Are you struggling to understand how you should approach and talk to sponsors? Is seeking sponsorship a task you dread or maybe have even given up on? We’ve got an awesome episode for you today that is going to boost your confidence and reset your entire thinking around sponsorship. It’s going to help you understand what sponsorship truly is about, what sponsors really look to get out of it, and how, through some simple, disciplined steps and a change of mindset, you can transform your chances of securing sponsors for your event.My guest in today’s episode is an industry leader I’ve personally followed for years. To call Kim Skildum-Reid a sponsorship expert would be something of an understatement. Through her Power Sponsorship consultancy Kim has helped countless blue-chip rightsholders and sponsors plan and execute effective sponsorship strategies, and through her best-selling books and online courses she’s probably done more than anyone to educate sponsorship practitioners on the fundamentals of sponsorship. So it is super-exciting to have Kim on the podcast today sharing her insights into the fundamentals of sponsorship, and the mindset you, as a sponsorship seeker, need to adopt to succeed in this challenging arena.In this episode:Leveraging your audience year-roundFraming your audience reach to sponsorsHelping sponsors "get" your vision through your sponsorship proposalThe importance of understanding the sponsor's point of viewPutting a value on in-kind sponsorshipWriting a winning sponsorship proposal that "sells" your deal internally in the sponsor organizationInventory audits: putting together a list of all the benefits you could offer to sponsorsDealing with sponsors as peersOverdelivering for sponsors (and getting recognized for it)Sharing sponsorship reports with sponsorsFiring your sponsors when they're underperforming Why you should stop using gold, silver bronze sponsorship packagesFurther reading:Kim's list of must-read follow-up materials: https://bit.ly/3AFMTx2Offers:Get 30% OFF Kim's "Getting To Yes" online sponsorship course - click here and use code RDHQ30 (offer expires August 10)Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.com/.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about email marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Are you struggling to understand how you should approach and talk to sponsors? Is seeking sponsorship a task you dread or maybe have even given up on? We’ve got an awesome episode for you today that is going to boost your confidence and reset your entire thinking around sponsorship. It’s going to help you understand what sponsorship truly is about, what sponsors really look to get out of it, and how, through some simple, disciplined steps and a change of mindset, you can transform your chances of securing sponsors for your event. My guest in today’s episode is an industry leader I’ve personally followed for years. To call <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimskildumreid/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kim Skildum-Reid</a> a sponsorship expert would be something of an understatement. Through her <a href="https://powersponsorship.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Power Sponsorship</a> consultancy Kim has helped countless blue-chip rightsholders and sponsors plan and execute effective sponsorship strategies, and through her best-selling books and online courses she’s probably done more than anyone to educate sponsorship practitioners on the fundamentals of sponsorship.  So it is super-exciting to have Kim on the podcast today sharing her insights into the fundamentals of sponsorship, and the mindset you, as a sponsorship seeker, need to adopt to succeed in this challenging arena. In this episode:<ul><li>Leveraging your audience year-round</li><li>Framing your audience reach to sponsors</li><li>Helping sponsors "get" your vision through your sponsorship proposal</li><li>The importance of understanding the sponsor's point of view</li><li>Putting a value on in-kind sponsorship</li><li>Writing a winning sponsorship proposal that "sells" your deal internally in the sponsor organization</li><li>Inventory audits: putting together a list of all the benefits you could offer to sponsors</li><li>Dealing with sponsors as peers</li><li>Overdelivering for sponsors (and getting recognized for it)</li><li>Sharing sponsorship reports with sponsors</li><li>Firing your sponsors when they're underperforming </li><li>Why you should stop using gold, silver bronze sponsorship packages</li></ul>Further reading:<ul><li>Kim's list of must-read follow-up materials: <a href="https://bit.ly/3AFMTx2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3AFMTx2</a></li></ul>Offers:<ul><li>Get 30% OFF Kim's "Getting To Yes" online sponsorship course - click <a href="https://powersponsorship.thinkific.com/courses/getting-to-yes-" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and use code RDHQ30 (offer expires August 10)</li></ul>Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a>, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://runsignup.com/</a>. <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a> can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://organisers.racecheck.com/</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about email marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

The Sponsorship Seeker's Mindset

Personalized participant video, where a participant receives an edited video of themselves in the race after they cross the finish line (often as soon as a few minutes after), has been a long time coming in mass-participation events. So how far has personalized video technology really come over the last few years? What does it add to the race experience? How much does it cost? And is the cost worth it, compared to, say, offering just race photos, as most races currently do?Today we’ll be looking at all these questions and more, through the lense of personalized video tech pioneer iRewind. iRewind has been providing personalized video services to races - either directly or indirectly - for years, including to such high profile events as the NYC Marathon, Paris Marathon and ASICS London 10K. So it’s a great pleasure to be able to hear from iRewind co-founder and COO, Salvador Garcia Zalduegui on how personalized video technology works and how it has rapidly evolved over the last few years to the point of now making it widely affordable for a large number of races.In this episode:A short history of iRewind: from skiing video capture to mass-participation personalized videoParticipant personalized video: what it is, how it's captured, and what it looks like to the end user (=participants)Personalized video compared to race photos, and how the two work alongside each other to expand reach and enhance the participant race experienceThe evolution of personalized video technology, and why it's time has comeBreakdown of a typical perzonalised video capture setupUploading, sorting, tagging and editing participant race videos, using image and motion recognition technologyHow you can set up personalized video in your race, and how much it costsGetting your personalized video costs covered by a sponsorEngagement statistics for personalized videoMany thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.com/.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about email marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Personalized participant video, where a participant receives an edited video of themselves in the race after they cross the finish line (often as soon as a few minutes after), has been a long time coming in mass-participation events. So how far has personalized video technology really come over the last few years? What does it add to the race experience? How much does it cost? And is the cost worth it, compared to, say, offering just race photos, as most races currently do? Today we’ll be looking at all these questions and more, through the lense of personalized video tech pioneer <a href="https://irewind.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iRewind</a>. iRewind has been providing personalized video services to races - either directly or indirectly - for years, including to such high profile events as the NYC Marathon, Paris Marathon and ASICS London 10K. So it’s a great pleasure to be able to hear from iRewind co-founder and COO, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/salvador-garcia-zalduegui-21095233/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Salvador Garcia Zalduegui</a> on how personalized video technology works and how it has rapidly evolved over the last few years to the point of now making it widely affordable for a large number of races. In this episode:<ul><li>A short history of iRewind: from skiing video capture to mass-participation personalized video</li><li>Participant personalized video: what it is, how it's captured, and what it looks like to the end user (=participants)</li><li>Personalized video compared to race photos, and how the two work alongside each other to expand reach and enhance the participant race experience</li><li>The evolution of personalized video technology, and why it's time has come</li><li>Breakdown of a typical perzonalised video capture setup</li><li>Uploading, sorting, tagging and editing participant race videos, using image and motion recognition technology</li><li>How you can set up personalized video in your race, and how much it costs</li><li>Getting your personalized video costs covered by a sponsor</li><li>Engagement statistics for personalized video</li></ul>Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a>, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://runsignup.com/</a>. <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a> can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://organisers.racecheck.com/</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about email marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

iRewind: Personalized Race Videos

Have you ever thought about trademarking your race’s name or logo? Trademarking your race and brand could help protect your business against trademark infringement, and the risk of getting someone else’s event confused with yours, whether that is done through malice or ignorance. Today we’re going to be looking at all aspects of trademarks and the trademark registration process, with the help of no less than three distinguished guests - Brian Gallant of Sinister Sports, who had to defend his race trademark against a competing claim not too long ago, and intellectual property lawyers Suzanne Sjovold and Jon Deppe who will be bringing the legal expertise in today’s highly technical subject.We are going to be looking at the process of registering a new trademark, defending a registered trademark you own against infringement, as well as the many protections afforded to your brand by law even in the absence of a formal trademark registration, through the concept of common law trademarks. So stick with us to have all your trademark-related questions answered.In this episode:Trademarks as a consumer protection deviceWhat aspects of a race can (and can't) be trademarkedTrademark geographical limitations: federal vs state/regional protectionCommon law trademarks: what they are, and what protection they already provide for your race even without trademark registrationResolving conflicts between common law trademarks and registered trademarksDefending your common law trademark against a competing trademark registrationWhy using your trademark in trade is crucial for establishing trademark protectionRegistering a trademark, trademark registration classes, and trademark search best practicesEstablishing registration priority with intent-to-use trademarksThe cost of registering a trademarkDIY trademark registration: is it worth it?(R) vs TM: Understanding trademark symbols and when/where to use them Renewing and defending registered trademarksMany thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.com/.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about email marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Have you ever thought about trademarking your race’s name or logo? Trademarking your race and brand could help protect your business against trademark infringement, and the risk of getting someone else’s event confused with yours, whether that is done through malice or ignorance. Today we’re going to be looking at all aspects of trademarks and the trademark registration process, with the help of no less than three distinguished guests - <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-gallant-b9358a19a/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brian Gallant</a> of <a href="https://www.sinistersports.ca/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sinister Sports</a>, who had to defend his race trademark against a competing claim not too long ago, and intellectual property lawyers <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-suzanne-sjovold-b50a1210/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Suzanne Sjovold</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-deppe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jon Deppe</a> who will be bringing the legal expertise in today’s highly technical subject. We are going to be looking at the process of registering a new trademark, defending a registered trademark you own against infringement, as well as the many protections afforded to your brand by law even in the absence of a formal trademark registration, through the concept of common law trademarks. So stick with us to have all your trademark-related questions answered. In this episode:<ul><li>Trademarks as a consumer protection device</li><li>What aspects of a race can (and can't) be trademarked</li><li>Trademark geographical limitations: federal vs state/regional protection</li><li>Common law trademarks: what they are, and what protection they already provide for your race even without trademark registration</li><li>Resolving conflicts between common law trademarks and registered trademarks</li><li>Defending your common law trademark against a competing trademark registration</li><li>Why using your trademark in trade is crucial for establishing trademark protection</li><li>Registering a trademark, trademark registration classes, and trademark search best practices</li><li>Establishing registration priority with intent-to-use trademarks</li><li>The cost of registering a trademark</li><li>DIY trademark registration: is it worth it?</li><li>(R) vs TM: Understanding trademark symbols and when/where to use them </li><li>Renewing and defending registered trademarks</li></ul>Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a>, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://runsignup.com/</a>. <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a> can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://organisers.racecheck.com/</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about email marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

