Promote Now (Long Post)

This editorial has sat on my laptop for months now in various and LONG forms. While I've done edits and notations, sometimes it's best to just start anew.

I've given some thought to this year and some of the things we saw during special events at local tracks. If there was any one common factor its that the crowds were disappointing in most examples. I said MOST, so save the “I was at...and the stands were packed” argument because the line at the beer stand was long. I went to most of the specials and if I didn't go I got photos of the crowds and real eyewitness accounts of others.

Of course the economy, most notably gas prices, took a bite out of most folks entertainment funds and the premium-priced ticket sales suffered as a result. Though the increases were small, per purchase, the totals add up quickly over time.

But lets go back to what a special event is, a one-time deal. To what extent is an increase of a Jackson's worth of dollars over the course of the year to one or two people? How many of you have spent that on a night out (and I'll bet you spent much more). If the trip wasn't too far, say maybe an hour or two, what is that in gas, really? Consider, if your car gets say 20 MPG and gas went up 1.50 over last year, then for an 80 mile round trip, you spent an additional 6 bucks.

What I'm getting at is that for ONE event, for the fan, the spike in gas prices adds up to a hot dog and a Coke. Even if it's an additional 10 bucks, what is that really? You don't have to be swimming in money to realize that 10 bucks over the course of the year is negligible. How much money did you spend on lottery/beer/fast food/expensive coffee/pay per view or any other non-necessities. That's not saying an Outlaw weekend isn't a lot of money, but compared to last year, it's not like that increase was more than a few bucks over last year.

Now, granted, I'm looking at that over the course of a year's time. 10, 20, maybe even 50 bucks this way or that ain't much to most people. Hell, how many scoffed at the Bush economic 'stimulus' plan's $600 check? If it's convenient for a political argument, I'm going to hold you to it.

However, why is the cost of this and that such a hot topic every time a sparse grandstand greets our special events? I think it's because the overall cost – a $20-30 ticket, concessions, and a fill of the tank is a noticeable and significant cost in the IMMEDIATE time frame. Throwing down $100-200 or more in such a SHORT time is noticed much more in the weekend time frame than it is over the year and such a significant amount grabs more of our attention and asks, “what are we paying this kind of money for?”

What's happened is fans are making the decision to attend these events in the short term – a “what to do this weekend” mentality. In that time frame, then yeah – 20 or 30 bucks is a big deal.

I can say this with authority from my time in the business of selling advanced tickets: The busiest times are within a week of the show. People made their decisions, their commitments in the immediate time frame. They're choosing whether or not to spend significant money in the short term.

How many of you budget that big vacation of yours to Florida, Colorado, Disneyland, or even Knoxville well in advance? Why? Because this is a big event, big destination and thus worth the budget.

Now what about the big Outlaws race, what about the Alphabet Soup, the...whatever? Not such a big deal compared to the other things, is it?

So, while other events are worthy of long term planning, and the increased financial commitment, these smaller events aren't worthy of the fan's commitment despite the overall lower cost.

What's happened is that these special events have decreased in significance. They don't demand the long-term planning a Florida vacation does. And when the significance decreases, the long term budgeting decreases, but the perceived expense in the short term is much greater to the consumer. They're looking at a $100 expense between pay periods, not over the course of the year. There's a big difference in the budget to the average consumer.

Promoters have to shift from sunday Sunday, SUNDAY! attitude to summer Summer SUMMER! -state of mentality. Events need to be of significance.

Listen to me now...RACING ALONE ISN'T ENOUGH OF A DRAW ANYMORE. NASCAR learned this a long time ago. That's why they flourished. Promoters have to start promoting these events LONG before the pathetic week before the race message board posts they are doing now.

If the big special makes or breaks their year, why are they promoting it for one or two weeks? If so much is riding on these shows, they demand the kind of effort from the promotion and organization arms of the racetrack.

So, what would I do?

1.Pre-sell tickets, at a significant discount and give incentive to buy early – but with enough time to “save up.” 2009 events need to be on sale before Christmas of 2008. Get the sanctioning body to firm up a date if needed. Book out the schedule, WORK with other tracks if needed. Pre-planning goes a long way and it often spares bad feelings between tracks. Reciprocate if need be.

2.Make the event an EVENT. Make it something that goes on not just on the track, but before and after. If you went on vacation and spent 2 or 3 hours actually doing the vacation activities, wouldn't you feel ripped off? Your 'speed week' should be a 'speed WEEK,' not a speed evening. Concerts, carshows, contests, something to fill the gaps. What about offering coupons or vouchers to the local waterpark, state park, and local attractions in an effort to bring out-of-town fans?

3.Promote that big show from the first race on through, and that last race should be promoting NEXT year's event. The worst thing is your fans saying “I didn't know they were running that...”

It's time to start encouraging your fans not only to plan, but put in their mind that they need to save for the big event. Hype it up, ramp it up and sell it up. It's good for you, it's good for your fans and good for the sport.