Race Directors' Meeting

November 7-9, 2019 | Vinoy Renaissance | St. Petersburg, FL

Schedule of Events for the 2019 RRM Race Directors' Meeting and Trade Exhibit

The Schedule for 2019 is still being finalized and will be posted here in July, 2019. Below appears the 2018 Schedule, which gives an idea of the types of sessions and activities you can expect in 2019.

THURSDAY, November 8

Special Note: RRCA Race Director Certification course
8:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. – requires pre-registration

2:30 P.M. - 5:45 P.M. Packet Pickup

2:30 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. Trade Exhibit

6:00 P.M. - 7:15 P.M.MarathonGuide.com/Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic Welcome Reception - (includes MarathonFoto/Road Race Management “Race Director of the Year” Award, presented by MYLAPS)

FRIDAY, November 9

7:45 A.M. - 8:45 A.M. Continental Breakfast

8:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. Trade Exhibit

8:00 A.M. - 8:45 A.M. Packet Pickup

8:45 A.M. - 8:55 A.M. Welcome - Phil Stewart

8:55 A.M. - 9:55 A.M. Municipal Relations in a Crowded Event Era
Many municipalities are increasingly hostile to the burgeoning number of running events. How can we work with municipalities that are over-saturated with events? Obviously there are examples where cities embrace one or a few events while others find a more restrictive environment.

What is the trend nationally and what successful strategies have worked to improve an event’s relations with local government and to assure municipal costs for an event are fair and equitable?

Faculty: Jan Seeley
Moderator: Phil Stewart

9:55 A.M. - 10:15 A.M. Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic Coffee Break

10:15 A.M. - 11:15 A.M. Problem Solving
Ahead of the meeting Dave and Sean will solicit problems, dilemmas, etc., and come up with proposed solutions. They will also discuss some case studies of situations they have personally encountered.

Faculty: Dave McGillivray and Sean Ryan
Moderator: Jeff Darman and Phil Stewart

11:15 A.M. - 11:35 P.M. Gatorade Endurance Break

11:35 A.M. - 12:35 P.M. Types and Frequency and Treatment of Runner Injuries at Races
A statistical overview of medical interventions (starting with most common and working down) along with appropriate medical responses. What a medical team might encounter. Knowing what to expect and where are important. How best to assemble a medical team including staffing (how many and with what medical experience). What are current opinions about treating versus transporting, tracking medical casualties, the conundrum posed by HIPAA laws and communicating with families of people who are being treated medically, and how do you evaluate what you have in place?

Faculty: Chris Troyanos
Moderators: Jeff Darman and Phil Stewart

12:35 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. Lunch Break and Trade Exhibit Visits

2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Use of Digital Methods to Enhance Recruitment and Retention of Sponsors
How should you rethink and repackage sponsorship in the digital age? Companies want more than logos on t-shirts and signs at the finish line. How do you employ online capabilities and social media platforms to assess what you have to offer and assess the value your event is delivering to sponsors?

Faculty: Beth Shluger
Moderator: Jeff Darman

3:00 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. Trade Exhibit Break

3:30 P.M. - 4:35 P.M. Event Anatomy — Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run
The Credit Union Cherry Blossom has been a popular fixture on the road race circuit for 46 years. Longtime Event Director Phil Stewart will discuss the race philosophy which has enabled this event to endure – from an early commitment to showcase elite running to its title sponsor longevity (the credit unions have been the title sponsor since 2002). In addition, he will focus on some unique things the race does to make it special.

Faculty: Phil Stewart
Moderators: Jeff Darman

4:45 P.M. - 5:45 P.M. Ashworth Awards Race Directors’ Reception in Conjunction with Trade Exhibit
Talk with exhibitors of awards, competitor numbers, banners, computer and timing products, apparel, running organizations, online registration, apps, other web services, and more. It’s a relaxed opportunity to meet fellow race directors, the faculty and exhibitors in an informal atmosphere.

5:45 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. MarathonGuide.com Keynote Dinner - Greg Via
Greg Via has been Global Head of Sports, eSports and Entertainment Marketing for The Gillette Company since 2007. He is responsible for Gillette’s involvement in the global sports marketing place. Greg was formerly Vice President Worldwide Corporate Sponsorship at Motorola and Director of Worldwide Sports Marketing at Gatorade.

Running appears to be ebbing a bit in terms of race numbers with even some classic events seeing a participation drop. While it may just be a transitory dip, akin to the ebb and flow in other major sports, it is a wakeup call. Why has road running failed to crack the big time and are our sights and hopes misplaced? What can we learn from other sports? What aren’t we doing that we should be doing, realizing there are no easy answers and some wishes are pipedreams?

The dinner includes the announcement and presentation of the MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Lifetime Achievement Award, after which many will head to the entertainment at the Ribfest down the street. Details of the musical acts are available at http://ribfest.org and include Josh Turner, Los Lonely Boys and Barenaked Ladies. The Friday night headliner will be Robbie Steinhardt of Kansas fame!

SATURDAY, November 10

8:30 A.M. - 9:00 A.M. Breakfast Snacks and Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic Coffee Break

8:30 A.M. - 11:30 A.M. Trade Exhibit

9:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M. Crowd Flow and Management
How to better plan and manage crowd density, whether for participants, attendees and/or spectators, at start/ finish areas, course, venues, post-race parties, etc. This includes how we assign participants to special corrals, based on space constraints, timing, flow, etc. How do we address the time needed for use of road, not creating bottlenecks on course or at finish, assuring male/female elites are not negatively impacted and on and on.

Faculty: Mike Nishi
Moderators: Jeff Darman

10:00 A.M. - 10:30 A.M. Gatorade / Trade Exhibit Break

10:30 A.M. - 11:30 A.M. Cheating Enforcement
Everyone talks about catching cheaters (and technological enhancements increase our ability to do so), ranging from course cutters, to bib swappers, to fake qualifying -- but what are events doing individually and collectively – about enforcement and punishment for convicted cheaters? What should “due process” look like for suspected cheaters? Should a national database of known cheaters be established? This session focuses on non-drug related cheating.

Faculty: Bee McLeod
Moderator: Phil Stewart

11:30 A.M. Trade Exhibit Closes