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Author: Darren Pinder

National Running Show returns to Birmingham with thousands of runners flocking to event

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The National Running Show Birmingham, in partnership with Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, took place on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 January 2022, attracting almost 20,000 runners who were able to prepare themselves for a successful year of running alongside running greats from around the world.

The weekend-long event was opened in style with Lord Sebastian Coe CH, KBE and Scott Jurek officially opening day one and Jonnie Peacock MBE opening day two. The halls quickly filled as visitors rushed to hear their running heroes including Kadeena Cox, Derek Redmond, Jenni Falconer, Carla Molinaro, Damian Hall and Sean Conway speaking on the three stages at the show.

The event provided a first class retail experience with Recommended Retail Partner Up & Running bringing key brands to the show such as Saucony, Adidas, New Balance, Ronhill, Hilly, Altra, Camelbak and Oofos.

Features included the Inspiration Stage sponsored by Sports Tours International, an Ultra Zone with Bad Boy Running and the Running Skills Theatre from the Running Channel. In addition there was The Sports Tours International Travel Centre, a Bra Fitting Bar from Runderwear, Events Village powered by Race Nation, Gait Analysis feature from Chiltern Physiotherapy, Trail Running Zone from Ordnance Survey, The Run Clinic from the Movement and Running School, The Saucony Running Track, Chill Out Zone from Crystal Ski, Kid’s Zone from Marathon Kids, Steve Cram’s Training Camp, Nutrition Zone from INDE-Fit with Ben Turner, Sweat Zone from JDK Fitness, The Treadmill Training Zone, The Strength Zone from Renovate Wellness, Rerun Recycling stand and a Run Café sponsored by Runderwear.

Speaking of the event, Jonnie Peacock MBE commented: “Seeing so many runners come together was amazing. The event showcased some of the biggest talents in the running world and gave unprecedented access to industry experts to help runners of all abilities improve. It was a pleasure to be a part of the show and I would encourage everyone to head to Farnborough in May for the next event.”

Nathalie Davies, Event Director at The National Running Show commented: “It was fantastic to see so many runners coming together to enjoy such an incredible line-up of speakers, top brand exhibitors and a brilliant variety of features. Thank you to every single person who came to the show and wherever you are on your running journey we hope that you went home informed and inspired. We can’t wait to see you again at the Run Show South at Farnborough International in May 2022.”

The next instalment in the National Running Show portfolio will take place at Farnborough International 7-8 May 2022. Headline speakers include Paula Radcliffe, Steve Cram, Shakira Akabusi and Lazarus Lake. Tickets cost £10 and can be registered at https://nationalrunningshowsouth.seetickets.com/tour/the-national-running-show-south

Raccoon Media Group take home two industry Excellence Awards

Posted on by Darren Pinder

 

 

Raccoon Media Group, organisers of the multi award-winning National Running Show, National Outdoor Expo, National Cycling Show and National Snow Show portfolio, alongside the Digital Outside & Active platform, has taken home two prestigious awards at the AEO Centenary Party Awards 2021 for Best Lockdown Initiative and the Best Consumer Show Activation.

The National Running Show’s Indoor Relay was a non-stop 24-7 indoor running relay and ran for 28 days – 682 hours featuring 452 runners, 16 running captains. The relay was streamed LIVE online 24 hours a day through a dedicated website to engage a wide range of runners to run for an hour from their homes/gardens for charity. After raising £43,337 for charities heavily impacted by COVID-19, smashing an original target of £10,000, the Indoor Relay signified the power of community and togetherness despite the lack of face-to-face events.

The Indoor Relay capped its phenomenal success by being awarded Best Lockdown Initiative at the AEO’s 100th Awards event.

