Where did it start and what is the plan?
The first part is a lot easier to answer than the second! Big Bear Events was started due to a few rather life changing events, I had twins (with a bit of help from my wife!), I left my job to stay at home with them and we all moved from Kent to Rugby. I needed to do a job where I could pick the children up from school and be at home during 13 weeks of school holidays. Having just left the one profession where in theory that was possible (as I knew in practice it wasn’t!) I had to come up with ideas.
I’ve no memory of where starting an events company originally came from but it had been bubbling around for a while and these life-events sort of kicked me over the edge to start. I’d started to run ultras a year or so before my children arrived with encouragement from members of my tri club, Medway Tri. Without going into excessive detail I’d run with a few different organisers at all distances and in triathlon and could see a huge variety in quality, price, professionalism and overall experience. Some excellent at all, some awful at all and many a mixture. I knew what I liked and thought being an RD would fit my skillset. Essentially it needed good organisation. I was really keen to bring the ultra-running experience to shorter distances (walking and loads of food at the aid station!!)
Fast forward a couple of years, and a lot of dirty nappies and sleepless nights, and I registered Big Bear Events Ltd late in 2016 with the intention of starting events in 2018. I thought I’d always be a year ahead with my planning for events. The first year went really well. I sold all of the events out well over 6 months before they’re race date. This was probably to do with the rock bottom pricing! My theory had been that these were “test events”. If you hadn’t paid loads for the event and there were hiccups you couldn’t grumble too much! This was also the reasoning to having small numbers, if there is a problem the less people to see it the better! Excluding a few minor issues (cheap gazeboes in wind, Aldi brand cola for example) the events worked and people liked them.
The 5 events of year 1 turned to 13 for year 2 and an increase in the venues used and the addition of some 10K’s alongside the “standard” 6 hour lapped format. My prices had gone up but interest was still high and I’d started to build somewhat of a fanbase. I’d begun to get regulars, some (Brian and Kat at this point come to mind) attended nearly every event. There is no greater compliment or marker for success than repeat business. Let alone coming back to run for hours on end!
And so 2020 was the big year to prove that the whole model can be truly profitable and make me money to justify the time and effort that goes in to this (I’m writing this at 22:30 on a Saturday night for example!). Obviously, that didn’t go to plan!
So what’s the plan? Well that is a harder question to answer. Everything needs to settle down post lockdown to really assess what the outlook is. I still think there is hesitancy to part with money for fear of events being cancelled and hesitancy to return to events with people! I’m hoping these will lift as people see events happening and understand the additional safety of being outside.
What will Big Bear look like next year - and in 5 more? Hopefully not to dissimilar to today. I’m hoping to add in a few more weekend ultras. I have concrete plans on a corker of an event for next May (just waiting for final sign off). This is in addition to the Warwickshire Bear Ultra that I’m hoping will be a fixture on the ultra map, especially as Warwickshire’s only ultra marathon. I’m looking forward to the summer 10K series and hoping it will prove popular. I’ve new venues to add to the 6 hour midweek collection too. Lots of plan bubbling away!
The key for me though is the standards wont drop. The communication before the event will be clear and forthcoming. Responses to emails and messages will be measured in minutes and hours not days. The events will be informal and relaxed but also professional. We’ll have an aid station any 8 year old would be pleased to have at their birthday party (minus the coffee!!). We’ll try to bring new experiences to events like the try-on events. And we’ll celebrate everyone’s success, whether that be their first 10K or a new course record.
But really I couldn’t tell you what the Big Bear race calendar will look like in 2023, hopefully jam packed with events though!!