STRATEGY & DATA
Gym marketing: how to win and keep members
Gym marketing doesn't end with the new-year campaigns. Winning and keeping members takes concrete tools: a well-kept Google Business Profile, a…
Every race has its season
Running and events
IN SHORT
It's the world Digital Runner comes from. Running races are our heart: we work on them for Base Running, for Equilibra Running Team and, with Infront, for the Verona Run Marathon. But the same method works for any event that needs filling: festivals like Metzger Fest, trade fairs, corporate events. Registrations and pre-sales that arrive in waves, sponsors to keep happy, a community to keep alive from one edition to the next.
The challenges of the industry
WHAT’S DIFFERENT
IN THIS WORLD
Registrations come in waves
Opening day, early-bird prices, the final weeks. It works like an e-commerce shop during the sales, and it has to be prepared months ahead.
The day after the race, the next one begins
Emails, content and social media keep the relationship with runners alive all year round, even when there's no race.
Sponsors want to see the numbers
Sponsors ask for measurable visibility. Online, those numbers can be shown.
More and more runners come from elsewhere
The number of people travelling to run is growing, including from abroad. You need local SEO and content for people who don't know the city.
Our software for sports clubs
Members, fees and certificates?
ClubRM takes care of it.
Our management software for sports clubs: members sign up, pay and upload their medical certificate from their phone, the office approves with one click. It works for any sport with registered members, and Base Running already uses it.
For your events
DIGITAL TOOLS BUILT TO MEASURE
A festival, a trade fair, a race: every event needs pieces of its own. Landing pages with the programme and presales, bookings by time slot, pages reserved for trade visitors, games that collect contacts. We design and build them ourselves, connected to email and the CRM, ready in time for registrations to open.
eventi.metzger1848.it/metzger-fest
Metzger Fest 2026
Four days of festivities at the brewery: programme, beer presales and tour bookings, all on one page.
eventi.metzger1848.it/terra-madre
Metzger at Terra Madre
The evening at the Salone del Gusto: dates, places and, after the event, a thank-you to everyone who came, with an invitation to the next one.
GAME · LEAD CAPTURE
The wheel of fortune
A pop-up you spin that assigns a personal, single-use discount code and sends the contact into the email flows. We built it for ASO Facile and for Metzger 1848: the list grows through play, with no tedious forms.
Metzger Fest Horeca
The day reserved for bars and restaurants, with a choice of visiting time and compulsory registration.
Behind every race there’s a marketing machine
Registrations in waves like an online shop, a database of participants, activities for sponsors, photos and videos posted by runners. When the organisation doesn’t work, runners notice straight away, and they write about it. That’s why we treat an event like a product, with a marketing calendar that starts the day after the previous edition closes.
What we do for organisers
Registration campaigns, with different creatives and budgets for each phase. Automated emails that accompany entrants from sign-up to bib collection, and beyond. Social media and content for the community. Local SEO and event pages for people looking for the race and for people searching “things to do” in the city that weekend. Data to show sponsors. And our passion for running, which doesn’t hurt.
Running races have a page all of their own, marketing for running events. For festivals, trade fairs and corporate events there’s events and trade fairs.
In this industry
THE WORK WE’VE DONE HERE
Running events
RUNNING AND EVENTS
Base Running Team
31,000participants in Base Running races in 2026
Read the case study
Running events
RUNNING AND EVENTS
Infront · Verona Run Marathon
Running · Verona Run Marathon and Romeo & Giulietta Half Marathon
Read the case study
Running events
RUNNING AND EVENTS
Equilibra Running Team
Sport and events · the Mezza, the Dieci and the Notturna che Vale, more than 10,000 runners in a year
Read the case studyWe’ve written about it
WHAT WE’VE WRITTEN ABOUT IT
AUTOMATION & AI
Email marketing for sports events: from the stands to the inbox
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Local event SEO: the strategy for maximum visibility
Local event SEO is essential for reaching a nearby audience with a strong intention to attend. An optimised event page, with localised content and…
STRATEGY & DATA
Running in Italy: an ecosystem to decode
Running grew strongly in Italy in 2024: 53,825 marathon finishers (+16%) and almost 160,000 in half marathons, a sign that it's no longer a niche but…
STRATEGY & DATA
How to find sponsors for a running race: 5 digital strategies to win them over
Finding sponsors for a running race today calls for a different approach: brands no longer buy "logos" but "audiences" and a measurable ROI. The…
STRATEGY & DATA
Sports digital marketing: building community and B2B value in running
Sports digital marketing is essential to turning a running event into a success. The article explains how this strategy isn't just about selling race…
The questions we get asked
THE QUESTIONS WE GET ASKED MOST
Can you also manage the race website and registrations?
Yes. For Base Running we manage the website and the shop that handle registrations, memberships, courses and official merchandise. Every race has its own page with rules, GPX course, certifications and sponsors, always up to date.
How do you attract entrants from abroad?
With campaigns in their language and pages that answer the questions of people coming from elsewhere. For Base Running we run campaigns in English and French, measured separately, so you can see how much each country delivers.
Do you help with sponsors too?
Yes. We prepare decks for prospective sponsors, materials for partners, dedicated newsletters and space for logos on the race pages. A happy sponsor is a sponsor who comes back the following year.
Are you there on event days too?
When it's needed, yes. For the Verona races we cover press conferences and on-site events. In race week, live coverage is what works best on social media.
How big is the running market in Italy?
In 2024 Italian marathons counted 53,825 finishers (+16%) and half marathons almost 160,000. Hardly a niche. An amateur runner lives an experience that lasts months, with plenty of touchpoints for marketers.
Do you only work in running?
No. Running is where we come from and we know it from the inside, but we also work on festivals and evenings like Metzger Fest, trade fairs like Tebis's and corporate events. Pre-sales, prize draws, wheels of fortune and invitations work for any event.