Please note: Sessions are being finalized. Speakers and topics are subject to change.

Key Insights, AI, and the Road Ahead with Race Roster

Kick off the event with Race Roster CEO, Alex Vander Hoeven. He’ll look back at the biggest industry highlights from the past year before diving into what’s next—including our upcoming product roadmap and how we are leveraging the future of AI to shape the industry.

Speaker: Alex Vander Hoeven, Co-CDO, ASICS Organization and CEO of ASICS Apps

Peak Function: How AI is rewriting the rules of competitive advantage for companies and individuals

For decades, conventional business wisdom held that execution beats strategy: ideas are cheap, the saying goes, and advantage comes from getting things done. In parallel, professional careers have for generations followed a familiar logic: choose a function, build expertise through education and experience, and let that hard-won mastery compound into advantage. AI is now upending both assumptions at once. As increasingly capable machines make execution faster, cheaper, and more universally available, the value of functional mastery is cresting — a juncture Professor Tony Frost calls Peak Function. Competitive advantage will necessarily shift toward other, rarer forms of value creation such as strategic coherence and clarity. In his talk, Frost maps a practical framework for leaders and professionals trying to read where advantage is heading — and what it will take to stay ahead as the terms of competition change.

Speaker: Tony Frost, Associate Professor, Business, Economics and Public Policy

Creating a Fans First Experience for your Organization

Tucker will share how The Savannah Bananas – the most fun team in sports – has built a culture that focuses on loving people and building fans no matter who you serve, what you do, or what role you’re in. Get ready to laugh, cry, and Go Bananas

Speaker: Tucker Brooks, Director of People & Culture Development, Savannah Bananas

Running Game Show with Laura Green

The Running Game Show was created as a way to distract runners from their pre-race nerves and have a good laugh at their own expense. With the support of ASICS, It is now a staple at many of the biggest race weekends in the US, with contestants ranging from Emma Bates to professional comedians who have never run a day in their life.

Speaker: Laura Green, Conference emcee & gameshow host

Panel: Disruptive Sports and what can the running industry learn from them

This panel examines the rise of “disruptive” sports—from hybrid fitness racing to high-production spectacle events—to identify the unique strategies driving their rapid growth and cultural relevance. Experts will discuss how the traditional running industry can adapt these innovative community-building and engagement models to remain competitive in an evolving athletic landscape.

Panelists:
 Douglas Gremmen, Chief Growth Officer and Managing Director for HYROX North America.
Alana Casner, Chief Operating & Athlete Officer, Parity.
Sarah Ratzlaff, Vice President, Business Operations and Partnerships, Orlando Valkyries.
Moderator: Troy Schooley, Founder & CEO of Thrive Sports Group

Navigating the Evolution of Sports Travel

Sports tourism is no longer just about the Olympics or the World Cup. This session dives into the sophisticated ecosystem of sports tourism and mass participation events. We will analyze the direct and indirect economic impacts—from hotel occupancy rates and infrastructure development to long-term brand equity for host cities. We will break down the economic lifecycle of an event weekends, from the expo floor to the post-race brunch, and discuss how organizers can partner with local municipalities to turn road closures into revenue opportunities. Join us to discover how to turn a weekend event into a sustainable economic engine.

Speaker: Jason Gewirtz, Senior Vice President Content/Meetings and Sports, Northstar Meetings Group

Global State of Running: A World Athletics View

As mass participation events enter a new era of innovation, this session provides a comprehensive update on the global health and strategic direction of the sport.

Speaker: Jon Ridgeon, Chief Executive Officer of World Athletics

Choose Your Adventure: Building with AI

Who says product development happens behind closed doors? We’re building an app live, and the crowd is in control. Through a series of interactive votes, you’ll direct an AI to assemble a custom application in real-time.

Speaker: Joe Pace, VP, ASICS Ventures

Run the Experience, Not Just the Race: How to Build Events Where People Linger Longer

Running events have always created meaningful participant moments. But the next growth opportunity extends beyond the finish line. As expectations evolve, races have the opportunity to become events people want to attend, talk about, share, sponsor, and return to year after year. Drawing insights from live sports, festivals, active lifestyle brands, and experiential marketing, this session explores how race organizers can create more value before, during, and after race day while preserving the authenticity that makes running special. Attendees will gain practical ideas for building more watchable, shareable, and culturally relevant events, creating sponsor value that feels additive, identifying what their event can uniquely own, and turning race-day energy into long-term marketing and revenue opportunities for participants, spectators, and partners alike.

Speakers:
Lee Deas, Founder, Obviouslee
Kate Schmieding, VP, Impact + Outdoor, Obviouslee
Becky Hendee, PR Strategist, Obviouslee

Community Diamond

In this deeply inspiring session, Chef Brock introduces “The Community Diamond,” a revolutionary leadership framework adapted from Adlerian psychology (Gemeinschaftsgefühl). Brock shares his personal journey of dismantling the toxic “kitchen brigade” culture to construct a system rooted in self-acceptance, radical trust, and meaningful contribution. Attendees will discover how prioritizing a profound sense of mutual belonging can transform any workplace, unlock untapped creative potential, and demonstrate that the highest standard of excellence is achievable only through the health and harmony of the community.

Fireside chat and Q/A to follow.

Speaker: Sean Brock, Chef, Writer, TV Host, 45 RPM DJ, Dad

Super Human Leadership: How the Next Great Leaders Will Use AI to Become More Human

Leadership is evolving faster than ever, with digital transformation, remote work, AI, and generational shifts among the many changes reshaping how leaders operate. This keynote explores the top leadership trends shaping the future and provides a future-proofing roadmap for today’s leaders. Bailey Parnell combines a decade of experience building leadership development programs for the world’s leading organizations with her doctoral research studying leadership, learning, and organizational change to provide audiences with an action-oriented perspective on the future of leadership.

Speaker: Dr. Bailey Parnell, World-Renowned Speaker. Pioneer in Digital Wellbeing. Founder & CEO of SkillsCamp & the Center for Digital Wellbeing