grafikfeat
New member
How so?
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The Selection of Rally Sites.
- Thread starter grafikfeat
- Start date
How so?
pglaves
#13338
Maybe one of the Board Members who happen on this thread can cause the basic rally selection site criteria - x acres for camping, y hotel rooms, z sq.ft. of exhibit space, xx porta potties, yy showers, etc. to somehow get posted here.
Also an outline for the process to suggest/consider/investigate potential sites so members with candidate towns can see what the needs are.
Also an outline for the process to suggest/consider/investigate potential sites so members with candidate towns can see what the needs are.
Rapid_Roy
New member
Somebody had done that before, but I can't remember what thread it was in.
I'll search.
EDIT: this was the closest thing I could find.
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showpost.php?p=264759&postcount=63
pglaves
#13338
Depends on who you talk to.
I camped at the campus, walked to the beer tent (both before and after it blew down and was put back up), rode downtown to the convention center for seminars and vendor stuff, and had a thoroughly good time.
Folks who stayed in the motels or camped down by the homeless settlement were remote from the beer garden - but that is true for motel visitors often when the beer is at the fairgrounds and the motel is the next town away.
The shuttle bus service didn't work as promised because management forgot to talk to the union and after a certain length of time the drivers parked the busses and quit driving.
So there was a lot of grumbling, shouting, and general intimidation of the Board by some members, and the Board generally heard only that side of the issues. That was to the detriment of BMW MOA because it made folks afraid to break out of the traditional fairgrounds/camping in the mud model for the rally.
nplenzick
New member
Think about it. Do you really think a town the size you described of 2K could handle an additional 8K people for three days?
Just seems highly unlikely to me.
pglaves
#13338
The curious could ask Sturgis, SD how a town of 6,000 hosts a few hundred thousand bikers every August.
Apples and oranges or grapefruit, but a good question anyway.
grafikfeat
New member
I'm just thinkin' outside the box, gate, fairground, convention center or what not.
Since I really don't know...Shooting it as it comes out of the gate seems kinda silly.
Small towns have County Fairs all the time.
Towns have all sorts of meeting places... Churches, Synagogues, ELK Lodges whatever.
Hell ya can even have seminars/talks outside.
Towns have parks, ball fields, soccer fields etc. so camping could be viable.
Not to mention a farmer w/ a idle field.
Who knows?
The question of registration came up...
Couldn't that be done online now w/ a printable pass?
Of course it could be by mail too for the other four members not online.
I just think taking over a whole town would be kinda cool...
There certainly are enough in this Country who could use the 'foldin' money'.
Since I really don't know...Shooting it as it comes out of the gate seems kinda silly.
Small towns have County Fairs all the time.
Towns have all sorts of meeting places... Churches, Synagogues, ELK Lodges whatever.
Hell ya can even have seminars/talks outside.
Towns have parks, ball fields, soccer fields etc. so camping could be viable.
Not to mention a farmer w/ a idle field.
Who knows?
The question of registration came up...
Couldn't that be done online now w/ a printable pass?
Of course it could be by mail too for the other four members not online.
I just think taking over a whole town would be kinda cool...
There certainly are enough in this Country who could use the 'foldin' money'.
I agree with Paul. If you camped at the college downtown, you had shade, indoor bathrooms, dorm rooms for the tent-deprived, on-campus dining rooms, and the BEER TENT. We had a great view of the river and the Governor's Mansion across the river. Getting to downtown and the vendors/seminars was a problem, and the rally felt sorta dis-jointed. Driving around Charleston was OK for small city driving but the roads in WV were a lot of fun. Despite the scattered venues and the mini-tornado that hit us, I had fun at the rally.
statdawg
High & Dry
Did I sleep through something that happened at Camp Beers ?
Visian
look out!!!
sorry, just saw this thread.
Maggie Valley, NC would be a place where something like this can happen. there are cruiser conventions of various ilk that currently take over the place now. i think those people would LOVE a quiet motorcycle meet.
