Setting the course for the ‘next normal’ in running and mass participation events will be the focus of the second World Athletics Global Running Conference to be held at the Royal Paragon Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, between 1-3 December.
More than 50 industry leaders and experts will speak at the three-day event, which is expected to welcome 350 attendees including delegates representing around 50 World Athletics Label races.
The conference is being held in the lead-up to one of those races – the Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok – and follows the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships that took place in Chiang Mai earlier this month.
Trail running will be among the themes of the conference, as results from the most extensive report on trail running participation ever conducted are shared. The report, compiled by RunRepeat.com in collaboration with World Athletics, covers trail running race participation from 1984 to 2022 and includes 15.6 million race results from 116,947 races in 127 countries.
Featuring presentations, panel discussions and interviews, ‘The Next Normal. Re-imagining the World of Running and Mass Participation’ will also cover topics such as:
• The social impact of running events
• Trends in active sport tourism
• Creating narratives with racecourse design
• Pro-running policies and their effects on public health outcomes
• The social and governance dimensions of sustainability
• Understanding how to release more value from running events for participants and partners
• The 360-degree participant experience
• Operational challenges in a post-Covid world
Chris Robb, founder and CEO of Mass Participation World, will deliver the opening keynote speech on Thursday 1 December, while Jakob Larsen, director of competitions and events at World Athletics, will close the conference with some final remarks on Saturday 3 December.
“We look forward to welcoming old and new friends from the world of running in one of the fastest-growing markets for the sport,” said Alessio Punzi, head of running and mass participation at World Athletics.
“Attending the conference will mean great networking opportunities as usual, but I am once again particularly pleased about the programme we have put together.”
There will be more than 50 industry leaders, researchers, marketers and technical experts from within and outside running, all willing to share what they know for the advancement of the sport.
Punzi said he was also grateful for the collaboration with the Mass Participation World Conference, as an opportunity to broaden horizons and expand networks.
Those interested in attending the World Athletics Global Running Conference in Bangkok can register online. Road race organisers interested in participating can contact alessio.punzi@worldathletics.
World Athletics
