ROAD RACE MANAGEMENT
RACE DIRECTOR'S MEETING

Schedule of Events for the 2010 RRM Race Directors' Meeting and Trade Exhibit

THURSDAY, November 11

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

3:45 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. Trade Exhibit

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 Electric City Printing).

FRIDAY, November 12

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. Event Cancellation/Postponement Best Practices
Until fairly recently, event cancellations didn’t happen. Now, while not commonplace, they are no longer rare. Knowing how to make this difficult decision, often with relatively little time, takes preparation and a plan.

What pre-cancellation steps should events take? How do you communicate with entrants, hotels, municipalities and develop a Plan B? What should your refund policy be? Learn about cancellation/weather insurance ins and outs, refund issues and broader financial implications and how to avoid potential permanent damage to your event’s reputation.
Faculty: Sean Ryan
Moderators: Jeff Darman and Phil Stewart

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

10:30 A.M. - 11:30 A.M. Hotel Negotiation Strategies: Getting the Most from Your Hotel Relationship
For many events the hotel experience can be a complicated aggravation. How attractive are road races to the hotel industry? What kind of negotiating clout do events have? How can events negotiate the best food and beverage prices, room rates, comp ratios, comp rooms, suite upgrades and staff rates? An insider will give contract negotiating tips, contract clauses to watch out for or to add, and tips on what is really negotiable and what isn’t?
Faculty: Tammie Dyer
Moderator: Jeff Darman

11:30 A.M. - 11:50 A.M. Gatorade Break

11:50 A.M. - 12:50 P.M. Award Ceremonies and Post-Race Activities - Do They Need an Extreme Makeover?
Are award ceremonies obsolete? What post-race activities do runners want? We look at awards ceremonies, parties, on-site and off-site activities. The traditional awards model, which many events have not changed in decades, appears broken, less and less interesting and irrelevant at most venues.
Faculty: Creigh Kelley
Moderator: Phil Stewart

12:50 P.M. - 2:45 P.M. Pool/Lunch Break and Expo Visits

2:45 P.M. - 3:45 P.M. Race Anatomy
The session will dissect one of America’s oldest races, the Thanksgiving Day Manchester Road Race. Director Jim Balcome will talk about the good times and any bad, ups and downs, race growth, sponsor gains and losses, volunteers and the basics of how they do things and how he manages his team, from awards to registration. This community-oriented event continues to flourish while some others have not. Find out why.
Faculty: James Balcome
Moderator: Phil Stewart

3:45 P.M. - 4:10 P.M. Expo Break

4:10 P.M. - 5:25 P.M. Is the Non-Profit Model Out of Date
What can non profits learn from for profits? Is the all-volunteer race management model becoming obsolete? Why are some non profits folding or selling out or “leasing” to for profits? What are the potential long-term ramifications and the future of community events? Can stand-alone events survive and flourish, and what are their unique assets? We will analyze the varying formats for non-profit events, including all volunteer, volunteer with paid director and/or staff, and for profit either stand alone or part of a conglomerate.
Faculty: Don Kardong
Moderator: Phil Stewart and Jeff Darman

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 13

8:45 A.M. Publix Supermarkets/Gasparilla Distance Classic Coffee Break

8:45 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Trade Exhibit

9:00 A.M. - 10:10 A.M. On-line Registration – Beyond the Basics
We will discuss not just the basics of on-line registration and costs but more importantly what specifically differentiates various companies. Today’s online registration process extends beyond simply signing up runners; it now can encompass on-line communities, training programs, volunteer management and more. This session will aid your event in selecting, evaluating or retaining the program that is best for you and help you to analyze your needs, how they may have evolved, and how they can best be met?
Faculty: Keith Peters
Moderator: Phil Stewart and Jeff Darman 

10:10 A.M. - 10:45 A.M. Gatorade Break

10:45 A.M. - 11:30 A.M. Open Forum – Discussion about the most current and pressing topics facing race directors

11:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Final Expo Break

12:00 P.M. Trade Exhibit closes

12:00 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. Keynote Luncheon
Jill Geer’s background as a USATF public affairs and communication professional, news editor, sports writer and former elite high school and college athlete has offered her the opportunity to view the sport from many angles over the last 20 years. From her varied past, Jill will discuss how our marketing and media landscape has changed. She will cover the advent of social media and how USATF utilizes it. Her wealth of experience will provide some timely lessons about how events can improve their use of social media. Jill, in her often irreverent style, will address media mistakes both she and event directors have made, how events can avoid PR errors and some of her do’s and don’ts for event media strategy.