Marketing Rad Canyon & BMX

[Curtis Newkirk]

There is a thread going on over at vintagebmx.com about marketing BMX. Also we have Travis, Adam, and a few others throwing out ideas in a thread on this forum. We had KENS TV at the track last night. There is definately some momentum to get BMX marketed, and this is the time to get it done. In almost exactly two years from today they will be racing BMX at the Olympics. We need to get our exposure mojo pumping and start making things happen.

So, I will start with one idea. I am stealing this from the Vintage thread:

"BMX Outreach programs are already kicking off elsewhere in the world. I invite you to check out this movie clip of a UK outreach program in action at a local school. Props.

http://media.putfile.com/hhbmx-schools-05"

What do you guys think? Could we pull this off? Come out to schools and talk about BMX, let some of the kids ride a 'race' out in a field? I bet they pulled in a few new riders that day.

What other ideas do you have? Adam is talking about email updates. That is a good one for our captured market. Same with some of the sponsor ideas. Now how do we grow the audience?

[mackdaddy]

Curtis,
All of these are great ideas. Lindon did the School outreach a couple of years ago at PG junior high and had great success with tons of new sign ups!!! I personally have had the email lists going until recently and there was great success with that too!!! We are running Radcanyonbmx.com email list and we are having a couple of sign ups daily!!

What we need are people who are willing to help with these ideas and help run them. Rad Canyon would love to provide support to these ideas. We have these ideas on the burners however we need more people to help implement them!
Rad Canyon is already doing the following
Salt Lake County Fair exposure to 60,000 people in one week.
Posters and fliers to bike shops, we need more help with distribution
Websites
Coordination with Utah sports Magazine and Utah Sports Commission
Media exposure, we need more help with this too! Rope decided to help on this and got KSL to talk with Rad and show up to tape our races for their show.

We all can help, How about we get each of the riders to hand out 10 flyers to their friends in school or the local neighborhood. That would reach 2000 to 3000 kids alone.

Lets get some people passionate about the marketing and start having meetings to work on all these ideas!!!
We Can make this task easier on all of us and fun

Just my 2 cents

[Curtis Newkirk]

bump

[mackdaddy]

double bump bump!!! LOL

[awsm4]

O.K. Marketing - here we go...

Start gathering email addresses at registration and create and email data base. Have a designated individual do a write up on current events, news, schedules, tips & tricks and distribute an e-mail newsletter weekly or monthly...

Contests - Is there a new rider sign up contest this year. I know there was one last year but I am not familiar with anything this year and I have not missed many practices or races. What about doing a contest for whoever brings in the most money in new sponsorships? We could put together a sponsor board (back of motoboards - banners stood up along the track or above the corners) the increased revenue could be used for advertising on radio or putting together a dvd and distributing it to county facilities and schools or maybe even a billboard depending on cost of course.

Motoboards - what is up with these things - there are signs still advertising companies that are no long in business - can they be painted and new advertising posted there. Maybe we could look into having banners made and hung there instead of having to paint on them...

Radio Remote for the national event...get a radio station out to do a remote for the national event...not sure on the cost for this though?

Flyers were mentioned already...Maybe someome could find a sponsor to absorb the cost of the flyers and promote their product or services on part of the handout.

Does the aba maintain a mailing list of inactive or expired members that we could mail to?

These are a few ideas that I have. Problem is not sure how to get the ball rolling. I don't want to make calls to someone claiming to be a representative of RAD Canyon when I do not have authorization. Not sure on funds availability/budget. Not sure on lots of stuff but would be willing to dedicate some time to helping out if someone can tell me what I CAN do.

Adam

[Curtis Newkirk]

Below is a list of ideas thrown out thus far. If we can create a game plan we can then estimate how much time it will take to get the job done. Once we know how much effort is required we will be able to assign duties more efficiently. Some of these items require little in time, others may require a lot of time:

BMX Demo at schools
Posters and fliers to bike shops
Media exposure - constant contact and press-release delivery
Radio Remote for the national event
New rider signup contest (I have not heard of one this year either)
Motoboard Remodel
Email update database (I think this has started on Rad Canyons web site)
Flyers and sponsors
Procedures for announcers to follow including the mention of sponsors

Any more?

