Transforming the Participant Experience Before Race Day
‘You. Smart. Thing.’ speaking at the European Running Business Conference 2026 – Porto-Gaia, Portugal | 6–8 November 2026
The fifth edition of the European Running Business Conference (ERBC) heads to Porto-Gaia, bringing together race organisers, federations, technology providers and industry leaders from across Europe and beyond for three days focused on the future of running.
Organised by European Athletics and co-hosted by Runporto and the Portuguese Athletics Federation, ERBC2026 offers a packed programme of talks, panel discussions, showcases and networking, covering everything from industry trends and new revenue streams to AI, data and the runner journey. The conference concludes on Sunday 8 November with the EDP Porto Marathon, giving delegates the chance to experience race day first-hand.
Ready, Set… Where?
How Better Planning Transforms the Participant Experience Before Race Day
This session brings together a series of presentations on the products, resources and solutions helping race organisers deliver a better experience for runners.
A runner’s experience begins long before the start line. Yet participants are often expected to navigate unfamiliar cities, road closures, different waves and multiple start areas using generic pre-event briefings and static travel information.
This presentation will explore how race organisers can help runners and spectators visualise and plan their individual race day before leaving home. Tabita will show how personalised pre-event planning can reduce uncertainty, improve arrivals, support crowd management and introduce lower-carbon travel choices at the point when participants make their decisions.
Drawing on major running events, Tabita will share innovation being developed with London Marathon Events to support the changing scale and complexity of mass participation events. She will also explore how oversubscribed races can use ballots as an earlier opportunity to influence travel behaviour as with UTMB Boost for the Worlds Series Finals in Chamonix.
The session will uncover an exciting and largely untapped space between participant communications, operational planning and the physical race-day experience, helping organisers improve delivery while letting participants focus on their performance.
Date & Time: Saturday 7 November 2026 | 17:15 – 18:00
Session: Products, Resources and Solutions for Runners and Race Organisers
Location: Porto-Gaia, Portugal
Moderator:
Mina Smiljanić, Moderator of ERBC2026
Speakers:
- Veroljub Zmijanac, Race Director and Founder, HYBRIDS™ & Schneider Electric Serbia Business Run & Walk
- Tania Branzanic, International Sports Presenter and Brand Ambassador, Compos Sport Events
- Shoaib Nizami, CEO, Passu & Sports in Pakistan
- Tabita Bobs, Sustainable Travel Consultant, ‘You. Smart. Thing.’
Meet the Team
Tabita will be attending ERBC2026 throughout the programme. Whether you’re joining the sessions, exploring the expo or networking across the conference, she’d love to connect and discuss how personalised travel planning can support your race delivery and participant experience.
Plan Your Travel and Learn More
Plan your travel to Porto-Gaia and learn more about the event below.
