4 Free Tools to Measure Whether Your Marketing Works

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

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 →

Tri, the Waters (Guest Blog)

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

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 →

13 Ideas to Make Your Event More Eco-Conscious

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

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 →

Get to Know Your Participants Better with Facebook Insights

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

If you scroll through your participant database, it probably makes you feel warm and fuzzy that you have so much background info. You know who is a current registrant, who isn’t registered this year but did your event three years ago, who is in each age group, etc…which helps you target your emails and other marketing channels to reach the right people at the right time.

You can get similar info on your Facebook fans, using that data to make better posts that get better results. It’s called Facebook Insights and here are three parts of this tool that you can use to figure out who is interacting with your page and what they want: Continue reading →

What Event Director Resources Do You Need? (Survey)

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

Last month we revealed the survey results of the top five challenges race directors face on a regular basis. Which got us thinking–what resources do you need to conquer those challenges?

What can we provide to help you be better, stronger, faster? For example, more webinars, how-to guides, short videos, workshops, 1:1 consultations, or something else altogether…

TAKE THE SURVEY (Don’t worry…it’s really short.) Continue reading →

Oh the Places You’ll Go: ACTIVE World 2013

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

In exactly one week, the ACTIVE World user conference will begin! We’re pretty excited about it. We have hundreds of our customers across all markets attending, including 50+ of the endurance industry’s best and brightest. It will be quite an adventure.

The conference will be held in sunny San Diego, April 9-11th. Here’s are five things we are most looking forward to:

1. The endurance-focused sessions (of course). Nine sessions are dedicated to the endurance industry, including a State of the Industry Report, the Future of Endurance Technology, Creating Win-Win Sponsorships, and Best Ideas Show & Tell. READ about the sessions or VIEW the schedule Continue reading →

7 Ways To Promote Your Event With Facebook

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

Promoting your event or race with social media can be really effective – helping you attract more participants and get your current registrants fired up – if you do it right. It takes some work, but the good news is that you can have some fun because these social channels are so casual and interactive.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are seven Facebook ideas and examples from other events who are doing it well: Continue reading →

What are you missing in your confirmation emails?

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

Figuring out what to say in your event emails, particularly in your confirmation emails, can make you feel like a mad scientist trying to invent the perfect formula. It’s a no-brainer to include basic information like the race date and expo details. But what else should you add to the mix?

Keep in mind that a confirmation email is something that gets HUGE open rates and is much more likely to be read “cover to cover” than your marketing emails. This is an email participants are tapping their feet waiting for. In other words, a confirmation email is a felicitous opportunity to get help for your event in a variety of ways—from revenue to volunteers to exposure. Here are seven ideas on messages you can include in your confirmation emails: Continue reading →

Top 10 Industry Resources for Event Directors

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

Not sure how to get a permit? Need advice from a seasoned pro? Or maybe you just want to keep up on hot topics? Most event directors need info on a lot of different topics, but are so busy it’s hard to find time to hunt things down on the world wide web.

To save you some effort, we’ve put together a list of the top 10 resources for event directors. Check them out:

1. Endurance Sportswire
Read the latest industry news in one handy place.

2. Ask the Race Director Continue reading →