half marathon 2016 event report

SMH Half Marathon I Sunday, May 15 2016

SMH Half Marathon Event Report 2016


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01 Introduction

02 Winners

03 Charity

04 Partners

05 Expo

06 Marketing Campaign

07 Hospitality

08 Participant Survey Sponsor Recall

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MEDIA RELEASE Sunday 15 May, 2016 Shelley and Weightman look ready for Rio with wins at Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon Australian Olympians Michael Shelley and Lisa Weightman stretched their legs ahead of the Rio Olympics, taking line honours in the 25th Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon today. More than 12,000 participants joined Shelley and Weightman on the course for the special 25th running of the event with almost $700,000 raised for hundreds of deserving charities. Shelley crossed the line first with a phenomenal time of 1:03:59 in the men’s field ahead of Matthew Cox (1:07:20) and Harry Summers (1:08:32) Weightman finished in just 1:12:07 followed by Tarli Bird and Danielle Allen in 1:16:52 and 1:18:59 respectively. Australia’s largest and most prestigious half marathon today celebrated its silver anniversary with participants given the option to run today’s race individually or challenge themselves as a team in the relay event. Fairfax Events Head of Sport, Christopher Secker, said: “The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon has always held a special place in the Australian Running Calendar and once again we've had a terrific field of runners take on one of the most iconic courses in Australia. “25 years is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the event's longevity and we're fortunate to have such passionate participants who come back year on year to run through the heart of Sydney for so many wonderful causes." Hundreds of charities were supported via the event with the Running For Premature Babies team of more than 500 runners raising more than $300,000 for the Royal Women’s Hospital Randwick.


The Course

The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon course showcases the best of Sydney. Beginning on College Street, in front of St Mary’s Cathedral the 21.1km course passes through the CBD, Circular Quay with views of the Opera House, under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Barangaroo, Pyrmont and the Royal Botanic Gardens, finishing in Hyde Park.


The Relay Course

The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon Relay course follows the same course as the Half Marathon. The first runner completes the first 7km of the course and the second runner completes the remaining 14km with the transition occurring in Metcalfe Park, Pyrmont.


Winners Results

Place Team Name Net Time State

1st Hunt-Hunt 1:17:38 NSW

2nd Reid-Deagan 1:18:22 NSW

3rd McGarr-Holmes 1:32:13 NSW

4th Xuereb-Hazan 1:24:45 NSW

5th Cabasson-Burbaud 1:27:25 NSW

6th Bachmann-Fraser 1:27:30 NSW

7th Herington-Herington 1:31:04 NSW

8th Robinson-Robinson 1:30:29 ACT

9th Wilkin-Piper 1:32:09 NSW

10th Trollor-Trollor 1:33:18 NSW

Half Marathon Relay Top 10 Teams

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Half Marathon Relay Finish Times

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Half Marathon Top 10 Males

Winners Results

Place First Name Surname Net Time State

1st Michael Shelley 1:03:59 QLD 2nd Matthew Cox 1:07:23 NSW 3rd Harry Summers 1:08:35 NSW 4th Matthew Hudson 1:09:13 NSW 5th Keith MacPherson 1:10:07 NSW 6th Erik Niyiragira 1:11:14 NSW 7th Kevin O’Brien 1:11:15 NSW 8th Michael Ho 1:11:20 NSW 9th Kyle MacDonald 1:11:24 NSW

10th Chris O'Neill 1:11:49 WA

Half Marathon Top 10 Females

Place First Name Surname Net Time State

1st Lisa Weightman 1:12:07 VIC 2nd Tarli Bird 1:16:52 VIC 3rd Danielle Allen 1:18:59 NSW 4th Emily Donker 1:19:08 QLD 5th Kirsten Molloy 1:19:49 NSW 6th Tennille Ellis 1:20:14 QLD 7th Victoria Beck 1:20:54 QLD 8th Fiona Yates 1:21:14 NSW 9th Lucy Rogers 1:21:34 NSW

10th Rachel Glasson 1:21:44 NSW

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Half Marathon Finish Times


03 Charity

Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon 2016 raised $ 795,111 and supported 183 nationwide charities. The five gold charities involved with the event included beyondblue, Heart Foundation, Stillbirth Foundation, The Australian Rhino Project, The Shepherd Centre, 25 national and local charities were listed within the registration system.


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Charity

beyondblue and The Australian Rhino Project purchased marquees in the finish area.

