6 Tips For Planning the Best Gatlinburg Basketball Tournament Possible
Are you considering planning your own Gatlinburg basketball tournaments? If so, read through our tips below to make sure your competition is as fun and memorable as possible!
1. Get Started Early
The first step to planning a successful Gatlinburg basketball tournament is to get an early start on organizing your event. You want to give yourself plenty of time to figure out all the little details and give teams time to make their own arrangements to travel.
During this time, you can start to think about what time of year you want your tournament to be in, what kind of layout you want, how many teams you want to include, as well as to scout out what other tournaments or events you may be competing against to attract teams.
Not to mention, leaving room in your schedule to plan will also give you plenty of time to advertise your tournament to get the word out to even more players and coaches who may be interested in competing for you.
2. Decide Who You Want to Invite
Once you figure out all the logistics surrounding your Gatlinburg basketball tournaments, it is time to narrow down who exactly you want competing in it. There are two main types of tournament styles you can choose from.
For starters, you can opt to have an invitational tournament which means only players and teams who received an invitation are allowed to compete. You can also have an open tournament where teams pay and entry fee until all the spots are filled.
Both options are perfectly acceptable, it just depends on your personal preference.
3. Create a Daily Itinerary
Now that you know who will be at your tournament, it is time to decide what they are going to do. This is why we always recommend you create a daily itinerary for our Gatlinburg basketball tournaments.
Your itinerary should include set times for the competition to begin, times for warm-ups, daily check-ins, activities outside of competing, awards ceremony, and anything else you can think of to help teams get a better idea of what to expect from your tournament.
When you have finished building the daily schedule, we recommend you send it out to teams and coaches as soon as possible to help them prepare.
4. Send Out Event Updates to Teams and Coaches
Speaking of reaching out to teams and coaches, we also recommend you send out a couple of updates in the days and weeks leading up to your Gatlinburg basketball tournaments. These updates can be both inspiring and informational as you can include material to hype them up about the competition as well as to give them any details they may need.
The updates will also help the teams identify who they should contact if they have any questions about your event. This will come in handy both before and during your event.
5. Plan Time for Purchasing Souvenir Merchandise
Everyone loves a good souvenir t-shirt or sweatshirt when they compete in a new tournament, especially one held in a facility as nice as Rocky Top Sports World. That is why we recommend you take time to browse through the merchandise available at Rocky Top Sports World. It’s a great way to be reminded of the fun you had while you were in Gatlinburg!
6. Pick Out Awards For the Winners
Last, but not least, you should start to think about what kind of awards or certificates you want to give the winners of your Gatlinburg basketball tournaments. Are you just going to have one large trophy for the winning team? Are you going to offer certificates for participation? Are you going to include any other awards, such as an MVP or most spirited award?
It doesn’t matter what you give the players in your tournament as long as you reward them with something for their effort. This will give them something to compete toward, as well as help fulfill their sense of accomplishment once their receive the award or certificate.
Now that you know how to plan successful Gatlinburg basketball tournaments, it is time to put your knowledge to use and begin booking your own competition today! You can do so by contacting the event staff at Rocky Top Sports World today!
