Celebrating 11 years of conference delivery, the 2023 edition of the Race Directors’ Conference marks the return of in-person meetings and a continuation of the formidable partnership with Triathlon BC and BC Athletics.  Learn, network and socialize with event hosts from BC, Alberta and across Canada, who together, call on some 250,000 participants and over 200 sanctioned events.

With an overarching theme of professionalizing sport delivery and enhancing the athlete experience, this year’s Conference will focus on story telling. Amid a cluttered event marketplace, how can you set your event apart from the rest? Join senior experts from Sport Tourism, as they dive into the hundreds of millions of dollars sport events contribute to the Canadian economy, and how to gainfully leverage this intelligence so you can you create a more robust pitch to host communities. Listen to leaders from Municipalities outline best practices in creating effective hosting strategies, and how you can best partner with host communities.  And, based on feedback (more marketing please!), participants can also look forward to a Marketing Boot Camp, engaging with media experts that will spill the beans on how to effectively deploy influencers, super charge social channels and create meaningful email marketing campaigns that readily convert views and likes into participants!

But wait, there’s more to the Conference then just gaining knowledge and making valuable connections among peers and building collaborative relationships that will help enhance your event’s profile. We’ve partnered with the City of Burnaby, and look forward to hosting a light breakfast, catered lunch and a foodtruck dinner, together with a visit to Pumpkins After Dark,  Canada’s award-winning outdoor Halloween event, featuring over 6,000 hand-carved pumpkins!

DETAILS

IN-PERSON COST: $25.00 in-person
VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE: $10.00, streaming online Saturday session only
DATES & TIMES: Friday, October 27th @ 6:00pm – 9:00pm & Saturday, October 28 @ 9:00am – 5:00pm
ACCOMMODATIONS: Hilton Vancouver Metrotown, 6083 McKay Avenue, Burnaby – blocked rooms under Triathlon BC through to September 26th
REGISTRATION: NOW OPEN!

Itinerary currently being confirmed and may be subject to change.

Saturday, October 28, 9am – 5pm Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby

Morning Schedule

Doors Open – Coffee/ tea
Welcome & Introductions
Session #1 – Sport Tourism; Sport hosting as Economic Drivers in the Community
Session #2 – Sport Tourism Round Table; Leveraging your Relationship with your Destination Marketing Organizations
Session #3 – Community Engagement; Creating Lasting Relationships with Municipalities
Panel – Sport Tourism

| Catered Lunch |

Afternoon Schedule

 Announcements & Introductions
Session #4 – Communications Audit; Common Communication Problems
Session #5 – Plan B; When Things Go Pear-Shaped
Session #6 – Actionable Marketing; Race marketing trends with tried and true marketing fundamentals
Session #7 – Strategies of Engagement; brand strategies, content creation, and content marketing
Panel – The State of Sport

| Food Truck Dinner | Pumpkins After Dark Social

Travel Subsidies: One per event, are available to representatives from sanctioned Triathlon BC events traveling from outside of Metro Vancouver area.