Trademarking Races

When it comes to marketing your race, email marketing is the granddaddy of all marketing channels. Forget TikTok, and Instagram and Facebook Ads, if you don’t have a sound email marketing strategy, you could be passing on a huge opportunity to grow your race - and also falling short of delivering the highest quality experience you can for your participants.Today we are going to be taking a very close look at all aspects of email marketing strategy, from the types of emails you should be sending, and when and how often you should send them, to exactly what you should be saying to your participants and prospective participants through your email copy. And we’ll be doing all that with the help of my guest, marketing pro, and very passionate email marketing advocate, Hollie Light - or “Hollie from the emails”, as she’s come to be known.In this episode:Why email marketing is so important for marketing your raceAre you emailing your audience too often? Segmenting your audience into converted (signed-up participants) and unconverted (everyone else) subscribersNewsletters: whom to send them to, what to put in them, how often you should send themSticking to a regular emailing schedule: creating a content calendar, repurposing content The importance of rewarding your email subscribersSelling your race through your newsletterTips for engaging email subject lines (hint: it's not about you, it's about them!)Nurturing subscribers to signing up through staged email sequencesUsing email as a customer service/upselling channel for existing participantsMarketing your shorter races as training events for your longer racesGrowing your mailing list with freebie/giveaway funnelsEmail design for optimal open rates and reader friendlinessUsing testimonials and social proof in your emailsProductivity tools, email templates and other tips to help you optimize your email marketingMany thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.com/.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about email marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

When it comes to marketing your race, email marketing is the granddaddy of all marketing channels. Forget TikTok, and Instagram and Facebook Ads, if you don’t have a sound email marketing strategy, you could be passing on a huge opportunity to grow your race - and also falling short of delivering the highest quality experience you can for your participants. Today we are going to be taking a very close look at all aspects of email marketing strategy, from the types of emails you should be sending, and when and how often you should send them, to exactly what you should be saying to your participants and prospective participants through your email copy. And we’ll be doing all that with the help of my guest, marketing pro, and very passionate email marketing advocate, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollielight/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hollie Light</a> - or “Hollie from the emails”, as she’s come to be known. In this episode:<ul><li>Why email marketing is so important for marketing your race</li><li>Are you emailing your audience too often? </li><li>Segmenting your audience into converted (signed-up participants) and unconverted (everyone else) subscribers</li><li>Newsletters: whom to send them to, what to put in them, how often you should send them</li><li>Sticking to a regular emailing schedule: creating a content calendar, repurposing content </li><li>The importance of rewarding your email subscribers</li><li>Selling your race through your newsletter</li><li>Tips for engaging email subject lines (hint: it's not about you, it's about them!)</li><li>Nurturing subscribers to signing up through staged email sequences</li><li>Using email as a customer service/upselling channel for existing participants</li><li>Marketing your shorter races as training events for your longer races</li><li>Growing your mailing list with freebie/giveaway funnels</li><li>Email design for optimal open rates and reader friendliness</li><li>Using testimonials and social proof in your emails</li><li>Productivity tools, email templates and other tips to help you optimize your email marketing</li></ul>Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a>, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://runsignup.com/</a>. <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a> can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://organisers.racecheck.com/</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about email marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

Email Marketing

It is May 2022 and whatever hopes and expectations we’ve all had of 2022 at the end of last year have started to materialize - or have they? It’s difficult to say how strongly our industry’s recovery towards pre-pandemic levels has fared so far this year, particularly when we all individually get to see only parts of the bigger picture. Well, today I’m delighted to be joined by two industry insiders who get to see as much of the bigger picture as any in our industry - Bob Bickel, Founder of US registrations market-leader RunSignup and Chris Robb, CEO of Mass Participation World and a passionate advocate for the endurance events industry.Chris and Bob come armed with data and a deep understanding of our industry and where it’s currently at, and they’ll be discussing with me the latest data on event numbers and registration trends, as well as more profound questions, like “Is it time for race directors to be raising prices?” - a question I’m sure many of you are asking yourselves.In this episode:Market recovery continues, but lagging prior expectations for 2022The effect of Omicron and erosion of trust on race participationHave people fallen out of love with racing?The knock-on effect of losing early sign-ups on overall registrationsRace director sentiment: from optimism to survival modeThe risk of operational know-how loss for the industryWhy are runners not getting back to start lines? Update on participant no-show ratesThe effect of local authority staff turnover on race permitting and event support provisionIs local business and local community support for races waning?Industry lobbying efforts throughout the pandemicNon-returning race rates before and during the pandemicFinancial stresses for mid-tier organizers and the tough 6 months aheadIs it time for race directors to raise prices?Bridging the disconnect between events and participants through year-round participant engagementSponsor sentiment and the shift towards performance-based sponsorshipsMarket forecasts for the next two yearsMany thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.com/.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

It is May 2022 and whatever hopes and expectations we’ve all had of 2022 at the end of last year have started to materialize - or have they? It’s difficult to say how strongly our industry’s recovery towards pre-pandemic levels has fared so far this year, particularly when we all individually get to see only parts of the bigger picture. Well, today I’m delighted to be joined by two industry insiders who get to see as much of the bigger picture as any in our industry - <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbickel/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bob Bickel</a>, Founder of US registrations market-leader <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-robb/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chris Robb</a>, CEO of <a href="https://massparticipationworld.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mass Participation World</a> and a passionate advocate for the endurance events industry. Chris and Bob come armed with data and a deep understanding of our industry and where it’s currently at, and they’ll be discussing with me the latest data on event numbers and registration trends, as well as more profound questions, like “Is it time for race directors to be raising prices?” - a question I’m sure many of you are asking yourselves. In this episode:<ul><li>Market recovery continues, but lagging prior expectations for 2022</li><li>The effect of Omicron and erosion of trust on race participation</li><li>Have people fallen out of love with racing?</li><li>The knock-on effect of losing early sign-ups on overall registrations</li><li>Race director sentiment: from optimism to survival mode</li><li>The risk of operational know-how loss for the industry</li><li>Why are runners not getting back to start lines? </li><li>Update on participant no-show rates</li><li>The effect of local authority staff turnover on race permitting and event support provision</li><li>Is local business and local community support for races waning?</li><li>Industry lobbying efforts throughout the pandemic</li><li>Non-returning race rates before and during the pandemic</li><li>Financial stresses for mid-tier organizers and the tough 6 months ahead</li><li>Is it time for race directors to raise prices?</li><li>Bridging the disconnect between events and participants through year-round participant engagement</li><li>Sponsor sentiment and the shift towards performance-based sponsorships</li><li>Market forecasts for the next two years</li></ul>Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a>, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://runsignup.com/</a>. <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a> can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://organisers.racecheck.com/</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

Market Update: Are We There Yet?

