More than 110 representatives from 32 countries across ITU’s endurance, triathlon and multisport organizing committees gathered this past weekend in Budapest, Hungary, for the first International Triathlon Union (ITU) Event Organisers Conference. Taking place on 24-26 February 2017 in Budapest, Hungary, at the city’s Novotel Hotel, the three-day long event was themed around ‘Triathlon events for the next generation of athletes’, and was aimed at endurance, triathlon and multisport organizing committee looking to enhance their events.
The conference program included a series of keynote presentations, workshops and breakout sessions concentrated on the development and advancement of triathlon and multisport races. It included sessions on event marketing, sustainability, improving athlete experience, race planning and more.
Following the wrap-up of the conference, ITU has released some summary points put forward by speakers across the three days…
Dr Béla Bátorfi, Preisdent of the Hungarian Triathlon Union, opened the conference thanking everyone for their presence, and remarking that triathlon is a team sport and that nothing could ever be done, from racing to organising events, without the help and support of the whole triathlon family.
Dr Tunde Szabo, Minister of State for Sport and Minister of Human Resources, said that only by investing in young people and in events “will our sporting community improve” as, she said, the Hungarian Triathlon Union has done in recent years.
Antonio Fernández Arimany, Secretary General of ITU, stated that “in triathlon, you only become a triathlete when you do a competition, so in our sport, competitions are the most important thing for our federation. That’s why this conference has been one of our main targets for many years. I’m extremely proud that this is finally taking place.”
Yann Le Moenner, Managing Director of A.S.O. (Amaury Sport Organisation), and organiser of races such as The Tour of France, explained that ‘cyclism and triathlon have something in common’. He said “We all have out-of-stadium events. We have no limits; sky is the only limit. But we can showcase the beauty of landscapes or cities…. Key factors when organising an event [include] having unique places, which make the best races, offering a unique experience for spectators and athletes, and delivering a unique format.”
Attila Mizser – Sports Director of the Budapest 2024 Bid Committee – and Eva Szanto, Executive Director of Budapest 2017 FINA WC, shared their thoughts about how to engage cities with events during a panel discussion which noted that ‘organisers need to make sure that they really understand why the city wants an event’… “For some cities, hosting an event can cost a lot of money, so you have to help them to have a successful event that all can benefit from.”
Saturday morning started with a discussion around the iconic Norseman event, which focuses on being sustainable and responsible. “We organise a race in a privileged natural environment,” explained Dag Oliver, General Manager of Norseman. “We have no prize money, the journey we offer to our athletes is our prize. And we try to limit carbon emissions by streaming the whole event live, so we have less impact.”
In different working groups, Glyn Onione, from Aquatic Engineering, talked about how to get water reservoirs to easily comply with ITU environment and safety requirements, and how to help reducing the cost of implementation during races.
Sergio Migliorini, ITU’s Chair of the Medical and Anti Doping Committee, explained how to deal with weather-related health issues during races, such as hypothermia, heat waves, thunder strikes… and how to minimize the possible consequences.
One of the musts for all event organisers was seen to be the need to have a consistent and reliable contingency plan. “Everything can happen, and it’s impossible to have everything planned,” explained Andrew Taylor, Managing Director of Taylor Made Event Management. “But it helps, a lot, to plan in advance, study every option, and teach your team to be ready to take actions and accept the consequences.”
Turning to the need to prepare the best possible athlete experience, Sheila Findlay, Competition Manager of the ITU World Triathlon Edmonton event, noted that organisers should always have the different athletes and client groups in mind when planning an event. This was a perception also shared by Michel Schrama, Director of MyLaps Experience, who offered some tips to get technology, data and apps to enhance the athletes’ journey during events.
Oliver Schiek, Head of Operations at IRONMAN, explained that a key element to have a successful event is to have a ‘perfect venue’, able to host athletes, spectators, to showcase the beauty of the city… and for that, it is really important to work together with all the stakeholders… “a team effort”.
Gergeley Márkus, ITU’s Sport Director, remarked how important athletes are for the events. “They are our most important partners, and we focus on their needs always,” he explained, while elaborating on the ‘latest trends and tendencies of triathlon competition formats’.
Indeed, ITU noted that the conference couldn’t forget that athletes are the main client group of all races. With this in mind ‘it was really helpful to understand the needs, likes and dislikes of elite athletes’ as outlined by Richard Downey, from Bluecarpet, manager of Alistair and Jonny Brownlee. “Athletes want a thrilling scenario, with crowds on the streets,” he said. “They love to feel welcome to cities, and are really willing to have a full experience. It is not all about prize money, there are some other ways of getting revenues and maximising commercial possibilities, so those are also factors to be taken into account when planning races.”
A willingness to perform and to enjoy the race experience was also shared by Nicky Dick, BTF Age Group Teams Director and an age group triathlete herself. “They travel, sometimes with their families; so think about their needs, try to plan services for a ‘family vacation’ and think that age groupers should always be in all organisers’ thoughts.”