Mike Seaman, CEO at Raccoon Media Group commented: “This was a fantastic initiative and something I was very proud to have been a part of. The National Running Show team worked so hard and did a phenomenal job, but the whole project was reliant on support from the community and companies that donated their time and money. The team captains were amazing and deserve a massive thank you, as do Darren from Vatu Website Design, Raoul from Flume Sales Training and the hundreds of people that gave up their time to run with us. Lockdown was a difficult time, and this project gave us something positive to focus on, that delivered meaningful change and made a helped a lot of people. I was blown away by the generosity of the running community and the outcome exceeded our wildest expectations.”

Raccoon’s already successful night was capped off by being awarded Best Consumer Show Activation for the Digital Outside & Active Festival, which welcomed 86,000 attendees globally across 8 days of how-to workshops, beginner 101s and community sessions focussing on the outdoor industry. The digital festival – which was the first Outside & Active initiative – brought the community together, encouraged them to ‘bring a friend’ and rode out the end of the third lockdown together. The Festival also provided informative and motivational content from famous faces including Ben Fogle, Roger Black, Anna McNuff, Susie Chan, Sean Conway and many more.

Matt Coyne, head of the Outside & Active platform commented: “Matt Coyne, head of the Outside & Active platform commented: “The overwhelming success of the Digital Festival exhibits the exciting potential that our Outside & Active platform possesses. During a period where outdoor lovers were unable to get their fix, we were able to produce an experience for this community, inspiring them to lead healthy, active and outdoor lifestyles. We have even more exciting developments to the platform over the next 18 months including the recent launch of its ecommerce solution and the launch of our brand new podcast in January.”

Raccoon looks forward to delivering 9 consumer shows next year spread across two continents, in a world which is excited for the return of face-to-face consumer events. These awards capture the essence of the Raccoon Media Group portfolio, bringing a community together to achieve the unachievable.

Raccoon Media Group sets out ambitious net zero plan at COP26

Posted on by Darren Pinder

Raccoon Media Group’ CEO Mike Seaman spoke at COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference on Wednesday (10 November), setting out a pathway for a more sustainable industry. Speaking at the event, Seaman put forward a strategy that emphasised the need for forward motion and a conscious approach to meet the industry’s net zero aspirations.

Raccoon Media Group, which employs 22 staff in the UK and US, has set the ambitious goal to get the company and its UK and US events to net zero by 2025. Seaman spoke as part of a panel discussion about the JMIC event industry net zero pledge and explained that the first step in the company’ process was to set up a sustainability working group comprising internal and external organisations including ecollective, sustainable travel partner Ecolibrium and Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). Together the consortium is working to assess and reduce the environmental impact of Raccoon Media Group’ own business practices, its suppliers and exhibitors and to develop tools to support visitors in reducing their environmental impact before exploring offsetting opportunities.

Speaking at COP26 Seaman set out that the company is currently finalising the ‘measurement’ phase of the plan: “It’s quite frustrating as a small business that just wants to act, but actually the measurement phase is the most important and we have put a lot of time, effort and money into measuring the total impact of our events. We’ve now measured our first two events and are already actioning the ‘reduce’ part of the strategy.

Seaman continued: “There is a lot of fear out there – fear of costs and fear of getting it wrong. This can sometimes cause paralysis – if something feels too big and too hard then it’s almost impossible to tackle. I certainly don’t have all the answers and as a business we’ve had to accept that whatever solution we come up with will be an imperfect one. But we didn’t want to sit still either, so we made a collective decision that we would just start, do something now, learn as we go and keep evolving.

“What we have learned so far gives us insight that we can share with our suppliers and stakeholders so that we can follow a pattern of measuring and then reducing the impact of our actions. We then develop a process of continuous improvement, every year measuring and reducing until we get to 2025. Once we get to 2025, we will then offset whatever the remaining balance is, but we continue the process of measuring and reducing every year and the hope is that we continue to reduce the amount we have to offset.”

Seaman continued: “I’m sure our strategy isn’t perfect and the danger of speaking on a platform like this is that people might pick holes and criticize the mistakes you make along the way. That is inevitable but my main focus is to create a business that has an ethical consideration for the planet and I think we are starting to get towards that.”