When it comes to marketing events, text marketing - or SMS marketing, as it’s often known - is just about as controversial as it gets. Some people have used it and absolutely love the high engagement rate and ROI SMS marketing campaigns provide, others don’t want anything to do with it and positively cringe at the idea of marketing their event over so personal a channel. Well, over the next hour and a half we are going to be going deep into the technology, the arguments and the facts around SMS marketing with my two expert guests, Gerry Perez of RunGP and Endurance Marketing Founder Beth Salinger. We’re going to be looking at how SMS marketing campaigns work, the pros and cons of using SMS over, or alongside, other marketing channels like email and social media, and how SMS can be used to reactivate customer databases like your unproductive mailing list.In this episode:SMS marketing as another tool in your marketing stackSMS marketing's spectacular open rates and how to compare them to email open ratesExamples of SMS campaigns: when to send them, how often, and what to include in themGetting the most out of your SMS campaigns with limited-time offers Responding to customer replies, following up and nurturing people through conversationsSMS marketing conversion rates and how to interpret themIntegrating your SMS marketing with your registration platform, Zapier for better attribution, ROI-trackingReactivating customer databases through SMSSMS copy best practices: identifying yourself as the sender, using clear calls-to-action, using emojis, personalizing your messagesFunnelling cold leads from Facebook ads into SMS nurturing campaignsBuilding up your SMS marketing list: subscribing website visitors, obtaining user consent, drawing users from social media, using incentives, using QR codesThe cost of running SMS campaignsMany thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.com/.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

When it comes to marketing events, text marketing - or SMS marketing, as it’s often known - is just about as controversial as it gets. Some people have used it and absolutely love the high engagement rate and ROI SMS marketing campaigns provide, others don’t want anything to do with it and positively cringe at the idea of marketing their event over so personal a channel. Well, over the next hour and a half we are going to be going deep into the technology, the arguments and the facts around SMS marketing with my two expert guests, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerardopb/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gerry Perez</a> of <a href="https://rungp.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunGP</a> and <a href="http://www.endurance-marketing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Endurance Marketing</a> Founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-salinger-6067/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beth Salinger</a>. We’re going to be looking at how SMS marketing campaigns work, the pros and cons of using SMS over, or alongside, other marketing channels like email and social media, and how SMS can be used to reactivate customer databases like your unproductive mailing list. In this episode:<ul><li>SMS marketing as another tool in your marketing stack</li><li>SMS marketing's spectacular open rates and how to compare them to email open rates</li><li>Examples of SMS campaigns: when to send them, how often, and what to include in them</li><li>Getting the most out of your SMS campaigns with limited-time offers </li><li>Responding to customer replies, following up and nurturing people through conversations</li><li>SMS marketing conversion rates and how to interpret them</li><li>Integrating your SMS marketing with your registration platform, Zapier for better attribution, ROI-tracking</li><li>Reactivating customer databases through SMS</li><li>SMS copy best practices: identifying yourself as the sender, using clear calls-to-action, using emojis, personalizing your messages</li><li>Funnelling cold leads from Facebook ads into SMS nurturing campaigns</li><li>Building up your SMS marketing list: subscribing website visitors, obtaining user consent, drawing users from social media, using incentives, using QR codes</li><li>The cost of running SMS campaigns</li></ul>Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a>, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://runsignup.com/</a>. <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a> can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://organisers.racecheck.com/</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

SMS Marketing

Does your race employ a race announcer? Chances are probably not. You may think that your race is not big enough to have one or that the money spent on a race announcer could be better spent elsewhere - or not spent at all, if you run a for-profit race or raising money for a charity or cause close to your heart.Well, today we’re going to try and give you some reasons to reconsider with the help of my guests, professional announcers Fitz Koehler and Steve Fleck. We’re going to be looking at the many things race announcers do on race day, how they contribute to the race experience, and how they can make your race an event to remember.In this episode:The difference a voice can make: how race announcers elevate the race experienceShould even smaller races have a race announcer?From start to finish: what a race announcer does throughout race dayExpert tips on race announcing: gathering participants' background info/stories, pacing yourself, engaging spectatorsName pronunciations, mis-gendering and avoiding finish line faux pas!The importance of hiring announcers who understand racesHiring a race announcer: where to find one, what you get and what it costsLinks:Find and hire a race announcer: https://www.racedirectorshq.com/us/emcees-announcers/ Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.com/.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Does your race employ a race announcer? Chances are probably not. You may think that your race is not big enough to have one or that the money spent on a race announcer could be better spent elsewhere - or not spent at all, if you run a for-profit race or raising money for a charity or cause close to your heart. Well, today we’re going to try and give you some reasons to reconsider with the help of my guests, professional announcers <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/fitz-koehler/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fitz Koehler</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/flecksteve/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Steve Fleck</a>. We’re going to be looking at the many things race announcers do on race day, how they contribute to the race experience, and how they can make your race an event to remember. In this episode:<ul><li>The difference a voice can make: how race announcers elevate the race experience</li><li>Should even smaller races have a race announcer?</li><li>From start to finish: what a race announcer does throughout race day</li><li>Expert tips on race announcing: gathering participants' background info/stories, pacing yourself, engaging spectators</li><li>Name pronunciations, mis-gendering and avoiding finish line faux pas!</li><li>The importance of hiring announcers who understand races</li><li>Hiring a race announcer: where to find one, what you get and what it costs</li></ul>Links:<ul><li>Find and hire a race announcer: <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/us/emcees-announcers/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.racedirectorshq.com/us/emcees-announcers/</a> </li></ul>Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a>, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://runsignup.com/</a>. <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a> can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://organisers.racecheck.com/</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

Race Announcers!

What do the Marine Corps Marathon, Air Force Marathon and Army Ten Miler all have in common? They are, of course, amazing races put on to celebrate branches of the US Military that attract tens of thousands of participants every year.Well, there’s a new race in town for 2022, set to celebrate the youngest of all military branches: the Space Force. The aptly named Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler is set to take place this December 10th at historic Cape Canaveral, and we’re going to be hearing all about it from the event’s own race director Brandon Hough in today’s star-spangled bonus episode. So get ready for some military race history, rockets, alligators, more rockets, and some very interesting insights into working as a race director within the US government.In this episode:Military races: how it all begun with the Marine Corps MarathonNAFIs and the legal structure of military racesThe challenges of putting on a race inside the US government/militaryThe birth and mission of the US Space ForceConceiving and launching the Space Force T-Minus 10-MilerMapping out a race course around historic Cape CanaveralWhat to expect from the inaugural race (hint: more than rockets and alligators, although there's definitely plenty of those!)The Sea, Air &amp; Space ChallengeMany thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.com/.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

What do the Marine Corps Marathon, Air Force Marathon and Army Ten Miler all have in common? They are, of course, amazing races put on to celebrate branches of the US Military that attract tens of thousands of participants every year. Well, there’s a new race in town for 2022, set to celebrate the youngest of all military branches: the Space Force. The aptly named <a href="https://runspaceforce.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler</a> is set to take place this December 10th at historic Cape Canaveral, and we’re going to be hearing all about it from the event’s own race director <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonahough/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brandon Hough</a> in today’s star-spangled bonus episode.  So get ready for some military race history, rockets, alligators, more rockets, and some very interesting insights into working as a race director within the US government. In this episode:<ul><li>Military races: how it all begun with the Marine Corps Marathon</li><li>NAFIs and the legal structure of military races</li><li>The challenges of putting on a race inside the US government/military</li><li>The birth and mission of the US Space Force</li><li>Conceiving and launching the Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler</li><li>Mapping out a race course around historic Cape Canaveral</li><li>What to expect from the inaugural race (hint: more than rockets and alligators, although there's definitely plenty of those!)</li><li>The Sea, Air &amp; Space Challenge</li></ul>Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a>, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://runsignup.com/</a>. <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a> can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://organisers.racecheck.com/</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

[Bonus] The Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler

It is by now abundantly clear that some of the ways we have all been used to doing things, including organizing races, are just not sustainable for the planet in the long term. And it is increasingly obvious to race directors and participants alike that traveling long distances to and from events, going through scores of single-use plastic bottles, and sending tons of waste to landfill is taking its toll on the environment and the communities we all strive to support.For over a decade, the Council for Responsible Sport has supported mass-participation sports’ sustainability transition through its industry-leading certification program and the development of the industry’s first responsible sport standards.And today, I have the pleasure of catching up with the Council’s Executive Director, Shelley Villalobos, on the Council’s recent initiatives to encourage even more race directors to take their first steps towards environmental sustainability, including the launch of ReScore, a free app that can help any race organizer plan, track and achieve their sustainability goals step by step through a single online platform.In this episode:The origins and mission of the Council for Responsible SportHow the Council of Responsible Sport is governed and fundedRace sustainability efforts around the worldDeveloping sustainability standards and best practicesResponsible event certification, what it costs and the process for getting your race certifiedGetting certified with the help of a corporate sustainability sponsorLeveraging your race's environmental credentials to promote your event's purposeMitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon offsettingIncorporating the cost of reducing GHG emissions from participant travel into the event registration costReducing single-use plastic waste: using and effectively disposing of compostable water cups, allowing water backpacks, cupless racing, Ooho!ReScore: the free app that helps you collaborate, track your progress and access relevant resources as you work towards making your race more sustainableLinks:CRS Responsible Sport Standards: https://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/standardsCRS Responsible Events Guide: https://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/runradReScore: https://portal.sportrescore.org/Project Drawdown: https://drawdown.org/Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.com/.

