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Want to learn from fundraising event experts while you run, walk, or clean your house? GiveSignup | RunSignup Sales Lead Bryan Jenkins has started a hyper-focused podcast series to bring you stories of successful fundraising events, no reading required. In each episode, Bryan will chat with an influencer in the event industry who’s been instrumental […]
Anecdotal evidence has long suggested to us that virtual runners are not the same people who show up on race day, but the sudden flood of virtual events in 2020 gave us enough volume (and enough motivation) to pull some new reports focused on virtual for our recently released 2020 RaceTrends Report. Why does it […]
As a part of our survey to gauge experiences and expectations throughout 2020 and 2021, one thing stood out: event organizers were inspired and motivated by the enthusiasm that participants have had for supporting their cause – even if the events weren’t what they were used to. We’ve noticed this dedication to nonprofits in a […]
This Timer Tip Tuesday covers the planning and important steps to take and to support the new start line for hybrid events, including on-site, virtual and challenge events. From social distancing practices to specific setup steps this session is packed with valuable information to help timers get to the new start line and deliver a […]
We recently sent out a survey asking customers to share their experiences and expectations as we move into 2021. We’ll be sharing those in full (and comparing them to the May version), but first, a little bit of sunshine. We asked race directors to share their positive experiences from races that did happen this year […]
Virtual races aren’t really new – but with COVID-19 restrictions turning in-person events into virtual ones, experienced race directors are learning what it’s like to be a rookie director all over again. This episode of talkSIGNUP covers tips for a first-time virtual race director (or a second-round virtual director hoping to improve). Key Takeaways Utilize […]
We have released a feature that allows races to approve participant photo uploads before they show as public in participant photo albums. To turn this feature on, navigate to Photos>>Setup on your race dashboard Turn on Allow participants to upload photos Turn on Require Approval For Photo Uploads Click Save Photo Settings Registered participants will […]
Guest blog from Scott Sutter of Strategic Risk Transfers. He is a race director and is in the insurance business. He has been working on getting this product together for the past couple of months and is excited to share the news about Virtual Race insurance and how they have leveraged the RaceJoy technology as […]
We held our first Virtual Symposium last week! Over 4 days, 500 race directors, timers, and nonprofit leaders attended 23 educational sessions, 2 sets of round-table discussions, Certifications in RaceDay Scoring and RaceJoy, and a Happy Hour. Collectively, the group attended 3,940 hours of education. While our “normal” Symposiums focus on a broad range of […]
RunSignup now supports the ability for participants to submit their virtual results by uploading their GPS activity recorded while using third party types of tracking tools. Participants record their activities for Virtual Events on a multitude of devices and platforms. Two very common formats of data are GPX and FIT, which services like Garmin and […]
RunSignup just rolled out more flexibility for virtual events wishing to deliver virtual results. Many events will have various registration options that don’t necessarily line up to the results needed. Or there may be unique situations where results need to be combined. Event organizers and timers can now create custom result set configurations to meet […]
As the industry has undergone rapid, significant change – timers have the opportunity position themselves as industry leaders by helping races to adjust their approach and provide flexible race experiences. RunSignup’s RaceDay Suite of technology empowers timers with the tools to support this changing landscape. From No Touch Pre-Race Services: Virtual & challenge event registration […]
As more and more events go virtual, we’re seeing an increase in conversation around the role of sponsors with virtual or modified events. We have collected some of the best ideas we’ve seen, and will break down our insight on sponsors during COVID-19 in this blog. Note: while most of these ideas are universal, many […]
Every morning, we wake up to a Google Alert with all the news that includes “RunSignup”. Occasionally it’s news about us; more often, it’s local news about races that use our platform and link to their registration. Lately we’ve seen a shift: all the races popping up are virtual, and the local news is learning […]
There were 4 updates to virtual race bibs and finisher certificates this week, improving the virtual swag that you can offer to your race and challenge participants for free. Virtual Race Bib Email Marketing Replacement Tag There is now a replacement tag in RunSignup’s free email marketing platform to send participants the link to their […]
This year we made the decision to convert the 36th annual Scott Coffee Rotary Run to a virtual race. As the biggest fundraiser for the local Rotary Club, it was important to make money this year. We also wanted to engage our participants with a fun event while ensuring that they come back next year […]
Official Mobile Race Experience From Any Location We are incredibly excited to announce RaceJoy is now available for location independence events. Virtual event organizers can now offer RaceJoy for both location independent and defined course route race experiences for participants of running, walking, cycling, and water events. RaceJoy delivers an official interactive race experience that […]
Many people dismiss the idea of a virtual race – “It is not a real race”, “People might cheat”, “We would not want to taint the brand of our race with virtual”, “oh, the market is saturated and there aren’t enough who want to run virtual”, etc. This attitude is holding back many customers from […]
