Columbus, OH — The 2024 U.S. Trotting Association Board of Directors annual meeting commenced at the Columbus Hilton at Easton Hotel Friday (March 8) at 5 p.m. with the Marketing and Communications Committee meeting.

The Board of Directors annual meeting commenced with the Marketing and Communications Committee meeting. USTA/Mark Hall photo.

After welcome remarks and the roll call by USTA Director of Marketing and Communications Dan Leary, committee co-chair Ashley Tetrick discussed the need to participate in social media and the importance of being positive in promoting the sport.

The agenda included a recap of the results for 2023 on the organization’s eight social media platforms — USTrotting (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok) and the HarnessRacingFanzone (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and those platform’s 140,990 followers. The presentation included highlights of the past year as well as the goals and objectives of the social media team.

For the first time in 2023, the USTA team of Wendy Ross, Kyle Creditt, Rich Johnston and Mark Hall were able to conduct 17 social media campaigns, which resulted in 13.2 million impressions, more than 752,000 engagements with a rate of 5.6 percent and a cost of $0.75 per thousand, well below the all-industry average of $5.

In an educational segment on the agenda, Ross and Creditt discussed planning and execution, scheduling and analyzing results and explained what works best with the different platforms.

The recommendations of the Broadcast Committee for the breakdown of 2024 broadcast funding awards totaling $125,000 for 19 different organizations were announced. The categories were for live television coverage, internet-based live streaming and social media human interest related shows.

Finally, there was a presentation of a new harness racing website that is being created to attract new fans to the sport.

The annual meeting continues on Saturday morning (March 9) with an Executive Committee meeting at 8:30 a.m., the Board of Director’s General Open Session at 10 a.m., the annual Recognition Luncheon where Dan Daley and Joe Morris will receive President’s Awards, followed by the Racing Committee (2 p.m.) and Registration Committee at 4 p.m.

A reception at 6 p.m. concludes the day’s events.

On Sunday (March 10), two more committees — Finance at 9 a.m. and Rules at 10:30 a.m. — will be followed by the Board of Director’s closing session slated for 11:30 a.m.