Ideas / Around big conferences / Abroad

The morning run

An easy 5 km at seven, a proper breakfast at the finish, everyone at the keynote by nine. The executives who skip every party turn up for this.

Illustration for The morning run

How it runs

  1. 06:45Meet in the lobby of the main hotel. Kit check.
  2. 07:005 km, two pace groups, a scouted route.
  3. 07:45Breakfast at the finish.
  4. 08:45Done. Time to shower and make the keynote.

What to know

  • Routes are scouted and timed in advance.
  • Two pace groups, so nobody runs alone at the back.
  • Breakfast sits near the hotels, not the venue.

Good for

Executive relationships, customer communities.

Not for

Large-scale awareness.

Questions planners ask

Do guests need to be runners?

No. The slow group jogs and walks. The breakfast is the real event.

What if it rains?

Runners run in rain. The breakfast is indoors either way.

Can we brand it?

Lightly: a shirt or a cap people will actually wear again.

Thinking of doing this?

Borrow the idea, it's yours. If you'd like a hand, or just a second opinion on whether it suits your group, write to me. I produce ideas like this one at Sorry, No Polar Bears, a Helsinki studio I co-run.

Email me