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| Jeremey Davis, President of Set Up Events |
Years in industry?
Set Up Events has been producing triathlons since 1994 or for 16 years. I personally have been with the company since 1997.
Years in current position
This is my first year as president of the company after taking that role over from Bill Scott, former President, and current owner of Set Up Events.
What is the mission of your organization?
The mission of Set Up Events is to provide our athletes with the best possible race setting to allow them to achieve their racing goals.
Nationally, how many participants do you have?
Set Up Events will process over 60,000 registrations during 2010 with 20,000+ unique participants.
How many events are held each year?
In 2010 we will produce right at 100 triathlons and time approximately 40 running events.
In what regions/locations are they held?
Our events are held from Macon, GA (South) to Dewey Beach, DE (North).
As an organization, what do you look for in a location?
Obviously, the key to planning a triathlon is water. So we look first for a site with a swimmable body of water, meaning a pool, lake or ocean, etc. Then the site must be visibly appealing as folks want to enjoy their experience from every aspect. Next there must be safe, rideable roads. Finally, we always look for groups in the local area to work with us on the event from providing volunteers to benefits and charitable organizations.
From an event management standpoint, what is the most challenging aspect of your job?
The most challenging aspect of what we do is working with cities, towns and permitting agencies. Many of these folks aren't aware of exactly what a triathlon is and exactly how much economic impact these events have on the area. So, explaining this information to them and getting them to see the benefits of the events and how they outweigh the potential issues is always a challenge. But once these groups understand what we are doing and how we do it, it ends up being a great working relationship.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
The most rewarding part of what we do is that email you get after an event from an athlete who has just completed their first triathlon. Knowing we had a small part in helping someone achieve his or her athletic goals is a great thrill. We have folks who have lost a leg and were told they would never run again finish our events. We have folks who have lost 300 or more pounds finish our events. We have 9 year olds and 80 year olds finish our events. The spectrum is huge and the stories our athletes have to tell is amazing.
Please describe how you feel your knowledge, skills and experience have contributed to the success of the sports events in which you are involved.
By doing what we do, and in turn, by gaining more and more knowledge as we do it,we are able to provide a better quality event to our athletes. With each event and each new experience we take a bit more skill with us to the next event. Thus, our events are always improving. Our 2010 events will be better than our 2009 events and our 2011 events will be better still.