How to Get the Most Out of the Off-Season

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4 years ago

Fall events are behind us, and spring events are yet to come. Less than 7.5% of all annual events take place between January and February, providing the perfect opportunity for event directors to reset and recover from a busy year. While we encourage plenty of rest, it’s also a great time to review technology upgrades from the previous year, re-evaluate your plan for the upcoming year, and re-imagine your race day.

Take a little time over the next two months and catch up on everything you missed while you were organizing your own amazing events…

Start Fresh

For the second year in a row, many events directors are kicking off a new season of registration saddled with deferrals, transfers, and refunds remaining from the previous event. Get everything settled and move forward.

New Feature: Vouchers! Give participants a voucher that they can use as a credit towards any of your events.
On-Demand Session: Participant Management for 2021: In 20 minutes, refresh your understanding of participant management options (including deferrals, refunds, vouchers, and more) and ensure that all your promises to previous participants have been fulfilled.
Renew Your Event: Don’t start from scratch! If your event was on our platform last year, make sure you properly renew it to maintain your settings and historical data.
Guide: Renewing Cancelled Races: If your spring 2021 event was cancelled, there may be some extra steps before you renew. Take the time to walk through our flowchart or choose-your-own-adventure video to ensure you’re completing all the renewal steps to correctly.
Guide: Create a Race FAQ: Once your race is renewed and your participant management options determined, add an FAQ to your race website to help participants navigate any complications in 2022 – without emailing you.

Create Your Marketing Strategy for 2022

A Guide to Discounts for Your Event: Discounts are a tried and true marketing strategy for events, but the uncertainty of the last two years has made it harder to capitalize on the power of time-limited calls-to-action. Review your plan for discounts in 2022 and identify the types of discounts that will be most effective at boosting registration for your event.
On-Demand Session: Review your Marketing Essentials: Optimize your marketing spend with a better plan marketing your event.
On-Demand Session: Reevaluate your Facebook Advertising: Catch up on Facebook changes in 2021, how they have impacted advertising, and what workarounds are available to you, including verifying your domain with Facebook Ads.
Spruce up your Race Website: Add custom branding and content to your website and create a professional cover page.

Upgrade Race Day

There’s no doubt about it. While some event disruptions will continue into 2022, in-person events are back. Dive into our new race day releases and create a new race experience that is safe, efficient, and FUN!

Efficiency

On-Site Registration: Go paperless with a smooth, streamlined process for race day registration. Review the product blog or join the on-demand webinar.
CheckIn App: The CheckIn App is new and improved! Read more about what’s new (including volunteer check in), then join the on-demand webinar to see the app in action.

Safety

SOS Alerts in RaceJoy. Learn more about RaceJoy’s SOS participant emergency alert feature to keep participants safe and ensure easy communication in the event of an issue.

FUN!

RaceDay Photos: Photos 2.0 includes new features to help you extend race day and keep participants engaged long after they cross the finish line. Get caught up on the new updates, including participant uploads, better album control, a redesigned user experience, and a new automated bib tagging service.

Prepare for Anything

At this point, contingency plans should just be a standard piece of your race planning. We don’t expect the same kind of major, months-long disruptions we saw in 2020, but it’s always good to review your options for modifying and adapting events.

Your Race Contingency Plan covers checklists and best practices for providing hybrid options, implementing new procedures, and and keeping communications open.
Modifying Your In-Person Event was our most-read blog of 2021. If you need to take extra steps to mitigate contact, this is your starting point.
On-Demand Session: How to Host a Successful Race (this fall…or spring) covers the decision-making process for determining vaccine requirements and other safety measures, with Clint Toledo from Run Toledo.

Get a Little Creative

The creativity of race directors and timers has gotten the industry this far. Don’t stop now – keep your mind open, and consider new types of events.

Virtual Challenges: unlike a virtual race, which can feel like a watered down version of the real thing if not done perfectly, virtual challenges are unique experiences that are designed to be virtual and provide you with the opportunity to engage with your participants for weeks or months.
Think Beyond Endurance with new and unique ideas for outdoor fundraising events (raise money for your own organization, or partner with a charity!).
Be like Steve (Bingham-Hawk) and expand your events business into Ticket Events like festivals for more opportunity for growth.

More Technology Updates

These may seem like little updates, but they are of big importance to many events. Peruse the miscellaneous updates of 2021 for the one that impacts your event.

And the two BIG updates coming over the next few months…

Timer Tip Tuesdays

Timer Tip Tuesdays are your regularly scheduled webinars focused on technology for timers. This year’s series, in review…

Specialty Sessions: