Technology for Virtual and Hybrid Events…
RunSignup’s platform allows you to do more than just register participants for your virtual or hybrid event. We are also here with free technology to help you promote your event, create a race experience (from afar), communicate with your participants, and raise money for a cause.
Registration
Register your virtual runners in minutes with a dynamic, mobile-friendly, and customizable registration platform.
Marketing Tools
Take advantage of free marketing tools like email and websites and prompt work-of-mouth with referral programs and team incentives.
Fundraising
Raise more for your nonprofit, charity partner (or multiple charity partners) with integrated donations and fundraising tools.
RaceDay
Make your virtual RaceDay fun with RaceJoy Anywhere, self-serve virtual results, participant photos, digital bibs, and more.
Virtual Race Planning Document
Just like a physical race, successful virtual races require pre-planning and strategy. Download our Virtual Planning Document for a review of key steps and considerations for all virtual events.
Getting Started in 8 Steps
Step 1.
Setup Your Virtual Race
Review all the key setting and features that you want enabled on RunSignup for your virtual race, or for a virtual event within your hybrid race.
Step 2.
Update Your Website
Your (free) race website is the digital face of your race. With all the interactions with your participants occurring online, it’s more important than ever to make sure your website is interactive and engaging.
Step 3.
Plan for Swag
Swag can be a big seller for any event, but for a virtual race it often takes on new meaning. Make sure your race is setup to verify shipping addresses and allow participants to update their address, then review additional shipping considerations while creating your plan.
Step 4.
Market Your Event
Now it’s time to sell. Just because your race is virtual doesn’t mean it isn’t social – in fact, virtual races tend to find even more success promoting their events through social channels.
Step 5.
Activate Donations and Fundraising
Most races support at least one charity (or are organized by one). Virtual races can make great fundraisers because they allow you to bring together supporters from around the country (and the world). Learn how to supercharge your donations – or even activate Peer-to-Peer Fundraising.
Step 5.
Communicate Clearly
As you prepare for registrations to come in, dive into your free email platform and draft and automate all your key emails, including the registration launch, reminders about referral programs, and pre-race details.
Step 7.
Create an Experience
Just because a race is virtual doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be exciting. Learn how to create a real-race atmosphere with digital bibs and a custom audio experience via RaceJoy Anywhere.
Step 8.
Manage Virtual RaceDay
It’s game time! Whether your race “day” is just a day or lasts for several weeks, you can make it feel official with instant finisher certificates, virtual results, and participant uploaded photos.
Virtual Race or Virtual Challenge?
A virtual race is typically a one-goal activity (like a 5K), whereas a Virtual Challenge consists of multiple activities over time, with either an overall goal or a competition to complete the most of each activity. Examples include a mileage goal to (virtually) cross a state, or a challenge to complete 500 pushups in a month.
Customer Spotlight
Negative Split: Building Runner Confidence via Hybrid Events
Negative Split, a timing and race management company based in Washington State, has been hosting hybrid events with in-person participants since July. In that time, they have produced 5 events and timed 7 in two states, and they offered to share their process and key lessons to help other race organizers learn from their experience.
41% of Runners were Virtual in Coeur d’Alene (Idaho)
52% of Runners were Virtual in Windermere Marathon in Spokane
50% of Runners were Virtual in The Split Half Marathon in Spokane
Paterson Music Project
Looking for some inspiration and proof that events can be successful in 2020? With a little innovation and a willingness to pivot, Ride for PMP, in tandem with the Garden State Fondo, raised $20,000 for the Paterson Music Project (PMP) – an increase of 368% in fundraising.
