One month in

As we navigate past the first month of 2024, the atmosphere at Ultra X is undeniably optimistic. With the current momentum, we are on track for a corker of a year and are starting to gear up to enter the much-anticipated Phase 2 of Ultra X – the model works, let’s stop putting out fires and focus on creating magic.

Of course, we’re only one month in and of course, like New Years resolutions, dry January and many other things, it’s easy for numbers to look bright for a few weeks when the nation is looking for their next challenge. We were similarly optimistic at this time last year…

January is a peculiar month for us, it’s one marked by a fairly consistent routine (rare in events) and reflections on the dual nature of my role. One during “peace time” which is focused on reviewing the past, planning for the future and engaging in partner conversations and sales strategy, the other during “war time” which is all about operational excellence and delivery. The more good work that is done in “peace time”, the easier “war time” will be.

Highlights, focuses and what’s on my mind:

-????????? Event Registrations

For the first time in the five years of Ultra X (although I still consider this as our third event season due to “you know what”) we have every event open we will host this year open for registration. This is a huge win for us.

1)????? Extending the sales period increases our chances of selling more slots. There are of course, variances for some products, but for events the more time you give yourself, the better.

2)????? Secondly, operationally it means we are well set, our team aren’t still finalising bits for launches this year, we aren’t dashing off around the world on fun, but exhausting, location recces to set up new events.

Energy is now being spent on getting bums on seats for our current events and considering where we might launch for 2025, again giving ourselves as much headroom as possible.

-????????? Partner Value Proposition

The beginning of the year is when we engage with brands and individuals with a view to collaborating over the event season ahead. This year, with the goal of working with more brands than ever before, we're redefining the narrative.

Gone are the days of one-way transactions; this year we are fully committed to demonstrating value. Our focus is on providing measurable KPIs, both financial and in terms of awareness, to everyone cooperating with us. The goal is simple – ensuring that all stakeholders can unequivocally say they derived tangible value from their association with Ultra X. With 12 events, an engaged global community and over 4,000 participants at races this year we know that we can offer huge value and we’re having some incredibly exciting conversations.

-????????? Team Alignment

As we venture into the second month of 2024, our primary challenge is to ensure that February matches the dynamism and enthusiasm we experienced in January. The direction of the Ultra X team is clear – we are completely committed to making 2024 a resounding success – however I’m acutely aware that when event season begins people begin getting pulled in different directions (in my business literally).

The focus is to cultivate an energy akin to the one exemplified in Essentialism, my current reading, as demonstrated in the image below and allow it to continue.

-????????? Future Planning

Within this “peacetime” period there’s also an opportunity to use the time to think and setup for the future. With over 25 events spanning four continents and five years of collective wisdom within our core team, we’re very aware of the need to transition our knowledge from individual minds to pen and paper.

In our pursuit of scalability and operational efficiency as key success factors, we are being as organised as possible; crafting Sales and Operations Bibles, comprehensive guides that will govern every facet of our operations. This documentation will not only streamline our current processes but also lays the foundation for sustained growth and derisks us from “key player” syndrome.

In a further commitment to innovation, we’ve initiated an Experimentation Tracker. This will systematically log every experiment, marketing campaign, and other, allowing us to critically review every test we do. Recognizing that the most successful businesses are those unafraid of failures and swift to adapt, this tracker becomes an invaluable asset in our pursuit of continuous improvement and excellence.

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