December 23, 2015

The Endurance Event Industry is evolving quickly. Undoubtedly, 2016 will introduce technology that aims at easing event organization and heightening the experience of endurance participants. Here are 5 tech trends we can expect to manifest in the upcoming year.

1 - Endurance Event Apps

This year we will see an increased production of apps linked to specific endurance events. Applications may serve different purposes but ultimately aim to engage participants and better their endurance experience. The Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon App Powered by Fitbit is a recently launched official marathon-training app, intended to give runners the tools they need to succeed. This fall MyLaps launched its Speedhive App: a free application that displays personal event results and details about race performance. Both the New York City Marathon and The Brighton Marathon have come out with apps meant for both runners and supporters. The Brighton Marathon Weekend App features pages for each runner and allows supporters to track their friends to the finish line. This app is available for download for the April 2016 marathon on both Apple and Android phones.

2 - Social Sharing and Performance Tracking

In 2016, Endurance events will offer more ways for participants to share their accomplishments. The use of experience tracking and social sharing services, like Pic2Go and iRewind, will become far more common at events. Pic2Go’s Performance Photos—which were inaugurated in October—combine race photos with live running statistics. iRewind’s technology lets participants view and share a video of memories from an event. Live performance tracking technologies will be rampantly incorporated into the 2016 campaign to make endurance participation more enjoyable. For 2016, it’s all about enhancing the participant’s experience with sharable media (photos, video, 3D media) and data. However, social sharing will also serve a purpose for those organizing and sponsoring the events. Social sharing will become the most utilized form of marketing for events and sponsors. Event coordinators will turn toward social media to gain exposure, target participants and boost excitement. More brands will turn to media-sponsorship offering participants the ability to share branded media (race photos and video) for Free – while boosting social reach and engagement.

3 - Big Data Analytics

Big data is the multi-billion dollar market that will take over 2016. Mechanical analytics will completely replace manual analytics. Endurance athletes, used to fitness tracking devices that use big data, will expect efficient and quality data technologies at marathons and triathlons. Smart technology will find its way to far more Endurance Events in 2016. Brands will use data from wearable technologies and apps in order to obtain more information about potential participants. Event coordinators will begin to use new data analytics tools like B:Match which help target relevant consumers and custom design “media plans to activate findings”.

4 - Open Stacks Registration

In 2016 we will see more registration systems integrated with marketing and customer relationship management. These systems, like RunSignUp, have far more capabilities than traditional registration networks. Open Stack Registration websites will have features such as: Facebook sharing and advertising, email marketing and ROI measurement, and also make use of ad tracking conversions. Additionally, this type of system offers cutting edge technology at a relatively low cost. Registration systems will become mobile friendly, self-serviceable and appear as widgets on race event pages.

5 - Multi-Event Registration

Event Series, like the Nike’s Women’s Event Series and the Lexus Laceup Running Series, are making their way into the 2016 spotlight. Those in the Endurance Event industry are responding with new ways to allow participants to register for multiple events. In December, ChronoTrack announced it’s new Series Registration platform, “designed to support quick registration” for several events at the same time. This technology will make organizing a series of events much easier for event coordinators and signing up for a series simpler for runners. If successful, we can be sure to see an abundance of new sponsored event series’ born in 2016 and a surge in registration numbers.

“No matter what field you work in, if you’re hoping to get ahead in your career, you need to be mindful of technology trends. We’ve seen it all too often in recent history, that a new technology takes over and suddenly those who can’t keep up are no longer needed.” - Forbes


Written by Sarah Marlowe - Marketing and Sponsorship Advisor at Pic2Go