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Rally Review Committee - Board Action Item

Sue

Friend of the Marque
Friends -
This week, an ad hoc committee meets in a conference call to discuss the possible restructuring of our rally process, planning, and goals. The committee is comprised of board members, our Executive Director Ray Zimmerman, and a future rally chairman. This will be a STRATEGIC PLANNING session. We will not be discussing the nuts and bolts about future rallies.

Below is a snippet of our discussion points for our first meeting. This will probably morph, grow, and change as we work through some of these line items. The goal of this committee is to submit a report to the full board at the October board meeting, and possibly walk away with some actionable items.

Points of discussion should include, but not be limited to:

--->What is the Purpose of the Rally?
--->What are the Goals of the Rally?
--->Date Selection
------>Should we expand upon the current dates we focus on?
--->GS Giant
------> Where should we go with the GS Giant concept.
--->Budget & expense guidelines
------>Restructure how we do it now?
------>Define - or Redefine - spending authority
--->Rally Budget Model
------>What are the top goals for the rally?
------>How much a party for members and how much marketing?
------>What should we spend money on, and what to skip?
------>How to reduce costs? (What to reduce or eliminate.)
----------->a. Identify non-core expenses (those not aligned with rally goals).
----------->b. What expenses only benefit a very few, or are a poor bang for the buck?
----------->c. Other?
------>Admission fee: do we raise it and how much?
--->Rotating through past rally sites


If you have additional suggestions for discussion points at the strategic-planning level, please reach out directly to me at: SUE'S EMAIL ADDRESS. As the committee chair, I will integrate your thoughts into the discussion as well.

thank you.
 
Hard to argue

I am worried. Trying to please everybody results in pleasing no one. I think having clear goals are a good thing. However, I would like to know what the answers to those questions are as things stand now? How did the past rally compare to the goals and intensions as they stood before the rally?

I have no axe to grind. I am familar with volunteer organizations and how they tend to self destruct with unrealistic goals and purposes. Is the goal to make money? Push the brand? Push a certain model (factory bringing only one demo model??)

Is the Rally for current owners or future owners? What is the definition of success? Number of people coming to the rally? Number of new people? Number of returning people? Number of vendors that come? Number of volunteers? Number of kids, women, old people, young people, married people, single people, gay people? Education? Training? Good deals? Value? :fight

Questions like, "most bang for the buck", "expenses that only benefit a few" are very tricky concepts that can be pushed or pulled in any direction you want. It is very similar to the concept of marketing itself. On an budget basis, people tend to want a return on investment. IE By spending X, how much do we get in return? That does not easily translate to success if your are targeting certain goals that have no real return in terms of money. Kids come to mind.

I have seen organizations try to run an event to "make money", only to burn out all the volunteers simply because they did not "make money" However the event was extremely "successful/popular" which lead to big growth for the organization. The event was abandoned because they did not "make money" and eventually the organization withered away. Their mistake was not correctly defining success. Those that worked long days as volunteers only to be told the event was a failure. I am not suggesting that the organization lose money. Only recognize that having an event make money is different from having money spent only on areas that have a return of biggest bang for the buck. We are talking about BMW owners right?:laugh Quality and focus on value for areas and interest one can only find at a BMW rally etc should win out over cost jusifying games.

I don't know that any one area is key. It takes all of the little things added together. This was my second rally. I had a better time at this one than the last. However the reason for that was mainly me. Can I make the next one better? I hope so and I plan to.

Good Luck :thumb
 
--->GS Giant
------> Where should we go with the GS Giant concept.

Sue - this is a nuts and bolts question. The GS Giant event was a tactic, a way to implement a socially-based marketing strategy.

It was also a demonstration of an integrated marketing campaign strategy, aligning multiple forms of media communications to achieve a common goal.

And part of a larger strategy: effective marketing of the MOA.

Here are some strategic questions we might ask:

- Are we effectively marketing our rally?
- Can our community help strengthen our rally marketing?
- Can we work our rally and community together and be more effective in creating and retaining members?
- How can the rally help our vendor partners grow their businesses?

Ian
 
Sue - this is a nuts and bolts question. The GS Giant event was a tactic, a way to implement a socially-based marketing strategy.

