Running Industry Alliance (RIA) is a member-based independent national trade (B2B) organisation built for purpose for the UK & Ireland Running Industry with global reach. Running Industry Alliance exists to collectively assist RIA Members to drive the Running Industry forward to improve the Sport and Business of Running, supporting all RIA Members, the Running Industry and RIA Alliance Members. The aim being to help galvanise, align, elevate, inform, educate, collaborate and advance through collective membership and dedicated running industry support aspects. 

Get in touch to discuss your business being involved with RIA and supporting the industry together, head to the membership tab to contact RIA today

RIA helps to bring together various sectors of the Running Industry into a connected and continual conversation to help galvanise, align, energise, elevate, inform, educate, collaborate and advance whilst creating an amplified voice for various sectors. Driving focus and purpose through a thriving community and eco-system for all RIA Members.

RIA provides its members with purpose-built benefits and promotional opportunities, Industry connectivity along with the annual The Running Conference (TRC) in December and The Spring Gathering (TSG) in April for its members and the Running Industry to meet in person to connect, learn and do business together for the benefit of driving the Running Industry forward.

There are additional RIA Member meet ups (in person and online socials) throughout the year and we are always adding additional business networking opportunities to the members calendar.from RIA Member based events, plus European and Global partnerships. 

There are also opportunities for specific sectors including for example the “Trail Running Area” at Outdoor Trade Show (OTS). This is a collaboration that has created a dedicated trade show space for “Trail Running Area” focus and with a Running Industry Alliance (RIA) HUB at the show for RIA Member and visitor support bringing Running and the Outdoor sectors together in one space.

The RIA Podcast and various news channels (B2B and B2C) including RIA Members newsletter which all offer a way for RIA Members to showcase to each other, to the wider industry and to audiences what they do and also may need including sponsorship, recruitment, services and suppliers for example.

The RIA Education Hub offers learning and education opportunities in a range of online formats from bite-size to longer accredited courses working closely with RIA Members and Partners. 

Six focus areas have been identified by RIA and Members where work is needed to be done. These form a focus point and opportunities for RIA Members to be involved in industry advancement together.

We are working with many projects and tasks for RIA Members and the Industry. We have recently merged with Triathlon Industry Association and more around Running and Triathlon will be discussed at The Running Conference (8th to 10th December) and the first ever Triathlon Industry Conference (9th December), both held at Loughborough University.

“We exist to collectively assist our members to drive the Running Industry forward to improve the Sport and Business of Running”

Get in touch to discuss your business being involved with RIA and supporting the industry together, head to the membership tab to contact RIA today

RIA offers its Members to be part of a membership based independent trade organisation for the UK & Ireland Running Industry. RIA provides many Members benefits which include purpose-built benefits, Industry connectivity, collaboration, showcase opportunities, support and conversation inclusion. Along with access to The Spring Gathering (April), Trade Show (June collaboration at OTS)) and The Running Conference (December) as annual staple in-person events and more.

Get in touch to discuss your business being involved with RIA and supporting the industry together, head to the membership tab to contact RIA today

RIA Overview Structure:

• A focus on a UK & Ireland approach with European and Global Partnerships to assist RIA Members to connect Internationally 
• Based on a 12 month RIA Member rolling membership, starts from when you join for 12 months
• RIA Members can join at any time and the 12 months commence from acceptance of Membership application form and issue of the RIA Membership invoice
• RIA hold the annual “The Running Conference” (TRC) in December for all RIA members to access, full RIA membership includes one “guaranteed” ticket to attend TRC each year
• RIA hold the annual “The Spring Gathering” (TSG) in April, full RIA Membership includes access to this and all other RIA Social Events throughout the year (online and in-person)
• RIA do partner with events also to gain access for RIA Members, these are offered to all RIA Members in RIA Members newsletters (weekly)
• RIA Alliance Advisory Boards “Now” and “Future” are an integral part of RIA, a collective hundreds of years Running, Triathlon and Sport experience between all Board Members, face to face meeting held at The Running Conference in December 2024
• Alliance Partners are strategic and purpose-driven RIA partnerships. These are best described as bridges in and out of the UK & Ireland and globally, built together to help support RIA Members and further advancement of the industry and creating opportunities of collaboration for the industry and RIA Members. Fast-track access and open doors for RIA Members that RIA have built in partnerships to assist RIA Members and the industry to advance faster together
• RIA Experts are a team built by and with RIA for Member benefit of knowledge and experience, this will be showcased at TRC24 
• #RunItForward Initiative is available for members to gift membership to new members if they would like to, please contact one of the RIA Team to discuss this further
• “RIA Online Members Social” are for all RIA Members to access, built for RIA member-to-member meet and interaction opportunity and operated through ZOOM
• “RIA Satellite Meet Ups” are options for RIA Members to attend, where RIA has created an invite opportunity for RIA Members which are often unique and purposeful for RIA Members taking place at sold out events, launches or gatherings that would have useful connections for RIA Members. They are also another opportunity to meet face to face throughout the year together to support, connect, collaborate and do business together
• Trade Show opportunities with access for RIA Members and at special agreed rates with RIA Hub support, for example Outdoor Trade Show (OTS) with the new dedicated “Trail Running Area” built together dedicated to Trail Running 
• Running Industry Alliance Podcast is a merger with the Running Industry Podcast to create this new and exciting running industry podcast
• RIA Education Hub is available for RIA Members to access for learning and education purposes
• RIA actively supports RMIS and more details will be unveiled regarding this at TRC24 
• RIA supports six focus areas which have been defined for 2024 to 2028 work in the industry
• You can read through RIA Member benefits in the next section on the FAQ’s or email membership@runningindustryalliance.com if you have a question

