We’re halfway through 2013 and wanted to give a quick report on the trends we’re seeing in the endurance industry. We’ve talked over and over about how events are becoming a full experience for participants. That is the overarching theme permeating the industry, but here are seven other trends that go along with it:
1. It’s more about finishing than placing
Of course winning or PR’ing is still important to many people, but it’s no secret that Continue reading
As a very smart marketing lady once told me, “Don’t just chuck something over the fence and hope it lands in the right spot.” She was full of off-beat analogies to make the point that you need to keep a close eye on your marketing efforts to tell if they are working or not. (And if they’re not working, then why not? We ask as we stamp our feet.)
Looking at detailed data is the best way to track the success of each marketing channel as you try to drive registrations for your event, especially as you throw new things out there into the wild blue yonder. Guesswork or personal pride at coming up with a super creative idea won’t get you far–a good marketer is a statistician. Arm yourself with powerful information using these FREE, easy-to-use analytical tools: Continue reading
The latest batch of new features in ACTIVE Works all center around giving you insider information on participants and registrants. Like Zeus gazing down from Mount Olympus, you’ll be able to zero in your thunderbolt on human details that will help you run the world (well…maybe just your event) better.
What’s New: Age & Gender in Your Dashboard
A new widget was added to the event dashboard that provides a quick overview of age and gender metrics.
Why You Care
This was a highly requested addition! This new widget shows you the age and gender Continue reading
This is a guest post from Dan Ingalls, founder and president of National Marine Safety Center. Over the course of several segments, Ingalls will focus on a variety of important triathlon topics that apply to events large and small.
It is widely accepted that the water is the most challenging part of a race for everyone involved in triathlon. Everyone? Yes, everyone!
The majority of athletes responding to countless surveys indicate across all ages, genders, and distances, the water was the most challenging and intimidating part of the race. Industry leaders are keenly aware that the water is the single greatest barrier to an extremely larger number of potential triathlon consumers. The governing bodies of the sport are struggling to find solutions to the water-related problems surfacing over recent years.
Unless your race is held in a location where professional lifeguard services are already in place, Continue reading
If you’re a part of the running community, chances are you’ve heard about Bob and Lenore Dolphin (aka Team Dolphin). Not only are these two 83-year-olds the race directors of the beautiful Yakima River Canyon Marathon, but they form a pretty strong runner/volunteer team. Bob has traveled all over the country to participate in marathons and Lenore has volunteered at most events (she famously gave finish line hugs to participants). In 2012, Bob completed his 500th marathon at his very own Yakima River Canyon Marathon and people came from all over the world to run with him and support him reaching his goal.
We love working with Team Dolphin and asked them a few questions about their secrets to success: Continue reading
We’ve talked a lot about how important it is to create an experience for participants. To make it more than a one-day race, but rather an immersive event. Electric Run™ takes that idea to a new level and transports participants to a different world. It’s a 5K run, but it’s also a show, participation art, and celebration of life. Combining all of those elements has had huge results–in just one short year, Electric Run has exploded onto the scene and attracted tens of thousands of participants. It’s unique, professionally operated, and visually engaging.
ACTIVE is stoked to work with Electric Run. Check out their story:
Read the Electric Run case study.
We’re excited to announce that we have updated the look and feel of our ACTIVE Network, Endurance website. What do you think?
We made these changes because we wanted to tell event organizers a better story about Continue reading
When it comes to user-friendliness, the fewer clicks, the better. So we decided to simplify! The news for ACTIVE Works this week includes links that will help you and your participants get to the good stuff faster.
And we added even more detail to your event dashboard. We know how much event directors rely on those dashboards, and we’re going to keep building them out until you think they’re the best invention since the wheel.
Read the details for yourself:
What’s New: Direct Link to Registration
Event directors can now bypass their ACTIVE.com event details pages and provide participants with a URL that links directly to registration.
Why You Care
This cuts out an extra click for participants and gets them to your registration flow quicker. This is especially helpful for event directors who provide all event details on their own website and want to direct participants straight to the beginning of the Continue reading
We were very excited to learn that one of our favorite customers, the Akron Marathon, earned certification from the Council for Responsible Sport for its sustainability efforts back in March. This is a huge accomplishment and a testament to the professionalism of the event and how much effort its organizers put into creating a great experience for participants.
Take note of the endurance events like the Akron Marathon, LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon, and Big Sur International Marathon–these races are leading the industry in event production excellence and are extremely “green.” More and more, people are looking to participate in events that are associated with a good cause. Making your event more eco-conscious is socially and environmentally “good,” and can help you attract more participants.
Here are 13 green ideas that you can try to incorporate in your event : Continue reading
Ever since we released the new Results tool about a year ago, we’ve gotten some good reviews and feedback on the improved platform. But, as is to be expected, our work wasn’t done yet. Yes, you could edit the results mappings…but we wondered if the editing was as flexible as you needed it to be? And the new design was more user friendly…but was it the friendliest it could be? You get the idea. The good news is that we’re making progress and have been fine-tuning the Results tool to be even better for you.
Here are four improvements we’ve made that we think you’ll like: Continue reading