To learn more about Raccoon Media Group’ sustainability plan visit the website or contact mike@raccoonmediagroup.com

Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity Partners with National Running Show

Posted on by Darren Pinder
A new partnership has today been announced between The National Running Show and Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

The National Running Show Birmingham is held annually at the NEC and brings together a community of runners looking for inspiration, motivation and expert advice. The event is for all runners of all abilities whether you are at the beginning of a journey, an ultra-athlete or you are running for a cause.

 Mike Seaman, CEO of event organiser Raccoon Media Group said: “We are thrilled to be working with Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity and to be able to promote and support the incredible work that they do, especially at a time when the NHS has been hit hard. People run for many different reasons and there are incredible mental wellbeing and physical benefits in doing so. There are so many unsung heroes who run incredible distances to raise money for charity, and we hope to encourage people in Birmingham to run their next race for this incredible hospital.”
Birmingham Children’s Hospital is one of the UK’s leading specialist paediatric centres, caring for 90,000 sick children and young people every year. Rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC in February 2017, it is a world leader in some of the most advanced treatments, complex surgical procedures and cutting-edge research and development. It is also home to one of the largest Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in the country.
Miranda Williams,Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with The National Running Show for the first time. Running is a huge passion for so many of our supporters, young and old, and in the last 10 years over 7,000 of them have pulled on their trainers and gone the distance, raising over an incredible £2million for our sick kids. We can’t wait to share our enthusiasm inspiration with the Running Show’s community as we’d love to motivate even more people to join our team.”

The fourth edition of The National Running Show Birmingham takes place on 22-23 January 2022. Tickets cost £10 and are valid for both days.

EMERALD’S HERVÉ SEDKY, TARSUS GROUP’S DOUGLAS EMSLIE RECEIVE TOP 2021 TSNN AWARDS HONORS

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Emerald President and CEO Hervé Sedky and Tarsus Group CEO Douglas Emslie will be celebrated for their incredible advocacy, support and achievements in the trade show industry at the 2021 TSNN Awards Dec. 1-2 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

Sedky has been named the 2021 TSNN Awards Industry Icon Award honoree, given to an individual in the trade show industry who has displayed exemplary leadership.

Emslie will be celebrated at the awards with the inaugural Humanitarian Award for the incredible effort he put forth during a fundraiser he spearheaded to raise more than $42,000 for the events industry during its time of need.

There is no doubt that Sedky, who is the current chair of the Society of Independent Show Organizers, stepped forward immediately when the pandemic began and has not wavered throughout with his continued wisdom and support.

“I am both humbled and inspired to be awarded the TSNN Industry award this year. If there is one thing that the last 20 months have taught us is how much we value human connection. Whether we were holding on to our loved ones at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic or hard at work organizing safe and innovative ways to do business, we were reminded of something we already knew: we are at our best when we embrace a common purpose,” Sedky said.

He added, “For me, our common purpose – our drive – was to lift up small businesses at a time they needed it most, all the while working closely with public health professionals to ensure that we used every creative tool at our disposal to do so thoughtfully and safely. I am grateful for all that we were able to do and know that this award also belongs to my phenomenal team at Emerald.”

Prior to Emerald, Sedky spent six years as President of the Americas for events giant, Reed Exhibitions (RX), leading more than 100 sector leading exhibitions and events in North and South America each year, as well as the company’s global quirky pop culture & lifestyle focused offshoot, ReedPop.

Before his time at RX, he spent over 20 years at the American Express Company, ultimately serving as Senior Vice President and General Manager of American Express Global Business Travel, as well as on American Express’ senior management team.

He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Children’s Health Fund, is on the board of the French Cultural Center/Alliance Française and is an active member of his community.

Earlier this year, as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the livelihood of many people in the trade show industry, Emslie hatched a plan to run 5k an hour for 24 hours straight and livestream everything during an event dubbed the ‘Event Industry Backyard Ultra’.

