Event Information
WHEN
On-Demand
How to Communicate What You Bring to Race Day
Timers do far more than start the clock and post results — but if your race director can’t see it, it might as well not have happened. In this webinar, we’ll walk through how to use the data available in RunSignup’s Timer Dashboard and overall platform to build a personalized post-race report that makes your value tangible and opens the door to offering more services at future events.
What we’ll cover:
- What data is available on RunSignup’s platform— and how to use it
- How to build a personalized post-race report with your branding for every race you service
- What to include: scoring summaries, check-in stats, RaceJoy usage, photos, and equipment
- How to use the report to introduce services the race isn’t currently using
- How to structure a debrief conversation — what questions to ask and how to use the data to plant seeds for next year
- Staying connected between events: a simple communication cadence that keeps you top of mind before someone else gets the call
Part of Keep Your Races: A Race Retention Series for Timers
Webinar Summary
This second webinar in the Race Retention Series for Timers focuses on helping timers demonstrate the full value they bring to race directors—not just accurate timing. The presenters explain how to make often invisible services visible through better marketing, branding, and post-race reporting so race directors clearly understand everything their timer contributes. The goal is to strengthen client relationships, justify pricing, and improve race retention.
Why making your value visible matters
The webinar begins by highlighting a common problem: race directors often only see the visible outcome of race timing—a finish clock and results—while missing all the planning, technology, redundancy, and participant experience that make a successful event possible.
Timers may provide:
- Multiple timing systems and backup solutions
- RaceDay Check-In
- Live participant tracking
- Text notifications
- Finish line photos
- Announcer data feeds
- Course setup and logistics
- Registration and website support
If race directors don’t recognize these services, they may view competing timer proposals as equivalent when they’re not. The presenters emphasize that the goal is to make every proposal a “not apples-to-apples comparison.”
Build services that are remarkable
The presenters encourage timers to focus on services that participants and race directors actually notice.
Examples include:
- Chip-based participant tracking
- RaceJoy live tracking
- Automated finish line photos
- Dynamic bib assignment
- RaceDay Check-In
- Large-screen leaderboards
- Enhanced participant communication
Remarkable services create word-of-mouth marketing while increasing the perceived value of the timer’s role.
Increase your brand visibility
The webinar also discusses simple ways timers can reinforce their brand throughout the event experience.
Recommendations include:
- Displaying company logos on equipment and participant touchpoints.
- Branding RaceJoy banner ads.
- Including timing company logos on results pages.
- Using branded signage or kiosks.
- Prominently displaying RunSignup Timer Certification badges.
The objective is to ensure race directors remember the timing company—not just the individual timer.
Improve your website and marketing materials
Instead of relying on a simple “About Us” page, timers are encouraged to build a dedicated Services page that clearly explains everything they offer.
Suggestions include listing:
- Timing technology and equipment
- Registration support
- Website setup
- Check-In services
- RaceJoy
- Photo integration
- Equipment rentals
- Marketing consulting
- Certification badges
The presenters note that race directors often skim websites, so organizing services into clear sections or cards makes them easier to understand.
Create post-race reports
The centerpiece of the webinar is the recommendation to send every race director a post-race report within 24–48 hours after the event.
The presenters describe this as the single best tool for making invisible work visible.
Benefits include:
- Demonstrating everything delivered on race day.
- Creating a permanent record of services.
- Supporting annual renewals.
- Helping new race directors understand previous services.
- Differentiating your company from competitors.
- Providing recommendations for future improvements.
The report transforms behind-the-scenes work into measurable results that race directors can appreciate.
What to include in a post-race report
The webinar provides several examples ranging from simple one-page summaries to comprehensive reports.
Recommended sections include:
- Event overview and company branding
- Total finishers
- Timing services provided
- Equipment deployed
- Backup timing and redundancy
- Check-In statistics
- RaceJoy usage
- Finish line photo statistics
- Registration growth
- Participant engagement metrics
- Visual charts and graphs
- Photos from race day
- Suggestions for next year’s event
- Additional services available
The presenters stress that visual summaries are far more effective than long paragraphs.
Use AI to build reports
Rather than manually designing reports, the presenters recommend creating a reusable template and using AI to generate polished summaries.
Their workflow includes:
- Collecting RunSignup statistics.
- Uploading the data into an AI tool.
- Using company branding and logos.
- Generating a professional report in minutes.
Among current AI tools, they recommend Claude for creating visually organized reports because of its strength in formatting charts, layouts, and summaries.
Key RunSignup data to highlight
The webinar walks through several valuable data sources within RunSignup that timers should incorporate into their reports.
Examples include:
Result Notifications
- SMS and email notification counts
- Split notification engagement
Timing Statistics
- Finishers by event
- Timing points deployed
- Backup timing systems
- Timing redundancy
RaceDay Check-In
- Total check-ins
- Dynamic bib assignments
- Peak check-in periods
- Staffing insights
Photos
- Photos captured
- Tagged participant photos
- Album views
- Year-over-year growth
RaceJoy
- Participants using RaceJoy
- Spectators reached
- Progress alerts
- Sponsor banner ad clicks
The presenters emphasize that these statistics demonstrate participant engagement and sponsor value—not just timing accuracy.
Show trends and business impact
Beyond reporting raw numbers, timers are encouraged to analyze historical data.
Examples include:
- Registration growth year over year.
- Photo usage increases.
- Peak finish times.
- Check-in traffic patterns.
- Participant flow by event.
- Sponsor engagement metrics.
Providing these insights helps race directors make better operational decisions while reinforcing the timer’s role as a strategic partner rather than simply a vendor.
Upcoming RunSignup enhancements
The presenters also preview improvements coming to the Timer Dashboard, including:
- Better aggregation of race data.
- Easier access to reporting metrics.
- Improved workflows for exporting data into AI tools.
- Continued investment in APIs and AI-friendly data access.
These enhancements are intended to make creating post-race reports even faster and more consistent.
Final takeaway
The webinar’s central message is simple: don’t assume race directors understand everything you do. By consistently showcasing services, branding your company, using measurable data, and delivering professional post-race reports, timers can demonstrate their full value, justify premium pricing, strengthen sponsor relationships, and make themselves indispensable to the races they serve.