Two charities took part in the Half Marathon Expo – beyondblue and Running for Premature Babies.


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Charity

Founders of Running for Premature Babies Ash and Sophie Smith take part in the Half Marathon every year, this is them running last year’s event. Sadly Ash lost his battle with brain cancer and passed away in February 2016. Running for Premature Babies celebrated 10 years of being active, to mark this milestone they set the target of trying to get 500 runners signed up to their team. The group collectively raised over $330k and crowned the top fundraising team. Sophie was also the top individual fundraiser


04 Partners

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Hydralyte Sports - Print

Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Readership: 703,000 Publication date: Mar 19 Sarah Klein Hydration tips content included in the event guide Added value


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Hydralyte Sports – Digital

Web banner: 17 Mar – 1 May Clicks: 20

Logo footer on website pages Clicks: 217

Logo on partners page of website Clicks: 59

Sarah Klein Training Tips Training tab of event website Clicks: 1265 Added value


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Hydralyte Sports – Digital

Training eDM – 8 weeks to go Sent: Mar 20 7718 recipients 845 article clicks (17%) Added value

4 weeks to go eDM Sent: Apr 17 9310 recipients 80 article clicks (6%)

Ultimate Prize Pack eDM (Sport Database) Sent: Apr 01 238,177 recipients 771 clicks (18%) Added value


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Hydralyte Sports – Signage


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Rebel - Print

Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Readership: 703,000 Publication date: Mar 12

Image outside expo

Image of merchandise wall


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Rebel - Digital

Merchandise Banner Training eDM – 8 weeks to go Sent: Mar 20 7718 recipients 242 article clicks (5%) Ultimate Prize Pack eDM (Sport Database) Sent: Apr 01 238,177 recipients 175 clicks (4%)

1 Week to Go eDM Sent: May 01 11,346 recipients 34 Clicks

Web banner: 3 Apr – 17 Apr Clicks: 17

4 Weeks to Go eDM Sent: Apr 17 9310 recipients 50 article clicks (4%)


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Rebel - Digital

Results eDM: Clicks:

Runners pack eDM: Clicks:


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Rebel - Signage


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Virgin Active - Digital

Web banner: 3 Apr – 17 Apr Clicks: 18


4 weeks to go eDM Sent: Apr 17 9310 recipients 825 article clicks (62%) Added value


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Virgin Active – Digital


Training Banner eDM (Sport Database) Sent: Apr 01 238,177 recipients 461 clicks (11%) Added value

Virgin Active Training plan webpage Page Views: 1248 Added Value


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Virgin Active – Training

Training runs Social Page 12,599 likes

Harriers eDM Sent: 2 Mar Added Value

Win Flights to Rio | Earlybird Entries Closing Sent: 1 Mar Added Value

Earlybird ends tomorrow: Send: 7 Mar Added Value


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Virgin Active – Signage


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SKINS – Print Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Readership: 703,000 Publication date: Mar 19 Andrew Pap post-recovery tips content included in the event guide Added value


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SKINS – Digital

Training eDM – 8 weeks to go Sent: Mar 20 7718 recipients Clicks: 345 article clicks (7%) Added value

News Tile on website homepage Clicks: 3083 Added value

Logo inclusion in website footer Clicks: 212

Logo inclusion on partners page Clicks: 64

Web banner 17 Apr – 1 May Clicks: 17


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SKINS – Digital Ultimate Prize Pack eDM (Sport Database) Sent: Apr 01 238,177 recipients 771 clicks (18%) Added Value

1 Week to Go eDM Sent: May 8 11,346 recipients Clicks: 85

Image from expo


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SKINS – Digital

SKINS recovery tips – training tab Page views: 3083 Added value

Tips by Alexa Towersey – training tab Page views: 2054 Added value

Tanya Poppet – training tab Page views: 2173 Added value


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Zespri Kiwi - Print Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Readership: 703,000 Publication date: Mar 19 Zespri logo included in printed partner logo string Inclusion of Zespri smoothie recipe Added value


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Zespri Kiwi - Digital

Logo on footer of event website Clicks: 189 Added Benefit

Logo on partners page of event website Clicks: 49

Sponsor Web Banner Duration: 1 May – 15 May Clicks: 24

Expo eDM Sent: Mar 20 7718 recipients 345 article clicks (7%)

Nutritional Tips featured on the website Page Views: 80 Added Benefit


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Zespri Kiwi - Digital Important Info eDM – 1 week to go Zespri inclusion in Runners Guide 11 346 recipients Clicks: 22, 078 downloaded runners guide Zespri logo included on sponsor page of runners guide


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Zespri Kiwi - Social


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Zespri Kiwi - Social


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Zespri Kiwi – Signage

Signage and branding opportunities via wing banners, corflute, medal gates, fruit activation and social media frame


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Involvement at the expo with fruit sampling and Zespri mascot on event day added more visibility to the brand. Added value was received through logo inclusion on the media wall & medal gates.