[Dani-gurl]

At the high schools we already do have a BMX assembly every year along with the Ken Garff Keys to Success program. They have dirt-jumpers though, but if you can get in touch of the program that puts that on and get some of our really younger teenage riders that can jump also, get them out there and tell the kids that they CAN do it too. I take the chance to tell everyone around me that are excited to come out to rad, and some of them actually do.

[FLYNHIGH]

There are two types of marketing that we can do in BMX, that I have come up with.

1) Potential Membership
- You have all given excellent ideas on what we can do to bring more riders out to the track.

2) Existing Membership
- The riders that we have at the track are just as important as the potential riders.

Both types are separate and require equal attention.

An extention of the remote Radio Station idea, why don't we get KBER 101.1 (ie a "rock" station like 94.9) as their audience would more likely be the ones to race. The national weekend would be not only the best showing of the sport, as many top riders come from around the country, but the size of the sport would be showcased in a grandiose fashion. Just an idea.

[awsm4]

I have emailed KBER and The Blaze for info regarding remote costs etc. I also sent and email to a friend of mine at X96, Bill Allred. I'll let you all know what they say the parameters are as well as cost.

Adam

[greg]

OK, I have to say it is great to see and hear of all the talk about promotion. It has really been a pet peeve of mine for a few years, and I have finally been able to start to put things together. I really hate how there is NO public awareness of BMX racing, so I've thrown my hat into the ring to try to change that.

There are a couple of different areas that I am focusing on to get the ball rolling, with longer range goals developing as I go along.

First, I want to make sure that EVERY bike shop in the area is aware of BMX racing and has a poster hanging in their window to inform the customers of Rad Canyon. In addition to this, I am hanging as many posters as I can wherever I can. I have them in Walmarts, librarys, grocery stores, rec centers, etc, etc. I printed about 50 posters so far, and will probably have to print more soon. If anyone wants to help hang posters, let me know. I'll be glad to supply you with all you want. Adam, I know you said you want some, so find me at the track and get some.

Here's the poster I designed. They are in 11 X 17, but I'll probably print some in 81/2 X 11 too.


Next, I have put together a sponsorship package to give to potential sponsors of the track. The highlight of this is the 4 levels of sponsorship deals available.

Track Main Sponsor: $5000
Includes all benefits of the gold, silver, and bronze packages, PLUS prominent logo placement on all trophies, advertising, announcements, and media releases for the full 2006 season.

Currently is Komatsu Equipment who I have gotten to donate machinery to build our indoor and outdoor tracks.

Gold Sponsor: $1000
Includes all benefits of the silver and bronze packages, PLUS prominent logo placement on all trophies for one month during the 2006 season.

Currently there are 4 sponsors signed, with just one more slot (July) available.

Silver Sponsor: $500
Includes all benefits of the bronze package, PLUS prominent placement of a 4 ft. X 8 ft. billboard with company logo and information

Bronze Sponsor: $250
Includes recognition on trackside banners as a sponsor

I am currently trying to find a print shop to assist in the cost of printing the banners and moto-boards in exchange for placement of their logo. No luck so far, but I'm still beating the bushes. If anyone has ties to a sign shop, NOW is the time to speak up! Anyway, the moto-boards will be put into better shape one way or another.

I know we got a slow start this year on getting the sponsors, and getting their names out there in various forms of advertising, but it will only get better. I think it is important to get things standardized, and have a game plan. Not just have a free for all in how we go about the business of BMX racing.

I just wanted to show everyone that things are being done. Things are being thought out. Maybe slowly, but surely. In fact, everything is not really finalized with the sponsorship packages, but I think it will be pretty much along the lines I have posted (at least I hope so, because that is the way I am promoting it).

So, if anyone knows of, or has any inclination, that a business or family or individual would like to take the last Gold level, or any other level for that matter, please let me know. My goal is to have all of the moto-boards and banners done by the end of June, which is less then 3 weeks. I need to get busy!

