We have a series Customer Case Studies, in which we take your stories and share your challenges and successes as a learning tool for other RunSignup users. This BizDash Case Study creating a Corporate Team event.
About the St. Louis Biz Dash and RunSignUp:
The St. Louis Biz Dash was created in 2016 by the St. Louis Sports Commission. Race Director Kyle Stegeman shared some of the goals of the new event:
- Create an annual event that supports the local community and highlights downtown St. Louis
- Encourage corporate wellness
- Engage the business community and celebrate each of the industries
In their inaugural year, the Biz Dash used the RunSignUp Corporate Team System.
The Setup: Corporate Teams on RunSignup
The Biz Dash took full advantage of the flexibility of the RunSignup Corporate Team System.
Registration Types
A) Employees can register as scored members of their company’s team
B) Friends and family can register as non-scored members of a company’s team
C) An individual without a company can register on the “St. Louis Sports Commission” team
Company Payment Options
A) Pay for the registrations for their runners
B) Pay some of the registration cost for their runners
C) Create a team, but require runners to pay for their own registration fee
Teams had the ability to set (and change) limits on what their company was willing to cover. This flexibility allowed the Biz Dash to appeal to companies regardless of their budget for Corporate Wellness: subsidizing registration is obviously a good way to get out runners, about a company can participate even if they have little to no budget for this type of event.
Team Type Customization for Sponsors
The St. Louis Sports Commission worked closely with each of their sponsors to put together the package that best met their individual needs. Customization was important here, too: Kyle could create a separate Team Type for each sponsor, or even edit and update the parameters of the package at a later date.
Keep it Simple: Using RunSignup widgets, ALL race info was found on sltbizdash.com
Going the Extra Mile: Getting Teams and Captains on Board
A successful corporate event doesn’t exist without strong buy-in from the business community. The St. Louis Sports Commission was able to use their relationships with current Board Members and Supporters to kick-start the process of raising awareness and getting companies involved. They had success meeting with HR representatives and Wellness Professionals at each business.
The Biz Dash team built a comprehensive set of resources for team captains on their
website. In addition to extensive instructions for creating and managing teams and detailed information about the event, they provided a virtual promotional kit to help Captains get their employees involved. This included printable posters, flyers and graphics, as well as content to share on social media. Kyle took it a step further: he personally sent each captain an email with a link to registration, their company password, and a customized paragraph to recruit employees to “Join our Team”.
By using an intuitive registration system, providing ample resources, offering flexible payment options, and giving personal attention to the captains, the biz dash was able to engage more companies without making them feel like their workload was increasing.
Miscellaneous Notes on RunSignup for Corporate Teams
- Logos: Because sponsors and teams uploaded their logos into RunSignup, the Biz Dash had easy access to these logos for use on their website and throughout the event. Teams feel included when they see their logo.
- Other Visual Components: In addition to logos, runners could also see exactly what to expect from their giveaway via images uploaded on the Giveaway page.
- Import Feature: As a first year event, the Biz Dash tried to be as accommodating as possible, including a few last minute updates to teams just after team registration closed. To do this, they were able to either re-open only the teams that needed updates, use the import tool, and apply the cost to team invoices.
“I don’t know why every city doesn’t have a Corporate Event like this. The [RunSignup] software is so customizeable; it’s awesome. To me, it’s a no brainer to use software that we only have to pay for off of processing fees. Matt, Bryan, and all the customer service was so accessible.” – Kyle Stegeman, Race Director
If you have a success story about your race, store or club, big or small, email us
…we’d love to explore a Case Study on your topic!