Posts
8758
Joined
3/21/2007
Location
HAIKU, HI, USA
Edited Date/Time
7/4/2015 7:50am
I have wondered for years why promoters don't reach out to the Boy's Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girls Scouts, Brownies, etc with free tickets? For SX and MX it would be better IMHO to give tickets away to 1) increase food and drink sales and more importantly 2) hopefully hook people to the sport by exposing it to them in person.
With all of the competing (and less dangerous) options for youth's time we need to start being creative on how we can plant the seeds today for the riders and fans we need to keep the best sport on the planet growing and healthy. Having loop trails at MX tracks for beginners would be a big help. We are promoting the most addictive drug in the world (MX adrenaline) and we need to get samples out to potential new customers.
On a related note I've also thought about how we challenge ourselves to take one new person (at a minimum) to a race per year? If we all introduced a newbie to the sport each year that would help a tad eh? We'd need promoter help and honesty from the MX community if promoters started a first timer discount program. I buy a ticket then get one half off for someone that has never been to an event before.
Just brainstorming....least trying to but it feels more like cloudy skies at the moment. Been dwelling on this since the local moto thread popped up.
With all of the competing (and less dangerous) options for youth's time we need to start being creative on how we can plant the seeds today for the riders and fans we need to keep the best sport on the planet growing and healthy. Having loop trails at MX tracks for beginners would be a big help. We are promoting the most addictive drug in the world (MX adrenaline) and we need to get samples out to potential new customers.
On a related note I've also thought about how we challenge ourselves to take one new person (at a minimum) to a race per year? If we all introduced a newbie to the sport each year that would help a tad eh? We'd need promoter help and honesty from the MX community if promoters started a first timer discount program. I buy a ticket then get one half off for someone that has never been to an event before.
Just brainstorming....least trying to but it feels more like cloudy skies at the moment. Been dwelling on this since the local moto thread popped up.
I am looking to "give" things away there are no hard costs associated with but have high value like free tickets. Promoters can make money from parking and concession sales but first they need the bodies pulling into their facilities.
Supercross runs during the school year, doesn't have a practice day, and is basically sold out. For the Nationals, I like your idea of giving free tickets to Boy Scouts and other youth groups. Enough for the troop and a few parents. Anything to get more potential fans engaged.
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Holigan-Thanks for the feedback Michael
You could get more riders if somehow the sport was more affordable and there are more places to practice. Both are clearly difficult to accomplish.
And now are we talking fans at pro races or at the local Podunk track?
Podunk tracks could run all sorts of special promotions but advertising is very expensive and while the prices of everything have gone up, attending a National or Supercross is a lot more expensive than going to the movies.
I think they need to balance the spectacle (sx) with the cost to the spectators.
You could try all sorts inc a classic car/bike show n shine, auto jumble/swap meet, fair ground rides, sat eve pit bike racing, free tickets to people who live near the track and might otherwise have cause to complain (noise, dust etc).
I also sold event stickers/flyers on eBay in the build up and reached a massive global audience with a few key words in the description.
We ended up with over 4000 people attending from as far away as South Africa and Australia and a deal with sky TVs motors channel that shows mxgp in the UK, all for a vintage/evo meeting that was meant to be for a couple of hundred locals... The sky's the limit if you put the effort in.
Action sports are in, short attention span You-tube generation must be served.
I was smitten as a 13 y/o when invited to muddy, sloppy Trans AMA race at Rio Bravo Hou, TX.
Nobody needed to entice me, talk it up, explain much of anything. I WAS HOOKED THAT DAY. 58 yrs old and still faithfully follow moto!
Today's generation NEEDS to be entertained and coddled. Times have definitely changed.....pfftt
They can't get there faces out of there smart phones.
We need a lites class and a open class! Talent is spread damn thin.
At the nationals, viewing sucks. Needs more bleachers, even LL's needs better bleachers as not everyone have a $10K golf cart to sit in
there would be a need for more tracks,or really crowded tracks.
the injuries and deaths would be high profile,look at soccer.
so,at that time your dirt people,tree humpers,carbon footers,RC16s,lawyers would be all up in motos grill.
be glad we are small and still get to do this shit.
Pit Row
Im with Hillbilly.
But on the other hand, I tend to agree with Hillbilly on this.
Post a reply to: Let's hear ideas on getting new riders/fans to the races