During the event , which was held June 8-9, with more than 50 in-person and remote runners, dozens of speakers and a huge worldwide audience, Emslie raised more than $42,000 for event industry nonprofits, including the Meetings Industry Fund and EventWell.

“I am genuinely honored to receive the 2021 TSNN Humanitarian award. It is especially meaningful for me to be recognized by the industry – so many people and organizations across the events industry have generously supported the challenges that I have undertaken for charitable causes over the years,” Emslie said.

He added “Planning and completing the Event Industry Backyard Ultra this year was undoubtedly my biggest undertaking to date and was only made possible by all the support I received. Together, we raised over $42,000, and I was so happy to be able to do something to help those from our industry who were impacted by the pandemic.”

Besides raising funds for the industry, Emslie was the chair of the Society of Independent Show Organizers until April 2021 and has had a very active role in supporting and advocating on behalf of the trade show industry.

Prior to Tarsus Group, he previously held senior positions at Blenheim Group plc and, after its takeover, United Business Media plc. He is a past Chairman and Director of the Association of Event Organisers (AEO), as well as past Chairman of the Events Industry Alliance.

Sedky and Emslie will both be feted at the 2021 TSNN Awards gala dinner celebration, along with shows that will receive various TSNN Innovation Awards and individuals  who will be named Outstanding Show Pros.

For more information or for sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.T-awards.com.

Sports Tours International Partner with Raccoon Media Group

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Sports Tours International has partnered with Raccoon Media Group as the official tour operator for its flagship event The National Running Show at Birmingham’s NEC, plus The Run Show Los Angeles and The National Outdoor Expo in 2022.

Founded nearly 50 years ago Sports Tours International is the UK’s leading mass participation travel operator. The Manchester based team specialise in taking runners, cyclists and triathletes to leading events around the world, including the world famous TCS New York City Marathon and the Tour de France.

With travel and events making a triumphant return with the recent success of the BMW Berlin Marathon and the Virgin Money London Marathon, the tour operator is looking to the future with optimism as 88% [1] of customers having said they would like to take part in an overseas sporting challenge by the end of 2022.

Chris Bird, CEO of Sports Tours International said: “Travel is back, and we are already seeing an enthusiastic return from our customers. So we are really excited to be teaming up with the team at Raccoon who share our values and purpose to bring more awareness of the benefits of an active lifestyle, and it is great to be working with them not only on events both here in the UK but also at the Running Show in LA.

“We can’t wait to share our passion for travel and events with the Raccoon events’ community.”

The partnership with Raccoon Media Group will include the National Running Show 22-23 January and National Outdoor Expo 18-19 March, both at the NEC Birmingham; and Run Show USA held in Los Angeles 24-25 September. The partnership will also include content collaboration on Raccoon’s digital platform www.outsideandactive.com.

Mike Seaman from Raccoon Media Group said “Our team and our community enjoy living an active lifestyle, and many of our events, especially our flagship event, The National Running Show, aligns with everything that the team at Sports Tours offer customers; the world’s biggest events delivered with fantastic customer service. We look forward to working with Chris and the team and sharing everything that they offer with our community.”

The Sports Tours International family of brands also includes Club La Santa in Lanzarote, Freewheel Holidays and Whereabouts active holidays.

 

RUN SHOW USA ADDS LOS ANGELES AS ITS NEXT LOCATION, SEPTEMBER 24-25, 2022

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One year to go until this award-winning running community event in Southern California

LOS ANGELES (September 28, 2021) – Award-winning running show organizer, Raccoon Media Group announced the third Run Show USA venue has been confirmed for September 24-25 2022, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California. This is following the successful launch of the Run Show USA in Boston and Chicago. 

The exposition will bring together the running community to get inspiration, gain advice and learn from renowned industry experts on how to get started or how to take their running to the next level.  The show offers a retail experience unlike any other, enabling visitors to try out products and talk directly to brands and their ambassadors. The event will also boast a host of interactive features including a Running Skills Theater, Trail Zone, Strength Training Zone, Gait Analysis and Recovery Zone. 