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SEIKO - Print

Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Readership: 703, 000 Publication date: Mar 5

Image of the finish chute


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SEIKO - Digital

Web banner 20 Mar – 3 Apr Clicks: 15

Logo on partners page Clicks: 54

Branding image of the finish clock



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TomTom - Print

Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Readership: 703,000 Publication date: May 7 TomTom received a quarter page countdown advertisement as added value in the Sydney Morning Herald Added value

Image from event day and expo


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TomTom – Digital


Web banner 17 Apr – 15 May Clicks: 29


Logo on website footer Clicks: 54


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TomTom – Digital

Relay eDM Added Value

Additional branding opportunity with signage on the medal gates



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TomTom – Training Runs TomTom and Virgin Active teamed up to integrate the TomTom watch into the SMH Half Marathon training runs. Participants were shown a demonstration of the watch features by the Virgin Active trainers as well as the chance to win one of 4 watches during the second last week of training Details of the watch giveaway was posted on the event website and training run facebook page. Virgin Active also posted the giveaway on the VA Australia facebook page 22, 154 Likes


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GU – Print Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Readership: 703,000 Publication date: Mar 19 Andrew Lloyd nutritional tips included in the event guide Added value

Image from the expo


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GU – Digital

Training tips – Training tab Page views: 200 Added value



Web banner 1 May – 15 May Clicks: 12


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ORIX - Digital



Web banner 20 Mar – 3 Apr Clicks: 14


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ORIX - Digital



05 Expo The event Expo for The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon 2016 returned to Lower Town Hall for the fifth year in a row. Forming a major part of the event weekend, the Expo gave participants the opportunity to ask any burning questions they might have, interact with the event, and purchase merchandise and items. Admission to the Expo was free for the general public and all entrants had to attend to pick up their race pack. Location: Lower Town Hall, Druitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 Attendance: 11, 000 participants

SYDNEY 2016 13th-14th MAY


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Layout and Details

Trading Hours: Friday, May 13 - 8am until 7pm

Saturday, May 14 - 9am until 5pm

Bump In: Thursday, May 12

Expo Stands:

All stands included walls, lighting (2x spotlights), power (1x10apm) and signage.

Cost:

Prices started at $2,250+GST for a 3x3m stand


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Exhibitors


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06 Marketing

Campaign

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Strategy

The 2016 marketing strategy focused primarily on driving entries to The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon

while also building awareness of the relay over a 14 week campaign. Specific messaging

targeted the different key audiences to encourage people to set themselves a new challenge.

Based on insights from 2015 a number of new propositions were developed to communicate as

key messages throughout the campaign:

• New ticket model & pricing structure implemented

• Additional value ads such as training run clubs, technical race info & plans

• Content focused communication using a large library of video & images from the 2015 events

• New website developed that improves the customer experience from registration right through to race day , www.smhhalfmarathon.com.au

Objectives

• Drive entries to the SMH Half Marathon and maintain recognition as the most prestigious Half Marathon in Australia. Target 13,000 (capacity)

• Raise awareness of the Relay component as a growth area

• Increase consumer satisfaction and year on year customer retention

• Drive charity donations to support the community. Fundraising target: $1 million

Audience

• Half Marathon – 57% male V 43% female

• Relay – 33% male V 67% female

• 80% of runners come from Sydney

• Top 3 industries: Financial Services, Health & Medical & IT

• Largest age group: 20-49

• Most popular demographic is: Male, 24-44 years old, University educated, Earning a household income of over $160k

Target Market

CHALLENGERS

Sport lovers and members of run, fitness & sports clubs that like to achieve a goal.

WEEKEND WARRIORS

Active minded, healthy lifestyle lovers that are looking for a fun, community experience.

