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Plant City Rocks (Keep it Rockin')
By Dano
Just in case you have been trekking in the Himalayas or white shark
hunting in New Zealand the last couple of months and have missed the
hottest new biker event in Central Florida, the new Plant City Bike Fest "Rocks".
In my opinion. Plant City's first two monthly events surpass most veteran
events and rank up there with some of the best in potential, including my
favorites, Leesburg and Key West. Billed more like a bike night than a
larger event, Plant City not only has brought in impressive biker numbers
the first two months, (in the area of 3,000 to 4,000), it has brought in a
serious number of vendors, which I personally believe is a large part of
the Biker attraction. Plant City had roughly 30 vendors at their November
event and that was up considerably from October. Plants City's attractive
refurbished downtown (not unlike Leesburg) is not only welcoming to
guests, it has that old town feel that makes a casual stroll while
checking out the sights both relaxing and fun. I have noticed that many
non-bikers, civilians as I call them, are really turned on by the
non-conventional atmosphere. It's exciting the first time you experience
the noise, chrome, and leather apparel and makes it a real gas for most
regular (non-biker) type folks. As for the entertainment, the music has
been fairly good (better the first month) and the management of the bike
show has been fine. Vendor prices to the public are fair, as are the
restaurant and tavern charges. Master of Ceremony's duties have been taken
care of by Radical Randy of Born to Ride TV and Randy always does a great
job (keep the music going Randy). The Plant City Police Department has
been cool and law enforcement issues have been almost non-existent. I'm
not sure 5 or 6 cops standing in the middle of the main intersection are
really necessary but the police officers have been understanding and
tolerant.
Now, having given the good folks at the Plant City Chamber the much
deserved credit they have earned, I do have some comments that I have
heard around the biker community that might be of interest. My mother used
to say, "You have two ears and one mouth for a reason", so I
like to listen to the customers whenever they speak. Here are a few things
they (the customers) have told me.
1. Add Beer tent or Beer street: Many believe a beer tent or a limited
access area for the consumption of cold beer is needed. The rational is
that bikers like to be outside and if you look at all of the really large
events, they all have lots of outside areas with music and beer. Great
events like the Key West Poker Run in Sept. annually block off some street
areas where beer is allowed on the street. Usually these events have civic
organizations vend the "brewskis" with special permits and give
the proceeds to worthy charities in the area. Many time distributors
donate the beer. Police officers sometimes man the beer stands and check
for ID's and even issue bracelets to legal drinkers. If properly organized
and policed, bikers will behave and usually be less troublesome than the
general population. It's a great fundraiser for some worthy cause, it
helps keep the crowd at the event and really doesn't effect the tavern
traffic (taverns will all be full anyway). Personally, I feel safer at a
bike event than I do at the local high school football game.
2. Lengthen the event: Some have already started talking about extending
the event. I would like to see it last a little longer. Maybe an early
afternoon start would afford organizers more time to take care of the bike
show and other special programs, like tattoo contest, beauty contests,
more bands etc. More importantly, it would give vendors who sponsor the
event an opportunity to sell some products (4 hours isn't long). Local
businesses like restaurants, hotels, and other retail establishments would
also have a better opportunity if bikers were in the area for a longer
period of time.
3. More Lights: Even though the areas along the railroad tracks are well
lighted, I believe more light towers and vendor electrical hook ups would
be nice. A little whining was heard by vendors, including myself, as we
went looking for outlets to plug in our lighting when the time-change made
it dark at 5:40 pm. Keep the vendor areas well lighted to add to the
vendor appeal and keep the event safe.
4. More vendors: I believe the more vendors, the more appeal to bikers and
ultimately the more successful the show. I believe that huge events like
Daytona thrive because they continue to grow and evolve. It doesn't matter
how many days you spend at bike week there is always something new to
explore. It's sort of like the county fair. Attendees walk around and
visit the attractions and the more attractions there are to look at, the
longer they stay. Many events limit the number of vendors and in my
opinion limit their appeal. Plant City had roughly 30 vendors at their
last event and that was up considerably from the first event. When Bikers
run out of entertaining things to look at, they will ride to the next
venue. Don't let the event get boring. I have heard talk of limiting
vendors at Plant City and I hope this doesn't happen.
In conclusion, I don't propose that I am the guru of bike events but I
have been attending these events for 30 some years and I believe that
successful events have a few things in common.
1. Successful events continue to evolve so the show doesn't become
stagnant. Entertainment must continually change and the quality of bands
is always important. Big names bring big crowds and big revenues for
businesses and vendors.
2. Successful shows give the attendees some space to operate (tolerant
police officers), good value for their dollar, and respect bikers and
their spending power (no price gouging). Today's bikers eat, drink, tip,
and basically use their gold cards to entertain themselves. Events like
Plant City can easily grow and produce millions for their community
economy. When organizers recognize the potential and act accordingly, the
possibilities are staggering. Good value for the attendees is key.
3: Bikers control the success of the event: Remember that the biker
community really controls the success of the event. I heard someone say
the event belongs to the Chamber. Not really. Remember the success depends
on the Biker Community and their willingness to support the event. It
doesn't matter whose event it is, if no one comes. Listen to your
customers and respond in a positive way and you will succeed.
Congratulations all around for the organizers. Keep up the good work,
Plant City, keep it growing and you'll reap huge rewards with a super
event. Ride Safe. |
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