368% Increase in Fundraising
$20,000 Raised for Paterson Music Project
7,000 Miles Completed as a Group
Richmond Marathon Delivers Hybrid Race Experience
Richmond Marathon’s 2020 event, held this November with 5,500 registrants, adjusted its typical race structure to accommodate concerns associated with Covid-19. This included offering three on-site course options and virtual race anywhere options for the Richmond Marathon, Richmond Half Marathon, and Allianz Partners 8k. Event organizers and its timing organization, Go Race Productions, took advantage of RunSignup’s RaceDay technology products to deliver a flexible, real-time, and interactive race experience
5,500 Runners
15 Day long Marathon Event
3 On-Site Course Options
Steps for Students
Steps for Students determined their backend technology needed to change to support their unique needs around team fundraising and seamless data integration. Ultimately, they chose to switch to RunSignup’s registration, fundraising, and race day technology platform. Julie Eberle and Suraiya Culp, event organizers for Steps for Students shared with us their innovative approach to offering a virtual experience that reinforced their fundraising efforts.
6,500 Virtual Registrants
$775,000 Donations Raised Virtually
100% Real Time Data
All the Latest Blogs on Virtual and Hybrid Events
What’s Happening with Virtual Events?
During the COVID years a return to in-person events seemed like something that may never come to pass. Virtual events appeared to trend toward being the new normal. However, as COVID has made its way into the rearview, and virtual races are…
Read More
Virtual Results Renewal
We have added the capability of renewing your virtual race setup. This is part of our overall renewed renewal process. When renewing your race, we will also now copy over all of your past setup information like accepted dates, tally type, goals,…
Read More
RunGo Announces Integration with RunSignup
RunSignup’s API offers industry technology providers an easy way to integrate their technology into our platform to provide increased value and a seamless experience for both race organizers and participants. We are pleased to share RunGo’s recent announcement of their integration with RunSignup‘s platform. RunGo’s integration…
Read More
Finish Eliza’s Run: Community Responds
We have a great many events that use RunSignup for important causes throughout the nation. When we saw a virtual free event, Finish Eliza’s Run, to respond in a unified indignation to the death of a fellow runner, Eliza “Liza” Fletcher, we…
Read More
What Happened with Virtual Events in 2022?
This is one of series of blogs we’ll use to break down key endurance industry trends we saw in 2021, and evaluate what they mean for race directors as you prepare for 2022. You can find the full report (and more resources)…
Read More
2021 Kickoff: Session Recordings and Resources for a Successful Hybrid Year
Thanks to the 670 race directors, timers, and nonprofits who registered to join us for our 2021 Kickoff Session on the key to a successful 2021 – hybrid events. You can refer to all the videos and resources below as you start preparting for…
Read More
Q3 RaceTrends Update
We release an annual RaceTrends Report each winter to provide a thorough assessment of the state of the endurance and fundraising events industry. This year, as event organizers adapt to new conditions, we are pulling a few key metrics each quarter to…
Read More
Webinar Recap: How to Host a Successful Race this Fall
Race directors everywhere are adjusting their protocols to meet local guidelines and ensure runners are safe. While there’s no “one-size-fits-all” version of what you should do, there are lessons to be learned from every event director who successfully navigates new procedures. In…
Read More
Building Future-Proof Events for Fall
With fall right around the corner, a lot of things still seem up in the air, but your events don’t need to be. In this webinar, we reviewed the free technology, innovative ideas, and experience you can rely on to help you…
Read More
Your Race Contingency Plan
This is not a panic blog. This is a calm, reminder blog: Yes, there is still some uncertainty going into the fall. But it’s OK! You’re ready for this. You’ve got this. As we see some changes in behavior and requirements around spikes…
Read More
Spring Forward Seminar: Recordings and Resources
Thanks to all the nonprofits, event directors, and timers, who registered to join us for our Spring Forward Session! You can refer to all the videos and resources below as you start preparing your Hybrid event strategy in 2021. Key Resources These…
Read More
Timer News: Results Source Now Available for Virtual Results
RaceJoy, Web, and TXT Result Submissions Timers using RunSignup’s RaceDay Virtual Results will be happy to hear we’ve rolled out the ability to quickly see the source participants use to submit their results. Timers now have an at-a-glance view of whether participants submit their…
Read More