Currently there is a report where you can tell if a TR registered participant was a registrant in the previous event (only if the current event has a previous event associated with it). The current feature is limited to only if the current participant was registered for that associated previous event. I would like to expand this (in functionality and beyond reporting) to have an S-tag or some way to identify if a current participant participated in any TR event within the same security category/event type, etc for a specified fiscal year. As far as reporting, maybe be more specific in the current definition of returning participant and add a way to see if they fall in to the "didn't participate in the previous event associated with the current event but did participate in the same category event last year" bucket.

The S-tag would be new entirely so messaging could be personalized in emails or on pagebuilders and badge-like images could appear on personal pages to show appreciation for participants that return year after year. Sure, conditionals by group could do this but not where there are hundreds of events in the event type.

One way to accomplish this on the messaging side would be a new group category/structure so that when people register for an event they are added to a group named after the event type/security category and also by the fiscal year associated with the group. This way I could add a conditional to check for all people in the Walk FY16 registrants group that were also in the Walk FY15 group and have a specific message or image, etc displayed to them. Even further I could take the same scenario and check for Walk FY16 registrants group and Walk FY14 registrants group but not part of Walk FY15 registrants group to show a different message.

The value add for all of this in addition to reporting and internal insight into retention and trends is about increasing retention of participants and make them know we are thankful for their repeat participation. Which really is the biggest metric - the fact they have returned - not just if they have returned for a very specific event within an even more conditional state that the current event happened last year and is associated with the previous event.

I don't mean to go straight to the "how" of how this could happen by mentioning the groups idea. My intention was just to throw out possibilities and being open to the various ways this could be achieved and built into the system so that some really cool personalization things could be done and, of course, in turn have the participant be even more committed and raise more money.