The UK’s National Running Show, held on January 21-22, at the NEC Birmingham, reportedly saw exhibitor and sponsorship revenue increase by 38% year on year (up 30% on pre-Covid levels)
The show organiser Raccoon Media Group claimed the largest visitor audience it has ever attracted. The fifth edition of the National Running Show, saw 26,158 runners gathering to find motivation, products and training advice.
‘Initial survey responses indicate that the 273 exhibiting companies will collectively benefit from over £14 million spent by visitors as a result of the event.’
Nathalie Davies, Portfolio Director at Raccoon Media Group said “We couldn’t have hoped for a better event to kick off to the year.
“It felt like the running community was back to full strength and there was an incredible buzz in the air. Last year we had to check Covid-passports and everyone wore masks, which obviously put some people off.
“This year however we were able to see the smiles and join in the hugs and high-fives. The aisles were full and exhibitors were rushing to get more stock overnight to satisfy demand. Given the current economic climate, we’re proud that this event has given a much-needed boost to some companies who have struggled to find new customers over the past year.”
The show featured speakers such as Dina Asher-Smith, Eilish McColgan, Colin Jackson CBE and Kriss Akabusi MBE.
Brands and features within the exhibition offer runners advice and products to suit individual needs, with taster sessions and workshops – including Steve Cram and his team of coaches who offered training advice for those taking on races in 2023.
Raccoon’s mission to be zero-carbon by 2025 was also a focus at the show. Visitors and exhibitors were encouraged to consider the environment with their attendance. As a result, the average carbon footprint per visitor has reportedly been reduced by over 30% year on year from 23kg to 16kg CO2e.
Working with Earth Runs (an organisation that encourages people to get active by rewarding them by planting trees), the National Running Show has planted 5,000 trees. Once fully grown the carbon offset is expected to offset 55 tonnes of CO2e per year.
A number of visitors to the show also opted to offset their carbon footprint with the Ecolibrium Trees+ initiative, offsetting a further 31.3 tonnes of CO2e.
£8,781 was also raised for official charity Birmingham Children’s Hospital through a combination of initiatives including Raccoon team sponsored runs and visitor donations. Each day the show was opened by a family that had been treated and supported by the hospital, who’s charity division also had a stand at the event to raise awareness and grow its community of fundraisers.
Other features of the event included recycling initiatives, with over 1,200 pairs of running shows recycled with the help of partners Jog On (assisted by GoodGym volunteers); second-hand running apparel collected by Collection4Clothe;s and an estimated £500 worth of items donated to a local Birmingham foodbank.
The 2024 event is to be held on January 20-21at the NEC Birmingham, where headline speakers will include Dame Kelly Holmes, David Weir CBE, Jamie Baulch, Vassos Alexander, Adrienne London and Elsey Davis.
