Whenever I visit a Highland Games (or any other major event) I am always looking for ways in which to improve the events that I am responsible for and especially the Tulloch Inverness Highland Games.

This section of the website is the ideal place for us Event Organisers to help each other.

Every now and again I will give details of a change that we made that made a difference over here in Inverness.... some of them so blindingly obvious.... you'll get a real sense of how far behind we were.

Website - Believe it or not, the idea for the http://www.invernesshighlandgames.com - www.invernesshighlandgames.com website came from the USA.

The legendary Junny Jackson of our sister Triad Highland Games in North Carolina asked me in 2000 why we didnt have a website and I had a hell of a job getting permission to get one started.

("We have a Council website, why on earth would you want your own... " was kinda how the discussion went.)

Once we got the site up and running it was amazing how many topics we needed to cover but it was worth the effort. 

Last year our Games website had 4.1 million hits as a result of hosting the Masters World Championships and this year the World Championships have caused the hit counter to go into overdrive.

One of the most popular features that we have is the email postcards which enables you to select any picture from our Photo Gallery and send a message to your friends.

Anything that raises the profile of our Games is OK by me.

Out of sight out of mind can play havoc with your Gate receipts!

 Making our Games a 2 day show. With the costs of hiring marquees and toilets and generators etc etc making it harder and harder to balance the books, we decided to make our Games a 2 day show.

While this idea might not work for every Games Committee if you can find someone to share your facilities and split the costs by having their event the day before or the day after your show... your Bank Manager might approve.

We are currently looking to keep our World Championships infrastructure in place for a week and use them to host the European Pipe Band Championships the following Saturday.

 Sales Force

Because we are so close to our own Highland Games sometimes we forget that the World is full of people who have no idea what Highland Games are about and couldnt begin to guess when our Games are taking place.

One of the ways that we tackled this problem in Inverness was to invite every community group we could think of to set up a stall in our Traders Village free of charge. Suddenly we had all these folks wandering around telling their friends and their families that they were coming to the Games, had a great time at the Games and made some money at the Games.

Highland Games are supposed to be community celebrations.

 Commission for selling tickets

When Rugby Union went professional in the UK, one of the ideas that the pro clubs had to build their fan base was to go around every local amateur Rugby Club they could find and as them to sell tickets on a commission basis.

You will be amazed how happy all the folk who appear in your local newspaper looking for help to raise funds for their favourite cause will be to hear from you if you say "We will give you 20% of the cost of  every one of our tickets that you you sell".

I would rather have 80% of the revenue generated in a neighbourhood or school that wouldn't buy a single ticket than the 0% that our marketing and best efforts generated last year.

 Ask folk if they have any free mobile displays they can bring to your Games. You will be amazed how many organisations have PR Departments that are desperate to find places to send displays, freebies, demonstrations throughout the Summer.

They are also usually good places to try out the "are your employees fundraising for anything at work because we have this ticket commission idea that you might be interested in"

One of our biggest sponsors was discovered using this method.

 Photographs

Dont stuff them in the drawer and save them for the grandkids.

Get them blown up and then get round to your local coffee shop, sports shop, gym etc etc and use them to create interest.

We currently have a display in a restaurant and its amazing how many folk have told me that they have seen them.

(You will also be amazed how many small places would be happy to sell your tickets on a commission basis)

 Foam Cabers

We purchased some foam cabers for the kids and our "Have a go" Caber tossing area is extremely popular

Remember Mr Disney made a very nice living ensuring that efforts were made to keep the kids happy.

Highland Games are a family event - when was the last time you had a chat about the Children's area at your Games with youngsters?

(For the record - last Thursday - 50 Sea Cadets... who are now selling tickets on a Commission basis)

 T Shirts for the Heavies

Anyone who looks at our website will see lots of pics of Heavies with the word Tomatin on their chest.

Our local distillery is more than happy to give us free T Shirts and more than a few cases of whisky in return for the publicity they get.

If you can get someone to sponsor T Shirts it makes the Heavies look and feel good.

It also avoids having your winner's " Real men toss all day" T Shirt logo being the only thing that your sponsor sees when you email them a copy of your Awards Ceremony.

 Need to attract the interest of your local media - get yourself a Sister Games in Scotland

One of the major challenges facing any Highland Games Games is keeping the media interested.

I dont regard "send us a press release and we will publish a preview article on the eve of the Games" or even worse " send us a press release 99 weeks before the Games so we can announce your date" as being media interest.

I regard that as being a) us being lazy b) the journalists being lazy and c)  the Editorial Team setting us up nicely for a phonecall from the Advertising Department who well then try to sell us advertising!

Why pay  for an advert when you can use your imaginations to come up with interesting stories that will appear in your local newspaper for free. (God I love that word!)

We need to feed them stories and we need to feed them lots of them.

One of the best ways to get an interesting and free  story is to find yourself a Sister Games in Scotland and issue a press release.

