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This Year's Attendance

I used a mesh tent, without the rain fly 2 of the nights, and a little battery operated tent fan. I had only a thin cotton sheet and air mattress. I was able to sleep some every night, and very well 2 nights. I was under a tree, and we really did not run out of trees if you went to the right campground.

There is a lack of privacy with the rain fly off, another reason not to admit the general public. I figure any one dumb enough to look thru the mesh on a tent at a MOA rally deserves to go blind:dance.

Rod
 
I went to the rally planning to camp no matter the weather. I got into town late Tuesday and decided to get a room for a good night's sleep and wait for my buddies that were riding in Wednesday.

The temps were high but the humidity was low and the 104 in Sedalia was much more comfortable than the 95 and humid in Indiana so it wasn't too bad. They got there late Wednesday so we stayed in the motel Wednesday night too. There were plenty of rooms available Tuesday and Wednesday but everything was book for Thursday thru Saturday.

I talked to the motel owner and asked if he had any cancellations to let us know and we would take the rooms for the rest of the week and Thursday he had a couple of cancellations so we got to stay the rest of the week.

So, thanks to the guys that chickened out, we slept in air conditioned comfort at the Super 7 motel 2 miles from the rally. :kiss
 
It seems the only people who are complaining about the heat are the ones that didn't go. When it was announced last year where the rally was going to be held, I knew it would be hot. DUH. But we decided we were going anyway. We camped and even my wife who has been known to turn into a raging B.... when heat is applied (her words not mine) had a great time. We will most likely NOT attend next year. The reason has nothing to do with JULY heat, the fact that it will probably rain EVERY DAY, Or even the fact that is 2500 miles away and take three plus day to get there and back. It is because we are NOT retired and do not have the vacation time to make it and have kids. I missed Bloomsburg because I couldn't get off work for just one extra day to make it out and back Friday and Saturday.
I am patient and can wait for the rally to come back to an area closer. The weather is going to be what it is no matter where you have it. I don't really want a chance of snow when I ride to one, cold gear takes up too much space and shorts and heat gear packs really good with more room to bring stuff home. Rain, snow or heat, people are going to be packed in buildings telling stories. Just have fun.
 
I used a mesh tent, without the rain fly 2 of the nights, and a little battery operated tent fan. I had only a thin cotton sheet and air mattress. I was able to sleep some every night, and very well 2 nights. I was under a tree, and we really did not run out of trees if you went to the right campground.

Rod

This was my experience too. Taking the rainfly off made a big difference and my new Coleman tent fan provided just enough breeze. It really cooled off nicely with Wednesday being the warmest evening for me.

I did overdo it riding in and volunteering Wednesday afternoon. Brain fry after gate duty 12-3pm, but A/C was everywhere and made a huge difference being able to take a break. I thought the facilities were top notch and the seminars/vendors were all housed in cool A/C.

Winning one of the SweepStakes prizes didn't make me feel awful either. First time I ever won anything.
 
What do rally goers want?

I would suggest that rally goers want:

Pleasant surroundings/nice scenery.

Good riding roads.

Comfort in the form of cooler temps/higher elevations/time of year?


The fewer of these you provide, the lower the attendence will be.

Harry
 
My wife and I were going to attend the rally, but the closest motel we could get was 40 miles away. That is a factor with older couples. The weather was also a factor, but to be fair to Sedalia Mo. we have seen heat index's of 110 here in Wis, as I type this the temp is 95, the heat index 101. Salem 82 is their norm in July, and lots of motel rooms see ya there. I'm adding here that my wife can't camp because of medical problems. We have a room in Salem for 2013, and in 12 days I am taking my tent and joining old friends for my 19th Sturgis. Sturgis for me is getting together with old friends and riding the area. About the only thing that can get me into Sturgis would be a roasted turkey leg or a BMW test ride.
 
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I had my perspective "re-adjusted" after running into a very nice retired couple camping in the same area I was. They rode form Oakland, CA on his 1200GS and her R12C. She was heading on to visit relatives further east for a few days before turning around and returning to California.