Oh, and there is nothing that says that the moto-boards can't be split between multiple sponsors. Get four people each to give $125, and they get a 2ft X 4ft area for a logo! I'll give $125 myself if there are 3 others that would like to go in on it with me. ANYBODY???

[J Gallo]

Just a quick update to one thing:

Email update database (I think this has started on Rad Canyons web site)

This has started, and is currently being used. You can sign up on the front page of RAD Canyon's website. We just need your name and email address. And if anyone is concerned, this database will NEVER be shared, sold, or distributed to anyone for any reason.

At this point we have 58 people signed up to receive email updates, and there are quite a few notable people that have not signed up yet.

[Curtis Newkirk]

Excellent work guys! It looks like a lot of progress is already being made. Now, please take note that I am not the person who has been assigned to take control of this. Nor am I trying to. All I am going to attempt to do is take notes, list stated action items, and try to track our progress. Look at me as the scribe

On the list we had above we have the following and the person who are doing something in that area:

BMX Demo at schools - Not assigned
Posters and fliers to bike shops - Greg Prawitt - will probably need more help
Media exposure - Jeni Allen, Adam Campbell, Jeni & Curtis Newkirk
Radio Remote for the national event - Adam Campbell
New rider signup contest - Unknown
Motoboard Remodel - Greg Prawitt - Will probably need more help
Email update database - Gallo has started this. Adam reccomends on Reg slips
Flyers and sponsors - Greg Prawitt
Procedures for announcers to follow including the mention of sponsors - In progress

So, the three questions I have for each of the people above is: (a) are you OK with your name beside the action item on the list? and (b) what help and how many people do they need to finish the task? (c) Could you provide occasional updates to your progress above like Greg P did?

Anyone want to be added to an item. Any additional items ideas or expansions on ehat is there? Its June - lets get this project rockin'!

The items we still have open are the:

BMX Demo at schools: I would like to talk to Steve Spencer and Dani Donner about this.
Motoboard remodel: This is going to be a big task. Greg, whaddya need? I will pitch in with whatever I can, but we will probably need more.
New Rider Signup contest: If this is going we need to get it promoted. If it is not we need to get it going.
Provedures for announcers: I would like to take the lead on this, but would like some ideas.

Adam & Travis - great ideas about the remote broadcast from the track. Have we ever done this before? I think this is a great concept. The only potential problem is that remote broadcasts are usually done to attract spectators and I think ours could do just that. How would we handle the parking fees? Would it be possible to only charge $5 a day for parking with an option of a three day pass? I forgot what we charged last year, but every national I have been to this year is $30 for the weekend or $10 a day. This might be a bit much for the casual spectator. Or, dare I say, could we actually have free parking for this years event and only charge for RV's and sponsor space? A free event with free parking with a radio broadcast on 96.1, KBER or the like will definately draw spectators.

[Dani-gurl]

Alrighty Curtis, you said you wanted to talk about having me help in the BMX demo's in schools. Here's what I know about what DOES happen, and lets brainstorm to see what we can do to help it out.

Every year for the past few years a bunch of GT sponsored dirt jumpers come out and we have a gym assembly and they do a bunch of jumps. The kids go crazy, but for us ole BMXer's, its kinda dull, we see that stuff all the time .

What I think would be great would be to get some of the kids who CAN jump and do it well, and see if we can get them out there too, but some of the younger ones, like Cody Kelley, Mitch Ropelato, Robby Patterson (I'm just throwing out names here) But also, get some speed demons and girls out there too. Thats whats really the fun part, there are no female dirt jumpers that do that at schools, if we can get Arielle, or heck, any female out there, that could really help promote BMX to all ages and to both boys and girls.

Another idea I have had, is use the flyers that Greg showed earlier and have those ready and on hand for the students in high school to keep in their locker or backpacks. Keep these also for the day of the BMX assembly and see if we can have one of the bikers make an announcement for Rad Canyon, (which at my school would be great, Rad is only about 1/2 a mile away from CHHS) and have the rest of us pass out flyers for Rad as the students leave the assembly.