Since our house is near there, I've looked at Maggie Valley in this vein. there are plusses and minuses, i think a rally there would not be exactly the same as what we've come to expect.
on edit: but that doesn't mean it isn't worth considering.
ian
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Visian
look out!!!
Basic rally site requirements
oh, and this fresh off the press (someone, somewhere had asked for this information)...
1) Site size 100 acres or larger.
2) Adequate grass camping area of about 50 acres.
3) Indoor vendor area consisting of 50,000 square feet or more.
4) Wireless Internet service for vendors and Cyber Cafe.
5) Adequate toilets and showers.
6) 2500 motel/hotel rooms within a 30 mile radius of the rally grounds.
7) Exclusive BMW MOA Beer Garden.
8) RV Parking - 100 spaces minimum.
9) Paved area of at least 200 feet by 300 feet (on or off rally
grounds) to teach the MSF's Rider Courses.
10) Grandstand or Arena seating for at least 3500 for the Closing Ceremonies.
11) Off Road area (on or off rally grounds) for GS training.
12) Six or more areas of various size for holding seminars.
plus..... we need to be able to sell beer ourselves.
oh, and this fresh off the press (someone, somewhere had asked for this information)...
1) Site size 100 acres or larger.
2) Adequate grass camping area of about 50 acres.
3) Indoor vendor area consisting of 50,000 square feet or more.
4) Wireless Internet service for vendors and Cyber Cafe.
5) Adequate toilets and showers.
6) 2500 motel/hotel rooms within a 30 mile radius of the rally grounds.
7) Exclusive BMW MOA Beer Garden.
8) RV Parking - 100 spaces minimum.
9) Paved area of at least 200 feet by 300 feet (on or off rally
grounds) to teach the MSF's Rider Courses.
10) Grandstand or Arena seating for at least 3500 for the Closing Ceremonies.
11) Off Road area (on or off rally grounds) for GS training.
12) Six or more areas of various size for holding seminars.
plus..... we need to be able to sell beer ourselves.
Maggie Valley, NC
I agree with Visian that Maggie Valley would be a good place for the Rally, certainly enough other rallies are held there.
I don't know if it has ever been held in Asheville, NC but that would also be an excellent location, plenty of hotels and a big fair ground avalable. Up until a few years ago the "Honda Hoot" was held in Asheville until they moved to TN. On a sad note the Honda Hoot has been cancelled the last few years due to a lack of sponsorship from Honda. Sign of the times.
Mo
I agree with Visian that Maggie Valley would be a good place for the Rally, certainly enough other rallies are held there.
I don't know if it has ever been held in Asheville, NC but that would also be an excellent location, plenty of hotels and a big fair ground avalable. Up until a few years ago the "Honda Hoot" was held in Asheville until they moved to TN. On a sad note the Honda Hoot has been cancelled the last few years due to a lack of sponsorship from Honda. Sign of the times.
Mo
The fairgrounds in Ashville is not available during the month of July because of standing events that take place every year. A nice facility, tight on camping, but workable...just not available.
I've been to Maggie Valley several times and it's beautiful. Don't know if our members are ready to try another "Split Venue" rally...I'm certain many of them still remember the 2003 rally in Charleston, WV.
Chuck Manley
Rally Site Search Team
I've been to Maggie Valley several times and it's beautiful. Don't know if our members are ready to try another "Split Venue" rally...I'm certain many of them still remember the 2003 rally in Charleston, WV.
Chuck Manley
Rally Site Search Team
Biltmore
BMWRA had their '07 National at Biltmore Estate in Asheville. It was one of RA's largest National's, and it was a good rally. The Biltmore folks were originally very worried about having a motorcycle rally on their grounds, and a lot of Beemer folks down here were wondering about having a rally at such a "proper",historic facility during tourist season. The rumor was that Asheville Chamber of Commerce was pushing Biltmore because of the loss of the Honda Hoot. We had a hard time visualizing BMW bikes running around such a beautiful estate, and camping next to the Mansion, but everything went well and the Biltmore folks were very surprised and very happy.
