SPORT TOURING

from Reasons to Ride January 2023

by REASONS TO RIDE Motorcycle Magazine and Ride Guides

MOTORCYCLE MINISTRY

as inclement weather can hit us on either end of the season. It’s not uncommon for us to get hit with snow in October and the last few May’s have been amongst the wettest on record. Fall runs get complicated with end of summer commitments, last minute vacations, football, and school being in session - so September and even late August events are more difficult to promote. That leaves us with June through early August as our primary season. This equates to approximately 11 weekends for you and everyone else planning motorcycle events to choose from. So, your next consideration is what else is already going on in your area? For this you need to consult with the various dealerships and venues in your area. You can call them up, check their websites, or just ask around. Eventually, you’ll be able to find them all on ReasonsToRide.com – but if you’re starting in your planning, you’ll need to look back at past calendars and listings for where the “big annuals” land. If you’re planning a first-year event, I’ve also found that it’s helpful to follow a major event that might allow you the opportunity to promote your run. For instance, if you are hosting a poker run or charity run anywhere close to Sandusky, Ohio or even Northern Ohio - I’d recommend you getting a booth at Ohio Bike Week. It’s the “Largest Motorcycle Event in the Midwest” and just about any rider within 200 miles is going to be there. It’s a great chance to promote your ride to thousands of dedicated riders. Booths set up at regional rallies, local bike nights, or even swap meets allow you to directly connect with riders to talk about your event. When bikers have a great time at an event, they often get primed for “the next ride” so I suggest striking while the iron’s hot. These established events often present a great opportunity for you to promote your ride to a group of riders together, when it’s easy to get everyone to commit at ounce. You might also consider offering early registration packages – maybe discounted or including a free t-shirt – for those that sign up at the earlier event. Not only does it lock in riders, It might also encourage them to get the whole gang to sign up. If you have online registration, you can even have tablets or QR codes on banners and cards to allow folks to easily sign up with you. When launching a new ride, it’s especially worth considering opportunities such as this. Every little thing helps and it’s worth considering not only events that might conflict with your date, but also events that might contribute to your numbers as well. I refer to these as “spring boards”. With these in mind, it’s worth considering that the earlier your ride falls in the season, the less time you have to promote it in such a manner. Lastly, you need to feel comfortable that you’ve allowed yourself enough time to effectively plan and market your ride. If you are an experienced organizer with a solid pool of riders to draw from, (IE. from a riding club, customer base, or larger organization) you may be able to throw together a ride in just a few weeks. If you or your organization are new to the motorcycle community or inexperienced in planning a ride – you need to allow yourself more time to effectively plan the run. If this is a first-year event and you are looking to reach out to unknown riders in the community – you will need to allow yourself at least 6 to 8 weeks. If you are looking to secure sponsorships and outside contributions, you should allow

yourself at least 3 to 4 months of advance work. Of course, a lot of this depends on how many people you have working on the Poker Run. If you have a larger organization to draw on for support and contributions, you can organize things much more quickly. If it’s a smaller team project – such as your local bar or local riding club, you will need to allow yourself more time to knock off everything that’s on the list.

NEXT UP: POKER RUN 101: PART 2 RUN STOPS and HOST SPONSORS

Find it in next month’s edition of Reasons To Ride or check out our Blogs at ReasonsToRide.com

The Reasons To Ride Crew has been helping promote and organize rides for more than 20 years – and hosting online registration for the past 4 years. Along the way, we’d like to think we’ve picked up a few ideas and pointers from people far smarter than us – and maybe figured out a few things ourselves as well. For more information on marketing or planning your event - email: Info@ReasonsToRide.com