This year is the 36th Annual Scott Coffee Rotary Run (yes, that’s the race that inspired Bob to start RunSignup). It’s a big fundraiser that the Moorestown Rotary Club relies on and it serves an important role in bringing our community together. Cancelling the race wasn’t a great option – so we decided to make […]
As areas of the country are preparing for the gradual lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, RunSignup is working on ways we can support the industry through technology. We are pleased to share that RaceDay Scoring and The Race Director now have the ability to capture both start and finish reads with overlapping start and finish time […]
This webinar was a high level look at some ideas you can use to make money and save money right now. If you want to dive deeper into any of these ideas, we have a ton of resources below to get you started: Webinar Recording Slides https://runsignup.com/GoVirtual State of the Industry Where are we today? […]
Note: Check out all the new features by seeing all of the blogs we are posting as we release new capabilities to Challenges. One of the growing types of virtual events are challenges. For example, there are currently challenges to run (virtually) across Tennessee, New Jersey, New York, oh and another New York. But there […]
As you go to open up your virtual race – whether it is a brand new idea, or a virtual version of your traditional race or fundraiser – you will need to learn some new things. We give you a ton of increasing engaging technology to put on your virtual fundraiser like free websites, cover […]
Crisp McDonald walked through the reasons to use corrals to ensure social distancing, and the steps to get setup. Catch up on the webinar and slides! What is a Corral? – Also known as a wave or a time trial, corrals divide people into a variety of start time. Why Would You Need Corrals? – As Races begin returning, […]
We are excited to share that auto result submission for virtual events is now available in RunSignup’s race day app, RaceJoy. Those participants using RaceJoy for GPS tracking and cheer sending, will have their GPS-based results automatically submitted to the race as they cross the finish line. For events using RunSignup’s Virtual Results, this data […]
Nonprofits are dealing with canceled fundraising events and a severe decrease in donations. It’s time to go back to basics: engage your communities while saving money and making money for your nonprofit. People need connection more than ever, and free virtual events (or a small registration fee) with donations and fundraising are a perfect way to […]
We are excited to share that events are now able to issue Virtual Bibs to participants for traditional and virtual events. These pre-race bibs are an effective way to communicate bib numbers and add another tangible component for virtual event experiences. Participants can share their official bib on social media, which in turn helps promote […]
Since mid-March, we’ve been rolling out Virtual Race content and new features to help races convert their physical events to virtual ones, quickly and efficiently. But as social distancing has become the norm, virtual races are becoming more than just a stop-gap option – they are creating a bridge in the endurance community to keep […]
We have updated our Dashboard screens for the Enhanced Virtual Results setup, making it easier for you to let participants submit their own results for Virtual Races. Catch up on the webinar and slides, or just get an overview of the updates below. Virtual Race Resources This webinar specifically covers the updates to the Dashboard […]
Field General (FG) a real time GPS asset tracking software company has retooled its flagship product to provide a simple and powerful solution to launch and manage Virtual Runs: Virtual Race by Field General (VR). (vrace.us ) “With races being canceled across the world, Race Directors need a fast, simple and power solution to convert […]
Like many events, the Probility Ann Arbor Marathon converted its race to a virtual event in response to Covid 19 and the need for social distancing. Finishers still get a medal and t-shirt and are able to complete the official course routes. What is different? Participants complete their chosen course within a span of a […]
It’s been a crazy few weeks since Bob first posted some suggestions for races that may be impacted by the Coronavirus. Now, with races across the country getting creative, we wanted to take a moment to collect all the updates in one place. Postponement Tool The Postponement Tool (which can be used for more than […]
With more and more races embracing Virtual Events, we’re working on improvements to our results options. The first update is here, and RaceDay Product Manager Matt Avery ran through the new elements that will make it easier for your Virtual Participants to report their times. New to virtual events and want to take a step […]
Races are looking for ways to add something to their newly formed virtual events and we’ve adjusted the backend so RaceJoy’s live tracking, cheer sending, and progress alerts at every mile can be offered. This is a safe and healthy way for participants to get outside and run different courses designed for your virtual event. […]
Our 2020 Winter Symposium is over, but there’s still time to catch up. You can view the slides from presentations anytime, and now the video recordings of our sessions are starting to pop up. Next up: Multi-Race Bundles With Eric Cone Regardless of the quality of your event, many participants will seek out new adventures […]
Virtual races are growing in popularity – either as stand alone events or as a way for remote participants to feel like part of a race. The new Virtual TXT service helps to bring more connectivity with your virtual participants. There are two general ways you can use the new TXT service. Virtual add-on to […]
