Running a virtual balloon race takes about half an hour to set up. Here’s everything you need.
What you need
- A WordPress site (6.0 or newer) with PHP 7.4 or newer
- WooCommerce, to sell entries (the map and leaderboard work without it)
- A way to take payments in WooCommerce (card, PayPal, bank transfer…)
1. Install the plugin
Download the plugin zip (coming soon), then in WordPress go to Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin, choose the zip and activate it.
The plugin creates a Balloon Race page (the live map, team standings, leaderboard and race list) and a ready-to-sell Balloon Race Entry product at £3. Change the product’s name, price and picture like any product.
2. Try the demo race
Go to Balloon Race → Settings → Demo race and click Create a demo race to see a race in action with 30 made-up balloons. Remove it from the same place when you’re done.
3. Choose your settings
- Flight mode: Drift (true to life), Soar (the default) or Jetstream (maximum distance). Settings shows how far the leader typically gets.
- Automatic updates: how often balloons move, from every 5 minutes to daily.
- Shop add-ons: prices for tactical helium strategies, custom launch points and logo uploads.
- Teams (optional): houses, classes or groups, with team standings.
4. Create your race
Balloon Race → Races → Add race: give it a name, when entries open, the launch time, an optional end time and the launch point (search for a place or click the map). You can also set an entry limit.
5. Sell entries
Share your shop’s Balloon Race Entry page. Buyers see a live preview of their balloon as they choose its name, colour and logo. Entries can only be bought while your race is taking entries.
6. Race day
- Balloons launch at the launch time, or press Launch now. Everyone with a balloon is emailed a link to track it.
- Share your Balloon Race page: supporters can follow the map, search the leaderboard and see their own balloons.
- Refunded or cancelled orders take their balloons out of the race automatically.
7. The finish
At the end time (or Finish now), balloons stop and the leaderboard is final. Everyone is emailed their balloon’s position, and you can export a CSV of entries and donors.
Questions? Get in touch.