Race day is approaching, and your merch sales have been strong (congratulations!). Now comes the logistical challenge: how do you efficiently distribute all those pre-purchased items without creating a bottleneck at packet pickup? We’ve got you covered with some tech tools and best practices to keep things running smoothly.
Use your event day check-in tool
The Event Day Check-In tool is your secret weapon for race day logistics. This real-time digital solution shows you exactly who has registered AND what merchandise they’ve purchased. With just a quick search, your volunteers can see:
- Participant registration status
- All merchandise items purchased
- Sizes selected
Important Note: The event day check-in tool doesn’t display custom question responses. If your event includes custom questions (such as t-shirt size preferences), you’ll need to include these custom question fields when selecting your data download options.
Leverage your data download options
If you prefer a backup plan (or just like having things on paper), especially if you used custom questions to collect data that’s important during packet pick-up, the Data Download tool is your best friend:
- Print lists that can be distributed to volunteer stations
- Download a customized CSV file with all registration, merchandise data and custom questions
- Use the “combine merchandise with registration information” checkbox to get everything in one streamlined report
- Sort by last name or bib number for easy organization
Packet pickup best practices
- Decide on your station setup:
- Single station approach: When done right, you work with volunteers, one to check someone in and one to fetch the merchandise.
- Multiple stations approach: One for registration/bibs and another for merchandise (our recommendation for events with significant merch sales)
- Organize merchandise strategically:
- Pre-sort items by size in clearly labeled containers
- Group similar items together (all shirts in one area, all hats in another)
- Consider alphabetizing pre-purchased merch bags for larger events
- Train your volunteers thoroughly:
- Add your volunteers to the Event Day Check-In tool by clicking the “Allow Volunteer Access” slider to provide you with a volunteer access link.
- Show them how to use the Check-In tool before event day
- Help them distinguish between paid merchandise and complimentary items
- Create a cheat sheet with common scenarios and solutions
- Create a clear visual system:
- Use colored stickers on bibs to indicate merchandise purchase
- Have participants initial a checklist when receiving items
- Consider using a highlighter to mark names after pickup is complete with your data download printed spreadsheet
Pro Tip: During your busiest pickup hours, designate one volunteer as the “merch manager” who only handles merchandise distribution. This keeps the line moving and prevents errors when things get hectic.
By combining our digital tools with these organizational strategies, you’ll create a smooth packet and merchandise pickup experience that keeps participants happy and your race day running on schedule. That’s a win-win that feels as good as crossing the finish line!
What race day logistics questions are you struggling with? Let us know, and we’ll tackle them in future Ask aReg posts!