It is by now abundantly clear that some of the ways we have all been used to doing things, including organizing races, are just not sustainable for the planet in the long term. And it is increasingly obvious to race directors and participants alike that traveling long distances to and from events, going through scores of single-use plastic bottles, and sending tons of waste to landfill is taking its toll on the environment and the communities we all strive to support. For over a decade, the <a href="https://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Council for Responsible Sport</a> has supported mass-participation sports’ sustainability transition through its industry-leading certification program and the development of the industry’s first responsible sport standards. And today, I have the pleasure of catching up with the Council’s Executive Director, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-villalobos/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shelley Villalobos</a>, on the Council’s recent initiatives to encourage even more race directors to take their first steps towards environmental sustainability, including the launch of <a href="https://portal.sportrescore.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ReScore</a>, a free app that can help any race organizer plan, track and achieve their sustainability goals step by step through a single online platform. In this episode:<ul><li>The origins and mission of the Council for Responsible Sport</li><li>How the Council of Responsible Sport is governed and funded</li><li>Race sustainability efforts around the world</li><li>Developing sustainability standards and best practices</li><li>Responsible event certification, what it costs and the process for getting your race certified</li><li>Getting certified with the help of a corporate sustainability sponsor</li><li>Leveraging your race's environmental credentials to promote your event's purpose</li><li>Mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon offsetting</li><li>Incorporating the cost of reducing GHG emissions from participant travel into the event registration cost</li><li>Reducing single-use plastic waste: using and effectively disposing of compostable water cups, allowing water backpacks, cupless racing, Ooho!</li><li>ReScore: the free app that helps you collaborate, track your progress and access relevant resources as you work towards making your race more sustainable</li></ul>Links:<ul><li>CRS Responsible Sport Standards: <a href="https://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/standards" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/standards</a></li><li>CRS Responsible Events Guide: <a href="https://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/runrad" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/runrad</a></li><li>ReScore: <a href="https://portal.sportrescore.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://portal.sportrescore.org/</a></li><li>Project Drawdown: <a href="https://drawdown.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://drawdown.org/</a></li></ul>Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a>, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://runsignup.com/</a>. <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a> can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://organisers.racecheck.com/</a>.

The Council for Responsible Sport

It’s probably not an overstatement to say that volunteers are the backbone of every successful race. They are the people that make much of race day happen and, yet, recruiting and managing volunteers, training them properly and retaining them for the long run remains a constant headache for race directors of all levels of experience. Well, today we’re going to try and make everyone’s life a little bit easier by going over some great tips and strategies for streamlining your volunteer recruitment and fine-tuning all aspects of your volunteer management. We’ll discuss tips for balancing your volunteer load across volunteer shifts, creating mega shifts with enough buffer to make sure you’ve got all the people you need on race day, and some tried-and-tested tactics to mitigate volunteer attrition.My guest for today’s discussion, Tim Bradley, is the volunteer coordinator for the McCourt Foundation, organizers of the Los Angeles Marathon and other marquee races. Tim has recruited and managed thousands of volunteers over the years and, as you’ll see, he has developed a very specific approach to running volunteer programs, based on evidence and experimentation. In this episode:What motivates volunteers to volunteer for a raceVolunteer recruitment for for-profit vs nonprofit racesThe cost of recruiting and managing volunteers: donations, free entries, shirts, meals, transportationWhat volunteers can and can't do for your raceOrganizing your volunteer force: flat vs hierarchical team structuresQualities to look for in your group captains and super-volunteersTim's detailed volunteer recruitment plan/scheduleRecruiting individual volunteers vs recruiting volunteer groupsLoad balancing, mega shifts and diversification: making sure your shifts fill up evenly across the boardThe importance of mega shifts and shift buffers/padding for mitigating volunteer attrition on race dayWorking out how many volunteers you'll need for your raceRecruiting volunteers through email, social media, paid ads, text messages, cold calling, volunteer marketplacesBuilding a volunteer mailing list Signing up volunteers from your past race participants Recruiting groups of volunteers from high school service clubs, sports teamsHow to link to your volunteer program/sign up page from your websiteReducing friction throughout your volunteer signup processSinging in and briefing volunteers on race dayPractical food/snack ideas for volunteers and how to distribute them on race day"Thank you" emails and issuing volunteer service verification lettersMany thanks to our podcast sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community:RunSignup are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at https://runsignup.com/.Racecheck can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at https://organisers.racecheck.com/.

It’s probably not an overstatement to say that volunteers are the backbone of every successful race. They are the people that make much of race day happen and, yet, recruiting and managing volunteers, training them properly and retaining them for the long run remains a constant headache for race directors of all levels of experience. Well, today we’re going to try and make everyone’s life a little bit easier by going over some great tips and strategies for streamlining your volunteer recruitment and fine-tuning all aspects of your volunteer management. We’ll discuss tips for balancing your volunteer load across volunteer shifts, creating mega shifts with enough buffer to make sure you’ve got all the people you need on race day, and some tried-and-tested tactics to mitigate volunteer attrition. My guest for today’s discussion, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothykbradley/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tim Bradley</a>, is the volunteer coordinator for the <a href="https://www.mccourtfoundation.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">McCourt Foundation</a>, organizers of the Los Angeles Marathon and other marquee races. Tim has recruited and managed thousands of volunteers over the years and, as you’ll see, he has developed a very specific approach to running volunteer programs, based on evidence and experimentation.  In this episode:<ul><li>What motivates volunteers to volunteer for a race</li><li>Volunteer recruitment for for-profit vs nonprofit races</li><li>The cost of recruiting and managing volunteers: donations, free entries, shirts, meals, transportation</li><li>What volunteers can and can't do for your race</li><li>Organizing your volunteer force: flat vs hierarchical team structures</li><li>Qualities to look for in your group captains and super-volunteers</li><li>Tim's detailed volunteer recruitment plan/schedule</li><li>Recruiting individual volunteers vs recruiting volunteer groups</li><li>Load balancing, mega shifts and diversification: making sure your shifts fill up evenly across the board</li><li>The importance of mega shifts and shift buffers/padding for mitigating volunteer attrition on race day</li><li>Working out how many volunteers you'll need for your race</li><li>Recruiting volunteers through email, social media, paid ads, text messages, cold calling, volunteer marketplaces</li><li>Building a volunteer mailing list </li><li>Signing up volunteers from your past race participants </li><li>Recruiting groups of volunteers from high school service clubs, sports teams</li><li>How to link to your volunteer program/sign up page from your website</li><li>Reducing friction throughout your volunteer signup process</li><li>Singing in and briefing volunteers on race day</li><li>Practical food/snack ideas for volunteers and how to distribute them on race day</li><li>"Thank you" emails and issuing volunteer service verification letters</li></ul>Many thanks to our podcast sponsors, <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a>, for supporting our efforts to provide great, free content to the race director community: <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> are the leading all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events. More than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. Find out more at <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://runsignup.com/</a>. <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a> can help you collect and showcase your participant reviews on your race website, helping you more easily convert website visitors into paying participants, with the help of their Racecheck Review Box. Download yours for free today at <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://organisers.racecheck.com/</a>.

Recruiting & Managing Volunteers

Head Start is a podcast for race directors and anyone involved in the business of putting on races. It doesn't matter where you're based or how many years experience you have or whether you're putting on a running race, a triathlon, an obstacle race or whatever. If you’ve got an interest in planning, organizing and growing endurance events, this is the podcast for you.The focus of the podcast is twofold: 1) we bring you the latest and coolest innovations hitting the mass-participation endurance events industry, and 2) we bring you tips and actionable advice from industry experts to help you improve your race - one episode at a time.Head Start is produced by RaceDirectorsHQ.com, an online resource platform and community network for race directors and race management professionals.

On February 17, former president of the Portland Marathon, Lester Smith, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of wire fraud and tax evasion. In the indictment, Smith, who has led the Portland Marathon as both president and race director since 1982, is accused of embezzling more than $1 million dollars from the race’s coffers to fund his personal luxury lifestyle.Today, we’ll be looking back at the story of Lester Smith and his time at the Portland Marathon, the legal cases brought against him and the impact events have had on the Portland running community and the Portland Marathon. With me to discuss the facts and implications from the case is Jeff Manning, a runner and veteran investigative reporter from the Oregonian who has followed the Lester Smith case closely since it first broke in 2018. So stick around for a fascinating dive into the Portland Marathon story.In this episode:How Lester Smith evaded detection to misappropriate more than $1 million from the Portland Marathon from 2012-2018Smith's track record at the helm of the raceDetails of Smith's $850k settlement with the Oregon in DoJ in 2018The allegations in the federal grand jury indictment brought against him in Feb 2022The impact the legal turmoil has had on the local community and the Portland MarathonThanks to our sponsors, RunSignup and Racecheck for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. To learn more about RunSignup's awesome all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events, supporting more than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, visit runsignup.com.And, to see how Racecheck's Review Box can help your race increase registrations by a massive 20%, using the power of race reviews and social proof, make sure to visit organisers.racecheck.com.