During the lunch hours there's always a booth up for the national guard or a school club or activity, maybe setting up a date for some BMXers to have their own table set up with pictures and maybe even video footage would be great. Hand out flyers and let the students talk to the BMXers about it.

Either way, we need to find ways to get kids in schools interested about BMX. There's always a few BMXers at every school, so if we can get all their help, we can all find a way to accomplish this mission. I'll be seeing you later on tonight Curtis, so we'll have the chance to discuss this and any other ideas more.

On a different note, a few years back we had the chance to sit at Cottonwood mall for a day with a jump and do a jumping demo with Fuzzy Hall in their parking lot. They liked it and invited us it have a booth for a few weekends that year. We had tables set up with flyers and videos and bikes and we all sat around in our leathers. This caught the eye of some new specatators who came out often that summer, and that got a few new riders out and signed up as well. Maybe seeing the cost of a booth for the weekend at a mall or the cost just to do a jumping demo.

Also, local compaines can post your flyers in their windows. If we can have some made up we can have parents and kids go to these compaines and see if they can post come Rad Canyon BMX flyers with their website (www.radcanyonbmx.com) and a phone number.

Again, we'll discuss this more later, but let me know what you guys think about my few ideas that are posted above.

Thanks!

Dani-gurl

[awsm4]

I have scheduled a meeting with 94.9 The Blaze to discuss a remote during our national. I will be meeting with her Thursday at noon to get an informational packet. She is also going to bring some demographic information so we can make sure their audience will fit our needs.

Adam

[awsm4]

Here also is a copy of an email I am sending to local newpaper sports writers - Trib, Dnews, West Jordan Journal...

Thank you for allowing me to submit this information for your review, our kids will really appreciate it!

I am a track volunteer at Rad Canyon BMX, a world class bicycle motocross facility. Rad Canyon BMX is a community facility operated through Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation. The track is controlled by a completely volunteer board and is financially independent beyond the facilities. We would like to opportunity to show your sports editor what adrenaline sports are all about.

BMX racing is a great family sport with classes for all age groups, abilities and genders. Rad Canyon is sanctioned by the American Bicycle Association. The kids that race with us learn great life lessons through victory and defeat and sportsmanship. BMX is primarily and independent sport however there are several "teams" that ride together and compete against one another for "team" trophies. BMX is a sport where everyone participates, no one sits on the bench.

Anyone with a bike can come and compete, free trials are given to kids or adults that just want to try it. The only requirements are: a bike (in good repair without any reflectors, kickstand or chain guard), a helmet, a long sleeve shirt and long pants.

The track consists of a starting gate, operated by an air ram that pushes the gate down and releases the riders from the chute, obstacles ranging from small bumps (roller) to large double and triple jumps. At 1150 feet in length an expert rider in their teens will complete the 1 lap sprint in just under 50 seconds. The racers are divided into groups of racers based on age, gender and skill level. There are 3 skills levels to be achieved. The first being novice, requiring 8 main event wins to turn intermediate. The intermediate skill level requires 25 main wins to advance to the final class of expert. Once the groups are subdivided they are placed into races called motos. The typical moto will consist of 3 races - 2 qualifiers and 1 main event. Trophies are awarded through 3rd place for main event finishes. Points are then awarded to the rider based on the ABA points scoring rules. The points are accumulated annually then tallied. The points rank each rider in their respective district from most points to fewest points. The ranking in their district at the end of the year determines the number on the "number plate" that identifies each rider during the races. Beyond the local or district races riders can compete in National events racing riders from all over the country and become nationally ranked as well.

BMX is a great family sport that parents and children can participate in together, and when you or your child are not on the track, you are typically in the stands enjoying each others company and spending quality time together.

Come and experience what BMX has to offer our community. Rad Canyon practices Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. and races Thursday nights with registration from 6-7 P.M.

Thanks for your time,

Adam Campbell
acampbell@mikehaleacura.com
801-440-1539