Race Directors, Event Owners and Others to Gather in February

The 2018 Running USA Industry Conference powered by ACTIVE Network brings together the running industry in February, offering an unmatched assembly of sessions and speakers, highlighted by 11 unique sessions of Idea Labs on Tuesday, February 13.

Idea Labs, which are hour-long deep dives into specific topics, bring in noted presenters for each session, discussing best practices, creating plenty of valuable takeaways, while concluding with Q&A.

This year's collection of Idea Labs touch on a variety of topics, such as volunteer retention, technology trends, runner acquisition, understanding participant data, sponsorship summits, registration pricing strategies and much more.

"We've assembled an all-star cast of industry experts to share their wisdom in our Idea Labs and we're excited to give attendees the opportunity to gain valuable insights on a host of topics they can take back and implement within their own businesses," said Christine Bowen, Running USA Vice President of Programming and Operations.

The 2018 roster of Idea Labs includes the following sessions and speakers:

• Running as a Destination: How to Attract International Participants - Sam Renouf, ACTIVE Network

• Do Good, Be Great: How to Leverage Your Charity Story to Grow Your Race - Ryan Cavander and Rachel Sanchez, Conqur Endurance Group

• Registration Pricing Strategies: Stop Leaving Money on the Table - Patrice Matamoros and Dee Stathis, P3R

• Know Your Own Data: CRM, Analytics and Advanced Marketing - Lennie Kwan, Race Roster

• Communication: The Key to Empowering Runners for an Amazing Race Experience - Winnie Lok, Siobhan Sheridan and Angie Sit, New York Road Runners

• How to Conduct a Sponsor Summit - Craig Sweeney, Louisiana Marathon

• Technology: Where It's Going and Why You Need to Care - Jeff Matlow, imATHLETE

• How the "Run Local" Philosophy Can Influence the Running Industry - JT Service, Soul Focus Sports

• Should I Stay or Should I Go? Sustainable and Scalable Methods in Volunteer Recruitment and Retention - Mary Miller, BAA and Erika Amaya, NYRR

• Attracting the Conscious Consumer Through Values Aligned Partnerships: Strategies for Connecting to Their Why and Earning Their Participation - Kevin Rutherford, NUUN, CEO

• Incident Command: During a Crisis, How Much Control Do You Really Have? - Chris Joffee and Zach Menzer, Joffe Emergency Services

To learn more about the Running USA Industry Conference, please visit: http://www.runningusa.org/running-usa-annual-conference

About Running USA: Running USA is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization devoted to improving the status and experience of distance running and racing in the United States through collective marketing and promotions, information and communications within the industry and to the national media, services to events and industry members, and the development of American world class stars. It seeks the advancement of the sport and the provision of value to each of its members' events and businesses. For more information, visit RunningUSA.org.