Panel discussion at the 2019 Global Running Conference in Lanzhou
The second World Athletics Global Running Conference, 'The Next Normal. Re-imagining Running and Running Events', is to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, between 1-3 December 2022.
Thematic strand #1
RUNNING WHY? What it means to be a runner today
• Runners’ value sets and needs and how they have evolved through time
• Similarities/differences between running motivators across cultures and generations
• Findings from the latest market research into recreational running
• Clubs and communities: modes of aggregation in mature and emerging running markets
• ’Spiritual but not affiliated’: are more and more runners choosing not to sign up for races?
• The 70s. The 00s. The mid-10s. What defines a "running boom" and when’s the next one (now?)
• The ultrarunner’s mindset: why it’s hip to go the distance
• Short and sweet: road miles as an entry gate to the sport?
• The hyper-quantified self: how the monitoring of everything is changing how we practice and enjoy running
Thematic strand #2
RUNNING WHERE? The sport and its spaces
• The state of trail running
• Destination races, and the state of participation sports tourism
• Urban landscapes for runners: designing the best race course
• The other 364 days: making cities fit for runners
• Winning the fear of local communities: the benefits of running events for the non-running population
• Beyond economic impact: introducing the social impact
• Pro-running policies and their effects on public health outcomes
• Go natural: behind the global explosion of trail running
• Virtual races: three years on, where are we?
• The event hosting pipeline: from local event to world championships
Thematic strand #3
RUNNING HOW? Modes of organisation and participation in running events
• Failing and thriving business models for mass participation events going forward: what have these past three years taught us?
• Marketing a mass participation event in 2023
• Public sector involvement in running events: comparing models
• Race ownership trends: consolidation vs extreme fragmentation
• Addressing diversity, equity and inclusion
• All in the same boat? How the pandemic hurt some races more than others
• The elephant in the room: pricing races in a world where everything is more expensive
• The impact of Web3 on the mass participation sporting events industry
• Sport volunteering cultures across the world and the expected developments of the volunteering landscape
• The imperative of sustainability and its cross-geographic interpretations
• The impact of climate change on running events
• The great resignation and the shortage of everything: how to overcome staffing and supply chain issues
Further information, including details on event packages for road race organisers, can be found on the event invite.
SAVE THE DATE
Registration to open after 5 October