Running Industry Alliance (RIA) Members 

RIA focusses on all sizes and scale of the Running Industry (B2B) by the following 10 defined verticals:

“RIA is an independent member-based trade organisation for all sectors and defined verticals of the Running Industry for RIA Members to be able to come together in a safe business space environment and create a collective approach to working together for the benefit of the industry,”

> RIA Membership reflects the wide diversity of the Running Industry business collective in the UK & Ireland, European and Global connectivity
> RIA is also the connecting bridge for the Running Industry business collective wanting to work with RIA Members in the UK & Ireland. We have many Members from Europe & USA join us for example to engage with UK & Ireland Members and vice versa
> RIA is for existing, established and new brands and / or services entering / for the Running Industry, anyone who is connected to Running Industry then this has been built for you
> RIA drives connectivity whilst sharing Running Industry opportunities within the group eco-system, climate and economy to work together to amplify and continue the drive forward the industry as a whole
> Creating new opportunities that have not been seen as possible before or too time-consuming, RIA does the heavy lifting, filtering information into bite-sizes pieces and showcasing members
> RIA drives conversations that need to be had, whether highlighting by topics, championing vision as a collective, utilising expertise with the group to share best practice, connecting together to be the drivers of change and support the future of running industry as an alliance approach
> RIA breaks down barriers and has the “difficult conversations” for RIA Members, with the emphasis on creating lasting, actionable and positive change
> RIA believes in building not dividing, a new way to unite, meet, discuss, work together through an alliance network with a supported structure and experienced industry RIA Team
> RIA comprises of sector opportunities for all defined verticals and parallel verticals across industries where “running” is the thread
> RIA is B2B, RIA Members are predominantly B2C or B2B if offering services or supply to the sector

Get in touch to discuss your business being involved with RIA and supporting the industry together, head to the membership tab to contact RIA today

RIA FOCUS AREAS: Through working with feedback from The Running Conference and RIA Members a number of focus areas have been defined for 2024 to 2028 industry focus work.

Top-line focus areas for Running Industry Alliance in 2024 include:

• The Market Place
• Research, Data and Insights
• Health and Wellbeing
• Sustainability
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)
• Future

For further details or to get involved please contact RIA Membership by email. 

There are a wide variety of member benefits for being part of RIA, top line benefit headlines include:

• 12 month access to the Running Industry Alliance as a member, from the point your membership application is accepted and invoice process is completed
• Access to the biggest annual member meet up = The Running Conference presented by haku, 8th to 10th December 2024 
• Access to attend The Spring Gathering (April)
• Access to other RIA Members “social” meet ups across the calendar year
• Further RIA Member benefits are highlighted below 
• Added benefits are often added through the year and as RIA Membership continues to grow in the UK, Ireland and globally with Alliance Partners 

Assets: 

• Members logo, url link and up to 300 words “about” are featured on the RIA website in the members section, see all on-boarded and your fellow RIA Members here
• Promotion of your brand or business joining with a link to your RIA Member profile on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram (RIA channels)
• Promotion of your brand or business joining in the RIA Members Newsletter (now weekly)

Content, Spotlight, Awareness and Profile Raising: 

