Competitor Back Number Printing
An integral part of any dance competition is the use of a number tag which is usually worn on the competitors back. It is important that DanceSport Organisers have an efficient and cost-effective method of managing Competitor Back Numbers.
Common issues for Organisers:
- The cost of recyclable Back Numbers. Materials used in this process are becoming increasingly expensive requiring competitors to pay a deposit and return that number at the end of the day.
- Recycling of Back Numbers requires the appointment of volunteers that handle the return of numbers. It also requires volunteers to handle money (the deposit) in some form.
- When a parent has several children the incorrect Back Number can be placed on the wrong child which can cause confusion and wasted time during the Event.
- Due to the cost of specifically printed Back Numbers it is difficult and expensive to promote sponsors and advertisers as part of the Back Number.
Print your own Back Numbers
The new DanceSport Australia Competition Organiser Portal now allows any Organiser the ability to print their own Back Numbers. This new service provides a far more efficient option for event organisers, providing back numbers to be pre-printed prior to the Event or printed ‘on the fly’ during the day.
The portal also enables you to export the competitor data generated directly to the DanceScore system allowing for a streamline & error free transition of data. The export data can be generated for ‘Paid’ and ‘Non-Paid’ entries. This allows for easy updating of the DanceSport Live website and contacting those who have not paid their entry fees.
The produced back number is formatted to an A4 page. Below the fold line is the Competition and competitor information displaying the events that this Back Number is used in. It is easy for a parent (or coach) to know who is entered in which event and most importantly the competitor not taking the floor with the wrong Back Number.
Folding the A4 print out in half creates an A5 size Back Number that can be placed in a plastic sleeve. Plastic A5 sleeves are available but the most cost-effective option is to purchase A4 sleeves and cut them down to size. Officeworks has a large range of A4 plastic sleeves ranging from thin to heavy weight.
Competitors should be encouraged to retain and reuse the plastic sleeves, this would be environmentally responsible and reduce wastage.
An added advantage of placing the Back Number in a sleeve is that the number can be easily replaced. That is the plastic sleeve remained pinned to the back and the number is slid in and out. This will suit those in Pro/Am events where there is a constant change of number because of multiple partners.
The ‘bar-code’ has been replaced with a ‘QR code’ if there is a need to scan. This is because a QR code is more resilient when it comes to scanning through a plastic sleeve.
Using the Back Number Advertising Space
The design concept of the Back Number system is not simply to save money on printing Back Numbers, but rather allow Organiser the ability to leverage the goodwill of their Event through sponsorship and advertising.
The Organiser Portal allows for the upload of graphics that can be used to ‘brand’ the competition or include a sponsor logo.
The image below shows the upload page where an Organiser can upload an image file that will sit behind the computer-generated number and QR codes.
The default Back Numbers will have the DanceSportLive.com logo, uploading artwork will replace the default. If you want to change the artwork simply upload again, this will overwrite the existing artwork file.
There is no restriction on colours, the question is whether your printer can print the artwork that has been uploaded.
