2017 Annual Report
2017 in Review This year marked the fifth season of the Enduro World Series (EWS) and what an incredible year it s been. The 2017 season will go down as one of the most challenging to date - thanks largely to some pretty extreme weather - but rain aside, it s been another great year. The series is constantly growing and evolving as the Enduro Mountain Bike Association (EMBA) strives to ensure the EWS sets the benchmark for international mountain biking competition. There have been a number of changes introduced in 2017, the most major being our new timing partnership with Sportident. The series has invested heavily in order to bring the seamless transition of live timing data to our fans so they can follow the racing in real time and more closely than ever before. Having dedicated Sportident staff at all venues this year has allowed for smooth timing and racing throughout the season for our athletes, as well as providing a fantastic additional service for our local organisers. We ve also joined forces with Specialized as our new Trail Partner, and together we re spreading the word about trail maintenance and sustainability, alongside introducing a Trail of the Year Award to recognise the hard work of our trail builders. Juliana Bicycles have come on board as our women s partner, providing five free women only ride outs in a bid to encourage more females into the sport. This season also saw us invest in an Olympic level medical tracking programme in conjunction with Edinburgh Napier University as we endeavour to monitor and analyse injuries at all EWS and affiliated events, with a particular interest in concussion and head injuries. As announced earlier this year, the EWS now has its own TV highlights show that is being distributed globally by IMG Media. Nine 26 minute episodes have been completed, and distribution has been confirmed across 30 channels in 27 countries, with a projected audience of up to 300 million. We re excited to bring our amazing sport to such a wide audience and see it go from strength to strength.
Here is a snapshot of the projects that have been successfully introduced this season; Sport Partnership with Sportident to provide consistent, reliable timing and Sportident staff now on site at all rounds. Introduction of the Qualifier Series, allowing a clear pathway into the EWS series Introduction of a Master Women category to encourage more women to participate Investment in an Olympic grade medical tracking system at all EWS and affiliated events to monitor and analyse injuries, with a special focus on concussion and head injuries Increased contingency planning for every event - despite this year s weather problems not a single stage was cancelled Introduction of Challenger Events to allow people to experience the EWS without the pressure of a full race Created the EWS Awards Dinner to recognise the hard work of athletes, organisers and trail builders throughout the year Trail Partnership with Specialized to promote trail maintenance and sustainability Partnership with Juliana Bicycles to provide free women s ride outs at select rounds to encourage women s participation in enduro Communications Nine 26 minute TV Highlight shows distributed to 30 channels across 26 countries and four continents Invested in new media tracking software allowing more detailed and accurate tracking of EWS coverage and global reach Introduced dedicated tech focused video at each race to help supporters and teams highlight their products Ongoing project to create new, interactive EWS website to allow riders, fans and teams more engagement with site content and more of an insight into the series Started discussions with IMBA relating to a coherent approach between organisations on trail advocacy Hosted a forum on E-Bikes, including key European industry representatives
Sport Our Riders Riders starting a 2017 EWS 2960 Nationalities 42 Official Teams 31 EMBA members 1298 Our Races EWS Races EWS Challenger Races EWS Qualifier Races 8 (8 countries) 4 (4 countries) 49 (19 countries) EWS Special Stages 56 Metres Climbed in EWS 17,436m Metres Descended in EWS 20,851m Total Racing Time of 2017 EWS Longest Stage in km (EWS) Total km raced in 2017 EWS 5h 24m 12km 561km
Communications & Video This year we have continued with our in-house video production model, allowing us to talk directly to our fans and tell the story of each race as well as provide plenty of behind the scenes action. In 2017 new presenter and producer Ric McLaughlin has been at the helm, along wth guest appearances from Tracy Moseley in both Ireland and France. Also new this season is the introduction of a dedicated tech video at each round, which has proven popular with fans and teams alike as it s great way to help promote new products and innovations from our partners. Video views are up nearly 20% across all platforms, and with the nine TV highlight shows now confirmed to be broadcast in 26 countries across four continents with an estimated potential audience of 300 million, the Enduro World Series is now reaching a wider audience than ever before. Website Total views 3.6 million Average session duration 5:09 min Returning visitors 61% New visitors 39% Live Page Views 1.16 million Others 26% Website Visitors by Country USA 15% GBR 12% Event Page Views 241,000 IRE 3% CHI 3% ESP 5% CAN 5% GER 6% EWS Supporter & Team Impressions* AUS 6% ITA 8% FRA 11% Video Supporter Logo Impressions Gold Supporter Logo Impressions Gold Supporter Instagram Feed Views via EWS homepage 5.2 million 3.6 million 623,879 Official Team Page Views 34,530 *Figures provided by Google Analytics
TV Distribution Data - Provided by IMG
Media Media 2016 2017 2016 2017 Accredited Journalists 378 425 Nationalties 22 19 Print & Web Articles 2984 3081* Languages or articles 22 17 Article Reach N/A 106 million* News recipients 45,809 77,130 Press Releases issued 28 30 Instagram Facebook Twitter Video 2015 2016 2017 Videos Produced by EWS 54 54 63 Total minutes produced by EWS Total Video Views on EWS online channels 273 370 748 1.28 million 2.74 million 3.2 million Social Media* 2016 2017 Facebook Fans 73,000 95,000 Facebook Reach n/a 461 million Instagram Followers 155,000 216,000 Instagram Reach n/a 8.2 million Twitter Followers 23,000 25,700 Twitter Reach n/a 39 million * Figures provided by Meltwater Media
Budget Spend The Enduro World Series is funded through the group of generous industry brands listed at the bottom of the page. As in previous years, a large part of our spend is on video production as we grow the appeal and fan base of the sport. Our aim continues to be to elevate the levels of participation, professionalism and coverage so we can add value to the events, teams, riders and companies in this incredible sport. We thank you all for your commitment and trust in the Enduro World Series. Department Spend Timing 17% Video Production 30% Administration 30% 1% Planet Software Development 3% Communications 15% Medical Programme 4% 12 Number of EWS staff attending each event 9 6 3 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
2018 Plans Next year will be the series sixth and we intend to keep pushing to grow and strengthen enduro, elevating the level of competition and pushing the sport forward. 2018 Plans include: Early launch of 2019 calendars to allow all parties to work further ahead, helping budget, athlete and market development Development of affiliate EWS event network, creation of a new World Ranking structure and align Official EWS Team benefits with a wider event network Launch of EWS online shop. EWS Merchandise will go on sale early 2018 to further fan engagement in the sport Athlete Manager on site at all eight events next year to assist riders and teams throughout race week Continued investment in new software that will allow riders, teams and fans interactive experience with enduroworldseries.com Phased launch of new website, database profiles for all teams and riders, affiliate EWS events and live feed applications Continue development of E-Bike topics, with a view to preserving trail access and responsible use of trails.
Thanks to all of our supporters - it is your vision and generosity that allows us to grow. Here s to 2018 - Chris Ball Managing Director