Putting on a show: ever thought about hosting a fitness contest? Here's how to start - For the Competitor - Brief Article

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, July, 2002 by Maura Weber

Competing in a fitness contest isn't easy, a fact that's painfully obvious to anyone who has tried to live on a precontest diet for more than a day. What's less widely known is that staging a fitness contest has its own set of challenges. Industry insiders put a lot of work behind the scenes to ensure that the competitors will get to strut their stuff in front of an enthusiastic audience, not to mention taking home a prize that recognizes all their hard work.

So what does it take to successfully produce an amateur physique contest? "Keep it simple," says Jon Linsday, a Los Angeles-based promoter who puts on 12 shows a year. "The two most common mistakes I see in contest promoters are lack of preparation and getting too bogged down in the glitzy stuff." Most people who put on amateur contests are doing it mainly to promote their primary business, which oftentimes is a local gym or personal training service, which is fine, says Lindsay. Though he makes his living as a contest promoter, "There aren't many of us," he says. If you want to host your own contest, you need to keep your expectations realistic and do it primarily for the love of the game.

"The competitors are the stars," Lindsay explains. "Without the competitors, I'm dead in the water" He stresses the importance of being available to answer questions before the show and keeping a good flow of information with the athletes. You also have to think about the spectators, he adds. "Make it start on time,"

IFBB pro fitness competitor Laura Mak agrees. "Make sure you do it for the athletes," she says. "They're the ones who are putting in all that time to prepare." Laura, who is co-promoting the National Physique Committee-sanctioned Mak Attack Fitness and Figure contest in Gadsden, Alabama, on June 22, hopes that as her competition days wind down, her promotion career will expand. She points out that you have to have a good team to make a show a success because there's so much that goes on behind the scenes.

"You need to call the National Physique Committee to see where you can fit your show into its contest schedule and find out what the sanctioning fee will be," she explains. "Then you have to call around to find a venue and get judges," Once you have an idea of how much money you'll need to cover these expenses, you'll want to explore the possibilities of having companies sponsor the event. "You might just break even at first; if you get good at it, you could make some money," Laura says.

Details, Details, Details

One of the biggest details to work out is finding sponsors to provide financial support. "Sponsors are an important source of income," says Jim Lorimer, promoter of the Arnold Classic Weekend that takes place each winter in Columbus, Ohio. "For a local show, you should first figure out who could he a good sponsor. It could be a gym chain or a supplement company, and in return for their sponsorship you place their logos on all your contest materials."

And of course, you need to get the word out about the big event. Lorimer advises that you should have several committees helping to plan the contest, and one of them should be a publicity committee. "Get a mailing list of gyms in your area that you can send flyers to," he advises. Laura also recommends using the mail as a primary source of publicity; she says her promotional mailing list covers a five-state area.

Once the contest day arrives, a whole new set of details must be considered. Lorimer lists a few: "Someone has to bring in warm-up equipment backstage, you need to have adequate lighting and sound, there needs to be a sponsor liaison, and the MC has to know who's who. You also have to get the right music for the right athlete. There's no way to look worse than to mix up the music and the athlete."

Promoting a physique contest is a lot of work, an undertaking you shouldn't pursue on a whim. But if you love the world of fitness, it's a great way to get involved.

For a listing of the National Physique Committee's schedule of events and your local NPC officials, call the national office at 412-276-5027 or go to www.npcnevvsonline.com.