Corporate Sports Central Norway arranges the SpareBank1 SMN Trondheim Marathon every autumn, which is Norway's oldest marathon. The event has grown to become one of the most important sports events in Norway, with over 10,000 participants on the starting line.
Morten Rasch Eliassen is a permanent project manager and tells us some of the secrets behind the success.
- Corporate Sports Central Norway is a special association with many different circles, and we are as many as nine permanent employees. This makes us one of the largest corporate sports circles in Norway. We also arrange the Sports Festival, so we have many years of experience in holding large sports events.
The system grows with the need
With over 400 volunteers involved, great demands are placed on systems, communication and overview. They therefore chose Mobilise a few years ago, to be able to keep control of everything and everyone.
- I had heard about Mobilise through handball, and when we realized we had to have a system for communication, Mobilise was the natural choice. The whole framework was in place and we could use what we wanted there and then, and increase over time. We gave the entire responsibility for Mobilise to one person internally, which gave us full control. She made sure that everyone received the necessary training in exactly what they were going to use.
"Through Mobilise, everyone knows what they shall do, where and when. It gives me, as a project manager, enormous security. "
Morten Rasch Eliassen
Proper communication is the key
Mobilise provides optimal opportunities to communicate properly with the volunteers, and most also use it to set up groups and rosters.
- We already have a staff of volunteers, but use Mobilise to sort and handle them, and for all communication between us, them and between them. We have a working group of 10 people plus me. Below us are around 30 group leaders, who are responsible for e.g. start / finish, drinking stations, fences, different parts of the trail etc. Through Mobilise everyone knows what they shall do, where and when. It gives me as project manager enormous security, claims Morten.
- We the leaders also communicate something by email initially, then EVERYONE goes over to Mobilise a few months before the event. Meetings are booked, messages are given and feedback is obtained. The group leaders use Mobilise to set up rosters, and the volunteers accept and confirm - quickly and easily. Mobilise is a stable platform with a huge space of opportunity, which provides very low risk for us organizers.
Very easy to use
- For us, the calendar is probably the most important function. We have both half and full shifts, and then it is very important to be able to see that there are, or have been, people at work. Especially during the corona pandemic, with all the measures that had to be taken, this was very important. And when we can add routines and upload descriptions, it makes the volunteers' job significantly easier, while at the same time assuring the group leaders that things are being done correctly.
Everything has its positive and negative sides, but it is also the eye that sees. In any case, Mobilise provides a sea of opportunities, and then you use what you need there and then.
- The big advantages for us, versus spreadsheets or other systems, is that Mobilise has a totality and stability we like, plus a sea of other features. It gives us opportunities to use more and more of the system in the future, as we grow and see the need. The system is complex in a good way. Some may think that it is for big, but I think it's all about attitudes. We in the SMN Trondheim Marathon are at least incredibly happy.
The biggest win
- We have divided our marathon course into eight rooms in Mobilise, which has given us a very good overview of rosters and work tasks. With 400 volunteers, it is important that you do not use joint messages, but that everyone is informed about only what concerns them. Facebook, Messenger etc. do not work on this type of communication, and many do not forget or reply to this type of message.
You can also set up read confirmations, which means that you KNOW when people have received and understood the messages. There, Mobilise really gives full control, and I think that is the biggest gain for us, along with the roster functionality.
Satisfied volunteers
It is not a given that all volunteers have exactly the same commitment as the organizer. Some may be there just to attend the event, to watch celebrities run, or to kill some time on a Saturday.
- I have heard about organizers who have failed with other types of systems. I think it's because you do not make the effort that is necessary initially. As we put one dedicated employee on the case, it also became easier for Mobilise to assist us in the initial phase, by coordinating all questions. The time for implementation also meant that we got to work everything properly under the skin in good time BEFORE the event took place. Mobilise's consultants have been incredibly skilled and helpful, and have also helped us to be as happy with the solution as we are.
- Our volunteers are now very happy with Mobilise. But, it took some time to teach them. When everyone was properly put into the solution, it became much easier for everyone, including the group leaders. An advice from me is thus to take proper ownership to get things in place, Morten emphasizes - and that you implement well in advance of the event itself.
We are happy to recommend a good solution
- Anyone who wants a good framework and good communication with volunteers for sporting events, should try Mobilise. You have incredibly good control and overview if you take proper ownership. Find out what works for you and test it out little by little. We have done just that, and now see what we can build on and use more of. You only have to go over the tiny little knuckle that feels like extra work, before you are over to a good feeling of useful work. And it helps the volunteers just as much, to remove their uncertainty about guards and task solution, Morten concludes.
