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IMG partners with EQL to manage waitlist for major races
For 46 years, the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival has remained one of the world’s premier race events. Many thousands of weary, sweat-drenched runners have experienced the euphoria of crossing its finish line inside the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground— and in 2023, more runners than ever were chasing that feeling.
“Interest in the race exploded post-Covid,” said Allie Natoli, Marketing Director for IMG, who manages the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival. “We would traditionally reach capacity for the full marathon around a week or so before the event. But in 2023, we sold out six weeks in advance.”
EQL is just so flexible, so adaptable. Honestly, finding a solution that was easy and enjoyable to work with was a big deal to me.
The Challenge
In the six weeks between sellout and race day, the IMG team needed a solution that could help them notify waitlisted runners as new spots opened. However, trying to manually create one proved to be labor-intensive for their team.
“The system itself was very messy and admin-heavy,” said Allie. We knew we’d need to rethink this for the years to come because we saw that popularity [for the race] was still growing.”
So, as the registration window for 2024 was approaching, Allie and her team sought a partner who could help.
“Our priority is always to get as many runners as we can into the event, while still making it an enjoyable experience at a safe capacity. We wanted it to be seamless, and we wanted it to be fair. So we started to think, ‘What can we do here? Who can help us facilitate this?’ And we did our due diligence.”
After weighing several options, the IMG team landed on EQL.
“EQL is just so flexible, so adaptable. Honestly, finding a solution that was easy and enjoyable to work with was a big deal to me.”
The Fix
In order to solve the challenges IMG was facing managing its waitlist, EQL suggested using its Launch Reminders functionality.
Here’s how it worked:
- EQL and the IMG team created an EQL-powered landing page that allowed runners to sign up to be notified when race spots became available.
- Runners could submit their details and payment information, making it seamless to secure their spot if chosen.
- Runners who were chosen by EQL’s proprietary algorithm got a link to complete their registration through Active, IMG’s registration partner.
- Unsuccessful runners remained in a secure database so IMG could easily notify them as soon as more spots opened.
“We’ve already sold out the marathon three times over. It’s been interesting to see the full demand,” said Allie. “It was great that we had a way to capture payment information prior because it really helps you see who is genuinely interested. After all, it's not just buying a ticket. It's running 42 kilometres. But response rates from the waitlist were fantastic.”
It was great that we had a way to capture payment information prior because it really helps you see who is genuinely interested. After all, it's not just buying a ticket. It's running 42 kilometres. But response rates from the waitlist were fantastic.
The Outcome
The IMG team has seen two major benefits in using the EQL platform for the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival:
First, it created major efficiencies for their internal team.
“[Before EQL] we had around 5-6 people having to touch the management and logistics. And now, I can just do it myself,” said Allie. “From a consumer perspective, the runners have been very happy because we’re able to get more people in and it’s seamless. But even more so from an internal perspective, it’s just such an easier process.”
Next, it has streamlined the waitlist process for the race, leading to a 4.7/5 rating from fans on customer satisfaction.
Because of the success with the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival, IMG also partnered with EQL to host the waitlist for the Great Ocean Road running Race, happening in May of 2024.
“One of the key differences we found with EQL when doing our comparative analysis on a few different options was that we had control,” said Allie. “We loved the fairness aspect, but it was so important to us that we had control over how our releases went. It’s been really amazing.”
One of the key differences we found with EQL when doing our comparative analysis on a few different options was that we had control. We loved the fairness aspect, but it was so important to us that we had control over how our releases went. It’s been really amazing.
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