Proposed Change to Rally Fee

[kewlmoose]

I registered during March madness & paid $40 for a great rally. Most local rallies cost that much & offer a lot less. Like 98Lee said, it's only once a year. See you in Billings! Be the adventure.

 

[Travman]

+1 to the OP and the day passes.

If you do not camp, the rally fee looses its value. Overland Expo's rally fee is significantly higher than the MOA, but somehow they are able to offer a day pass for a nominal fee. The day day pass allows someone access to the rally and vendor areas but not any of the seminars. Seems fare and apparently they do it without drama.

 

[bmwrider79]

day passes

This thread proves the cheapest thing on a BMW is the operator.

While I paid $60.00 for my self $80 for my wife it was a lot of money. We did not even stay at the park. We stayed at the hotel near by.

While it would be great idea to do day passes the logistics are difficult. Perhaps at the fair it would have been easier due to the fenced in aspect.

It would be nice to allow the public to see the rally but again the policing would be difficult. And really how much of the general public is really interested in 1932 BMW motorcycle any way...

Membership has its privileges at a cost. Those privileges are in my opinion worth it.

This was my wifes first rally and she is even wanting to go to Billings next year. Why? No riff raff, overall very nice people to meet, great vendors, great seminars, great bands Saturday. Missed the other bands. Every thing except not winning ANYTHING was a good experience.

General admission don't think so, A day pass for MOA member(s) & escorted guest possible if we did a ticket hanging from the neck something obvious so to avoid a need to police. Color coded for the day more $$ for Saturday to compensate for the more expensive entertainment.

As far as cheap beer goes the price of the beer is FAIR and REASONABLE what we pay in the bar/restaurant is robbery. The PBR & Hamms beer some rally goers were drinking is cheap beer. Craft brews are typically $9.00 per 6 so $3.00 from the tap is fair.

 

[lee]

I happen to be in favor of day passes. Full rally gets a red wrist band. Thursday gets blue. Friday - yellow, Saturday green. How hard is that. .

I agree, this works for RAGBRAI in Iowa with 20,000 riders.

 

[lee]

Either way (wristband or neck placard), the event is still open solely to MOA members, eliminating concerns about theft and undesirable elements - it's not rocket science.

I thought anyone who paid the $80 fee could walk in.

 

[jandhumphreyme]

I'm not opposed to a day pass for good standing members or guests of members, with the condition that non member day registrants would have to have a member vouch for them and be responsible for their behavior. I cannot believe that different colored wrist bands would be a challenge to administer or cost impact of any significance. In regards to budgeting, this is conjecture on my part, I dont believe anyone has been budgeting on a certain number of walkups at full rally price, so I can see day pass's being offered as an "at the gate only" option. Pre registration continuing as it has in the past. Under no instance am I in favor of general public access for any fee, this is a club event afterall, I see limited benifit to the club by allowing the general public, our individual actions ouside the rally grounds should provide ample evidence of the type of group we are. St. Paul was my first MOA rally, great time thanks all, see you in Billings.

 

[dancogan]

Since I chaired that rally, let me debunk that story.
1) The BMW MOA has never offered day passes (with the exception of Rhinebeck in 1999)
2) 2005 - Lima - did not offer day passes for locals to see George Thorogood.
3) The police on-site at that rally were part of the beer garden security as per local regulations
4) The only disturbance at Lima was the storm that rolled though with high winds on Thursday night.

Carry on.

This was my first MOA rally and I remember it quite well ... especially the storm. Sue is correct on all points, although I don't even recall seeing the local security. I just remember trying to get into the beer tent and stay dry when the storm hit.

 

[Omega Man]

So ... let's talk about budgets, since this proposal of day passes will impact the bottom line.

Assumptions:
..........more people will opt for a one day pass at a lower price
..........conversely, there may be a few more people who may attend the rally, who would have skipped it at the higher fee
..........the rally venue will still need to offer the same amenities:
---------------air conditioned buildings plus:
---------------plentiful portapotties, portable shower trailers, tables, chairs, pipe & drape, shuttles on site, wristbands, various tents for registration, rally programs, staffing for all things MOA related, entertainment, water for the volunteers, a beer garden, seminars (with requisite AV equipment), multi-media sound systems, etc, etc

So - how would you develop a budget which would give everyone the rally experience they have come to expect, without the income at the gate?
You have to know that the venues we are using now are no longer the old fairgrounds of the past.
Sadly, costs have gone up on everything. Would you prefer that we step back in time?

Maybe a more appropriate question should be is, are rallies a dying thing? Should the board consider discontinuing the national rally?

