The Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon and miniMarathon, put on by the Louisville Sports Commission, has grown from a small local road race into the largest day of road racing in Kentucky history. Runners from all 50 states and several foreign countries annually complete the scenic 13.1 and 26.2 mile courses that start and finish in downtown Louisville. Now in its 41st year, the miniMarathon attracts more than 12,000 entrants each year and is ranked among the nation’s top 100 races by USA Track and Field. The Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon has been a client of Virtual Event Bags since 2012. We asked event manger, Shanna Ward to tell us more about her experience with our company. Shanna has been with the Kentucky Derby Festival since 2012.
Q. You have been a customer since 2012 – why do you choose to return every year?
KDF returns each year because of the great value the VRB adds to our event. VEB supports KDF’s efforts to Go Green. Our sponsors love the data they collect from participating. And runner’s love the ability to download offers for specific items.
Q. What is your participant reaction to the event bag?
Runners are very happy with the bag, we have received no negative feedback, and we believe that runner’s redeem more offers than they ever have in the past with traditional paper offers delivered in plastic bags.
Q. What kind of offers do you see having the highest engagement rates?
Coupons [as opposed to an advertisement]. Churchill Downs offers admission to the track during at a later date, and a lot of the locals redeem this offer.
Q. Do you incorporate VEB in an existing sponsorship package or sell it separately?
We do both. Our title and presenting sponsors receive it as part of their package, but we also sell it to other sponsors and vendors that have booth space at the Expo.