ROAD RACE MANAGEMENT DIRECTORY UPDATES

THURSDAY, November 5

3:45 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. Packet Pickup

4:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. Trade Exhibit Opens

6:15 P.M. - 7:30 P.M. Welcome Reception (sponsored by MarathonGuide.com and
World’s Best 10K) and announcement of
MarathonFoto/Road Race Management
“Race Director of the Year” Award
(presented by Running Network).

FRIDAY, November 6

8:00 A.M. - 9:00 A.M. Atlanta Track Club Continental Breakfast

8:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M. Trade Exhibit

8:15 A.M. - 9:00 A.M. Packet Pickup

9:00 A.M. - 9:10 A.M. Welcome

9:10 A.M. - 10:10 A.M. Building, Revitalizing and
Restructuring Race Committees
Is your race committee structured properly, or is it just something you inherited? Is your decision-making body too big, too small or just right and
what criteria are you using to determine that? How are members of the decision-making body chosen for the event? How long should people
serve? How do for-profit and non-profit models differ and what can be learned from each? Is your decision-making structure transparent? How many on your committee are paid either directly by your race or indirectly through their employer/sponsor? Does paying committee members create any tension? Is the Race Director a voting member? How are personnel issues
handled (evaluations, salary reviews, etc.)? How do you select and vet new members?
Faculty: Don Kardong
Moderator: Phil Stewart

10:10 A.M. - 10:30 A.M. Gasparilla Distance Classic Coffee Break

10:30 A.M. - 11:35 A.M. What Do You Do If? A Guide to
Contingency Planning
What if there is trouble on the course (fire, accident), the municipality increases costs close to the race date, there are chip or other scoring malfunctions, or you have transportation troubles such as with busing runners to start? Suppose course markings disappear (rain, snow), bad weather is forecast or unexpectedly crops up during the event, post-race food doesn’t show, or the race director or a key official has a serious illness on race day or weekend? This session will highlight “best practices” and will allow for spirited interaction with faculty and the audience.
Faculty: Dave McGillivray
Moderators: Jeff Darman and Phil Stewart

11:35 A.M. - 11:55 A.M. Gatorade Break

11:55 A.M. - 12:55 P.M. Adapting to Troubled EconomicTimes
A panel of experts will address how the economy has affected their events in the last 12 months, what steps they have or are taking to adjust
to changing economic times. Is the worst over in their opinion? We will discuss sponsor losses, sponsor/marketing strategy changes, and how to
deal with them.
Faculty: Susan Harmeling, Don Kardong, Dave McGillivray, Iris Simpson Bush
Moderator: Jeff Darman

12:55 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Beach/Pool/Lunch Break and Expo Visits

3:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. Maximizing Race MerchandiseSales
The session will address setting realistic sales goals, what sells and what doesn’t, pricing, display, pre and post race sales, the use of web,
logistics and staffing at Expo, training for staff, minimizing theft, disposing and pricing of previous years leftovers, use of third party selling sites, designing merchandise, upselling to technical tees and licensing.
Faculty: Iris Simpson Bush
Moderator: Jeff Darman

4:00 P.M. - 4:25 P.M. Expo Break

4:25 P.M. - 5:25 P.M. The Art of Schmoozing – Maintaining Good
Sponsor Relations
Relating to and keeping sponsors happy is an art and it takes talent and patience. Sponsors have differing needs and assessing what they
want and, when possible, giving it to them, is a goal of the good event director. However, sometimes you have to say no and communicating
that to a sponsor is an important skill too. Sponsor maintenance and the art of “schmoozing” them to keep that relationship healthy throughout the year is a skill. Susan Harmeling will share her experience and examples of what she and other successful race directors do.
Faculty: Susan Harmeling
Moderator: Phil Stewart

5:30 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. Ashworth Awards Race Directors’ Reception in
conjunction with Trade Exhibit
Talk with exhibitors of awards, competitor numbers, banners, computer products, apparel, finish line services, magazines, running organizations, online registration and other web services and more. An opportunity to
meet fellow race directors, the faculty and exhibitors in a relaxed atmosphere.

SATURDAY, November 7

9:00 A.M. - 12:15 P.M. Trade Exhibit

9:45 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. Greening Your Event – Part II
Last year we looked at greening events; this year we update you on the growing number of races going green, even in an economic downturn. We
will explore how and why green events have obtained greater acceptance, and why many event directors and sponsors see this as necessary to the success of their events. Has greening become as necessary as toilets, refreshments and good course logistics? Keith Peters will give examples and “how to” information. He will demystify carbon offsets, recycling, composting and offer tips for things you can do regardless of your budget.
Faculty: Keith Peters
Moderator: Jeff Darman

12:15 P.M. Trade Exhibit closes

12:15 P.M. - 1:45 P.M. Keynote Luncheon
Bart Yasso has run over 1000 races on all seven continents. This won’t be a travel lecture but
a chance to hear Bart’s candid impressions gleaned from years of watching race directors
at work and their end product, good and bad. Hear how his views of races and their leaders have evolved.