want to plan a wake event?

Does anyone have any ideas on what it takes to start your own wakeboard event at your own lake you ride on. I know we don't have one where I am from and I would love to try and throw one down this summer! What is all involved in doing this

it's gonna take a lot of sponsors. A lot or people to set it up. You gotta get with the people who control the lake, if it's public, or private for that matter. A lot more than one man can you. You gotta have a lot of people and be very organized to put one together. Maybe some more people on the forum can help u on the details.

permits, money, time, sponsors, permits, money, time, swag from companies, permits, money, time, list of activities, permits, money, time, band/dj, permits, money, time

insurance. the people that run the lake will be on your rear end about getting insurance lined up. if you get a board company to sponsor they should have a plan set up that you can use

Holy crap I didn't know it involved that much I knew it would take a lot of time to plan but you really need all that on a public lake?
I know I would really need to talk to a lot of the boaters to keep from ruffing up the water Maybe its a bad idea

Boats, drivers, safety crew, scoring system, judges, prizes and all of what Umali said.

Q: How do you make a small fortune in the wakeboarding industy?
A: Start with a large one.

All the above suggestions are right on target, but don't be surprised if you end-up losing some money;
especially on the inaugural event.

Competitions take A LOT of preparation, organization and mature execution. Maybe start-off with
more of a festival event. That's what I do in New Jersey every year.

And in addition to all the time, money, preparation, insurance, permits, sponsorship, PA, etc that you'll
have to line-up, you're going to need a solid group of your core friends to run everything. This pretty
much means a day of WORK for you and your core crew, while you run around doing EVERYTHING that needs to be
done to provide a fun day for your guests.

It's also a good idea to have back-up plans for EVERYTHING. Like a back-up generator, a back-up tow boat, a
back-up driver, a back-up food vendor, etc.

Another idea is to contact your local association and express interest in running an event. Here in Alberta we've partnered up with many clubs and have tried to do the same with groups of individuals that are interested in hosting a wakeboard event.

To do it soley on your own as some others have said:
insurance and waivers
permits if you require them for your local areas
drivers, judges, dock starters, registers, calculators, rope studs, safety crew (can be made up of other volunteers, but you need to identify them and have emergency plans), you may want a sea doo and driver to help speed up the contest, clean up, sponsors.

However if you have other options than having a contest. An event could require half the volunteers listed above depending on what you do. You may consider get togethers (something like the CIE Spring Ride), demo's, free riding, clinics, and any other creative idea of wakeboarding. You'll still require volunteers, insurance, safety, and possibly permits, but depending on what it is you may need a much smaller resource pool.

Everybody has hit it pretty much on the head... I used to start planning Midwest Wakefest 1 year in advance & spending EVERY spare second working on it!!

Joe probably has the best list, I might have thrown a few more "time"s in there though.....

the FIRST one you plan will be the hardest, and the most stuff will go wrong. Try to have someone that has put on an event help you.

There are a lot of details to keep straight, but try to delegate, and DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST DAY. Procrastination is your worst enemy. Get as much done as early as possible (lining up prizes, permits, insurance, printing tee shirts, friends to help/workers to work, etc.).

First you need to get the OK to do it where you want to. Talk to the authorities that govern the body of water there, and govern the land you will be setting up on. If they say "no" at least you havent wasted alot of time setting up sponsors, etc.

http://www.wakeworld.com/getarticle.asp?articleid=254

http://www.wakeworld.com/getarticle.asp?articleid=756

(Message edited by ttrigo on January 29, 2008)

Wow this is intense! I was thinking it was a lot easier but I guess it takes alot to make a good event happen. I would totally be doing this just to get more wakeboarders on my lake and not for money at all I just think it would be killer to have an event like this where I ride. Just to have one day a summer totally sold out to the wakeboarders! I'm not even sure if my lake would be the right place for something like this but I guess it never hurts to look into though. Thanks for all the advice much appreciated

Do it here! We need something like that at Bull Shoals! I'll even help
(edited 'cause I can't spell!)

(Message edited by soak_up_the_sun on January 29, 2008)

if your lake has camping amneities nearby or onsite you might want to start a yearly event first kind of like the westside spring ride out here in cali. it started as just a gathering/party and morphed into a great event put on by CIE.

Don't expect to make money or break even your first year. Things required:
1) A group of people for running the event. Sign up, dock people, drivers, safety, etc.
2) Permits from local municipalities. City, county, lake.
3) Sanctioning. USA Water Ski or similar organizations. They provide insurance in order to release the organizers from liability.
4) MONEY, for trophies, T-shirts, Outlaw cash purse.

July 26 and 27 is the day that we are planning our event. It just so happens that the Malibu Open is held on July 18 - 20 just across town. It's all in the timing!!!