On February 17, former president of the Portland Marathon, Lester Smith, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of wire fraud and tax evasion. In the indictment, Smith, who has led the Portland Marathon as both president and race director since 1982, is accused of embezzling more than $1 million dollars from the race’s coffers to fund his personal luxury lifestyle. Today, we’ll be looking back at the story of Lester Smith and his time at the Portland Marathon, the legal cases brought against him and the impact events have had on the Portland running community and the Portland Marathon. With me to discuss the facts and implications from the case is <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-manning-27688923/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jeff Manning</a>, a runner and veteran investigative reporter from the <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oregonian</a> who has followed the Lester Smith case closely since it first broke in 2018. So stick around for a fascinating dive into the Portland Marathon story. In this episode:<ul><li>How Lester Smith evaded detection to misappropriate more than $1 million from the Portland Marathon from 2012-2018</li><li>Smith's track record at the helm of the race</li><li>Details of Smith's $850k settlement with the Oregon in DoJ in 2018</li><li>The allegations in the federal grand jury indictment brought against him in Feb 2022</li><li>The impact the legal turmoil has had on the local community and the Portland Marathon</li></ul>Thanks to our sponsors, <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> and <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Racecheck</a> for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. To learn more about RunSignup's awesome all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events, supporting more than 26,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, visit <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">runsignup.com</a>. And, to see how Racecheck's Review Box can help your race increase registrations by a massive 20%, using the power of race reviews and social proof, make sure to visit <a href="https://organisers.racecheck.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">organisers.racecheck.com</a>.

[Bonus] Fraud at the Portland Marathon

What’s in a brand? Is it the sleek logo with the matching color palette and catchy tagline? Is it your organization’s mission statement and your event’s core values? Or is it every single thing that makes your event a memorable experience for your participants on race day?Well, according to my guest today, event branding expert Peter Abraham, your brand is all of the above and a whole lot more. It is the heart and soul of your event, and what it aspires to be for your team, your participants, your stakeholders and the rest of the world. And, at a practical level, your brand is the North Star in every decision you make about your event, from your logo and the contents of your swag bag to your choice of sponsors and the design of your race course.Today,  we have a lot of unpacking to do. We’re going to be looking at understanding what your event’s brand is and how you can develop it, we’re going to be discussing your organization’s mission statement (and how to come up with one, if you don’t have one already) and we’re going to be tying all that back to laying out your marketing plan and finding your event’s unique voice.In today's episode:What makes up a brandWhy your brand needs a point of viewAvoiding the trap of being all things to all peopleConsistency as a cornerstone of your brandingDon't be different for the sake of it - be different for a reasonHow is your brand solving you participants' problems?The importance of having a robust mission statementUsing your mission statement to make decisions on everything you do: designing a logo, mapping your course, conducting yourself in publicWriting a good mission statement: What do you do? And how do you do it?Going from your mission statement to a marketing planTelling the story of your race experience through your marketing campaignsThanks to RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 25,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

What’s in a brand? Is it the sleek logo with the matching color palette and catchy tagline? Is it your organization’s mission statement and your event’s core values? Or is it every single thing that makes your event a memorable experience for your participants on race day? Well, according to my guest today, event branding expert <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterabraham2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peter Abraham</a>, your brand is all of the above and a whole lot more. It is the heart and soul of your event, and what it aspires to be for your team, your participants, your stakeholders and the rest of the world. And, at a practical level, your brand is the North Star in every decision you make about your event, from your logo and the contents of your swag bag to your choice of sponsors and the design of your race course. Today,  we have a lot of unpacking to do. We’re going to be looking at understanding what your event’s brand is and how you can develop it, we’re going to be discussing your organization’s mission statement (and how to come up with one, if you don’t have one already) and we’re going to be tying all that back to laying out your marketing plan and finding your event’s unique voice. In today's episode:<ul><li>What makes up a brand</li><li>Why your brand needs a point of view</li><li>Avoiding the trap of being all things to all people</li><li>Consistency as a cornerstone of your branding</li><li>Don't be different for the sake of it - be different for a reason</li><li>How is your brand solving you participants' problems?</li><li>The importance of having a robust mission statement</li><li>Using your mission statement to make decisions on everything you do: designing a logo, mapping your course, conducting yourself in public</li><li>Writing a good mission statement: What do you do? And how do you do it?</li><li>Going from your mission statement to a marketing plan</li><li>Telling the story of your race experience through your marketing campaigns</li></ul>Thanks to <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 25,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">runsignup.com</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

Building Your Brand

Why do some of your marketing campaigns work and others don’t? Why do you yourself as a consumer respond a lot more favorably to some types of messages and not others? At the end of the day, what makes us all take our wallets out and pull the trigger on that next purchase?The answer to all those questions more often than not comes down to psychology. We are programmed to respond to certain queues - what our peers say about a product, how scarce that product feels, or how likeable the brand selling to us appears - in ways that we ourselves often don’t fully understand. Today we have an absolutely fascinating discussion for you on all those triggers that make marketing campaigns work, and how you can bring the best of those lessons to your event marketing. We’re going to be touching, among other things, on using race testimonials as social proof, early-bird pricing &amp; price increases, the role of influencers and celebrity runners, and how you can use freebies to increase your registrations and grow your mailing list.My guest today is Andy Reilly. Andy is the CEO of event marketing company EventGrow and the President of race listing site, Raceplace.com, and he is super-passionate about the subject of marketing psychology and its foundational importance in developing an effective marketing strategy. In this episode:Why do people buy stuff? What influences their purchasing decisions? Robert Cialdini's 6 psychological influence triggers: reciprocity, commitment &amp; consistency, social proof, authority, scarcity, likeabilityReciprocity: winning over participants by giving something of value to them for free Reciprocity in practice: leveraging free training plans and exclusive discount codes to grow your mailing list; using freebies to increase your race survey response rate by 20%Commitment &amp; consistency: aligning your messaging with your participants' goals Commitment &amp; consistency in practice: supporting people's fitness aspirations; promoting your race's PB potentialSocial proof: converting people through the power of peer influenceSocial proof in practice: making the most of past participant reviews; showcasing testimonials on your site; including social proof stats in your ad copyBuilding social proof: collecting testimonials from race surveys; encouraging participants to leave reviews on race review sitesAuthority: recruiting authority figures to promote your eventAuthority in practice: leveraging the power of celebrity participants; using influencers to promote your race; projecting brand authority through high-profile sponsorships; showcasing event awardsScarcity: using loss-aversion (aka FOMO!) to drive registrations Scarcity in practice: early birds &amp; price increases; the "100 spots left" playbookLikeability: making your brand more likeableLikeability in practice: speaking your audience's language; aligning your event with good causes; recruiting likeable personalities to your event; engaging with your participants online Thanks to RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 25,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Why do some of your marketing campaigns work and others don’t? Why do you yourself as a consumer respond a lot more favorably to some types of messages and not others? At the end of the day, what makes us all take our wallets out and pull the trigger on that next purchase? The answer to all those questions more often than not comes down to psychology. We are programmed to respond to certain queues - what our peers say about a product, how scarce that product feels, or how likeable the brand selling to us appears - in ways that we ourselves often don’t fully understand. Today we have an absolutely fascinating discussion for you on all those triggers that make marketing campaigns work, and how you can bring the best of those lessons to your event marketing. We’re going to be touching, among other things, on using race testimonials as social proof, early-bird pricing &amp; price increases, the role of influencers and celebrity runners, and how you can use freebies to increase your registrations and grow your mailing list. My guest today is <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyreilly100/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Andy Reilly</a>. Andy is the CEO of event marketing company <a href="https://www.eventgrow.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">EventGrow</a> and the President of race listing site, <a href="https://www.raceplace.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Raceplace.com</a>, and he is super-passionate about the subject of marketing psychology and its foundational importance in developing an effective marketing strategy.  In this episode:<ul><li>Why do people buy stuff? What influences their purchasing decisions? </li><li>Robert Cialdini's 6 psychological influence triggers: reciprocity, commitment &amp; consistency, social proof, authority, scarcity, likeability</li><li>Reciprocity: winning over participants by giving something of value to them for free </li><li>Reciprocity in practice: leveraging free training plans and exclusive discount codes to grow your mailing list; using freebies to increase your race survey response rate by 20%</li><li>Commitment &amp; consistency: aligning your messaging with your participants' goals </li><li>Commitment &amp; consistency in practice: supporting people's fitness aspirations; promoting your race's PB potential</li><li>Social proof: converting people through the power of peer influence</li><li>Social proof in practice: making the most of past participant reviews; showcasing testimonials on your site; including social proof stats in your ad copy</li><li>Building social proof: collecting testimonials from race surveys; encouraging participants to leave reviews on race review sites</li><li>Authority: recruiting authority figures to promote your event</li><li>Authority in practice: leveraging the power of celebrity participants; using influencers to promote your race; projecting brand authority through high-profile sponsorships; showcasing event awards</li><li>Scarcity: using loss-aversion (aka FOMO!) to drive registrations </li><li>Scarcity in practice: early birds &amp; price increases; the "100 spots left" playbook</li><li>Likeability: making your brand more likeable</li><li>Likeability in practice: speaking your audience's language; aligning your event with good causes; recruiting likeable personalities to your event; engaging with your participants online </li></ul>Thanks to <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSignup</a> for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 25,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