FUNDRAISERS

Individuals looking for a platform to raise money for a chosen cause or charity.

http://www.smhhalfmarathon.com.au/


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Communications Plan

14 WEEKS OUT

Early Bird entries

Feb 9 – Mar 8

10 WEEKS OUT

Standard entries

Mar 9 – Apr 26

2WEEKS OUT

Late entries Mar Apr

27 – May 14

EVENT DAY

May 15 POST EVENT

● Advertising across

Fairfax print and digital

Networks

● eDMs & text messages

to past

Participants

● Social Media content

● Social Media & digital

paid advertising

● Fairfax regional

Networks

● Editorial & PR

● Large scale print

campaign in The

Sydney Morning Herald

● Outdoor advertising

● Media partner

Promotions

● Partner database

Integration

● Ambassador

Integration

● Increased PR

Pitching process

● Images

● Videos

● Social media

Activations

● News VNR

● PR

● Wrap up in

related

Fairfax & event

Channels

● Participant

survey

PRINT DIGITAL SOCIAL EDMS & TEXT MESSAGES

The Sydney Morning

Herald

The Sun-Herald

The Age

Australian Financial

Review

FFX regional papers

Smh.com,.au

Fairfax sports events

SMH Half Marathon

Facebook, Instagram &

Youtube

SMH Facebook

Programmatic re-targetting

Past Participants from ACT,

NSW & VIC events

OUTDOOR MEDIA PARTNERS PARTNERS & NETWORKS PR

NSW Newsagencies

A3 posters

A6 flyers

Resident letter box drops

NOVA 96.9

Juice Daily

R4YL magazine

Run With Sole podcast

Fairfax Events – Sports, Food,

Arts, Baby & Business

SMH & AGE subscribers

Fairfax newsletters

Sydney Striders

Running Hero's

Warratah’s

AIS

Sports clubs & training groups

Sponsors

Expo stands

Charities

Media opportunities

Press releases

Ambassadors

Competitions

What’s on listings

Marketing channels

Campaign Schedule


Campaign Results

PLATFORM REACH VALUE

PRESS 1,924,000 $742,00.779

PR 3,306,357 $1,477,097

DIGITAL 4,879,000

SOCIAL 966,607 $6,945.97

EDMS & TEXT MESSAGES 255,000

WEBSITE 70,613

PARTNERS 1,200,000

MEDIA PARTNERS 990,000 $65,000

TOTAL 12,554,357 $1,549,043

Highlights

MEDIA/PR SOCIAL EVENTS

34 pieces of generated media coverage across metro & regional print, lifestyle publications, online, TV, & radio using Australian running talent, elite entrants, charity entrants and interesting race participants. Print: 14 pieces. Reach 1,457,557. Value $1,213,679. TV: 10 segments. Reach 1,115,000. Value $109,048. Radio: 8 interviews. Reach of 733,200. Value $155,379. Event ambassador: Eloise Wellings, Olympian & 2015 winner secured coverage across ABC Grandstand, Fox Sports News & SMH.

Growth of 1,930 Facebook Fans (15% growth across campaign) Growth of 319 Instagram followers (36% growth across campaign) 140,760+ reached on Facebook over Event weekend

12,293 total entrants, with 512 relay teams. Relay numbers increased by 25% from 2015.


07 Hospitality

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The Official VIP Breakfast was held as the official “thank you” to all sponsors, stakeholders, elite athletes and local media for supporting the event during its annual campaign. The party was held on the event day and ran from 6:30am -11:00am, catering for approximately 100 people.

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• The breakfast was held in the Event Village and guests were provided with a selection of breakfast and brunch items provided by JuJu Catering, with fresh protein muffins, fruit platters, yogurts and mini bagels available.

• Our sponsor Zesphri also provided plenty of golden kiwi fruits and goodie bags for our VIP marquee.

• Columbian Coffee Connection again joined us as our Coffee sponsor, and we look forward to having them on again in 2017.

The Meadowbank TAFE Therapeutic Massage team was onsite offering free massages for all our guests.

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Official VIP Breakfast

Invite


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Corporate Program

The Corporate Program was redesigned this year to simplify the registration process for Team Managers. The new Corporate Program offered Corporate Team Managers two levels of registration support, as well as various other benefits (as list above).

Team Packages were also available for purchase for Teams looking to relax and unwind after the event in the Event Village.

Basic Team Registration Package: 3

Premium Team Registration Package: 1

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Corporate Program


Participant Survey Sponsor Recall

half marathon 2016 event report

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