As I am involved in a lot of things- my observations of a well run show/convention/rally-
I've probably been to 200 trade shows (visitor) and all of the best ones are gone. It costs so much to put on a good show that they are unable to meet the "upfront" budgets anymore.
A well run show takes money and it has to be raised or counted or even subsidized in some way. I'm all for the day pass thing as frequently I only have a day---but I also understand why there is a reluctance to implement on the part of the organizers of a well run show as without the "projected" income stream, amenities like Sue listed above will not have the budget to provide them.
While I don't expect anyone to talk about the actual costs, I would be surprised if it was a "break even" event. If there wasn't a dedicated group of volunteers- it would be not possible to run.
OM

 

[greenwald]

+1 to the OP and the day passes.

If you do not camp, the rally fee looses its value. Overland Expo's rally fee is significantly higher than the MOA, but somehow they are able to offer a day pass for a nominal fee. The day day pass allows someone access to the rally and vendor areas but not any of the seminars. Seems fare and apparently they do it without drama.

Exactly.

I made a run to Madison, WI (2 hrs. from my hometown) on July 3rd for the Gold Wing Rally ("Wing Ding 35"). Since I'm also a GWRRA member, I wanted to peruse the hundreds of Honda-themed vendors, but not spend my entire 4th of July weekend away from family, as that rally lasted 4 full days.

I and my son (visiting from his base at Ft. Carson, CO) secured discounted 'day passes,' which saw us dropping well over $400 at vendors as well as eating on site.

While I was excluded from seminars and certain other venues by the 'day pass,' I considered what I was allowed access to well worth the day's trip.

Since the nature of most MOA members when it comes to national rallies is to either' tent- or motel- camp' and hang around for several days, I think the perceived negative impact of 'day passes' would be negligible on the overall rally budget.

Old business adage: "Some money always trumps no money."

 

[henzilla]

We actually were less than 2 hours from the rally and opted out. While we love our MOA, 2 full fees for our usual one day of visiting and shopping just wasn't going to work this trip ( we are on a monthlong venture).

I believe the day pass would even out in time as maybe more folks would swing by. We ride to the location of the rally to check local scenes, but we are not rally rats...not that there is anything wrong with that...just not us. We just do not hang in one spot too long.

As debated here before, this is a big change and most folks dislike any change. There has to be a compromise somewhere and hope the BOD takes a deep breath and try something new.

off to PEI this evening after swinging thru Quebec shortly...we are wi-fi'ng at Timmy H's and not understanding a darn thing
au voir...

 

[hexst]

if the passes were only avail to MOA members and they were responsible for the users of the passes I would not necessarily oppose them, but for anyone to purchase I would not agree to that though I know I have no say in the matter. As to the misuse of any entrance fee it has been done in the past and will be done as long as there are folks that roll that way. At Lima it seemed the whole town ended up at the concert and non members were caught messing and sitting on bikes they did not own and checking out tents. If a non member wanted to buy a day pass make them become a member and with the pass the cost would equal a member rally fee.

 

[bwright]

Really?

Different colored wristbands for 5-8 thousand attendees each day would be a logistical and financial burden.

A single wristband for registered MOA members intending to stay multiple dates, and a different coded 'day pass' to be worn about the neck for MOA members that can only make it one day (I could only have made Thursday in St. Paul, and did not endure the 6 hr. one-way commute due to no 'day pass').

Diligent attention by the Security Committee volunteers would promote compliance.

Either way (wristband or neck placard), the event is still open solely to MOA members, eliminating concerns about theft and undesirable elements - it's not rocket science.

Now that the 2014 Rally is over, I just sent the following email to our Board of Directors:

"I believe the MOA should change the fee structure for its annual rally, and offer a day-pass for a single day visit. Here is why I support a fee change:

I bought my BMW motorcycle and immediately joined MOA in August 2012. I have attended two MOA rallies (Sedalia in July 2012, and Salem in July 2013) and enjoyed them, but decided at the conclusion of the Salem rally that I will not likely attend another three-day rally. I do not camp and therefore do not participate in one of the ?benefits? that seems so enjoyable to a large number of regular rally attendees. Mostly, I go to a rally to look at motorcycles (old and new) and visit all the vendors?and I bought several items of gear at each of the two MOA rallies I attended plus the multiple motel nights and all the meals I consumed while there. But, three days is too long for me to be entertained at a rally, and the full entrance fee is too much for a single day admission. What I would like is to be able to ride to a great motorcycle-friendly location (Billings next year, for instance), spend a night in a local motel, attend a day of the rally, and then mount up early the next morning and continue a great motorcycle ride (again, next year perhaps into western Canada) before heading home.

