Running USA has announced the four running industry leaders who will be speaking and moderating the interactive sessions during the Running USA Accelerator Series presented by Race Roster. During the months of August, October and November they will ‘share their experience and best practice knowledge around marketing and sponsorship in a way that caters to events of all sizes.’
The four speakers for the Accelerator Series include:
- Michelle LaFrance, VP Marketing and Strategic Partnerships, San Francisco Marathon
- Shan Riggs, Partner and Head of Sponsorship, Beatnik Marketing Group
- Danny Bourgeois, Marketing Director, Louisiana Marathon
- Troy Schooley, Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Sales, P3R
LaFrance and Riggs will partner for the California events on 28 August and 29 August, with LaFrance focused on marketing and Riggs on sponsorship. Bourgeois and Schooley will guide attendees for the remaining four events, as Bourgeois shares his expertise in marketing and Schooley in sponsorship.
Running USA notes that, for LaFrance, who has more than a decade of experience in social media marketing and content strategy, this past year her acquisition and retention marketing strategies led to earliest sell-out in the San Francisco Marathon’s 40-year history.
Riggs has been in the running industry for well over a decade, working with dozens of the running events, running charities, and endurance sports sponsors of all sizes. Past and current clients include New York Road Runners, Route66 Marathon, IRONMAN, Houston Marathon, Boston Athletic Association, Big Sur Marathon and others.
Bourgeois is the co-founder and Marketing Director of the Veterans Day Fall Classic, Louisiana Marathon and Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon. In addition to creating running festivals that offer a year-round positive impact on their communities, Bourgeois has extensive marketing experience in the travel-tourism, gaming, entertainment and hospitality sectors.
Last but not least, Schooley joined P3R in 2013 and has doubled the size of the sponsorships portfolio across a series of events, including the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, GNC Live Well Liberty Mile and the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler. Under his direction, his team has signed multi-year sponsorship renewals with numerous national brands.
Each Accelerator Series events offers half-day of programming with a diverse set of sessions, full of actionable takeaways, followed by a networking happy hour. Registration is set at US$55 and each attendee receives a free Brooks long-sleeve running shirt.
Accelerator Series Dates, Locations & Registration
- Monday, August 28 – Palo Alto, CA
- Tuesday, August 29 – Sacramento, CA
- Monday, October 16 – Boston, MA
- Tuesday, October 17 – Stamford, CT
- Thursday, November 16 – Charlotte, NC
- Friday, November 17 – Atlanta, GA
www.RunningUSA.org
raceroster.com/campaigns/running-usa-accelerator