• Access to supply monthly news about your business that is running related, this will be featured across various RIA news channels (B2B and B2C) each month
• Access to apply to be on the Running Industry Alliance podcast, covering essential news, insights and happenings in the Industry each month
• Access to all content at The Running Conference including “first look” at commissioned or collaborative data, research and insights for the Running Industry and wider awareness work
• Access to The Spring Gathering (April) 

Events & Networking:

• Full RIA Membership includes one “guaranteed” ticket to access The Running Conference (TRC), the annual RIA Members Conference held at Loughborough University in December
  Ticket includes all content, all data / research & Insights, networking, activations, free parking, all food (2 x breakfast, 2 x lunch, 2 x dinner), two industry celebration evenings and more!
  Not to be missed if you work within the Running Industry, this is the biggest annual RIA Members meet up of key decision makers across the industry 
• Access to The Spring Gathering, held each year in April in London 
• Access to other follow RIA Members events, launches, championships and meet ups across the year`
• Trade Show access to Outdoor Trade Show (OTS) collab partnership for “Trail Running Area”. OTS is held annually in June in Liverpool and RIA Members get access to OTS member exhibition rates as part of the collaboration.
• Access to the European Running Business Conference held by European Athletics (special ticket rate for RIA Members to purchase), with assisted meet up. Next ERBC is in November in Greece (2024)
• Access to Running USA Conference (special ticket rate for RIA Members to purchase) and assisted meet up at RUSA. Next Conference is February 2025 in the USA (2025)
• More being added as RIA Membership increases and the network continues to grow and expand

Connection: 

• Members are open to discuss their next 12 month focusses with one the RIA Core Team so that additional opportunities and potential connections can be discussed together
• Online “social” opportunities
• RIA Expert connection opportunities
• RIA Match opportunities = member business to member business
• Opportunity to “belong” in a group of likeminded running industry people
• Fast connection to fellow Members (if both parties agree to be introduced)
• Opportunities to connect through the Alliance Partner bridges RIA build for RIA Member benefit

Joining RIA can help you to:

• Raise awareness of your brand or business through RIA channels (news, LinkedIn, podcast, socials and more)
• Amplification of your news and happenings through RIA Channels
• Help you to connect into the industry with faster integration and grow your network
• Meet people in the industry that you may never meet or have the opportunity to meet
• Quick access to the latest industry and fellow member news
• Awareness of business opportunities, partnership and sponsorship options within the network and beyond
• Access to RIA Member events and curated industry events that are useful and have purpose for your brand / business
• Special rates to access partner events, services, suppliers and fellow relevant conferences in the UK and Globally – often with a group of fellow RIA Members attending
• Enable you to access the network and become part of the eco-system through annual membership and building meaningful partnerships
• Help you to create connections and potential longevity relationships in the industry through membership recognition

Additional benefits are available at The Running Conference – Built for RIA Members, the Running Industry, the B2B must-attend annual event!

Get in touch to discuss your business being involved with RIA and supporting the industry together, head to the membership tab to contact RIA today

The Running Conference is built for all Running Industry Alliance Members and features Running Industry specific curated content in a safe-space business environment.

This is our biggest annual RIA Members meet up an takes place 8th to 10th December at Loughborough University.. We have separate website with the lates TRC24 information on, please visit to find out more. 1 x “guaranteed” ticket is built into full RIA Membership (further tickets can be purchased subject to availability). This is an absolute must-attend event for anyone in the Running Industry and sector (B2B). 

Go to www.therunningconference.com for further information about The Running Conference.

The Running Conference 2024 presented by haku : 8th to 10th December 2024 | Loughborough 

If you are not a RIA Member you can apply today here: Membership and complete the application form, a member of the RIA will be in touch within 24 hours. 

The Spring Gathering is a Spring Gathering in April, this started in 2023 and will continue as part of RIA Membership. This is held annually at a RIA Member location in London.

You must be a Member of the Running Industry Alliance to be able to attend this annual event, it is a safe space businessl networking and social environment.

Save the Date: The Spring Gathering 2025: 23rd April 2025 | London

If you are not a RIA Member please visit the RIA Membership to apply today.

RIA Education Hub is a portal for RIA Members to be able to access learning and education for actionable change either individually, in their business or in the industry. There will be a range of content that is a mix of curated, bite-size and more in-depth accredited courses announced at TRC24 for 2025 onwards. This education has been built for RIA Members and their teams who are in the Running Industry and launching with a DEIB content accredited courses delivery partnership. RIA will be constantly adding content and education to the RIA Education Hub for RIA Members and their teams to access. This will be a mix of free and paid for content and courses depending on the subject, focus, length of courses and accreditation aspects. The aim is for as much content to be online as possible for ease of learning and education access.

