On Sunday I ran my first half marathon with my best friend in Rochester, NY. It was so much fun, a beautifully planned run that took us through the bustle of downtown Rochester, historic districts, a gorgeous park and cemetery. We ran past old art deco movie houses, a vintage Chevrolet station that’s now a cafe and Susan B. Anthony’s house (complete with folks dressed in period costumes).

The city of Rochester planned this run and it went so smoothly, we even received medals at the end. I’m amazed at how a city could pull off such a great customer experience. They thought of every touch point including apples and bananas at the end as a healthy snack.

It’s so inspiring to realize that if a city like Rochester can achieve an amazing experience, any company can do the same. It doesn’t take a lot to put yourself in your customer’s running shoes and give them little “gifts” all along their journey with you. These details like printing the runners’ names on the bibs and announcing our names when we finished were easy to achieve technologically and just took a little pre-planning. I’ve been to conferences that were not as well planned by folks who are in industries that should know better. Well done Rochester I’ll be back again next year!