Our registration platforms have so much to offer, and in the busy life of an event director, it can be challenging to discover all the functionality that’s right at your fingertips. We want to help you find exactly what you need and introduce you to valuable tools you might not even be aware of.
Since 1999, athleteReg has been committed to creating exceptional experiences for both event directors and race participants. As your dedicated event partners, we’re here to help you navigate the full range of tools available. Chances are, if you need it, we have it—so don’t hesitate to reach out to your account manager or support team.
Let’s explore some often overlooked features you might not be fully utilizing yet.
Merchandise: Boost Your Event Revenue
Looking to create additional revenue streams beyond registration fees? athleteReg’s merchandise capabilities let you sell event-related products directly on your registration page. Event directors can easily:
- Offer t-shirts, jerseys, hats, bib shorts, water bottles, and other branded merchandise
- Set up product variations (sizes, colors)
- Manage inventory in real-time
- Track merchandise sales alongside registration data
Boost your merchandise revenue by selling to participants during registration when they’re already in “purchase mode,” and to non-participants who want to support your event. Set up your merchandise on your event page with these easy steps.
Fundraising Made Simple
PledgeReg: Integrated Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
If your event supports a cause or charity, the PledgeReg platform offers a fully integrated peer-to-peer fundraising solution that requires minimal setup:
- Enable fundraising with just a few clicks in your event setup
- Automatically generate individual and team fundraising pages for all registrants
- Track donations in real-time through your admin dashboard
- Send automated thank-you emails to donors
PledgeReg gives every participant their own fundraising page that they can customize and set up with their own personal message. This makes everything so personal, which is important when doing peer-to-peer fundraising.
Not every supporter will participate in your event, but they might still want to contribute to your cause. athleteReg lets you accept standalone donations, expanding your fundraising reach beyond just event participants.
Integrated Communication Tools
Text Messaging Capabilities
Need to send urgent updates to participants? Text messaging has become an effective communication channel for event directors. While we don’t currently have a built-in text/SMS messaging system, we provide a process to enable SMS marketing with these steps:
- Set up a custom question to obtain proper SMS (text messaging) consent from participants
- Export cell phone numbers by using the download registration data feature
- Use a third-party messaging platform to send timely updates
SMS Platform Options:
- Textmagic (from $4/month + per message) – simple mass texting solution
- SimpleTexting (from $25/month) – user-friendly with good analytics
- Mailchimp (SMS add-on from $20/month) – integrated SMS and email marketing
- Twilio (pay-as-you-go pricing) – flexible developer option for custom solutions
This approach ensures you maintain communication compliance while keeping participants informed about weather updates, schedule changes, or other time-sensitive information.
Email Tools That Deliver
As we covered in our recent blog post, we offer email capabilities to keep your participants engaged before, during, and after your event. From automated confirmation emails to targeted participant communications, our platform ensures your messages reach the right people at the right time.
Protect Your Event with Registration Insurance
Worried about refund requests or participants being unable to attend? athleteReg offers Allianz Registration Protection to participants. This optional insurance gives participants the opportunity to be reimbursed for up to 100% of their entry fee if they can’t attend for qualifying reasons, is handled entirely by Allianz Global Assistance, and comes with no cost, obligation, or liability for event directors. Some restrictions apply: the event must be 6 days or shorter, only available for United States events, and can’t support an event using an iframe widget.
You can also protect your entire event by opting into the Event Cancellation Refund Protection program when you create your event. Additional information, pricing, and terms can be found in the general event setup where you opt into the program.
Simplified Volunteer Management
Coordinating volunteers doesn’t require a separate platform. With athleteReg, you can:
- Create volunteer categories in your existing event (set entry fee to $0)
- Or create a separate event specifically for volunteer registration and management
- Easily track volunteer assignments and responsibilities
- Enable volunteer access to the Event Day Check-In tool without sharing your admin credentials
Event Day Check-In Tip: Use the “Allow Volunteer Access” slider in your Admin page to generate a special check-in link for volunteers. This link can be time-limited and deactivated as needed, giving you complete control over volunteer access.
Best-In-Class Service
While our platform offers robust features, what truly sets us apart is our people. Our team is led by and consists of lifelong athletes and event directors who understand your challenges firsthand because we’ve faced them ourselves.
In our recent event director survey, the responses highlighted our customer service excellence as a decisive factor in their continued loyalty. Comments like “Appreciate that your customer support is always amazing. That’s what’s most important to me and my participants!” reflect a consistent theme across feedback. Directors repeatedly praise our support team for providing prompt, helpful, and personalized service that addresses their specific needs.
Our partnerships often extend beyond technical support. We collaborate with mental health advocacy rides on growth strategies and outreach ideas, volunteer at trail running events, travel to observe our systems in action on race day, and stop by registration areas before heading to start lines ourselves. This hands-on involvement reflects our genuine investment in the event’s success and the causes they champion.
The verdict from our loyal user base is clear: the value of the reliability and top-notch support that comes from working with a team that truly understands the event management world from the inside out is a game-changer.
Ready to Maximize These Features?
This is just the tip of the iceberg! Our platform offers a ton more capabilities to help you run your event more smoothly and provide an exceptional first impression to your race participants.
Need something else? Wondering if there’s a feature or solution for a specific challenge you’re facing? We have a lot of tools and options available, and we’re here to help guide you toward the right solutions for your specific event needs.
Send us a message or call us at 1-888-956-9560