In 2020, Dryland Event Management became the first participation sports events company in South Africa, possibly the world, to launch a loyalty programme that consistently adds real value to its customers, most of whom are mountain bikers. After two years – a fair chunk of which was affected by the SA government’s lockdown – we examine the success of Dryland Rewards.
Paid partnership with Dryland Event Management
Loyalty programmes aren’t new, but they’re not found in participation sports events, where athletes enter the same event year after year, or events organised by the same company a few times in a year. That’s what motivated the crew at Dryland Event Management to establish Dryland Rewards.
Here’s how the rewards system works:
- Finish a Dryland event and earn the corresponding points on offer.
- Finish a few Dryland events and accumulate entry-fee % return, qualify for various event extras at no charge and progress your way up the Dryland Athlete Ranking.
The Athlete Rankings with corresponding % back in entry fee are as follows:
| FEARLESS | 260 | 60% |
| HEROIC | 225 | 50% |
| COURAGEOUS | 180 | 40% |
| DARING | 135 | 30% |
| BOLD | 90 | 20% |
| GUTSY | 45 | 10% |
| GRITTY | 25 | 5% |
Points are accumulated in a rolling 12-month period, which encourages year-round commitment to training for and completing Dryland events. Points are also only earned if an athlete finishes a Dryland event, rewarding grit, guts and determination to conquer a goal.
With 145 points, Hanno Smit is currently top-ranked athlete in the Dryland Rewards programme. He’s classified as Daring and he qualifies for a 30% discount on his entry fee to any Dryland event.
“I try to do all the Dryland cycling events. I normally manage to do all except the Storms River and Cradle Traverse stage races. And that’s only because one is in Gauteng and the other normally clashes with my kids’ school sport. But they’re on my bucket list,” said Smit, a 45-year-old agronomist from Paarl.
“My first Dryland event was the 2013 Attakwas. I have done every one since then. I started out as the guy just in front of the sweep vehicle, but have improved and now finish strongly in most events and am quite competitive,” added Smit.
Smit says that the Dryland Rewards points is not the only reason why he participates in Dryland events.
“I do the Dryland events because they’re exceptionally well organised, they’re good value and I like the people. The fact that I score rewards points is a bonus. It basically means I get to do the smaller Dryland events for free if you look at the rewards discount,” explained Smit.
“My favourite Dryland events are the Cape Pioneer Trek and the 36ONE Challenge. Actually, I love the 36ONE!” added Smit, who owns two bikes, a Santa Cruz Tallboy mountain bike and a Curve gravel bike.
Pieter Korkie, Natasha van den Berg (both on 140 points) and Phillip Luff (on 135 points) are the only other athletes in the Daring range with a total of 30 athletes one level down in the Bold range.
“We are really happy about the uptake of Dryland Rewards. More than 1700 have downloaded the Dryland Reward app with more than 1300 making use of the discounts on offer,” said Carel Herholdt, co-founder of Dryland Event Management.
“We have already given back in excess of R120 000 in Dryland Rewards, which confirms that the loyalty programme has been well received and we consider that a success. Going forward, especially as the economic pinch is felt, we expect more entrants of our events to make use of the Dryland Rewards,” added Herholdt.
The Dryland Events bouquet, which comprises mostly mountain bike-specific races, carries different weightings points, with the most challenging – and time-consuming – events offering the most points. If all Dryland events, including the trail running events, are entered and finished within a 12-month period to qualify for the top Fearless tier level, a total saving of around R40000 is possible for Dryland Rewards Members.
The list is as follows:
Momentum Medical Scheme Attakwas Extreme presented by Biogen | MTB – 10 points Enter here.
Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek presented by Biogen | MTB – 40 points Enter here.
The News24 Karoo Burn | MTB/Gravel – 15 points Enter here.
Glacier Cradle Traverse | MTB – 30 points Enter here.
Tankwa Trail | Trail Run – 10 points Enter here.
The 36ONE MTB Challenge (The Challenge) | MTB/Gravel – 15 points Enter here.
Glacier Storms River Traverse | MTB – 30 points Enter here.
Prince George Monumental 100 Miler | Gravel/MTB – 10 points Enter here.
Momentum Medical Scheme Cape Pioneer Trek presented by Biogen | MTB – 70 points Enter here.
Rhodes Dryland Traverse | Trail Run – 30 points Enter here.
Download the app now and sign up to the Dryland Rewards Programme today: Android here. and Apple here.
For more information please visit, www.drylandrewards.co.za or contact Sune van Wyk on +27 (44) 279 1013 or via email at sune@dryland.co.za.
