Road Race Management Race Directors’ Meeting and Trade Exhibit Coming to Hollywood, Florida

The annual Road Race Management Race Directors’ Meeting and Trade Exhibit will take place in Hollywood, FL December 8 - 10. The country’s oldest race directors’ meeting, the conference this year 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:

• Race Mistakes Hall of Fame (Sean Ryan)
• Event Anatomy – Brooklyn Marathon and Half Marathon (Steve Lastoe)
• Innovative Ideas for Under $1,000 (Dave McGillivray)
• Building, Revitalizing and Restructuring Boards (Iris Simpson Bush)
• Creating and Utilizing Event Evaluation Surveys (Laurel Park)
• Technical Solutions That Can Improve a Race Directors’ Life (Ryan Morris)

In addition, Doug Thurston, the retiring director of the Big Sur International Marathon, will be the keynote speaker. His 40 years in the sport, including directing the 1992 Men’s Olympic Trials Marathon and publishing a regional running magazine, have given him a unique vantage point to assess how our sport has evolved. He will discuss how he knew it was the right time to step down after nine years at the helm at Big Sur. Doug will look back on his career, the high and some low points, how he dealt with them and his strategy for guiding and improving events. He will also talk about current challenges (inflation, supply chain, etc.) that events and their leadership face today.

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 December 8. The MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced at the Keynote Dinner on December 9.

The full program and schedule for the meeting are available at www.rrm.com.

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, and representatives of running organizations and more will also be attending.

Thousands of race officials, corporate sponsors, marketing executives, sports organization representatives (RRCA, USATF, RUSA, PRRO) and others involved 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 the beach at the Hollywood Beach Marriott, just 6 miles from the Ft Lauderdale/Hollywood airport, offers a tranquil environment for event directors not only to stay abreast of cutting-edge topics facing the sport, 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, Hightech Signs, Leslie Jordan, Inc., MarathonFoto, MarathonGuide.com, Marathon Printing, MYLAPS, National Event Services, and the Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic.

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, a complete manual covering running event organization, along with other race director and industry resources in print and on the web.