It was included because it's possible that events like the GS Giant (or possible S1000RR events, etc) may change some of the basic requirements that we should consider in the future, for broad-ranged rally planning.

So far I have received several private messages with some excellent feedback. Thanks everyone!
 
Vendors

I was impressed by the vendors. All of the vendors I talked to had very knowledgeable people working the rally. I realized i had ridden with a lot of them at various rallys around the US. How they functioned so well in that heat was amazing. I am old [66] but am used to the heat; but I was impressed at how well the volunteers worked to help people cope who were in need of some help in surviving. I hope the next rally will do more for the vendors.

I will be at the next BMWMOA as a volunteer, again. I enjoyed the people I worked with at the stage set up and in the beer garden. I hope I am given a job which will be tailored to help the vendors have an easier time of it; but will accept any role the committee assigns me.

If any vendors are reading this...thank you for hanging in there during adverse conditions. You did an amazing job.
 
I have two suggestions for the up coming rallies.
1 Have it in downtown Chicago in January.
Plenty of hotel rooms and it will not be too hot. ( not serious)
2 along with mugs, patches, pins and rally books, pass out cheese to go with the wines (whines).
Personally, I think the rallies have been great and I enjoyed all I went to.
I was packed and actually on the bike this time when I got a phone call about a death of a close friend's mom and had to change my plans.
I will be at Sedalia and will not complain if it is a little too warm. I am always a volunteer as well.
GOOD JOB organizers!!!
:wave
 
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I have two suggestions for the up coming rallies.
1 Have it in downtown Chicago in January.
Plenty of hotel rooms and it will not be too hot. ( not serious)
2 along with mugs, patches, pins and rally books, pass out cheese to go with the wines (whines).
Personally, I think the rallies have been great and I enjoyed all I went to.
I was packed and actually on the bike this time when I got a phone call about a death of a close friend's mom and had to change my plans.
I will be at Sedalia and will not complain if it is a little to warm. I am always a volunteer as well.
GOOD JOB organizers!!!
:wave

Obviosly a far left winger!!!:nyah
 
One thing for sure is that those who were dissatisfied have not chosen to keep their issues to themselves! Lots of ideas have been presented on the forum for ad hoc consideration.
 
It was included because it's possible that events like the GS Giant (or possible S1000RR events, etc) may change some of the basic requirements that we should consider in the future, for broad-ranged rally planning.

So far I have received several private messages with some excellent feedback. Thanks everyone!
That's exactly what I proposed in the 'Rally Forum', last April, the direction of another event such as the S1000RR..being the fact of being so close to Pocono Downs Raceway, Long Pond, Pa...this past summer... I guess I didn't make a big enough fuss such as I did for not having enough local Food Vendors represented..thus a Food Vendor Committee was formed..
 
That's exactly what I proposed in the 'Rally Forum', last April, the direction of another event such as the S1000RR..being the fact of being so close to Pocono Downs Raceway, Long Pond, Pa...this past summer... I guess I didn't make a big enough fuss such as I did for not having enough local Food Vendors represented..thus a Food Vendor Committee was formed..

:stick next time, volunteer to run the S1000RR event and amazingly enough, it will happen. :nod :ha
 
Friends -
This week, an ad hoc committee meets in a conference call to discuss the possible restructuring of our rally process, planning, and goals. The committee is comprised of board members, our Executive Director Ray Zimmerman, and a future rally chairman. This will be a STRATEGIC PLANNING session. We will not be discussing the nuts and bolts about future rallies.

Below is a snippet of our discussion points for our first meeting. This will probably morph, grow, and change as we work through some of these line items. The goal of this committee is to submit a report to the full board at the October board meeting, and possibly walk away with some actionable items.

Points of discussion should include, but not be limited to:

--->What is the Purpose of the Rally?
--->What are the Goals of the Rally?
--->Date Selection
------>Should we expand upon the current dates we focus on?
--->GS Giant
------> Where should we go with the GS Giant concept.
--->Budget & expense guidelines
------>Restructure how we do it now?
------>Define - or Redefine - spending authority
--->Rally Budget Model
------>What are the top goals for the rally?
------>How much a party for members and how much marketing?
------>What should we spend money on, and what to skip?
------>How to reduce costs? (What to reduce or eliminate.)
----------->a. Identify non-core expenses (those not aligned with rally goals).
----------->b. What expenses only benefit a very few, or are a poor bang for the buck?
----------->c. Other?
------>Admission fee: do we raise it and how much?
--->Rotating through past rally sites


If you have additional suggestions for discussion points at the strategic-planning level, please reach out directly to me at: SUE'S EMAIL ADDRESS. As the committee chair, I will integrate your thoughts into the discussion as well.

thank you.

