Road Race Management Event Coming to St. Petersburg, FL

The annual Road Race Management Race Directors' Meeting and Trade Exhibit will take place in St. Petersburg, FL November 7 - 9. The meeting offers sessions on critical topics for running event directors and officials, along with networking opportunities and a chance for event directors to shop for equipment and service needs at the Trade Exhibit.

Topics and faculty for this year include:

• Event Anatomy - Copenhagen Half Marathon (Jacob Larsen)
• Building and Maintaining Relationships - Keeping Volunteers, Sponsors and Municipal Officials Happy (Becky Lambros)
• Earning a (Good) Living as an Event Director or Staff Member - What You Need to Know (Sean Ryan)
• From Instincts to Intelligence (Heidi Abegg and Heather Whaling)
• Event Leadership Transitions (Jon Neill)
• Event Budgeting (Rob Wolfe)
• Politics of Sponsorship (Heidi Abegg and Keith Peters)
• Keynote Dinner speaker Willy Banks, Newly Elected USATF's IAAF Member, USATF Board Member and President of World Beach Games

Two prestigious running industry awards will be awarded at the meeting. The annual MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Race Director of the Year Award (Presented by MYLAPS) will be presented at the MarathonGuide.com/Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic Welcome Reception on Thursday, November 7. The MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced at the Keynote Dinner on Friday, November 8.

The full program and schedule for the meeting are available at http://www.rrm.com/act/rdm/rdm.asp.

Exhibitors at the meeting will include companies offering awards, competitor numbers, signs, banners, registration and timing services, apps, web services, apparel, social media services, and event photography, along with representatives of running organizations and more.

Thousands of race officials, corporate sponsors, marketing executives, sports organization representatives (RRCA, USATF, RUSA, PRRO) and others interested in organized running events have attended this annual fall gathering since its inception in 1983.

Phil Stewart, Road Race Management president, said, "The meeting venue across from a marina at the historic Vinoy Renaissance St Petersburg Resort and Golf Club, just 20 miles from the Tampa airport, offers a tranquil environment for event directors not only to obtain valuable information, but also to unwind and network in a relaxed atmosphere. Many race committees reward committee members or staff with a trip to this meeting, finding it a great way to offer a special thank you and educational opportunity while rejuvenating key workers for next year's event."

The Road Race Management meeting is sponsored by Ashworth Awards, Gatorade Endurance, Haku, Hightech Signs, Leslie Jordan, Inc., MarathonFoto, MarathonGuide.com, Marathon Printing, MYLAPS, National Event Services, Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic, and RunSignUp.

Road Race Management is a member-based organization that, in addition to conducting its annual Race Directors' Meeting, publishes a trade newsletter and Organizing Running Events (http://www.rrm.com/act/ore/ore.asp), a complete manual covering running event organization, along with other race director and industry resources in print and on the web.