Ourea Events reports 30% increase in event registration
Endurance events company Ourea Events has reported a 30% increase in event registration, defying an industry-wide decline in participation to follow the pandemic.
The Kendal based events company, which specialises in organising ultra-running events including the Cape Wrath Ultra®, Scarpa Great Lakeland 3Day™, and Dragon’s Back Race® was, along with the wider events industry, hit hard in 2020. The uncertain economic climate making for an increasingly difficult recovery.
Not one to shy away in the face of difficulty, Ourea Events has addressed the challenges head on, significantly investing in its central marketing activity and enlisting the support of specialist strategic agency, Outside of Ordinary, to redefine the business’s brand strategy and visual identity.
Together with Ourea Events, the specialist agency which counts Mountain Equipment, Adidas Terrex, Tog24, Ronhill, and the British Mountaineering Council amongst its clients, has transformed the way the Cumbrian business looks, sounds, and behaves cementing Ourea Events’ position as the authority in the ultra-running events sector.
Work on the transformational strategy commenced in January 2023 with Outside of Ordinary working with Ourea Events to redefine and market the organisation’s iconic Dragon’s Back Race®, a legendary 380km, six-day ultra running journey through Wales.
This first phase of work has driven demonstrable results, with Ourea Events recording a 30% increase in event registration year-on-year (2023/2024).
Speaking on the partnership, Shane Ohly, Chief Executive of Ourea Events, said: “The pandemic had a catastrophic impact on the events industry. This, coupled with the uncertain economic climate, has made for a challenging recovery.
“We’ve approached it head on, significantly increasing our central marketing budget and enlisting the support of Outside of Ordinary to help us strengthen our brand proposition, emphasising Ourea Events’ commitment to providing quality and exceptional life-changing event experiences.
“First results are impressive with a 30% increase in registration in our iconic Dragon’s Back Race® year-on-year, defying sector challenges. We’re looking forward to further rolling out our new brand identity over the coming months and continuing our work with Outside of Ordinary. Despite the difficulties, I remain optimistic about the trail running market’s future.”
Co-Founder of Outside of Ordinary, Chris Conlan, added: “Ourea Events deliver a series of world class mountain running challenges. We relished the opportunity of further building the business’s reputation as the authority in its field. Every event Ourea stages is planned meticulously under Shane’s watchful eye, so part of our role was to bring this expertise to the fore and position Ourea Events as the Rolls Royce of expedition running event providers.
“The Dragon’s Back Race® is utterly iconic, yet at the same time rather intimidating, so, another communication objective for us was to awaken the adventurer within, in an audience who may have ruled themselves out as not being good enough to enter.
“Yes, it’s difficult, but it is unbelievable what can be achieved through training and determination. The history of the Dragon’s Back is full of ordinary people doing amazing things, so we’re looking forward to many more, sharing this life changing experience next year and beyond.”
A captivating commemorative book of 2023’s event ‘In the Footsteps of Legends’, produced by the Manchester headquartered agency and featuring the new brand identity, is a testament to the iconic event and the personal stories of its legendary participants.
It is the first of a suite of newly branded products to be launched with a re-imagined Ourea Events website to be introduced in the coming months. The strapline ‘lifechanging challenges, exceptional support’ captures the very essence of the business, which is recognised for its unrivalled expertise in producing the best, safest and most supportive events in the industry.
The personalities of each of the individual events have also been redefined, with newly developed communication guidelines and visual language providing strategic alignment across all marketing and events channels including digital, social media, email and all in-event and event marketing materials.
Founded by Ian Hogg and Chris Conlan, Outside of Ordinary builds authentic active and outdoor brands that connect better to people and planet. Clients include Mountain Equipment, Adidas Terrex, Tog24, Ronhill, and the British Mountaineering Council.
