Event registration specialist ACTIVE recently rolled out updates to its ACTIVEWorks platform with the aim to better support virtual events. As social distancing guidelines will likely remain for the foreseeable future, ACTIVE notes that virtual events are becoming increasingly popular. So, to meet this demand, ACTIVE updated its platform to ‘simplify the process for both race directors and athletes.’
“At ACTIVE, our mission is simple, to make the world a more active place, by connecting people to the things they love, want, and need to do,” said Kim Guilliotti, Senior Product Manager at ACTIVE.
“Given current events, it was extremely important to us to invest into additional tools that would help our clients continue to operate and engage with participants virtually. While the concept of a virtual event is not new, social distancing and the suspension of mass participation has led to a significant growth in virtual participation worldwide this last few months.”
Guilliotti continued, “Historically, major global events permanently adjust behaviour and the way we operate, be that as an individual, community or business. This is certainly one of those paradigm shift scenarios. We believe 100% that virtual events are here to stay; and undoubtedly, we will see some exciting virtual innovations from creative minds in 2020 and 2021, just as we did with the experiential event explosion post 2012.
“Past data leans to the endurance industry being countercyclical, and with hard times ahead that would indicate a growth in participation. However, with social distancing and the high costs of putting on events, it’s going to take time for aggregate participation to get back to where we have been. It will be a few years; as such, virtual/digital/social engagement and innovation will be critical moving forward.”
ACTIVEWorks virtual event platform features
- Registrations Report: The date and time format of the registration time column are now standardized to sort registrations in a spreadsheet application.
- Duathlon or Triathlon Results: Virtual participants can now submit their stage times and upload a timing app screenshot or GPS watch photo as proof of their result. The result submission page automatically calculates the participant’s total time.
- Hide Event Location: As events turn virtual, a main source of confusion is when a location is still listed on the event details page. ACTIVEWorks users can now hide the event location when converting to virtual to avoid unnecessary uncertainty.
- Results Rankings: After the race is completed and results are verified, race directors can publish the results to participants; and the platform will automatically calculate rankings (in overall, overall male and overall female divisions) and display the results within approximately 10 minutes of clicking the ‘publish’ button.
