The hosts of Sturgis North took a gamble when they decided to host a motorcycle rally in the Shuswap, why do I say that? I know you are thinking, what an ideal place to host an event: beautiful scenery, incredible riding, great weather most of the time...
Well, to be honest any motorcycle event is a gamble - you are battling mother nature, family and other life commitments and a host of other challenges like volunteers actually showing up to do what they said they would. The millions of tiny minute details that go into hosting ANY event is daunting but an event the size and scope of Sturgis North - mind boggling.
They faced huge opposition, obstacles and like every event coordinator out there, learned the hard way about people and their loyalties, learned that dreams sometime need to be pulled back to a more manageable level.
How do I know these things? From having been an event coordinator and I can tell you first hand that being an event coordinator/host is no task to be undertaken by the faint hearted. You ride the emotional roller coaster of having people do unspeakable and horrible things to you to having the most amazing, uplifting help and guidance and support from others. You need to be rock steady in your belief, vision and commitment, but most importantly, you need the motorcycle community to "rally" around you - will the motorcycle community rally around Sturgis North in 2012?
I empathize with any coordinator that looses money hosting an event. The news that Sturgis North is coming back for 8 days, in spite of loosing money, with all events being consolidated to the Neskonlith Indian Band lands is HUGE. It appears that they have been listening to the feedback from vendors, participants and sponsors and to be taking everything to heart and it appears they have already begun to make the changes necessary to make the 2012 event a success.
The fact that for their first time they got somewhere around 35,000 people is hugely impressive, and if they revise their pricing and layout to be more user friendly, then I feel the riding community will get behind it again. Like every western rider, I am excited at the thought of a major event here in the west. We need an event that we riders can embrace.
A partial recipe for this to happen, I believe is:
Better entertainment
Everything consolidated to ONE main venue
Rodeo games, show n shines, swap meet
A vendors village area that you don't have to pay to get into
Less police presence
Lower fees to attend
What are your suggestions to make Sturgis North bigger, better and an event that would be considered, like it's name sake in the south - a MUST do event? I know that they would probably love to hear them and I know I WANT to hear them...
I would also like to hear feed back on the Great Canadian Bike Rally in Merritt - do you feel that these two events should go head to head again next year? What could the Great Canadian Bike Rally do better to become the MUST attend event of the year?
If you went to both events, which one did you enjoy more?
Was there anything that one event did better than the other?
Should these two events consider somehow being more cooperative with each other?
I have an enquiring mind and would LOVE your feedback! Join the discussion on Facebook, in our forums or right here in this blog!
As an entrepreneur and a motorcyclist I am a bit of a natural born risk taker. But what about you?
Have you ever bet on life in the fast lane? Betting on sports events is not unlike being an event coordinator, motorcyclist or a small business owner....you take an educated risk: you gather the facts, you take a course of action, and once the event begins, the doors open to a venture all bets are off! Your only chance for an edge is education!
Have you ever bet on life in the fast lane? Betting on sports events is not unlike being an event coordinator, motorcyclist or a small business owner....you take an educated risk: you gather the facts, you take a course of action, and once the event begins, the doors open to a venture all bets are off! Your only chance for an edge is education!
MotoGP and similar races are the epitomy of the razor’s edge that riders race upon in order to be successful, squeezing out every last bit of horsepower they can with just fraction of inches sometimes the difference between success and failure. As a result there are many who enjoy betting on the races.
Like a gambler that might play casino online games for high stakes, a motorcycle event coordinator or small business owner, being a sports bettor is not for the faint of heart. There are plenty of disappointing finishes that litter the landscape alongside the victories. There’s plenty of stats and data online from past races to help you make a smart wager - what racers do well on particular tracks, which teams are running well recently, and other trends but knowing the stats won’t guarantee a win as anything can happen once a race starts, making a choice by your gut alone is not really the best way to bet on any sports event. You wouldn't decide to host an event or open a business without some knowledge of what it takes, what the risks were and what your chances of success are.
Using the correct
I want to draw your attention to some items in the news today:
In Edmonton Alberta, two riders are dead following two separate crashes.
In Ontario, sweeping discrimination regarding the Hells Angels back fired when bureaucrats backed a bar owner and his license.
Also in Ontario, the CMC rode to the rescue!
For the rest of the news that might affect your day or life as a rider, visit www.beltdrivebetty.com - we sift through the news so you don't have to!
Well folks, back at it for me...you have a fabulous day and if you are lucky enough to be riding today, PLEASE, ride like everyone is blind and can not see you.
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
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