Each month, we celebrate the passionate individuals who create unforgettable event experiences in our community. These organizers share their stories, strategies, and the magic that makes their events uniquely special.
Event Overview
Event Director: Johnny Morin
Event Name: Bikes Fight Cancer
Event Registration Site: https://www.bikereg.com/bfc
Event Website: https://bikesfightcancer.org/
How many years have you been organizing this event? This will be our 6th year putting on the Bikes Fight Cancer Ride
How many participants attend your event? 2024 was sold out at 600
Tell us about your event:
My wife Meghan and I have been using our bikes to raise funds for cancer research and care for 20 years. We started this ride to share that feeling of community and empowerment because there was nothing like that in our area. When someone in your circle receives a cancer diagnosis you feel helpless, our ride allows folks to do something. We gear this ride to be welcoming to someone who has never done a group ride before, but still enjoyable for those that are serious cyclists.
Strategy & Results:
What pricing tiers do you implement for Bikes Fight Cancer and how did you determine the timing of price increases? We have tried a few different price increase structures over the years. We promote our registration opening about 6 months before our event. After trying different iterations we have landed on a price increase at the start of each month leading up to the event.
We noticed return participants sign up earlier, and we see big registration spikes with each announcement. It gives us a reason to reach out to our audience that has yet to sign up, as well as something to post on social media stories to reach a new audience.
How do you analyze your registration data from year to year to make strategic decisions for your next year’s event? BikeReg has a chart that shows this years registration trend vs last year, and you can see when the price increase emails go out. In our post event review we see if there were some that saw less of a reaction than others, and review the email language.
We also have heard from folks that they hope the cost of our ride will stay reasonable. A Fee Schedule allows you to give a window of time to a cost conscious audience to be able to register at a good price, before it starts going up.
Fundraising Impact:
How do you structure your registration pricing to support your fundraising goals, and what has been the impact? We know those that are signing up for our event 3 months before event date or earlier are more likely to fundraise, and hit their goal. We try to paint a picture of the impact their fundraising has, so the more time we have to reach out to them the better.
This is one of the main reasons why we tried a fee schedule in the first place, it gives us a reason to start talking to them even before they sign up, so they can be motivated to fundraise before they register.
Implementation:
Which athleteReg tools or features have been most valuable in executing your launch and pricing strategy? The Fee Schedule tool is great, because you can program in all your price increases and then not think about it again.
Then we use the “Email Past Participants” tool to reach out to our audience and let them know, register now, the price goes up soon. We usually send those out 48 hours before the increase.
We also use the “Scheduled Emails” tool on the fundraising page to make a drip email campaign. This gives fundraising tools to help fundraisers get started. We have been doing this a while, so we give them recommendations of how to email, post on social media, and then their own story. What I love about this is you can set a fundraising threshold to stop sending them, because if someone raises $1,000 the first day, they probably don’t need me to coach them on how to get their first donation.
Just for fun:
What’s your pre-event day ritual for staying calm? It’s not a ritual, but I am usually the first one to head to the event, and am usually on my own. I know driving to the venue will be the last moment of calm for the day, so I try to soak it up, and make sure there is just the right amount of maple syrup in my coffee.
What’s the signature element or tradition that makes your event uniquely yours? (The thing participants rave about year after year!) I would have to say the community aspect. This is not a race, it is a fundraising ride. With that comes hundreds of folks riding for the same reason, and they all have a story. We often hear about folks meeting and bonding over a loved one going through cancer treatment. We know folks have gotten together after our ride for dinner or to go for a spin. My favorite is my race team (Go Joe’s Garage!) always joins us, and just have a FUN day on the bike, I will often hear that they helped someone on the road, or gave someone pointers on how to ride in a group. I just love that from someones first event group ride to seasoned veterans, everyone supports one another.
This or That:
Finisher medal or finisher shirt? Shirt!
Early morning setup or day-before setup? Both! (we added a Friday night bib pick up party to our events! I love being able to chat with folks before things get crazy on actual event day!
Walkie-talkies or cell phones for event day communication? Both!
Beer garden or recovery drinks? Recovery Drink!
Spreadsheets or paper checklists? BikeReg Event Day Check In obviously!
Volunteers or paid staff? Volunteers! (You can get paid for this?)
Multi-wave start or mass start? Multi-wave!