Running veterans and influencers including Carl Lewis, Camille Herron and Dean Karnazes are already confirmed to speak, with many more great names to be announced soon.  

Companies interested in presenting their brands, runners and running enthusiasts are encouraged to visit runshowusa.com to find out more about the event.  

Group Event Director Nathalie Davies commented: “We have been overwhelmed by the reaction from the market for the Run Show USA, with some incredible brands signing up to take part across all of our events. Our aim is that this event will form the cornerstone of a runner’s calendar, providing them with all of the inspiration, gear, tech, nutrition advice and races they need to achieve their running goals.” 

The Run Show USA was founded by U.K.-based Raccoon Media Group, the company behind England’s National Running Show, National Outdoor Expo, National Cycling Show and National Snow Show.  

For more information about The Run Show USA visit www.runshowusa.com; to discuss opportunities to exhibit contact Nathalie Davies – nathalie.davies@raccoonmediagroup.com  

Why are exhibitions being discriminated against? Mike Seaman responds to latest Covid setbacks

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Mike Seaman, CEO at Raccoon Media Group and chair of the AEO UK Organiser Group hits back after 18 months of being ignored by Government.

“Why are exhibitions being discriminated against continuously and disproportionately time and time again? I am frankly fed up with the lack of engagement that government has with the UK exhibition industry. Pre-covid the UK ran 1,077 trade and consumer shows every year and employed 114,000 people. The AEO estimate that over £70bn of trade used to happen at these exhibitions the U.K. but that has all but disappeared due to their blundering, shambolic and ill-informed approach.

Since covid I have watched my colleagues from across the industry lose jobs, be ignored and cast aside by a government that doesn’t know the difference between a wedding and a trade show. These people need protecting and have been ignored again. To illustrate – around 50% of full-time staff have lost their jobs and 83% of freelancers are without work with no support and barely a mention. That is over 60,000 people with families that have been overlooked.

Yesterday’s announcement means that yet again, we will have to move another exhibition which will costs us tens of thousands of pounds. We had to raise private investment last year to cover those losses, but we will be ok. However, I am genuinely concerned for the financial security of our suppliers. Normally we spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on every event – booking venues, speakers, staging, hotels, security, catering and so much more. These suppliers are small businesses who you have hung out to dry. They are currently on the breadline, waiting for you to throw them a crumb.

In addition to this, 80% of the companies that exhibit at our events are SMEs that often don’t have mass market distribution channels. These companies rely on events like ours to introduce their products to new customers, to trade and to stay afloat but they are being preventing from doing so.

The industry has met all the requirements of government, including running a successful pilot event (that the government approved) and developing covid-safe event guidelines (that the government also approved). We already have a built-in capacity for track and trace (due to our ticketing systems) and we stand ready to open our doors and implement covid status certification upon arrival. Unfortunately, ‘vaccine passports’ aren’t good for polling, so we are once again ignored. Show me why our events are less safe than un-tested people cramming into zoos, theme parks shopping centres or football stadiums! How can you allow 22,500 people at Wembley but only 1,000 people in a ticketed and tested event at a major event venue like the NEC? The numbers are clearly arbitrary and your approach is ill-informed.

As a business, we wasted our time trying to get on the pilot schemes – these were clearly just a backdoor for the government to deliver elite sport such as the Euros and Wimbledon – they neither care about, nor understand exhibitions. Our events are important and they matter. We bring communities together to share their passion for being active outside. We promote physical activity such as running, walking and cycling which can also be vital tools when tackling mental health issues. Our communities want to be together again and if we can deliver that safely, what right do you have to keep us apart?

I don’t underestimate the size of the problem or the seriousness of covid-19 but there are OTHER issues which we should be equally concerned about. When 19 people take their own lives every day in the UK then perhaps we need to broaden our view?

