Selling out!
My race has almost sold out again. Here's how I did it
As a race director, it’s stressful to hear that road races across North America are reporting lower registration numbers. I won’t lie: even with the popularity of Maritime Race Weekend, it was hard to reach this year’s targets – but I did it. With 98 per cent of our spots now sold, it’s safe to say Maritime Race Weekend will sell out for the sixth year in a row. *Breathes sigh of relief*
How did I do it?
Instead of spending a significant amount of money and time at race expos, we focused on connecting face-to-face with our runners. So I packed up and went on a tour of the Maritimes hosting run clubs which brought over a thousand runners. I was flabbergasted by the interest and enthusiasm at each visit — not to mention, extremely pumped. What a clever idea.
The reveal of our medals created a surge in registration, plus we offered a ridiculous amount of swag in race kits – which is always a crowd-pleaser. In addition to a designer race shirt, limited edition buff, amazing running hat and custom tattoo, early-bird registrations receive running socks, a coffee mug and a race belt. Most runners wouldn’t turn their nose up at any of these items.
We had an abundance of contests too – giving away over 500 prizes on social media and offering amazing registration draws too. But we saved the biggest and best registration incentive for last! Next week, we’ll have a draw for a trip for two to Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The grand prize includes airfare, hotel and race registrations to Canada’s largest and most popular event. Some lucky pair of runners is going to be packing their bags for Toronto!
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