Triathlon Business International (TBI) conducted its standard post-conference survey of attendees at its recent annual industry conference in Dallas. The informal survey included the question ‘What do you consider to be the No. 1 Hot Topic for Triathlon?’ It was not a surprise that 71% of the respondents said ‘growth’, or cited related concerns including ‘boost participation’, ‘re-energizing the sport’, ‘increasing participation’ and ‘raise awareness of our sport’.
With growth being the number one hot topic, TBI noted the topics rounding out the top five:
1. Growth = 71%
2. Over-saturation of events in the USA; disparity between events = 10%
3. Diversity (gender, ethnicity, events) = 9%
4. Unity in the industry with clear, collective messaging = 6%
5. Successful marketing/promotions for events, retailers = 4%
The words ‘survival’ and ‘sustainability’ were used frequently by respondents in the open-ended question and ‘speak to the general concern of multisport businesses about the current direction of the sport as a whole’.
One person mentioned the need to talk about millennials and how they impact the future of the sport. Researcher Dr Amy Thayer spoke at the conference focusing on ‘Who Are Millennials and How Do You Reach Them’. As millennials are some 81 million strong they are becoming the most impactful generation since the baby boomers. As discussed at the conference during Dr Thayer’s session, multisport race producers, service providers, retailers and manufacturers will need to pay attention to this very large market in the months and years ahead.
Triathlon Business International is ‘the world’s leading organization dedicated to promoting the sport and business of triathlon’. Founded by a coalition of industry leaders, TBI’s mission is to leverage the knowledge, talent, and resources of the leaders in triathlon to the benefit of the sport by increasing and retaining advocates of triathlon and fostering a positive image of the sport.
Triathlon Business International is positioned as the world’s leading organization dedicated to promoting the sport and business of triathlon. Founded by a coalition of industry leaders, TBI’s mission is to leverage the knowledge, talent, and resources of the leaders in triathlon to the benefit of the sport by increasing and retaining advocates of triathlon and fostering a positive image of the sport.
TBI will once again host its 25,000 sq ft Triathlon Pavilion at Interbike on 22-24 September 2017. For information about exhibit space in the Triathlon Pavilion or the 2018 Conference, email feedback[at]triathlonbusinessintl.com.
