As race directors look for alternatives to cancelling their events, a number of races are “going virtual”. Virtual races have existed for years, but the process of changing a physical race to a virtual one (quickly) is new. This webinar walked through the basics you’ll need to consider as you go virtual, and makes some recommendations for completing the transition quickly and communicating effectively with your runners.
A Few Notes
We reiterate this throughout the webinar, but a few key points of-note:
– You do not have to offer a virtual run. It’s an option a lot of race directors are using to avoid full cancellation, but you should make the best decisions for your race. You can still use the new Postponement Tool and not enable the virtual option.
– You do not have to enable text/email options for virtual results. If you are in a time crunch and want the simplest, fastest way to get a virtual option open, stick to the first section of the webinar or follow these simple steps. Simple is better than fancy-but-confusing!
– If you use the Postponement Tool, that does not physically transfer participants. You will have a report and you can transfer them – a guide to the bulk transfer tool is in the “Additional Resources” below.
– If you DO choose to enable shipping validation or text/email results, you will need to do one of the following:
- Have participants transfer themselves to a newly created Virtual Event (either instead of, or in addition to, the Postponement Tool).
- Let runners know they need to go to their profile -> manage registration -> and click on “Virtual Race” (for results opt-in) and “Shipping Address” (for address validation).
– Make it social! We highly recommend setting up a Facebook Group and a hashtag (SHARE both with runners) and encouraging the posting of virtual race (or training!) photos and information. As much as possible, you want to replicate a race day experience (virtually).
– Communication is key. Whatever you decide to do, thorough and kind communication should be your priority. The whole running community needs to join together on this one, and let your runners know that you value them.
You can also review our Simple and Advanced Guides for Moving to Virtual:
Additional Resources
The new Postponement Tool came out yesterday:
Blog: https://runsignup.blog/2020/03/12/postponement-tool/
Webinar: https://youtu.be/-SS30_bX-Sg
A few timetamps to help you jump to the content you need most urgently:
Postponement Tool Intro & Demo
Participant Management Options:
Bulk Transfer Tool (to move large amounts of participants to a virtual race – for example, to move those who indicated the virtual option in your Postponement Pop-Up):
https://runsignup.blog/2017/05/10/bulk-transfer-improvements/
Self-Serve Event Transfer How-To (for you to share with runners if you want them to transfer themselves to a new event):
https://help.runsignup.com/support/solutions/articles/17000062922-transfer-to-another-event
Self-Serve Edit Registration How-To (for you to share with runners to help them find the places to update their shipping address and/or opt into text/email results if those options are enabled): https://help.runsignup.com/support/solutions/articles/17000062920-view-edit-a-registration
More Virtual Race Resources:
Text/Email Results Blog:
https://runsignup.blog/2018/11/02/virtual-race-txt-service/
As we said, today’s webinar was geared towards the essentials for changing to virtual midstream. If you’re ever planning a virtual race intentionally, check out this presentation on setting up virtual races (including marketing tips):
Presentation Video: https://youtu.be/vLZD2wrI1Cs
Slides: https://www.slideshare.net/runsignup/virtual-races-220623723
More Coronavirus Resources:
RunSignup’s Coronavirus Website (hub for all resources): https://runsignup.com/coronavirus
Coronavirus FAQ: https://runsignup.blog/2020/03/11/coronavirus-runsignup-faq/
Chargebacks and Coronavirus: https://runsignup.blog/2020/03/10/chargebacks-and-coronavirus/
