Customer Success Stories
February 17, 2020 was a big day for our customers, with RunSignup processing over $3.4 million across 50,000 registrations. In addition to everyday race registrations, the day saw a 30,000 person lottery drawing for the Blue Cross Broad Street Run, a 1,400 person drawing for the Horribly Hilly Hundreds, and two sellout races with the 2,400 Race to Robie Creek and the 1,300 Guinness Open Brewery Pub Run – both in minutes. Take a look at how we – and the races – handled the rush.
Looking for inspiration from race organizations that look more like yours? These five companies have grown their participation, increased their fundraising, and created better RaceDay experiences.
Advanced Running Project uses multi-race bundles to incentivize participants and boost registrations across races, takes advantage of the free volunteer platform to manage and communicate with volunteers, and uses giveaway reporting to make smarter estimates and waste less.
Negative Split Productions takes pride in staying up to date on the latest RaceDay technology, including a streamlined RaceDay process with automatic bib assignment, the RaceDay CheckIn App, and RaceJoy GPS-based runner tracking.
Bryn Mawr Racing Company has grown registrations 25% since moving to RunSignup, and advocates taking advantage of email automation, simplifying RaceDay with the CheckIn App, and always adding an option to make a donation.
DQ Events tracks the success of their marketing efforts with RaceInsights and source tracking, takes the hassle out of email marketing with automation, and adds pzzaz to the RaceDay experience with video finish results.
Central Kentucky Race Managementhad too many successes to fit in a single case study. Learn about their pre-race successes, including volunteer management, multi-race bundles, a custom website domain, and the CRM, see how they increased donations 100% from 2018 to 2019, or dive into their RaceDay successes, including RaceDay CheckIn, RaceJoy runner tracking, RaceDay Scoring, and RaceDay Photos.
Thanks to all the customers who have (and continue to) share their stories with us – we learn more about how to improve our product from each of you!
January’s Top News
2019 Largest 100 Races
We accumulated a list of the top 100 largest race weekends in 2019. The report shows an overall good year, with modest growth of 1.4% across the top 100 races – similar to the 1% growth our RaceTrends report found across all race sizes. Other highlights include:
- 20 races grew at least 10%
- Consolidation is evident, with 41 of the races owned by 8 companies
- The top 100 represented 1,870,000 participants, or an estimated 6-10% of the total endurance market
Sales Tax: January Top Payments
More than 2 months since we rolled out the new Sales Tax platform, we took a look at the impact. In January, we collected and are remitting $242,199.50 on behalf of races in the 38 marketplace states (and DC), and collected another $67,287.19 for races in non-marketplace states to file.
The impact is not evenly divided across the country, with states that charge sales tax on registration fees dominating the top 10 states for tax collection. Kentucky, Wisconsin, Alabama, Arizona, and Utah had the highest collection. These January numbers suggest that we were accurate with our estimate that the endurance industry as a whole has a liability of $10 million in sales tax per year.
$1 Billion in Processing
RunSignup turned 10 in January, 2020, and in February we reached another milestone. As of February 14, 2020, we have processed over $1 billion for our customers, representing more than 24 million registrations and almost $100 million in donations. We’re proud of the growth that has taken us from a mere $253,000 in processing in our first year to a full $1 billion overall!
Technology Updates
Email Marketing Replacement Tags
The value of an integrated email system is the ability to pull personalized participant data into your emails. This just got easier with replacement tags available via a quick drop-down menu.
Customize Sign Up and Donate Buttons
Take control over your calls-to-action! You can now change the language on your Sign Up and Donate buttons (for example: Register and Give), as well as add a subtitle to spur action.
Early Steps on Language Support
We are taking initial steps to meet the needs of multilingual races that require the use of Spanish and French. While complete localization is still a ways away, this allows races to start transitioning.
Photos 2.0 Begins
We’re starting an overhaul of our free Photo Platform, and the first release is out. It’s mostly a cosmetic change in how photos are shown, making the interface more modern and easier to use.
Early Registration for 2020 Summer Symposium
Early registration is now open for the 2020 RunSignup Summer Symposium, taking place July 27-29, 2020 at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. Our biannual Symposiums offer race directors, timers, nonprofits, and other industry professionals an opportunity to invest in their education and connect with their peers. Early registration starts at just $150 and inculdes an Opening Reception and two full days of education and networking activities. The previous three RunSignup Symposiums have sold out, and space is limited.
Recap: RunSignup 101
New to RunSignup, or just want to increase your confidence with the basics of the platform? Catch up on RunSignup 101, where RunSignup Senior Account Manager Whitney Taylor walks through the core of the platform: the race wizard and basic customizations.
Recap: Multi-Race Bundles
Multi-Race bundles allow you to offer registration for more than one race in a single transaction, with signup for the bundle available through each race. RunSignup Lead Account Manager Matt Sinclair explains why – and how – to use multi-race bundles to grow your events.
Upcoming Webinars
There’s more to come in March! Find more upcoming and recorded webinars at the link below:
Timer Talk
Timer Tip Tuesdays!
Prepare for the busy race season ahead! We are hosting Timer Tip Tuesdays, a series of weekly short webinars for quick training on RaceDay Suite Tools. Catch up on the first iterations, Managing Bib Assignments, and Dynamic Bib Assignment or visit the webinar calendar to register for more.
RaceDay Suite Demo
Want to see the RaceDay Suite in action? We have a short 4 minute video from the demo station at our 2020 Winter Symposium. See a brief overview of the process, including RaceDay Registration, CheckIn, and scored resultts from RaceDay Scoring and RaceDay Results.
Participant Tracking: Promotion = Usage & Fewer Questions
Offering some form of participant tracking, and hoping to get the most out of it? Communication is key. RunSignup added a participant tracking section and screen that appears automatically on your RunSignup race website, making it easy for participants and spectators to find information on any tracking offered – whether that’s RaceJoy GPS tracking, Bib/Chip tracking, or both.
Timer Spotlight: Steve Turrisi, Race Day Professionals
“We don’t sell timing services. We sell experiences. And when people pay for those experiences it is very rewarding for us to see them so happy and so appreciative.”
Meet Steve Turrisi and learn how he uses RaceJoy to enhance the RaceDay experience for his runners and make his events stand out.
Strategy Session
What is Your Participant Value
How much is a participant worth to your event? The answer depends on a combination of your mission and the direct value of participation, as well as the viral impact of a given individual. There’s no precise answer, but understanding the basics can help you understand how much effort and money to put into your marketing and CRM efforts.
What Should Your Processing Fee Be?
Processing fees, and pricing in general, is a hot topic for all events. We maintain a low, straight-forward processing fee, but that doesn’t mean there’s no flexibility. Participants will pay a higher fee and races timers, and software partners are able to add additional fees in exchange for added value for their services.