Understanding Marketing Psychology

When you want to know what’s happening and trending in the endurance events industry by the numbers, where do you turn to? Well, for me and many people I know, the definitive source of event data for the industry is, and has been for some time, GiveSignup|RunSignup’s annual RaceTrends report. The report leverages GiveSignup|RunSignup’s extensive registration data from almost 60,000 events to point to trends in event participation, event pricing, participant demographics, marketing effectiveness, technology adoption and a myriad other things. The most recent edition of the report was out just last week, and the data does seem to point to a strong, but partial, recovery from 2020, with some numbers starting to converge to 2019 pre-pandemic levels.With me today to discuss all the numbers, the trends and their implications for individual events and the industry as a whole I’m delighted to have GiveSignup|RunSignup’s own, Johanna Goode. Johanna is the driving force behind many great things coming out of GiveSignup|RunSignup, including the ever-improving annual RaceTrends report, so she is just the person to walk us through the insights and recommendations coming out of the 2021 numbers.In this episode: A return to normal? What 2021 registration rates are suggesting for market recovery and 2022Event attrition/churn through the pandemicThe impact of event cancellations/postponements on participant loyalty, and ways to mitigate itRepeat participation numbers and trendsParticipation by event typeThe rise and fall of virtual races through 2020-2021Participant demographics by gender, age, event typeSolving the lagging Millenial/GenZ participation puzzle Registration pattern shifts (are participants registering later than usual?)Event pricing trends, and the effect of price increases on registration ratesMobile adoption trends Facebook, social media and participant acquisition breakdown *** To download your free copy of the RaceTrends 2021 report go to: runsignup.com/trends ***Thanks to GiveSignup|RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 22,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about about the numbers in today’s podcast, registration trends or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

When you want to know what’s happening and trending in the endurance events industry by the numbers, where do you turn to? Well, for me and many people I know, the definitive source of event data for the industry is, and has been for some time, <a href="https://runsignup.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GiveSignup|RunSignup</a>’s annual <a href="https://runsignup.com/trends" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceTrends</a> report. The report leverages GiveSignup|RunSignup’s extensive registration data from almost 60,000 events to point to trends in event participation, event pricing, participant demographics, marketing effectiveness, technology adoption and a myriad other things. The most recent edition of the report was out just last week, and the data does seem to point to a strong, but partial, recovery from 2020, with some numbers starting to converge to 2019 pre-pandemic levels. With me today to discuss all the numbers, the trends and their implications for individual events and the industry as a whole I’m delighted to have GiveSignup|RunSignup’s own, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanna-goode-495025b/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Johanna Goode</a>. Johanna is the driving force behind many great things coming out of GiveSignup|RunSignup, including the ever-improving annual RaceTrends report, so she is just the person to walk us through the insights and recommendations coming out of the 2021 numbers. In this episode: <ul><li>A return to normal? What 2021 registration rates are suggesting for market recovery and 2022</li><li>Event attrition/churn through the pandemic</li><li>The impact of event cancellations/postponements on participant loyalty, and ways to mitigate it</li><li>Repeat participation numbers and trends</li><li>Participation by event type</li><li>The rise and fall of virtual races through 2020-2021</li><li>Participant demographics by gender, age, event type</li><li>Solving the lagging Millenial/GenZ participation puzzle </li><li>Registration pattern shifts (are participants registering later than usual?)</li><li>Event pricing trends, and the effect of price increases on registration rates</li><li>Mobile adoption trends </li><li>Facebook, social media and participant acquisition breakdown</li></ul> *** To download your free copy of the RaceTrends 2021 report go to: <a href="https://runsignup.com/trends" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">runsignup.com/trends</a> *** Thanks to <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GiveSignup|RunSignup</a> for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 22,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">runsignup.com</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about about the numbers in today’s podcast, registration trends or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

Race Trends 2021

When you think of race expos, what kind of thing comes to mind? Well, if you’re like me, you’re probably thinking huge pre-race expos like New York or London, where you go to pick up your bib and race packet, and where you get to stroll around hundreds of booths from high-profile running brands showcasing their latest thing. Race expos are actually a lot more common than you think, and, according to my guest today, absolutely every event can and should have one. And why wouldn’t yours? Race expos are an amazing way to elevate your participant’s event experience, a good way to add an additional revenue stream to your race, and just about the best way to activate sponsorships and expand the roster of your commercial partnerships. My guest today, industry veteran Craig Mintzlaff, has been working on races and race expos for more than 20 years. Through his company, Endurance Sports Marketing Group, he’s been managing expos for some of the best-known events and event series in the industry, and he’s with us today to share some of the many things he’s learned from setting up, promoting and selling out hundreds of race expos on both sides of the Atlantic.In this episode:How all events - not only larger races - can put on a successful race expoWhat vendors are looking for from attending a race expo Figuring out how many vendors your expo can supportTypes of vendors to invite to your race expoThe benefits of expo booth-swapping with other events in your regionPutting a price on your race expo booths/spaceBalancing in-kind vs cash contributions from expo partnersNegotiating partnerships with local vs national brandsUnlocking the right contact to reach out to in vendor organizationsThe importance of securing a retail partner before going after the big brands (e.g. Brooks, Nike, Asics etc)Selling your race expo to vendors: understanding your event demographics, CPMs, focusing on race experienceMaking your expo partners' lives easier: offering to staff their booths on their behalf!How to lay out your expo for maximum lingering time (hint: put all the freebies, drinks at the back)Raffles, stamps, competitions and other tips for increasing participant engagement with vendor boothsTaking your expo to the next level with music and an announcerThanks to GiveSignup|RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 22,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about race expos, sponsorships or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

When you think of race expos, what kind of thing comes to mind? Well, if you’re like me, you’re probably thinking huge pre-race expos like New York or London, where you go to pick up your bib and race packet, and where you get to stroll around hundreds of booths from high-profile running brands showcasing their latest thing. Race expos are actually a lot more common than you think, and, according to my guest today, absolutely every event can and should have one. And why wouldn’t yours? Race expos are an amazing way to elevate your participant’s event experience, a good way to add an additional revenue stream to your race, and just about the best way to activate sponsorships and expand the roster of your commercial partnerships. My guest today, industry veteran <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigmintzlaff/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Craig Mintzlaff</a>, has been working on races and race expos for more than 20 years. Through his company, <a href="http://www.endurancesportsmarketing.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Endurance Sports Marketing Group</a>, he’s been managing expos for some of the best-known events and event series in the industry, and he’s with us today to share some of the many things he’s learned from setting up, promoting and selling out hundreds of race expos on both sides of the Atlantic. In this episode:<ul><li>How all events - not only larger races - can put on a successful race expo</li><li>What vendors are looking for from attending a race expo </li><li>Figuring out how many vendors your expo can support</li><li>Types of vendors to invite to your race expo</li><li>The benefits of expo booth-swapping with other events in your region</li><li>Putting a price on your race expo booths/space</li><li>Balancing in-kind vs cash contributions from expo partners</li><li>Negotiating partnerships with local vs national brands</li><li>Unlocking the right contact to reach out to in vendor organizations</li><li>The importance of securing a retail partner before going after the big brands (e.g. Brooks, Nike, Asics etc)</li><li>Selling your race expo to vendors: understanding your event demographics, CPMs, focusing on race experience</li><li>Making your expo partners' lives easier: offering to staff their booths on their behalf!</li><li>How to lay out your expo for maximum lingering time (hint: put all the freebies, drinks at the back)</li><li>Raffles, stamps, competitions and other tips for increasing participant engagement with vendor booths</li><li>Taking your expo to the next level with music and an announcer</li></ul>Thanks to <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GiveSignup|RunSignup</a> for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 22,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">runsignup.com</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about race expos, sponsorships or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