Very interesting hmmm:scratch
 
That's exactly what I proposed in the 'Rally Forum', last April, the direction of another event such as the S1000RR..being the fact of being so close to Pocono Downs Raceway, Long Pond, Pa...this past summer... I guess I didn't make a big enough fuss such as I did for not having enough local Food Vendors represented..thus a Food Vendor Committee was formed..

A few folks have suggested specific events based around the genre of motorcycles currently being sold by BMW. There is an initial plan for an event like Visian's GS Giant, but focused for the "sportier, less dirtier" BMWMOA members. :thumb
 
A few folks have suggested specific events based around the genre of motorcycles currently being sold by BMW. There is an initial plan for an event like Visian's GS Giant, but focused for the "sportier, less dirtier" BMWMOA members. :thumb

cool. but let's center these events more on the types of riding we do.... and don't forget the sport tourers! Drag racers, too....

the GS Giant thing was a pattern that can be applied to all kinds of riding. The goal is for people to meet each other and have fun riding together. :thumb

ian
 
cool. but let's center these events more on the types of riding we do.... and don't forget the sport tourers! Drag racers, too....

the GS Giant thing was a pattern that can be applied to all kinds of riding. The goal is for people to meet each other and have fun riding together. :thumb

ian

Have to agree with Visian on this one. While I do not ride a GS, do not wish to own a GS and do not have urges to leave paved roads while on two wheels, I did pitch my tent in Bloomsburg adjacent to the infield where the GS Giant shenanigans were taking place.

Never saw such a bunch of dedicated riders having so much competitive fun in such heat. Seems an event worth keeping in our future rally matrix.

For us 'cleaner' riders, perhaps something will be thought of to mimic the GS comraderie. :german
 
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That's exactly what I proposed in the 'Rally Forum', last April, the direction of another event such as the S1000RR..being the fact of being so close to Pocono Downs Raceway, Long Pond, Pa...this past summer... I guess I didn't make a big enough fuss such as I did for not having enough local Food Vendors represented..thus a Food Vendor Committee was formed..

Hi Clay -
It takes more than making a fuss. If you really want to see something at a national rally, then *YOU* need to come up with a plan. That's what Ian did, and the results were amazing.

I think you will find that we are always open to ideas, but we don't have your vision - nor your passion - for your concept.

So start thinking about it and put together a proposal. Outline your idea, how to make it happen, how you would market it to generate enthusiasm, come up with the costs and revenue stream, what kind on space would you require on the actual rally site itself, etc etc etc.

And then, if you are serious about your concept, you need to bring it directly to the board. I, for one, would love to hear what you come up with.

Thanks
 
4 years and running, GS:)

We've got dedicated GSers, who love to play adventure dirt riding skills! It has grown into a very active group of riders and rally attendees, looking for a annual event to share comraderie like no other time of year. I hope the GS(National Rally) events continue on and on and other BMW model specific can do the same, as volunteers suggest and step up to the plate:). Its a volunteer rally, made from members stepping UP. Kudo's to Visian, making the GS Phenom this year a success and new level achieved. Well done:). Thanks to all my GS Rider friends, showing up, willing to go the distance at the rally track and beyond. Without guys/gals like you yearning for the real BIG gusto in life, where'd we be!!!GO GS:). Randy"Polarbear"Owens:thumb:usa
 
I had dinner with Josh Farnsworth last night (winner of the GS Giant). He has taken the lead in forming a GS charter club and it is our hope to continue what Ian has started. Our vision is to become active and constructive members of the MOA and promote the overall GS adventure. Our goal, once the club is officially launched, is to host regional events, training, etc. and work with the MOA to grow GSG rally competition.

Look for our future presentations to the BOD!
 
If the rally is held somewhere near a track, why not try to invite one of the superbike schools to give a track class, kind of associated with us, but not part of... Then, you get those S1000RR riders involved with the rest.
 
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