Raceatlas
Event photography and leading cycling directory
Raceatlas
Backend Development
Interface Design
Digital Strategy
Delivering tens of thousands of personalized photos to participants of cycling, running and triathlon events.
At Bigthing, we created a platform for Raceatlas to identify, customize and distribute photos to event participants. We then helped them create a leading directory for events, and establish a community for cyclists to learn more about their passion.
Overcoming the Challenge
Prior to our system, distributing professionally-taken photos from events was a time intensive and error-prone process for Raceatlas. Tens of thousands of photos would be taken at a sporting event, and these would need to be edited, identified and uploaded to the web in high-quality. Photos needed to be processed by the following day, in order to compete with other photography services.
Once photos were uploaded, the problems continued as existing image sale websites were poorly able to handle the surge in traffic from event participants. Furthermore, these sites were not tailored to these events, and so many customers would contact Raceatlas with difficulties accessing their photos.
Solution & Success
Bigthing created a bespoke web platform that streamlined the process by up to 80%, reducing the amount of labour, and increasing accuracy and sales. Photo identification is assisted by our custom designed technology, reducing errors significantly during the process.
Our platform was an all-in-one solution that allowed Raceatlas to swifty customise photos and make them available for immediate online purchase. Scalable servers provide capacity for events of any size and Content Distribution Network (CDN) integration ensures the experience is fast for participants around the world. Since the experience is tailor-made for event participants, we were able to make obtaining photos as simple as possible, significantly reducing the workload of customer support.
Our further work with Raceatlas included adding a directory component to the site, to list major cycling marathons and events around the world. This helped to establish Raceatlas as the leader for cycling mass-participation events. We have also created a news feed that constantly scrapes the web in real-time for the latest cycling news and videos.
Results & Milestones
In its first year of operation, Bigthing’s platform helped Raceatlas host over 200,000 photos, catering to over 30,000 participants across various events. Raceatlas were the official photographers for major events such as Around the Bay and the Gatorade Triathlon Series.
Our ongoing goal is to create a space for cycling enthusiasts to learn more about their passion, including tips, news and training videos.
