World's Sports Group

Running Industry Alliance (RIA) & The Running Conference (TRC) presented by haku concluded this week in Loughborough, England. Safe to say, the conference was a resounding success–thanks to Rebecca (Becs) Richardson and the organising team! A big congratulations to the Trackstars’ winners, which included World’s Sports Group’s very own Virgil Andrew and Anders Hedegard. CEO Charlotte Melchert delivered a keynote presentation on the growing significance of event experiences. Here are 3 insights from her speech that are valuable for 2025 and beyond: Runcations are a growing tourism trend, with 90%+ of bookings on our platforms made by international participants. We are currently witnessing the 3rd major running room, where the focus has shifted to immersive “experience” events. Collaboration is a key part of creating unique experiences for participants. Team up with sponsors, run clubs, local businesses, etc. 🗺️ We were also delighted to showcase our recent partnership with Strava. Their interactive course routes are now available on Ahotu, aiding athletes in their race discovery journey. 🇸🇪 We had a lot of fun bringing a Swedish flair to the conference by hosting a traditional ‘fika’ coffee break with Dig Snack’s tasty, organic treats.  Lastly, RIA was a great opportunity to meet old and new faces. It was a fantastic ending of the 2024 endurance season! #WorldsSportsGroup #TheRunningConference #RIA #TRC24

The Running Industry Alliance (RIA) & The Running Conference (TRC) presented by haku is officially underway! As this year’s host and Global Partner, we’re excited to bring a Swedish feel to the conference, including a ‘fika’ coffee break on Monday morning 🇸🇪 The World's Sports Group’s Sports Group team will be represented by CEO Charlotte Melchert, Anders Hedegard, and Virgil Andrew, and Charlotte will give a presentation on Tuesday. We’re looking forward to meeting all current and prospective UK partners, so definitely get in touch if you’d like to connect. #WorldsSportsGroup #TheRunningConference #RIA #TRC24

New partnership announcement 📢 Ahotu, the world’s largest endurance sports calendar, has teamed up with Strava, the 135-million-strong digital sports community, to get athletes race-ready. 🗺️ Strava’s interactive course maps are now available on Ahotu’s global event calendar. This means athletes can find their next race and explore its course details in one single place. 🔍 For an enhanced user experience, athletes can also filter for events that feature a Strava map on Ahotu. 🗽 The initial launch focuses on connecting course maps with running events, including well-known races like the London Marathon and the New York Marathon. Explore the full range of events on Ahotu with a Strava map here: https://lnkd.in/dnzBdAEq #WorldsSportsGroup #Ahotu #Strava

What a weekend for World’s Sports Group at the ERBC Conference in Athens! 🇬🇷 Our team had a fantastic time meeting with peers at the forefront of the industry, and the spirit of collaboration was evident over the four days. Some key takeaways from our time at the conference: ♻️ In her keynote presentation, CEO Charlotte Melchert shared tips on achieving sustainable growth: adapting to the rising female demographic and highlighting the ‘destination’ element of races. 🏃 Virgil Andrew offered unique insights on how to engage with running’s fastest growing segment, Gen Z, such as removing barriers to entry and working with running communities to bring shareable energy to race marketing. 💚 Chris Robb gave an insightful session where he argued that a “doing more with less” approach is the way forward when it comes to sustainability. 📖 In an excellent panel discussion, Hugh Brasher and Kathrin Widu, of the London Marathon and Vienna City Marathon respectively, underlined the power of authentic storytelling in connecting new audiences to the power of sports. The conference ended with the historic Athens Marathon, which traces the legendary route travelled in 490 BC after the Battle of Marathon. Two of our team members, Jean-Loup Fenaux and Voytek, valiantly tackled the race! #EBRC24 #EuropeanAthletics #WorldsSportsGroup

This weekend, the World's Sports Group team (Charlotte Melchert, Virgil Andrew, Jean-Loup Fenaux, Javier Pelado and Wojciech (Voytek) Święch) will be attending the 2024 ERBC in Athens. CEO & Founder Charlotte Melchert will present a keynote presentation on how to achieve sustainable growth and build lasting impact in the endurance sports industry. Virgil Andrew, Director of Strategic Partnerships, will be sharing valuable insights on how to effectively engage the emerging Gen Z demographic and strategies for navigating today’s influencer-driven landscape. As always, we look forward to connecting with industry colleagues and exploring new partnerships that drive growth and innovation. If you’re at the conference, reach out to the team to connect! To learn more about the European Running Business Conference, visit the official event page https://lnkd.in/e_6gzuyR. #ERBC #EuropeanRunningBusinessConference #WorldsSportsGroup #Athens #ERBC2024

Ahotu is now available in Japanese! 🇯🇵 This is an exciting new development for Ahotu and one that coincides with the celebration of Sports Day in Japan this week. This nationwide holiday commemorates the 1964 Tokyo Olympics while promoting the benefits of an active lifestyle, an objective that resonates clearly with Ahotu’s mission of connecting athletes with endurance events. Ahotu has also expanded its scope of Japanese events through a collaboration with RUNNET, the leading portal for runners in Japan. This makes it even easier for Japanese speakers and international athletes to access the full range of the world’s biggest endurance sports platform. With this new release, Ahotu is now available in 14 different languages, including Korean, Thai, Polish, French, and Spanish. Such a move reinforces our commitment to making the platform accessible to a truly global audience by offering a localised and seamless experience 🌏 Is there a language you'd like to se represented on Ahotu? Get in touch and let us know! #SportsDay #MassParticipation #EnduranceSports #WorldsSportsGroup #Ahotu #Runnet

Delighted to be supporting The Mass Participation Pulse survey for the second time! Take part in the survey to share your experience of mass participation events. You might win £250 of Decathlon vouchers and you’ll be helping event organisers to create even more amazing events.

We are delighted to reveal that the CEO and Founder of World’s Sports Group, Charlotte Melchert, has been selected as a new member of the Running Industry Alliance (RIA) & The Running Conference (TRC)'s Advisory Board🎉 Charlotte will join the Future Alliance Advisory Board, which focuses on forward-looking initiatives that ensure that the RIA’s strategies and operations remain aligned with its core mission and values. Charlotte comments, "I’m excited and honoured to join the RIA’s Future Alliance Advisory Board and contribute to their impactful initiatives within the endurance sports industry. With such a talented and diverse group of fellow board members, I’m confident this initiative will lead to many exciting things going forward!" Read the full press release from the Running Industry Alliance here: https://lnkd.in/eEECxxGx #MassParticipation #EnduranceSports #WorldsSportsGroup #TheRunningConference #RIA

👏👏👏 The Ahotu Silverstone Run Fest is set to light up the UK’s autumn running calendar. Runna is the perfect addition to this event!

Great article by Mark Davis 🏊♂️🚴🏻♂️🏃🏻♂️🏆