She was 74, he was 68. I was complaining to myself about the heat a little on Wednesday afternoon. That all stopped after having a nice conversation with these folks, LOL.
 
It was close for me.

Sedalia was the closest rally for me distance-wise since West Bend. Yet, I didn't go. For me, it was about all the real life stuff that's going on this summer that needed to take precedence over rally attendance. So be it. I was really disappointed that I didn't go. I'm sure it was hot, and I'm also sure it was a bunch of fun. July in the central U.S. can be hot. We've had almost 30 days over 90 right here in Minnesota this year. I've ridden my motorcycle almost every day to work. I ride an airhead, so I've had to suffer "rosey shins".

Rob's points were spot on, IMHO. One of these years, I'll have to set aside the right amount of time to actually ride to a rally on one of our coasts. I've never done that, but I really should. It'll help with the numbers, too!
 
I live in the St. Louis, MO area and unless we have high temps in the 40's for the rest of the month this will be the hottest July on record. Yes it was hot in Sedelia, but there was a nice breeze most of the day and I thought the weather Thursday and especially Friday night was great. There were plenty of air conditioned places to cool off if needed. I thought the roving water patrol was a great idea. My wife and I hooked up with our good friends that got us into motorcycling and BMW's nearly 20 years ago(thanks Rich and Lesa) and had a great time! Isn't that what this is really about?
 
I would suggest that rally goers want:

Pleasant surroundings/nice scenery.

Good riding roads.

Comfort in the form of cooler temps/higher elevations/time of year?


The fewer of these you provide, the lower the attendence will be.

Harry

Pretty much sums it up for me as well. I would propose a grand compromise; have the rally in July say on odd years, and either May, June, August, or September on even years. A lot of places which are uncomfortably hot and humid in July would be ideal in late May, or September.
 
Since 1972 there has only been one rally not in July. It was in June. It was in Texas. It wasn't a record. It was going to be too hot. But the temps were in the 80s in Fredericksburg that week.

I personally favor September but not if we want younger riders - less than 50 or so. Their kids are in school and they won't come. And probably won't join. I think the board should try it. But they will weigh the pros (lots) and cons (lots) and decide. Last time I was convinced they were all screwed up I got myself elected to the Board, and then President. But now I think they are doing a good job and don't want to run for anything.

I think we should go back to Canada - but then folks with felonies or DUIs can't get in. Sorry - Canada 2014 for me!!

I'm 39 and have to take time away from work regardless of the month to attend. I'm more likely to use that time spent on a cooler destination/time.

We had an amazing alt trip of 10 of us to the mountains of VA/WV this weekend though.
 
So down almost 25% from the 6700 at last year's rally.

I'm glad it was not a record crowd. It made it easy to look at anything you wanted in the vendor area, never had to wait in line for a shower, and with the large fairgrounds there was plenty of camping space.
 
I didn't go because of a medical issue that appeared a few weeks ago and left me with the curse of the "pre-existing condition" on my travel insurance.
So, I amused myself by looking up the temperature in Sedalia every afternoon and telling my wife just how hot it was.
But I still would have gone and I'm sorry I missed it.:banghead
Now Salem, that's a long ways away.
Hmmm.
Cheers,
Tony
 
I think location has more to do with it than climate. Think about it. Draw a 500 mile circle around Bloomsburg, PA for instance, and see how many people reside in that circle. Draw the same around Sedalia and tally the population.

Now obviously the rally draws from far and wide, and many ride a long way to attend. But still, if you have the rally in an area of the USA where population density is high, you'll naturally increase your chances of high attendance. Put in in a low pop density area, you'll naturally decrease your pool of potential attendees.

My first rally, so I'm a noob and don't know squat. But I'd opine that a lot of folks pre-judged the rally ahead of time and opted out due to heat fears. Those people really missed out, as AC was plentiful and it wasn't nearly as bad as some people thought it would be climate-wise. Add to that the fact that Missouri probably isn't the most romantic destination in the world, and you have meh attendance.

