Event Information

A great announcer can make or break the race day experience. In this webinar, we’ll hear directly from well-known race announcers and cover how to set your announcer up for success using the tools available in RunSignup’s RaceDay Scoring and RaceDay Mobile to proven best practices that keep the energy high and participants informed.

What we’ll cover:

• Why announcers are critical to the race day experience
• How to set up your announcer for success
• Setting up the Announcer Kiosk in RaceDay Scoring
• Setting up Announcer Mode in RaceDay Mobile
• Using Announcer Lines for extra data checks
• Best practices for a seamless announcer experience

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Summary of Webinar

Key takeaways

Announcing is more than background noise. A strong announcer sets the tone for race day, recognizes athletes by name, thanks sponsors, keeps spectators engaged, and helps create a memorable finish-line experience.

Why announcer services matter

• Participants love hearing their names called, whether it’s their first race or thousandth.
• Announcers add energy at the start and finish line.
• Sponsor mentions become more valuable when tied into the live race experience.
• A good announcer can help runners feel recognized and encourage them to return next year.

Timer best practices

Timers can make announcing much better by:

• setting up an independent announcer line 50–75 meters before the finish when possible
• giving the announcer enough lead time to read names before athletes finish
• including useful data like bib number, name, city/state, age group, event, birthday, or custom messages
• testing the announcer feed before the first finishers arrive
• clearing the announcer screen before finishers start coming in
• talking with the announcer before race day about workflow, placement, data needs, and sound setup

RaceDay Scoring setup

RaceDay Scoring includes an Announcer timing location type. This location is not used for scoring; it feeds names and data to the announcer kiosk.

To use it:

• create a separate announcer timing location
• turn on RaceDay Hub
• use either the local announcer kiosk or a separate device/computer
• select which timing locations feed the announcer screen
• choose the fields the announcer should see
• test with real participant reads when possible

RaceDay Mobile announcer mode

RaceDay Mobile now includes announcer tools, including:

• card view and list view
• swipe controls for clearing or reviewing athletes
• QR code connection to RaceDay Scoring
• auto reconnect
• manual bib lookup
• settings for fields, timeout interval, screen lock, and unknown reads

This can work as a low-barrier option for volunteer announcers or smaller events that don’t need a full computer setup.

Helpful data use

An independent announcer line can also improve results quality. Timers can create a data check for participants who read at the announcer line but missed the finish read. This helps catch common issues, like runners covering their bib while stopping their watch.

Final reminder

Announcer services can be simple or advanced. Race directors should work with their timer to decide what level of setup makes sense, from manually typing bib numbers into a phone to using RaceDay Scoring, RaceDay Mobile, independent announcer mats, and sponsor-focused scripts.