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 →

John Korff Talks About Being in the “Sweat” Business (Event Director of the Month)

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

John Korff founded Korff Enterprises, Inc. in 1978, although he admits he never thought of himself as a company until 15 years later when his staff picked the name for him (while he was out of the office). Unlike many other endurance organizers, he got his start in the tennis world. After his graduation from Harvard Business School, his friendship with Billie Jean King led him to start and produce one of the first women’s professional tennis tournaments, the A&P Tennis Classic in Mahwah, NJ. During the tournament’s 25-year history, the event attracted 60,000+ spectators annually, received worldwide media coverage, and became known as a warm up for the US Open.

Korff Enterprises is now based in New York City and specializes in creating and producing world-class events. The company currently owns and organizes the Aquaphor New York City Triathlon, one of the world’s largest Olympic distance triathlons which is now in its 13th year, and the Quick Check New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, America’s largest summertime balloon and music festival, among many other events. 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 →

Sell-Out Cycling Events Produced by the Great Scot(t)s (Event Director of the Month)

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

Founded in 1997, Rocky Mountain Events promotes and produces quality cycling events throughout Colorado, including the Elephant Rock Cycling Festival, The Copper Triangle, 24 Hours of ERock, and Tour of the Moon. Elephant Rock celebrates its 26^th year in 2013 and, with about 7500 participants, is an “everyman’s” ride offering six different courses and a kids race. The Copper Triangle is in its 8^th year and has sold out at 3000 riders for the past six years running. Tour of the Moon, in its 2^nd year, is anticipated to sell out at 2000 riders.

Scot Harris (top), Event CO Director, and Scott Olmsted (left), Sponsorship and Event Manager, talked with us recently about how their events have earned the reputation as some of the best cycling events in Colorado:

How did Rocky Mountain Events get its start?
Harris: I was hired to start the promotions department of the Rocky Mountain Sports Magazine back in 1987. Fairly soon after than we came up with the idea for the Elephant Rock Ride because we saw a need for a good early-season century ride and also wanted more promotional opportunities for advertisers. 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 →

5 Ways to Make Your Event a Family Experience

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

“It’s all about the event experience.” We’re hearing that from more and more race directors – creating a unique experience is becoming a top priority. It’s not enough these days to just have a race course and a finisher’s medal…there’s too much competition. So how do you make your event fun and memorable for participants?

One big way to do that is to involve the whole family. The #1 post-race activity for triathletes is spending time with family and friends and 43% travel with their families.* Looking at other types of endurance events like marathons and bike races, it’s easy to see that these stats hold true across the board. Events are becoming more social and family oriented.

It’s important for event directors to capitalize on this trend and engage the entire family. Here are five ways you can do that: 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 →

Gary Jenkins Sets the Pace for 100s of Running Events (Event Director of the Month)

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

For nearly 35 years Gary Jenkins has been putting together races, most with creative names and themes, such as Joker’s Wild (written up by Runner’s World magazine as one of the top not-to-be-missed racing events) and Animal Scramble. He originally got into the business by helping organize a running club with friends and then founded Pacesetter’s P.R., an Atlanta-based race and event management company that specializes in running and racing events. Gary and Pacesetter’s P.R. currently manage nearly 100 events per year, including the Run and See Georgia Grand Prix, which draws nearly 70,000 participants annually in the 450+ races on the Grand Prix.

Formerly an avid runner and competitive racer himself, Gary is highly respected in Georgia and the southeast and is known for putting on quality races at competitive prices. He is Continue reading →

Are You Ready For Facebook’s New Graph Search?

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

In mid-January, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg presented Graph Search as Facebook’s new social search engine. It’s still in beta mode, but event directors need to know what’s coming their way.

Graph Search pulls four things into one searchable place: people, places, interests, and photos. With those all available, it’s possible for Facebookers to search for and find results such as ‘friends who like running’ or ‘pictures I liked’ or ‘events near Boston my friends have been to.’ Click here to take a look at Graph Search.

Why does this all matter to event directors? Because you may need to make some changes so your event’s Facebook page stands out. Here are 4 steps you can take right now to prepare for the new Graph Search: Continue reading →

Getting the Runaround From Sam Fiandaca (Event Director of the Month)

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

Toward the end of 2008, Sam Fiandaca and his wife Jasmin started to think about organizing their own races. Both runners, Sam and Jasmin thought putting on events might be a good way to make some extra money in a slow economy. Brazen Racing was born and the first event, Nitro Trail Half Marathon/10K/5K, was held in 2009 on the trails of a local park Sam frequented.

Four events in 2009 grew to 13 events in 2010, 21 events in 2011 and 23 in 2012, averaging about 1000 participants per event. By the middle of 2010, Sam and Jasmin had quit their “day” jobs to focus completely on Brazen Racing.

We sat down with Sam recently and he gave us the ‘runaround,’ telling us his story as an event director:

Continue reading →