With our 2021 Spring Forward Seminar we capped off a year of extensive virtual education focused on helping event professionals and nonprofits manage the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and pivot events from in-person to virtual to hybrid. Between multi-session virtual seminars and webinars throughout the year, the last 13 months have been a whirlwind of education for race directors, timers, and nonprofits. By the numbers:
- Five multi-session virtual seminars ranging from half a day to four days
- 3,400+ virtual seminar registrations
- 7,700+ views of on-demand sessions from virtual seminars
- 62 webinars covering event organization, fundraising, and modifying race day processes
- 8,300+ webinar registrations
- 16,00+ views of on-demand webinars
Why do we focus so much on education? Because successful races make us successful, too – and the industry as a whole benefits when best practices are shared widely.
So…where do should you start?
With so much content and so many rapidly changing conditions, it can be hard to know where to start. Whether you’re brand new to RunSignup, checking back in after a break in 2020, or a seasoned veteran always looking for the latest technology upgrades, we have some resources to get you started (or restarted).
For the “True Newbie”…
- RunSignup 101 on-demand webinar will walk you through the basics of event setup and get you ready to collect registrations.
- The Get Started Hub provides an overview of your next options, including marketing basics, race website branding, and enabling donations.
- Spruce up your website with Essential Branding and Content and add a Cover Page for a full, professional race website.
For the “Just-Getting-Back-Into-It Event Organizer”…
- A lot has changed in the last year. Get caught up on Virtual Events and Virtual Challenges.
- Dive into Hybrid Events and offer cancel-proof events that incorporate in-person and virtual options.
- Hear from the real experts (your fellow race directors) about the process of getting event approvals and executing hybrid events in 2020 and 2021.
For the “Fundraising Focused Organization”…
- Add donations and fundraising to your Run/Walk/Ride to maximize.
- Expand your fundraising efforts beyond endurance events with GiveSignup’s free tools for nonprofits, including Ticket Events, Donation Forms, Donation Websites, and Fundraising Campaigns.
- Dive into our new Fundraising Events Podcast and hear from our Fundraising Expert Panel for ideas and inspiration from fellow fundraising professionals.
For the “Growth Obsessed Marketer”…
- Catch up on an overview of the most successful event marketing strategies for your hybrid event.
- Get acquainted with Custom Source Tracking and start targetting your marketing for maximum results.
- Get a refresher on Referral Rewards and Swag Rewards – the social marketing tool that drove 17% of transactions in 2020.
For the “Event Logistics Nerd”…
- Get an overview of common modifications for a safe race day, and take a closer look at the New Start Line, the New Finish Line, and the New Race Course.
- Use the Corral Platform to build socially distant starts
- Check out the new and improved CheckIn App to streamline packet pickup.
For the “Timer Guy or Gal”…
- Catch up on what your timing peers are doing to survive and thrive with our debrief of our Timer Survey.
- Learn more about hardware integrations with RaceDay Scoring, including MYLAPS Results Publishing, MYLAPS Hardware Integration, ChronoTrack Hardware Integration, and Race Result Streaming.
- Hear from fellow timers about their process for getting back to in-person events.
For the “Virtual ROCKS Race Director”…
- Once you’ve caught up on Virtual Events and Virtual Challenges, take a closer look at setting up Virtual Results.
- Enable virtual rewards for your virtual participants, including Digital Bibs and Finisher Certificates, and Milestones and Badges (for Virtual Challenges).
- Consider working with a Certified Timer to add RaceJoy for a more interactive Virtual Race.
For Everybody…
RunSignup Support is your quick go-to for finding answers to every question (like how to create a finisher’s certificate, or where to find a financial report). Use the search or just browse for your topic – there are even how-to’s to help you teach your participants to navigate the system.
Subscribe to the RunSignup Newsletter and the GiveSignup Newsletter for a monthly update on all the latest technology. Or get updates even faster by subscribing to our RunSignup Blog and GiveSignup Blog.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to recordings from every webinar, how-to, and virtual seminar.