YEAR-IN-REVIEW | Estimated Read time – 4:44
The endurance event industry is racing ahead with energy, passion, and community, and we at Race Roster are beyond thrilled to have gone the distance with so many incredible races and events this year. Your trust and partnership kept us on track, allowing us to stride forward with meaningful product updates designed to simplify your workflows, boost participant engagement, and enhance the overall experience of your endurance events.
With 2024 nearing the finish line, we’re taking a moment to reflect on this year’s highlights and share a few tools and updates that helped event organizers hit their stride. From powerful new features to valuable resources, here’s a look back at how we kept the momentum going all year long.
Top Product Highlights of 2024
1. Duplicate Race Awards
Planning a similar event next year? Save valuable time with our new duplicate race awards feature! Now, when duplicating a race for an upcoming event, you can effortlessly copy over the awards associated with that race.
Simply check the “include awards” box under each race to carry forward your existing award settings. After duplicating the event, the awards will appear under the awards tab, ready for review and adjustments. That means less time configuring awards and more time focusing on growing your event.
2. Search Bar Revamp
Finding your events has never been easier—or more organized. We’ve revamped our event search functionality to ensure a smoother, more intuitive experience.
Here’s what’s improved:
- Upcoming events organized by date.
- Demystified navigation thanks to draft, demo, and past events being moved to a separate screen and linked from the search bar.
With everything in its rightful place, managing your events is now simpler and faster.
3. Flexible Event and Results Page Branding
Brand consistency is key to creating memorable experiences for your participants, and we’re giving you even more tools to differentiate your event and results pages.
Our new ‘theme’ toggle feature lets you toggle between a sleek, accessible default color scheme and fully customizable branding tailored to your event. This lets you effortlessly align your visuals with your brand’s identity.
4. Introducing Race Roster CRM
Know your audience, grow your events, and connect like never before—all for free.
This year, we unveiled the Race Roster CRM, a built-in tool that empowers endurance event organizers like you to elevate your reach and engagement. From understanding brand loyalty to streamlining sponsorship management, the CRM bridges the gap between logistical efficiency and meaningful connections.
Some unique CRM features include:
- Insights across multiple events in your organization.
- Tools to customize and send organizational emails.
- Built-in sponsor management capabilities.
- Enhanced participant segmentation for tailored communications.
5. Advanced Live Predictive Tracking
Spectators and event staff can now enjoy a more interactive tracking experience with enhanced live predictive tracking.
Key features include:
- Track participant progress with predictive technology, even for events without splits.
- Custom map markers: Drop a point anywhere on the course map to see segment stats and engage viewers with real-time updates.
This enhancement allows for a more seamless experience for event organizers, timers, spectators, and participants alike.
6. Product Availability Settings
Managing product availability is now easier than ever. With this update, you can synchronize product sales across registrations and your online store.
Key updates:
- Set different availability dates for products in the store vs. registration.
- Customize the availability of individual product options.
This feature simplifies inventory management and ensures participants get the most from your offerings while reducing admin troubles for you.
7. Revamped Email Types
Your audience deserves emails that resonate—and with our newly introduced email types for campaigns, reaching the right people effectively is easier than ever.
Two distinct types of emails to choose from:
- Transactional Emails: Communicate essential logistics like packet pick-up instructions, event-day details, and confirmations.
- Promotional Emails: Share newsletters, special deals, and information about cross-promotional events.
This distinction ensures you maintain clear messaging while maximizing open rates and engagement.
8. Customizable Gender/Sex Options on Registration Forms
Inclusivity matters. Our updated registration forms now include options to:
- Add descriptions for gender/sex categories.
- Reorder gender/sex options for ease of use.
- Customize labels to fit your event’s themes.
- Choose visibility settings to align with your values and event needs.
This means better participant experiences, ensuring everyone feels welcome and represented.
Event Organizer Tips & Tricks
Alongside our product updates, we also shared invaluable insights throughout the year to empower our organizers to go above and beyond. Here are a few popular articles you might have missed (but definitely want to revisit):
- 🔑 9 Tips for Keeping Your Email Spam Complaint Rates Low
- 🏃♀️ How to Harness User-Generated Content for Endurance Events
- 🎨 Event Branding 101: How to Create a Memorable and Consistent Identity
- 📉 3 Easy Digital Marketing Tactics for Event Organizers
- 💡 How Endurance Event Organizers Can Use AI Tools to Get More Done
- 🤝 How to Recruit and Retain Volunteers for Your Endurance Event
- 🧠 3 Takeaways for Event Organizers from ASICS’ Movement Survey
These resources offer actionable guidance to help you run successful events, streamline your operations, and engage participants in fresh new ways.
The Business of Running Events Conference
From July 8–10, 2024, event executives across the globe gathered for The Business of Running Events, an innovative conference presented by ASICS and World Athletics. This first-of-its-kind event focused on essential business strategies, with key insights shared on topics like research, sponsorship, innovation, and communication.
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees praising the highly relevant and actionable content tailored to their roles.
Excitingly, The Business of Running Events will return in 2025.
Sign up now to be among the first to hear updates!
Looking Ahead to 2025
This past year has been nothing short of incredible, and we are honored to have played a role in your event successes. Whether it’s simplifying event management, improving participant engagement, or helping you connect with your community, we’re driven by our mission to support the endurance event industry with tools that matter.
Looking ahead, we are committed to continuously innovating and growing alongside you. Have ideas or requests? We’d love to hear them—your feedback shapes the future of Race Roster.
Together, we’ll keep running toward exciting new opportunities in 2025.
What’s new at Race Roster?
Visit our what’s new page for the most noteworthy Race Roster updates!