Others have hit the real nail on the head, though. If the rally is in late July, and you want to avoid heat, that really limits your choices of location.

In the MOA's defense, a large segment of the country had heat every bit as bad as we did in this area ( I live 65 miles from Sedalia in KC ) during the rally. Our humidity was probably less than many places. It wasn't that bad. But people like to complain.

By the way, I'm not a super young guy but I do have a kiddo. If the rally was during school time, it would drastically decrease my chances of attending. This may not apply to many, but as someone else said, if you want younger folks there, a fall or spring rally hurts the chances of attracting that demographic.

I really wonder how humans apparently lasted thousands if not millions of years on this earth without A/C, heated seats, power windows, remote controls, and 4G internet phones with unlimited data plans. I remember being on field exercises at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, CA in July back when I was in the Army. Full gear, digging fighting positions for weeks in the sun most of the day. Now THAT was hot, and there were no cool BMW cycles to look at either. Similarly, throwing hay bales onto a cart and then into the sweltering barn at my grandparents' farm in PA during the summer when I was younger...that was also HOT. Strolling between air conditioned vendor buildings at a BMW rally, surrounded by great folks, beer tent nearby...uh, no...not exactly a hardship.

;>)
 
Just a thought,
instead of looking at fair grounds, how about we look at a college or university. They would have empty dorms, dinning halls, and lots of room. They might also have many unused showers, bathrooms, etc.
 
I would suggest that rally goers want:

Pleasant surroundings/nice scenery.

Good riding roads.

Comfort in the form of cooler temps/higher elevations/time of year?


The fewer of these you provide, the lower the attendence will be.

Harry

Jphnson City fit that bill very well for me. However, some people complained about sleeping on a incline (just point your heat up). Do you want to sleep level and ride flat roads or do you want to sleep at an angle and ride good mountain roads?
 
No "Fly over states".

I have limited vacation time, no matter what the time of year. Good roads and interesting locale is what draws me to a national. New England, around the Dragon, the Rockies, West Coast, etc. Flat, boring location means I plan to spend my riding vacation time elsewhere. With the average age demographic creeping up every year, I do not think that kids would hold back members from attending. Maybe that sentiment comes from the planners, not the attendees... YMMV.
Ron
 
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Sedalia Experience

I'm glad it was not a record crowd. It made it easy to look at anything you wanted in the vendor area, never had to wait in line for a shower, and with the large fairgrounds there was plenty of camping space.

AGREE. Dealing with large crowds and heat, makes the heat even worse.
 
Yes, I too wanted to attend the rally in Sedalia, but after attending Bloomsburg last year in 101 temp with seminars being held in un-air conditioned barns and buildings, and vendors in poorly air conditioned buildings,I declined. I however want to thank all those volunteers that helped this year and those that made the Rally possible.

I truly enjoy visiting the vendors and attending the seminars last year. Perhaps this year the air conditioning worked adequately, but I was not willing to take the chance. I can't imagine enjoying 107 temps and sleeping in a tent with little relief. I admire those that can tolerate and even joy these temps, but I would be in denial to say that it would be fun for me.

I realize the logistics with changing dates, but hopefully some effort will be made to find cooler months of the year or higher elevations for the rally. Remember, those of us who work must take off also and not just those associated with school.
 
Just an observation...

I haven't seen anyone who attended the rally complaining about the heat....
I see lots of folks that didn't go complaining about the heat that they didn't experience. :violin

There were ~5200 folks that had a great time! :nyah

It was a great rally and not nearly as hot as Bloomsburg. I arrived Tuesday and camped through Saturday. There was a nice breeze day and night. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't sit in my tent during the day.
There was plenty of air conditioned buildings, not just for vendor areas, but other buildings like the one next to the beer tent and the vintage bike buildings to name a few.

I understand July rallies are what are preferred by the majority of the membership.
Yes the demographic is getting older. Changing the rally to other months and not attracting younger members that have family commitments for spring and fall dates will continue to cause the club demographics to get older and older until there is no one left who wants to go to a rally regardless of month. :gerg
 
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