Significantly, I opted to NOT attend the just-concluded MOA rally in St. Paul because of the three-day ?requirement? and the expensive fee. Instead, I spent a few days in early July riding around the Dakotas and western Minnesota, enjoying the scenery and friendly locals of that area. I would have preferred to have sandwiched that ride around a one-day visit to the MOA rally in St. Paul."

I feel it was a bargain at twice the price! I mean come on, a modest dinner for two costs more than that. If you can't afford this, I can't imagine how you purchase and maintain a motorcycle, regardless of make. Geez!

 

[beemerdons]

+1 to the OP and the day passes.

If you do not camp, the rally fee looses its value. Overland Expo's rally fee is significantly higher than the MOA, but somehow they are able to offer a day pass for a nominal fee. The day day pass allows someone access to the rally and vendor areas but not any of the seminars. Seems fair and apparently they do it without drama.

http://www.overlandexpo.com +1, Gunny; Travman has hit the nail right square on its head, Overland Expo offers a day pass and their attendance numbers are growing by leaps and bounds: While our own BMW MOA Annual International Rally attendance numbers over the last 2 decades remain fixed at the same count!

 

[rlitavecz]

Day pass +

My wife and I paid $80 to attend. We arrived late Friday due to work. We stayed in a motel 2 nights. We spent about $300 at the rally with vendors. This is my 13th MOA rally. I think a day pass would be a good idea. Charge $25 for the day. Still seems pricey, but would bring more people and be high enough to keep out undesirables. The savings would come in the form of using less amenities while visiting.

 

[R1100rtp]

http://www.overlandexpo.com +1, Gunny; Travman has hit the nail right square on its head, Overland Expo offers a day pass and their attendance numbers are growing by leaps and bounds: While our own BMW MOA Annual International Rally attendance numbers over the last 2 decades remain fixed at the same count!

Their admission is also $280.00 with a $20.00 day pass.. would be interesting to know how they administer that.

 

[R1100rtp]

That simply didn't happen - not as described at least. There were NO day passes at that rally. If the riff-raff arrived it was at full boat price.

I happen to be in favor of day passes. Full rally gets a red wrist band. Thursday gets blue. Friday - yellow, Saturday green. How hard is that. As for theft, etc. If a thief want to come steal cameras, phones, tents, and blankets, they can afford to pay the price for the whole rally. I wish the Board would just decide to do day passes and make it work.

I'm in favor of a Saturday only day pass.. I think different colors for different days would be too hard to administer. We would need a much larger pool of security volunteers.

 

[glenfiddich]

I'm not much of a rally person, thinking of them only in terms of giving me an excuse to ride somewhere I've always wanted to see. That doesn't necessarily mean where the rally is, more of the riding opportunities on the way there and back. I sometimes stay only a day and a half, but never griped about paying full freight because, heck, it's my club.

Volunteering takes me away from my ride and my belongings for extended periods of time; I really like that I never have to worry about strangers rummaging thru my stuff, or strangers sitting on my bike or in the sidecar. That peace of mind has a lot of value to me. Funny thing is, I've found the friendships forged thru volunteering more enjoyable than the seminars and a heck of a lot less expensive than checking out the vendors!

I understand the desire to bring guests in at a day rate. In Salem there was a young woman I know from the golden retriever world who bought her first Beemer but had never attended a rally. She lived just 50 miles from Salem. I would have loved the opportunity to show her around for just one day to show her the value of membership. But I really have reservations about opening it up outside the family. Perhaps a "hosted" day pass..?

 

[beemerdons]

Their admission is also $280.00 with a $20.00 day pass.. would be interesting to know how they administer that.

Karol I'll be at the next Overland Expo held in Arizona, I'll directly ask them that question! They are showing a profit, so they must be doing something right!

 

[R1100rtp]

Karol I'll be at the next Overland Expo held in Arizona, I'll directly ask them that question! They are showing a profit, so they must be doing something right!

Great, Thanks, Don! BTW-are they a "member" organization?

 

[36654]

I'm in favor of a Saturday only day pass.. I think different colors for different days would be too hard to administer. We would need a much larger pool of security volunteers.

Hmmm........the security volunteers get those sporty high viz tee-shirts, don't they?? That sounds pretty cool. I mean, the registration volunteers at St. Paul got a carpet of wet hay bale dust over the cardboard box sub-floor in the Friday morning flood At my next rally, I think I'll volunteer for security and suggest that the registration tent be located at a higher spot.

In summary, going to the Rally and setting for three days to maximize the value of your Rally fee is a bore for me. If it wasn't for volunteering and doing something during that time, I wouldn't go.