For many participants, the European Running Business Conference 2024 was more than just a gathering; it was a rare chance to share experiences, challenges, and ideas with like-minded professionals who share a passion for the sport.
And there has been a has been a positive reaction to the event which took place in Athens, Greece this month (8-10 November). It included a line-up of inspirational speakers, running industry leaders, and race organisers road and trail races from over 60 countries.
In Athens, the marathon capital of the running world almost 400 participants gathered for two intense conference days of discussions on topics of interest in the running industry. Then on the third and final day, delegates took part in the Athens Marathon, The Authentic experience.
Here are some key themes of the event, as observed by Mart Einasto of Estonia:
1. Major Names
- Event hosts including organisers of London, Berlin, Vienna, Copenhagen Marathons; UTMB, Vienna, Copenhagen and many more
- Service Providers including Haku, MyLaps, Race Result, Ahotu, iRewind and WITISI
Representatives from numerous Member Federations and leaders from European Athletics and World Athletics - A strong presence from outside of Europe, including RunningUSA, HAKU, Chicago Marathon and running organisers from Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America
2. Current Trends
- This was the first good year since Covid with big events selling out in minutes
- Walkers are Big Business! A service for walkers can be a lucrative offer
- The European Running Championships (Marathon, Half and 10K) and European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships (Trail and Mountain) are being brought to the masses.
- Trails are on the steep rise. Attracting the explorers and adventurers the trail races bring this new wave of participation that is much more diverse and ecologicaly concious
- More personalised runner focused services are coming
3. Technology
- Organiser services including timekeeping, numbers-medals, photo and video solutions, race branding, event presentation, look and feel all moving towards flexibility, scalability, speed, diversity, personalisation.
- Live services to family and friends, for example, a video clip of a girl who finished with a strong jump went straight to Instagram and garnered 65 million views in just a few days
- The runner's virtual companion providing music, books, the mileage, points out the sights, tells you where to find the toilets and drinking stations.
4. Runners evolution
- The numbers confirm that the myth of GenerationZ fear of running and events is false. Quite the opposite, but you have to consider that their expectations are different
- Pre-Covid runners are back, but even their goals have changed
- European runners/walkers are more willing than ever to travel for interesting experiences and to discover new events - at any age, of any gender, from any country.
- The affluent generations of China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and others who have prospered over the 'three decades' - want to enjoy European events. In capital cities or otherwise historic towns.
5. Look to the future
- Improve capacity, the big ones are getting bigger, moving towards tens of thousands as a new reality
- Cooperation! Organisers are packaging with other events on event operations
- A growing market for niche events. For an elite event of high quality, set against the backdrop of an exciting story, runners are prepared to pay.
6. The European Running Business Conference atmosphere
- It's warm - you can communicate a lot and directly. Even the biggest and most important people talk to you, about life and work, and directly whenever you ask
- It's heartwarming - no one is small or unimportant. There is time for everyone. Every idea is welcome and worth hearing, lots of direct contact is shared
- It’s tiring - days start early with the morning run and end late with an amazing dinner and a glass of wine.
If you attended, please share your feedback with [email protected] as attention turns now the 2026 European Running Business Conference in Porto.