We had the pleasure of talking to Sally Pigott, Event Director at No.24 Events, who is hosting the very first Moon Rise Run in Manchester’s Heaton Park in April.

What is Moon Rise Run?

Moon Rise Run is a night run and festival experience for everyone – whether you’re a first time or seasoned runner. In a nutshell, up to 5,000 participants will have the opportunity to experience Manchester’s Heaton Park in a completely different light as they charge through our moonlit 5k course on April 18th.

Everyone wears an LED wristband which flashes as you run through the course – the atmosphere created by this is electric! Once people have crossed the finish line, participants are welcomed into our post-run festival where they can refuel at our artisan food and drink stalls and dance the evening away to live music from up and coming bands.

Why did you choose Manchester for your first event?

There are some great running events out there, but a lot of them are either based in, or are launched in, London. Manchester is an incredible city – in bringing the event there first we wanted to shine a spotlight on the city, so Manchester can show the rest of the country how it’s done!

What have been your biggest challenges in putting this event together?

Organising any event is an incredibly complex process, you have to manage everything from on-the-day logistics to promotion and marketing. The biggest challenge then, is the sheer volume and variety of tasks that need to be done by a set deadline.

This is where Eventbrite are essential – they provide a registration and ticketing platform that’s easy to use and has all of the management and social applications you might want. This means the ticketing process is something you just don’t need to worry about.

What do you hope to achieve from Moon Rise Run’s first event?

Running at night is exhilarating – we want to give people the opportunity to experience this in a safe and fun environment.

But above all, we want to provide people in Manchester with a really fun evening, which they will have great memories of. We set the running distance at 5k because it’s something that almost everyone can achieve, ensuring that you can be part of this experience whether you’re used to running or not. After Manchester we hope to roll out Moon Rise Run to other major UK cities.

Which Eventbrite tools can’t you live without?

Eventbrite provide a registration and ticketing system you know you can rely on – both from an organisers and participants point of view.

The registration process is simple and outstandingly reliable, so I know my participants will be able to sign up with ease. Eventbrite also provides on-the-day sign in processes that are tailored to your event. This helps to ensure that participants have a good customer service experience, which is essential, because it shapes their overall perspective of the event and ensures your event feels well run and professional.

Do you have any advice for other event organisers?

Have a clear concept that you really believe in. There are so many events out there and it’s a very competitive market, you need to be confident that your event is going to stand out, and that it’s going to be well received.

I would also advise event organisers to use a company like Eventbrite for registration and ticketing. I have managed events in the past with self-built registration systems and you lose so much time fixing technical issues and managing reporting. With Eventbrite you simply don’t need to think about things like this and the time can be reinvested in selling more tickets!

Where can people go to learn more about Moon Rise Run?

Website: www.moonriserun.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/moonriserunuk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/moonriserunuk

Tickets: http://moonriserun.eventbrite.co.uk

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