Race Expos

Public relations (PR) is an integral part of running a successful brand and business. It is the art of communication and storytelling. It’s about appealing to communities and stakeholders, forging relationships with media and playing the marketing long game. Yet, as my guest today - PR pro, Meg Treat, of Treat Public Relations - rushes to acknowledge, it often gets a bit of a bad rap. Well, hopefully we’re going to be challenging those perceptions for you today, with a really insightful take on public relations, earned media and the power of storytelling, that definitely opened my eyes to the vast opportunities events can unlock through a thoughtful and carefully implemented PR strategy.In this episode:Public relations: what it is about and how it relates to your work as an event owner/directorPaid vs shared vs owned vs earned mediaThe importance of securing media exposure for free (=earned media)How every race is intrinsically newsworthy and can have a story to tellUnderstanding newsworthiness and unlocking/developing your race's unique storyLeveraging newsworthy topics: human interest stories, event milestones, brand partnerships.Distributing your story/content through online and offline media outletsDeciding when to send out (and when not to send out) a press releaseWriting engaging press releases: quotes, the inverse pyramid approach, calls-to-action that workThe four ways of mining media contact information!Crafting effective cover emails to journalists for increased media outreach successUnderstanding journalist lead times and planning your PR content accordinglyInviting media to your race using media alertsPost-race press releasesBeing your race's spokesperson: making yourself available for interviews and how to conduct them successfullyResources:Meg's media alert template/example  &amp; press release template/example for race directors: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jzw8jv0qr21xfmd/AACdD1sj72NhEf3RMJk-jjaAa?dl=0 (make sure to listen to Meg's audio intro in the folder)Thanks to GiveSignup|RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 22,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about public relations, earned media or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Public relations (PR) is an integral part of running a successful brand and business. It is the art of communication and storytelling. It’s about appealing to communities and stakeholders, forging relationships with media and playing the marketing long game. Yet, as my guest today - PR pro, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganfingert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Meg Treat</a>, of <a href="https://www.treatpublicrelations.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Treat Public Relations</a> - rushes to acknowledge, it often gets a bit of a bad rap.  Well, hopefully we’re going to be challenging those perceptions for you today, with a really insightful take on public relations, earned media and the power of storytelling, that definitely opened my eyes to the vast opportunities events can unlock through a thoughtful and carefully implemented PR strategy. In this episode:<ul><li>Public relations: what it is about and how it relates to your work as an event owner/director</li><li>Paid vs shared vs owned vs earned media</li><li>The importance of securing media exposure for free (=earned media)</li><li>How every race is intrinsically newsworthy and can have a story to tell</li><li>Understanding newsworthiness and unlocking/developing your race's unique story</li><li>Leveraging newsworthy topics: human interest stories, event milestones, brand partnerships.</li><li>Distributing your story/content through online and offline media outlets</li><li>Deciding when to send out (and when not to send out) a press release</li><li>Writing engaging press releases: quotes, the inverse pyramid approach, calls-to-action that work</li><li>The four ways of mining media contact information!</li><li>Crafting effective cover emails to journalists for increased media outreach success</li><li>Understanding journalist lead times and planning your PR content accordingly</li><li>Inviting media to your race using media alerts</li><li>Post-race press releases</li><li>Being your race's spokesperson: making yourself available for interviews and how to conduct them successfully</li></ul>Resources:<ul><li>Meg's media alert template/example  &amp; press release template/example for race directors: <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jzw8jv0qr21xfmd/AACdD1sj72NhEf3RMJk-jjaAa?dl=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jzw8jv0qr21xfmd/AACdD1sj72NhEf3RMJk-jjaAa?dl=0</a> (make sure to listen to Meg's audio intro in the folder)</li></ul>Thanks to <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GiveSignup|RunSignup</a> for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 22,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">runsignup.com</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about public relations, earned media or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

DIY PR & Mastering Earned Media

If you’re listening to this episode as it comes out, it’s the middle of the holiday season and, hopefully, you’re recovering from some excessive meal or other - so, Merry Christmas to you!Today, we have a very special end-of-year episode for you where we’re going to be looking back at a fairly challenging 2021 but also looking ahead to a - hopefully - much brighter, more optimistic 2022. We’re going to be talking about your expectations for the new year, and also touching a bit on the ongoing supply chain issues which we’ll probably continue to face in the new year. I say “your expectations” because for the making of this episode, I had the pleasure of talking to many many of you. So many thanks to everyone who contributed: Dave Kelly of RunSeries, David Martin-Jewell of FrontRunner Events, Sarah Kozul of the Lakeland Runners Club, Andy Harris of the Columbus Running Company, Robby McClung of the Canaan Valley Running Company, Suzy Shain of the Technology Education Foundation, Briston Rains of Texas Outlaw Running Company, Terry Majamaki of New Global Adventures and Jon Conkling of Tris4Health. Also many thanks to Matt Mercurio of Stride Awards and Kim Bilancio of Greenlayer for sharing their thoughts on the logistics situation, and also Johanna Goode, Bryan Jenkins and Bob Bickel from GiveSignup|RunSignup for their insights into what’s happening in the market as we head into 2022. As we round up 2021, I’d like to thank again our friends and sponsors at GiveSignup|RunSignup for their solid support of this podcast, and I’d like to remind all of you listening in to check out all that this amazing technology platform has to offer for your event by visiting runsignup.com. If you are looking to make a fresh start with your event technology partner for 2022, there’s no better place to start than runsignup.com. 

If you’re listening to this episode as it comes out, it’s the middle of the holiday season and, hopefully, you’re recovering from some excessive meal or other - so, Merry Christmas to you! Today, we have a very special end-of-year episode for you where we’re going to be looking back at a fairly challenging 2021 but also looking ahead to a - hopefully - much brighter, more optimistic 2022. We’re going to be talking about your expectations for the new year, and also touching a bit on the ongoing supply chain issues which we’ll probably continue to face in the new year. I say “your expectations” because for the making of this episode, I had the pleasure of talking to many many of you. So many thanks to everyone who contributed: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kelly-uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dave Kelly</a> of <a href="https://www.runseries.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RunSeries</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-martin-jewell-967413a5/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">David Martin-Jewell</a> of <a href="https://www.frontrunnerevents.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FrontRunner Events</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-kozul/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sarah Kozul</a> of the <a href="https://lakelandrunnersclub.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lakeland Runners Club</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-harris-2868b075/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Andy Harris</a> of the <a href="https://www.columbusrunning.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Columbus Running Company</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-mcclung-03573120/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Robby McClung</a> of the <a href="https://www.canaanvalleyhalfmarathon.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Canaan Valley Running Company</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzy-shain-794b386/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Suzy Shain</a> of the <a href="https://www.techedfoundation.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Technology Education Foundation</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bristonrains/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Briston Rains</a> of <a href="https://www.texasoutlawrunning.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Texas Outlaw Running Company</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/majamaki/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Terry Majamaki</a> of <a href="https://newglobaladventures.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New Global Adventures</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-conkling-93263a160/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jon Conkling</a> of <a href="https://tris4health.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tris4Health</a>. Also many thanks to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-mercurio-6429a160/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Mercurio</a> of <a href="https://strideawards.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stride Awards</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimbilancio/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kim Bilancio</a> of <a href="https://greenlayersports.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Greenlayer</a> for sharing their thoughts on the logistics situation, and also <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanna-goode-495025b/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Johanna Goode</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-jenkins-448375b/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bryan Jenkins</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbickel/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bob Bickel</a> from <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GiveSignup|RunSignup</a> for their insights into what’s happening in the market as we head into 2022. As we round up 2021, I’d like to thank again our friends and sponsors at <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GiveSignup|RunSignup</a> for their solid support of this podcast, and I’d like to remind all of you listening in to check out all that this amazing technology platform has to offer for your event by visiting <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">runsignup.com</a>. If you are looking to make a fresh start with your event technology partner for 2022, there’s no better place to start than <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">runsignup.com</a>.

Looking Ahead to 2022

Sports tourism - you’ve heard the phrase, people traveling to places to participate in sporting - that’s a whole thing these days. And a very fast-growing thing at that. So, how can your race capitalize on this trend and how can you position your event to attract more overseas or out-of-state participants?That’s exactly what we’ll be getting into today with my guest, George Kakourides, Marketing Director for the Logicom Cyprus Marathon. As you’ll hear, George has worked really hard on growing international participation for the Logicom Cyprus Marathon since 2014 with some amazing results, and has tons of tips to share on marketing your race internationally  and reaching new audiences through social media, micro-influencers, specialist publications, race expos, and other channels. So get your notepads out and get ready to take notes!By the way, we’re going to be using the term “international” here a lot, but the lessons we’ll learn here today apply equally to a race that aspires to attract participants from a different country, as well as, say, a US-based race that wants to attract participants from nearby states. Everything we’ll touch on today basically falls under the category of marketing to participants that will travel to your event - so anyone besides your local crowd.In this episode:Positioning your race brand for international appealThe importance of infrastructure (airport capacity, accommodation capacity etc) in being able to attract international participantsHow to pick the most promising international markets to target with your marketingGetting buy-in and material support from local government, local businesses and your local tourist boardPartnering with local hotels and designing custom-made accommodation packages for participantsWorking with international specialist-press journalists and relevant influencers to promote the event in target marketsWhy getting Runners World and other high-profile mags to write about your event is easier that you thinkMeasuring ROI on your international marketing effortsWhy you want to translate key landing pages and your ad copy into the language of your target market participantsReaching international participants using Facebook Ads and suitable country/interest targeting choicesContent ideas for engaging potential participants year-round through your social media accountsLessons in building race partnerships from the Swedish ClassicThanks to GiveSignup|RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 22,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about race marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

