in your area, like the Match Show Bulletin or Canine Companion. Send out extra premiums to people who have asked to be on your mailing list and people who have taken classes with your club. Put something on the outside of the premium like FREE ADMISSION and SPECTATORS WELCOME.

Radio stations can also be very helpful. See if there is a radio station in your area that does remote broadcasting from different sites--where the station brings a van to a place and gives out free balloons and promos...If you can arrange it a few months ahead of time, you can sometimes talk the station into doing a live broadcast from your trial. (Monica Percival)


Take advantage of free radio advertisement (public events calendars). Most radio stations provide this as a public service, but you have to send them the information well in advance. Also post flyers at all the pet and farm supply stores and grooming establishments. When you can, try to get newspaper coverage. That's a little tougher. At the trial, have extra catalogs and information on the rules and how to get involved in agility. Supply a list of local instructors and, of course, information on your club. (Shannon Chenault)

 

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