RUNNING USA – Spotlight on the Sport: Eventbrite

Eventbrite’s signature tagline is “bringing the world together through live experiences,” and in the last year, the company has heavily expanded its presence in the endurance realm. In addition to doubling its endurance-focused staff team, Eventbrite tapped Mike Coleman, a longtime Running USA board member, to head the team.

Mike has more than 20 years of experience in the sports and endurance industry and joined Eventbrite from The Active Network, where he formerly served as Director of Strategic Accounts and Business Development.

Eventbrite recently gained three prominent new marathon accounts, the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, and Charleston Marathon, and Coleman shared insight on how the company is innovating race day technology and processes.

Read on for Eventbrite’s Spotlight on the Sport:

What’s the latest at your company?

Coleman: We’ve just added several new marathons to Eventbrite that we are really excited to work with including, The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, The Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, and the Charleston Marathon.

On the product side,  Eventbrite launched Timer Bistro, an innovative new timing application for timers and race directors. Timer Bistro fully integrates with Eventbrite and is available alongside existing Eventbrite technology for endurance events including real-time bib assignment, seamless registration, in-depth sales analytics, and powerful event marketing tools. We’re really excited about how Timer Bistro allows timers to see and manage all of their Eventbrite races in one place, and allows race directors to connect timers to their races and frictionlessly share valuable event information they need without divulging financial information.

Additionally, earlier this year Eventbrite began offering real-time bib assignment, a seamless solution for selling registrations on-site. Using real-time bib assignment eliminates the need to pre-assign, sort and distribute packets, streamlines on-site check-in, shortens attendee lines, and reduces the number of staff and volunteers required at race check-in. With real-time bib assignment, race directors are saving money on wasted disposable bib tags, registration tables, and minimizing their carbon footprint with less paper waste.

Can you describe one or two things that make your business/event stand out in the running industry?

Coleman:  Eventbrite serves endurance events, but other types of events too, so we’re experts in addressing a diverse set of needs for event organizers. Race directors are able to grow their core participant base over time by reaching new people on our horizontal platform. Lululemon, for example, is an Eventbrite event that is a half marathon, but also a festival, yoga, brunch and after party. Eventbrite understands Lululemon’s registration needs for the race, but also has expertise with the other aspects of the event.

What general happenings or trends in the running industry are you most excited about, and why?

Coleman:  We did a survey recently to find out where and how people like to celebrate after completing a race and we’re really excited to see trends that point to people wanting to stick around the finish line with other racers.  Eighty-six percent said if there was celebration element post-race they would be more likely to stick around and nearly fifty percent said they would be more likely to register for a race if a complementary meal of alcoholic beverage was served at the finish line. We love the idea of people celebrating together in real life, race directors offering post-race celebrations, and coming together around fitness.

What is a current challenge for you that input and insight from other industry leaders might help solve?

Coleman:  The industry is experiencing such a rapid evolution in trends, and like many in the space, we are consistently working to stay ahead of the pace in a competitive market. We continue to build and release new features that enable world-class events to deliver a seamless experience for racers from registering to picking up their bibs to getting an accurate time and beyond.

Tell us about your corporate culture/office environment?

Coleman:  Eventbrite is incredibly invested in the health and wellness of our employees (called Britelings). We have a weekly running group and regular in-office yoga classes, acupuncture sessions, massage therapy, meditation sessions, and nutritionist consultations.

What role does technology play in your daily life, as a business or as a runner?

Coleman:  Technology affects every aspect of being an athlete today.  Beyond coordinating with race organizers to help them market and sell their events through Eventbrite's platform, I also use it to search for my next big race, learn more about how I can train smarter, and find like-minded individuals to share the journey.  Technology also provides accessible tools to help me feel motivated and celebrate my accomplishments.

Want to wise up with insider tips? Please visit the Event Academy.