Sports tourism - you’ve heard the phrase, people traveling to places to participate in sporting - that’s a whole thing these days. And a very fast-growing thing at that. So, how can your race capitalize on this trend and how can you position your event to attract more overseas or out-of-state participants? That’s exactly what we’ll be getting into today with my guest, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kakourides/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">George Kakourides</a>, Marketing Director for the <a href="https://logicomcyprusmarathon.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Logicom Cyprus Marathon</a>. As you’ll hear, George has worked really hard on growing international participation for the Logicom Cyprus Marathon since 2014 with some amazing results, and has tons of tips to share on marketing your race internationally  and reaching new audiences through social media, micro-influencers, specialist publications, race expos, and other channels. So get your notepads out and get ready to take notes! By the way, we’re going to be using the term “international” here a lot, but the lessons we’ll learn here today apply equally to a race that aspires to attract participants from a different country, as well as, say, a US-based race that wants to attract participants from nearby states. Everything we’ll touch on today basically falls under the category of marketing to participants that will travel to your event - so anyone besides your local crowd. In this episode:<ul><li>Positioning your race brand for international appeal</li><li>The importance of infrastructure (airport capacity, accommodation capacity etc) in being able to attract international participants</li><li>How to pick the most promising international markets to target with your marketing</li><li>Getting buy-in and material support from local government, local businesses and your local tourist board</li><li>Partnering with local hotels and designing custom-made accommodation packages for participants</li><li>Working with international specialist-press journalists and relevant influencers to promote the event in target markets</li><li>Why getting Runners World and other high-profile mags to write about your event is easier that you think</li><li>Measuring ROI on your international marketing efforts</li><li>Why you want to translate key landing pages and your ad copy into the language of your target market participants</li><li>Reaching international participants using Facebook Ads and suitable country/interest targeting choices</li><li>Content ideas for engaging potential participants year-round through your social media accounts</li><li>Lessons in building race partnerships from the <a href="https://ensvenskklassiker.se/en/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Swedish Classic</a></li></ul>Thanks to <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GiveSignup|RunSignup</a> for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 22,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">runsignup.com</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about race marketing or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

Marketing Your Race Internationally

If you have built a business putting on races, chances are you would have thought of maybe selling some or all of those races at some point in the future. You may also have toyed with the idea of buying races from others as a way to grow your event portfolio. Buying and selling races still remains a big mystery for most race directors - even very experienced ones. How do you go about it? How do you find events to buy, if you’re a buyer, and where do you turn to sell your event, if you’re a seller? What is an event even worth on the market? And how does a typical purchase and sale transaction go down? Well, we’re going to be going into all that and more today, in a super-exciting episode with the help of my two guests, Tony Sapp and Porter Bratten. As you’ll hear in a minute, Tony and Porter have a lot of experience in buying and selling events, and they have tons of great tips to help you get a good feel for where you stand as a buyer or seller of races in this market, and how you can make the most of the opportunities available to you in this very peculiar post-pandemic environment we find ourselves in. In this episode:Finding suitable buying opportunities: matching type of event, time of year and race locationWhat a good buying opportunity looks likeReaching out to race directors with an offer to buySelling through a business broker: what business brokers bring to the table, picking the right broker, preparing your business prospectusThe importance of instructing and consulting with a contract lawyerBuying event assets vs buying the events company What assets go into an event sale: physical, digital, intellectual property, sponsorship and other third party contractsPurchase price allocation and tax implications of your event purchasePreparing for an event sale: organizing documents, keeping track of your business data, anticipating buyer questionsThe purchase and sale agreement: asset lists, exclusions, non-competes, indemnities, transaction timelines and transition periods, price adjustment clausesAdditional provisions/considerations when selling a race mid-seasonTransitioning key contacts and making introductions with vendors, sponsors, volunteersHow to calculate the value of your event as a multiple of your revenue and net profitPrice negotiations and agreeing on a priceIs this a good time to buy or sell a race?Thanks to GiveSignup|RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 22,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about buying and selling races or anything else in our Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.

If you have built a business putting on races, chances are you would have thought of maybe selling some or all of those races at some point in the future. You may also have toyed with the idea of buying races from others as a way to grow your event portfolio. Buying and selling races still remains a big mystery for most race directors - even very experienced ones. How do you go about it? How do you find events to buy, if you’re a buyer, and where do you turn to sell your event, if you’re a seller? What is an event even worth on the market? And how does a typical purchase and sale transaction go down? Well, we’re going to be going into all that and more today, in a super-exciting episode with the help of my two guests, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelasapp/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tony Sapp</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/porter-bratten-b8a2734/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Porter Bratten</a>. As you’ll hear in a minute, Tony and Porter have a lot of experience in buying and selling events, and they have tons of great tips to help you get a good feel for where you stand as a buyer or seller of races in this market, and how you can make the most of the opportunities available to you in this very peculiar post-pandemic environment we find ourselves in.  In this episode:<ul><li>Finding suitable buying opportunities: matching type of event, time of year and race location</li><li>What a good buying opportunity looks like</li><li>Reaching out to race directors with an offer to buy</li><li>Selling through a business broker: what business brokers bring to the table, picking the right broker, preparing your business prospectus</li><li>The importance of instructing and consulting with a contract lawyer</li><li>Buying event assets vs buying the events company </li><li>What assets go into an event sale: physical, digital, intellectual property, sponsorship and other third party contracts</li><li>Purchase price allocation and tax implications of your event purchase</li><li>Preparing for an event sale: organizing documents, keeping track of your business data, anticipating buyer questions</li><li>The purchase and sale agreement: asset lists, exclusions, non-competes, indemnities, transaction timelines and transition periods, price adjustment clauses</li><li>Additional provisions/considerations when selling a race mid-season</li><li>Transitioning key contacts and making introductions with vendors, sponsors, volunteers</li><li>How to calculate the value of your event as a multiple of your revenue and net profit</li><li>Price negotiations and agreeing on a price</li><li>Is this a good time to buy or sell a race?</li></ul>Thanks to <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GiveSignup|RunSignup</a> for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 22,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">runsignup.com</a>. You can find more resources on anything and everything related to race directing on our website <a href="https://www.racedirectorshq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>. You can also share your questions about buying and selling races or anything else in our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/racedirectorshq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Race Directors Hub</a>.

Buying and Selling Races

The GiveSignup|RunSignup Symposium series has grown from modest beginnings of just a few dozen people to be the industry conference most race directors and timers will attend during the year. And this January 25-26, the Symposium series returns to Orlando Florida after a two-year hiatus for an awesome two days of education and networking, and all race directors, timers and nonprofit professionals are invited - not just GiveSignup|RunSignup customers.So, it’s great to have with me today, Johanna Goode, from GiveSignup|RunSignup who has the unenviable job of putting the whole thing together to tell us a little bit more about what you can look forward to both at and around the Symposium this coming January.In this episode:The history of the GiveSignup | RunSignup Symposium seriesWhy the GiveSignup | RunSignup Symposium is not your regular race director conference/expoWhat you can look forward to in attending if you're a race director, timer or nonprofitHow you can attend the Symposium as a vendorThe Demo Room, the Suite Run, and other training and networking opportunities at this year's Winter SymposiumTo learn more about the GiveSignup | RunSignup Winter Symposium, and to register visit: runsignup.com/wintersymposium 

The <a href="https://runsignup.com/wintersymposium" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GiveSignup|RunSignup Symposium</a> series has grown from modest beginnings of just a few dozen people to be the industry conference most race directors and timers will attend during the year. And this January 25-26, the Symposium series returns to Orlando Florida after a two-year hiatus for an awesome two days of education and networking, and all race directors, timers and nonprofit professionals are invited - not just GiveSignup|RunSignup customers. So, it’s great to have with me today, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanna-goode-495025b/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Johanna Goode</a>, from <a href="https://runsignup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GiveSignup|RunSignup</a> who has the unenviable job of putting the whole thing together to tell us a little bit more about what you can look forward to both at and around the Symposium this coming January. In this episode:<ul><li>The history of the GiveSignup | RunSignup Symposium series</li><li>Why the GiveSignup | RunSignup Symposium is not your regular race director conference/expo</li><li>What you can look forward to in attending if you're a race director, timer or nonprofit</li><li>How you can attend the Symposium as a vendor</li><li>The Demo Room, the Suite Run, and other training and networking opportunities at this year's Winter Symposium</li></ul>To learn more about the GiveSignup | RunSignup Winter Symposium, and to register visit: <a href="https://runsignup.com/wintersymposium" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">runsignup.com/wintersymposium </a>

[Bonus] GiveSignup | RunSignup Winter Symposium

Head Start is a podcast for race directors and anyone involved in the business of putting on races. It doesn't matter where you're based or how many years experience you have or whether you're putting on a running race, a triathlon, an obstacle race or whatever. If you’ve got an interest in planning, organizing and growing endurance events, this is the podcast for you.The focus of the podcast is twofold: 1) we bring you the latest and coolest innovations hitting the mass-participation endurance events industry, and 2) we bring you tips and actionable advice from industry experts to help you improve your race - one episode at a time.Head Start is produced by <a href="http://RaceDirectorsHQ.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RaceDirectorsHQ.com</a>, an online resource platform and community network for race directors and race management professionals.

Head Start

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