That will enable you to get a decent size article for free  instead of paying a fortune for a tiny black and white advert that will be tucked away where no one will see it between the Car Ads and MacDonald's latest McOffer! 

If you need to find a Games in Scotland - visit http://www.albagames.co.uk - www.albagames.co.uk  

Think of getting masses of column inches in your local papers as being a year long battle!

 Use the letters page

Letters to the Editor give you an ideal opportunity to place details of the importance and significance of your Games in your local newspaper.

Naturally I would never recommend any AD stooping so low as to write letters to their local newspapers using the names of the members of their High School Graduation class or the residents of the Obituary Column in a neighbouring town  !

 Run an Art Competition

Teachers are always looking for things for their kids to draw.

If you get a class of kids to paint pictures of Highland Games Heavies and promise to display them at your Games and give every child a free ticket to come and see their work of art on display........ Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma will be standing at your Gates with an excited youngster around 5 hours before your Gates open!

A well placed kids ticket can equal 4 adult sales

 Move things around

(The Victoria's Secrets Principle or something like that)

Women are experts at moving things around to make them new and exciting and interesting.

You have to avoid anyone ever saying "Seen one - seen 'em all" at your Games.

If you make the first 50 yards from your main gate to your Games arena look different every year... well your know what they say about first impressions.

Make things different - create interest - dress things up differently and dont be afraid to move things around.

 Your audience entertainment does not have to be Scottish?

Everyone knows that Haggis is lovely but variety is the spice of life. If you have access to free entertainers get them down to your Games and let them entertain your crowds.

You do not have to stage 100% Scottish things all the time. 

Some Non-Scottish entertainment will do nicely especially if it is free and especially if it involves school kids that you can subsequently give free tickets to for playing.

(Oh look - Mom and Dad and the Grandparents are outside the Gates and the PTA are selling your tickets on a commission basis to raise funds )

 Kill any Committee Member who says they want to stage a traditional Highland Games

Let's get one thing straight.

There is no such thing as a Traditional Highland Games.

The Games in the form that we know them today were invented by Sir Walter Scott and his pals in 1822 when they were thinking about organising the celebrations for the visit of King George IV north of the border.

Every Games is different and every "tradition" that we have at every Highland Games in the world involved someone at some time saying " You know what? Wouldnt it be a good idea if we did this?" or " Guess what I saw at Anytown's Highland Games last month that looked really interesting"

The point is - whenever anyone starts going on about a Traditional Highland Games - they have stopped thinking about your Games and how they can improve your Games and to be honest - it's time to put them out of their misery.

Remember "See one - seen em all"? That's the kind of Highland Games that is designed by a Committee that has stopped asking "Now how can we change slightly this and make it better?"

The Heavies are the jewel in the crown. It's our job to make sure that the crown that supports them - the whole show that is around them - is as interesting as we can make it.

By the way - if you want traditional - the star attraction at the first Games held in Inverness in 1822 involved 3 Highland Cows being killed with sledgehammers and teams of men trying for hours to win £5.05p (5 Guineas) by being the first team to pull a leg off one of the unfortunate beasties.

( I can just imagine some Heavy thinking ..." What a good idea! " )

 Don't get upset

Whenever you try to help people by putting your ideas up for consideration you will always attract someone who thinks that they can increase their willie size by posting a negative comment.

Don't get upset.

One of the best things about sharing ideas is when someone takes one of your ideas - tweaks it in a way that you havent thought of - and sends it back to you as a new and improved Turbo version!

To make that happen - you have to put your ideas out there 

 Have a plan

It's amazing how many Games dont have a long term game plan.

In the wall in my office I have a list on the wall

2000       Add Traditional Music

2001       Add Clan Village

2002       Add Inter Clan Gathering

2003       Expand Games into the whole of Bught Park

2004      Add Pipe Band Competition

2005      Add Children's Village

2006      Host Masters World Championship

2007      Hold World Championship / Visit NASGA website

2008      Create Games week Festival in City Centre

2009      Homecoming Highland Games ( http://www.homecomingScotland.com - www.homecomingScotland.com )

 Enjoy your own Games

It works for us!

 Junior Chieftain

A good way to link into schools is to invite them to nominate a Junior Chieftain for the day.

It will be a magical moment for the kid involved and (if you have a Junior Highland Games) - it's nice to have the wee ones getting their prizes from someone their own age - and the Press love it!

 Avoid McBain 1975's paper

Gerry,

Thank you so much for all this.  I for one know first hand how your thinking helped Inverness and the MWC in 2006 as you know, I was there and saw your gate.  I also have heard that you will actually be having some masters classes this year as it was such a big deal then.  I plan to share your ideas at my next game's meeting.

Lori

Thanks Lori!

 Tell the press that you are having the Travelling Kilt come to your Games. ( If you dont know what it is - go looking in the General Section)

Gerry,

 Thanks. Lots of good info there... Hard to believe that I just now realized that there was a section for Ad's to post; maybe I'm trying to do too much  Steve C.