Get in touch to discuss your business being involved with RIA and supporting the industry together, head to the membership tab to contact RIA today

Trade Show access opportunities include “Trail Running Area” which is in partnership with the Outdoor Trade Show (OTS), held in June each year in Liverpool. This brings the Running and Outdoor industries together and has been viewed as a very supportive and collaborative partnership that was built for trade show purpose and to create connected and new industry opportunities.

RIA Members have a “member rate match” to OIA at OTS to exhibit in the dedicated “Trail Running Area” in association with OTS at the trade show and also ticket access to attend by being a RIA Member.

If you are not a RIA Member please visit the RIA Membership to apply today.

Originally the Running Industry Podcast (2020) hosted by Matt Ward, now having joined forces with RIA to become the collaborative podcast Running Industry Alliance Podcast in association with supersonic from 2023 onwards. The first B2B collab series will encompass up to 12 episodes, each featuring chats with various RIA Member guests “in conversation with” about the running industry.

The new collaborative podcast will be hosted by Matt as Anchor with Becs, Jonathan and Tom, rotating on episodes around various content.

You can listen on the player or Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Deezer.

Get in touch to discuss your business being involved with RIA and supporting the industry together, head to the membership tab to contact RIA today

Pricing for Running Industry Alliance (RIA) Membership | Full and Part Options | Overview | 2024 and 2025

> RIA Membership starts from acceptance of application and invoice raising and continues for 12 months from that point onwards
> RIA Membership is renewed on an annual basis (rolling) and the RIA Member rate (that you joined at) is held at that rate for two years (payable per year)
> RIA Membership invoices can be paid by BACS, direct debit, credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay payments online / NOTE: All payments are + VAT
> RIA Membership must be applied for and approved by RIA
> Application “interest to hear more form” is here on the membership page
> Any RIA Member applications will result initially with an online call with one of the RIA Team

RIA Member Option FULL 2024 / 2025 Membership 

> £950 + VAT for FULL RIA Membership (12 months), which includes 1 x “guaranteed” ticket access to The Running Conference 2024, for one person from your business to attend
> Your “The Running Conference” guaranteed ticket (x1) includes all food (x2 dinners, x2 breakfasts, x2 lunches), parking, networking, activations, data / research and insights access, tea / coffee, arrival drinks and access to Erdinger Bar, 2 x evening celebrations and content for The Running Conference, 8th to 10th December 2024, held at Loughborough University
> Additional tickets for RIA Members (FULL) for The Running Conference 2024 #TRC24 are £350 plus VAT at “Early Bird” booking rate (before 31st October) and will raise to £450 plus VAT (1st November onwards) subject to availability and until capacity is reached for #TRC24. This is based on 1 additional ticket per business then a waiting list for further tickets due to capacity limit at the venue and demand for The Running Conference 2024
> First option to renew your membership and membership level in 2025 / 2026 for another 12 months at the 2024 price (if membership continues without a break)

RIA Member Option PART 2024 / 2025 Membership

> Option to take 12 month RIA Membership only at £600 + VAT which has no ticket or “guaranteed” ticket access to The Running Conference 2024
> First option to renew your membership and membership level in 2025 / 2026 for another 12 months at the 2024 price (if membership continues without a break)
> You can upgrade at any time during your 12 month membership to add 1 x ticket to The Running Conference to your RIA Membership at £350 + VAT at Early Bird Rate (before 31st October) or £450 + VAT after Early Bird finished (from 1st November), all depending upon ticket availability

If you are not a RIA Member please visit the RIA Membership to apply today.

Any questions please email the RIA Membership Team. 

MEMBER B2B IN-PERSON EVENTS

Running Industry Alliance (RIA)
CALENDAR OF ANNOUNCED EVENTS 2024 + 2025

NEXT EVENTS:

RIA Member International Opportunity
European Running Business Conference (ERBC)
8th to 10th November 2024 | Athens 

The Running Conference presented by haku (TRC24)
The Annual RIA Members Conference – RIA Event
8th to 10th December 2024 | Loughborough 

RIA Member International Opportunity
Running USA Industry Conference presented by haku (RUSA)
2nd to 4th February 2025 | Louisville, Kentucky

The Spring Gathering – RIA Event
23rd April 2025 | London 

More to be announced for RIA Members for 2025 onwards