From what I have heard from RA board members, the invitation to return to Biltmore has been put out to BMWRA. I know that a MOA National would not fit into the Estate, but there are motorcycle supporters in the Asheville government and the business community. It seems the Asheville community is open for motorcycle events and the money it brings in.
BMWRA had their '07 National at Biltmore Estate in Asheville. It was one of RA's largest National's, and it was a good rally. The Biltmore folks were originally very worried about having a motorcycle rally on their grounds, and a lot of Beemer folks down here were wondering about having a rally at such a "proper",historic facility during tourist season. The rumor was that Asheville Chamber of Commerce was pushing Biltmore because of the loss of the Honda Hoot. We had a hard time visualizing BMW bikes running around such a beautiful estate, and camping next to the Mansion, but everything went well and the Biltmore folks were very surprised and very happy.
From what I have heard from RA board members, the invitation to return to Biltmore has been put out to BMWRA. I know that a MOA National would not fit into the Estate, but there are motorcycle supporters in the Asheville government and the business community. It seems the Asheville community is open for motorcycle events and the money it brings in.
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osbornk
Old man in the mountains
I went to several Honda Hoots in Asheville until it moved to Knoxville. According to many residents and the local newspaper, the mayor of Asheville and the city council pretty much ran them out of town. There is a reason it is known as the San Francisco of the east. The Honda Hoot folks claimed it was because they needed more space. I was there the last year it was there and the local restaurant owners and other businesses were complaining about the future loss of income.
The bike mixture did change from my first Honda Hoot to the last one. The early Honda Hoots I attended had a high percentage of Goldwings and other quiet bikes. The last one I attended had a lot of unmuffled or lightly muffled Shadows, Valkyres and other Harley wanna-be bikes. My K100RT looked like a German in downtown Tokyo.
pglaves
#13338
Chuck and I differ here. But he got yelled at a bit more than I did.
The Charleston venue was fine. There were a few problems at one of the camping areas down by the homeless camp. Camping by the beer tent on campus was fine. The bus drivers union screwed the shuttle system pooch.
It was different and some folks can't cope with different. But the big problem wasn't needing to get from A to B. The big problem was counting on shuttle service that suddenly stopped running leaving folks not where they wanted to be.
So contract terms need to be tightened up and MOA needs to deal with a few details not always needed. Big whoop.
Historically, in almost every rally campers are near where it's at and motel folks are somewhat remote. For once motel folks were close to where it was at and campers were a bit remote. In Charleston I camped and was remote. In Johnson City I stayed at a motel and was remote. So?
Actually Paul and I don't really differ...Charleston had some very good things. Civic Center with a/c for all the seminars and vendors, lots of close-in motels, great riding. Our members didn't like being seperated into three camping areas and without the promised shuttle service members had to ride to the Civic Center. Those in attendence stated loud and clear in the rally survey "Don't do this again!"
Never say never...we may try this concept in the future based on what we learned in Charleston. We will plan better and be certain our members are ready to try something a bit different.
Never say never...we may try this concept in the future based on what we learned in Charleston. We will plan better and be certain our members are ready to try something a bit different.
pglaves
#13338
But hypothetically a site with a big downtown convention center and lots of nearby motels; and, lets say a big park next to a high school (with showers) for campers, and the two sites were a mile apart. If reliable shuttle was assured this is no different than on-site camping and scattered motels. Maybe better in fact because I have yet to see a good systematic shuttle system from 17 different motels to the rally site.
But lots of campers like to drink at the beer garden and walk to their tents while motel folks have to ride away into the darkness. I don't see why reversing this - motel folks walk back to their motels and campers ride back to their tents - is so horrible to comprehend.
It is simply a matter of who is inconvenienced and who isn't, and what folks are used to. I'm a rally camper so like the historical solution. But for motel folks Charleston worked better. But they were happy so didn't yell as much or as loud.
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