The entire industry joined together with one voice and wrote to you in April, requesting that we could open using Covid Status Certification which is what you should have approved yesterday. So please Boris, stop this war on events and leave my friends alone. Stop chasing opinion polls and make a measured and informed decision about the viability of well-managed and vital exhibitions.”

Event Industry Backyard Ultra from Raccoon HQ

Posted on by Darren Pinder

The exhibitions industry is racing to help those in need by running for a good cause. Set for June 8-9 for a 4 p.m. start in the U.K. (11 a.m. EDT), the Event Industry Backyard Ultra will feature marathon enthusiast and Tarsus Group CEO Douglas Emslie, who will be running a 5K race every hour for a straight 24 hours in an effort to raise funds for two industry charities and a global charity supporting India, while being livestreamed across multiple platforms.

To help this important effort, please visit Event Industry Backyard Ultra for donations and ways to join in and help out.

Participating in what BBC Sport describes as “the toughest, weirdest race you’ve never heard of,” Emslie must consecutively run a 5K (3.1 mile) distance in less than one hour. After completing each lap, he will use any remaining time within that hour to recover for the next round.

The event will concurrently livestream industry panel sessions covering hot-button topics from around the world. There will be regular check-ins with Emslie and other event industry runners who will be joining him from across the globe, including the United States, Mexico, the Middle East and China.

U.K.-based Roger Black, silver medallist in the 400-metre sprint at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, and UK-based singer, actress and TV personality Suzanne Shaw also will be joining in the challenge. Running from the Raccoon Event’s HQ office in Surrey and supported by Guildford’s Running Mayor Mike Seaman and his team at the National Running Show, the goal of the run is to raise $24,000 for the Meetings Industry Fund, Indian Red Cross Society and EventWell.

 

“The charities we have chosen will help people not only impacted in the events industry, but also assist with efforts to combat the devastating COVID surge in India,” said Emslie, who is spearheading this effort. “I hope the Event Industry Backyard Ultra can continue to raise awareness and money to build upon the great work that has already been done. I would like to thank everyone for their support for what I hope will be a very memorable day.”

See www.24hour5krun.com for more details on how to participate or donate.

Momentum builds for Run Show Boston with more top brands and speakers revealed

Posted on by Darren Pinder

Momentum is building for the first ever Run Show USA event, scheduled Jan. 29-30, 2022, at Boston’s Hynes Convention Center, with the announcement that top running brands including ASICS, HOKA ONE ONE, Altra, Runderwear, Feetures, Smartwool, Caldera and PRO Compression will be joining Retail Partner Marathon Sports, in bringing all the best gear and tech to this start-of-the-season event, set to welcome over 10,000 runners.

 

The expo will also play host to newly announced, internationally recognized speakers Joe De Sena, Dave McGillivray and Chris Kostman who will join Carl Lewis, Dean Karnazes, Susie Chan, Kelly Roberts and Camille Herron to deliver a packed schedule of inspirational and educational talks set across two stages that will be the centerpiece of the 86,000 sqft venue.

 

As well as an impressive retail offering and world class speaker line-up the event will offer special features include a Running Skills Theater, Trail Zone, Strength Training Zone, Gait Analysis and Recovery Zone. The Run Show USA is scheduled for late January 2022, at the beginning of the season when runners are looking for inspiration, top of the range gear and apparel, nutrition advice, races to enter, and personal training technology designed to track their progress.

 

Nathalie Davies, Group Event Director at Run Show USA, said: “With just eight months to go until Run Show Boston we are delighted to be able to announce that such a huge list of powerhouse brands and hugely inspiring speakers will be joining us. Our aim is to bring everything a runner could need under one roof: inspiration, professional advice, top brands, interactive features and a room filled with thousands of like-minded people, to set them up for their best possible running season.”

 

To find out more about the event or to register to attend visit: https://runshowboston.seetickets.com/tour/run-show-usa-boston