Hearing about the new all-female “Ghostbusters” film got us a little sentimental and we had to re-watch the original. Maybe we’ve been in the endurance industry too long, but the movie’s characters reminded us of people who could (or should) be on your endurance event staff. Sound a little out there? It probably is, but have a read and see if you start thinking about these guys when it comes to your endurance event management:
Egon (Harold Ramis) – Finances
Bespectacled, awkward, and a man of few words, Egon was the biggest brainiac on the Ghostbusters team. What he lacked in social skills, he made up for in serious dedication to his work and whip-smart theories. When it comes to your staff, someone like Egon should be managing your finances. His or her rigid approach to number-crunching and focus on tiny details will help you stick to a budget and stay profitable. And if you’re lucky, they’ll only sleep 14 minutes a day like Egon and spend all waking hours balancing your books!
Peter (Bill Murray) – Sales/Sponsorships
How great would it be if you had Bill Murray managing sales and sponsorships for you? OK, he’s probably busy filming his scenes in the “Ghostbusters” reboot, but his personality is essentially what you need for race promotions negotiations and sponsor wooing. The humor, the charisma, the irreverence…this is your sales guy. Just like Peter with the team of parapsychologists, you need a front man who can walk into a room and leave with everyone (or every ghost) in his pocket.
Ray (Dan Aykroyd) – Operations
Ray was one of the team’s most specialized experts and was known for wordy and overly technical explanations. Sound familiar? Yep, it’s your operations manager. This person will have an intense enthusiasm for their work, a can-do attitude, and deep knowledge of things that seem obscure to most people. With Ray, that knowledge was based around paranormal history and metallurgy, but we’re guessing it will be things like fencing units per square foot and gallons of water per aid station for your ops manager.
Winston (Ernie Hudson) – Race Management
Winston was the everyman and voice of reason for the Ghostbusters. He was a skeptic who quickly accepted and adapted to situations he’d never faced before, and to us, that is exactly what a race director does. Like Winston, most race directors have a down-to-earth approach to the job and might not have a formal background in the industry. But they know how to get stuff done, and end up making the community a better place. They’ll help you get more bang for your buck for everything from your online race registration software to your race timing service and race results software. They have a race director checklist that leaves no stone unturned.
What we know for sure, about both the Ghostbusters and your event staff, is that the most important characteristic of a strong team is everyone being passionate about their field of study (whether that’s parapsychology or race event management).
What character do you think you are? Comment below or contact us to talk about endurance event management (and the brilliance of Bill Murray)!
Need help with more than just your event staff? Download our guide on how to plan a 5K race here.
To learn more about ChronoTrack, contact us.
