2018 Vancouver Motorcycle Show

[tomcycle]

After many years of DSBC committing and supporting the Vancouver Motorcycle Show, the Motorcycle Show Management has decided not to reciprocate. When DSBC sent in the required application forms DSBC where notified by the Power Sports Show, Nov. 27 2017 "At this time all Not For Profit booths are on a waitlist".

As many of you already know, it takes a fairly large effort to get everything ready for the Show and there is really only 2 or three weekends between now and the show with Christmas and New Years along with many personal commitments. Without the Motorcycle Show management committing to provided DSBC some space, it would be unfair for DSBC to spend money and the DSBC volunteers to carry out the Pre Show work that is required to make our display a success, only to be notified at the last minute that DSBC can not get in.

Since new management (Power Sport Services owned by the MMIC) has taken over the show some years ago, there has been many changes. The biggest change I have seen, is the lack of support and concern for the Clubs / Not For Profits. The show has also become very expensive to attend with costs climbing every year. The changes, costs and no commitment of space from the Show Management, I have recommended to the rest of the DSBC executive that we do not waste any money or time on something that is doubtful as our participation in the Vancouver MC show.

Several NFPa are already committed to be in the show, BCORMA, PNWMA, AIM, BMOC, GWRRA, GVMC, PNWMA, WMRC.

DSBC had a great run with the Vancouver Motorcycle Shows for the past 15 years, in fact without the support of the show DSBC would never gotten off the ground.

The times are changing and the relevance of the Motorcycle Show to DSBC has been waning for the past couple of years. The DSBC executive has decided that if we are going to put any money or effort into a project it should benefit the DS community. So you can expect to see the return of DSBC specific events. Some ideas are already being kicked around so you should see some info soon.

Cool suspension bridge DSBC did for the Vancouver MC show a few years back, good memories

 

[lagbc]

Bunch of a-holes. Was thinking about going this year, but will probably pass this year. Put your money where your mouth is.

 

[cactusreid]

The last few times I did make the trek from the loops down to the show,I was disappointed to see not much more than a slew of Chinese crap bikes, and of course the x-large Harley component in the booths and in attendance. Instead of "something for everyone", it seems to have morphed into something that has very little appeal for me at least.

 

[tomcycle]

Ever since the MMIC took over the management for the show some years ago from the Sportsmans Show, the local element, ie clubs and local venders, has been diminishing, in favour of a more corporate style of show. This is all OK as it is a corporate show operated by industry and this is their decision. I can go on for some time regarding what I think, but I won't. Safe to say, I will NOT be attending. Instead I will be working on building our sport thru DSBC. I will miss meeting and talking face to face with all the DSBC members that dropped by the booth.

 

[JavaJude]

I've been involved with the DSBC booth at the Motorcycle Show every year since 2005. I enjoyed seeing everyone there and talking with as many folks as possible when they came to visit our booth. I'll miss it for sure.

Our booth won "Best Club Booth" from 2004-2008. They stopped judging the club booths because we kept winning DSBC set up and ran the enduro-cross demonstaration races for a few years and put in hundreds of volunteer hours in the pouring rain and one year in the freezing snow. Many dualsport riders joined DSBC after finding our booth at the show (Im one of those people).

We have some great plans for 2018; Flat Tire Socials, Spring Newbie Ride, work parties, Sunday rides, fund-raisers for Search & Rescue and much more.

Thank you to all the DSBC members who volunteered their time to work at the DSBC booth and the enduro-cross track over the years. We always had lots of people step up to help when we put the word out for volunteers. Thanks Everyone!.

Judy

 

[tomcycle]

Read that earlier Tom.... crappy news. What about volunteering with BCORMA / PNWMA?

Times they are a changin

With Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Meetup and online Forums. Many of us are getting our information from these sources, this is a double edged sword as the message can be delivered to many more people at a fraction of the cost. Traditional Clubs and Associations are struggling. The basic cost for a NFP to attend the show will be no less that 3000.00 dollars, cost of booth (500.00) and some incidentals, minimum of roughly 100 volunteer hours to setup and man booth. (value volunteer 18.00 per hour). Of course Volunteers don't get paid but their time still has a value and that must be taken into consideration.

DSBC has always sold Memberships and BCORMA Trail Passes at the show, DSBC has never recover its costs for the show. There was a time when the Motorcycle show was the place to make your club known and the place to get the message out, like I said above there are cheaper and better alternatives available to us and other clubs. With the PSS lack of enthusiasm to have DSBC participate in this show has opened up the opportunity to check out the alternatives available to us. I suspect there will be no turning back.

Have the other NFP come to the same conclusion? I know the GVMC has asked the same questions of the value of attending the motorcycle show (this stretches back to when I was VP of the GVMC) I am sure they are still asking themselves the same questions. BCORMA has never pushed sales of the Trail Pass at the show, they had left Trail Pass sales for the participating clubs. The PNWMA is an Association of MC Clubs mainly racing. I am not sure if they are getting the best bang for their buck at the motorcycle show?

Up till now I have not heard if any of the participating NFP are looking for Volunteers, if we hear anything we will be sure to post up their request.

 

[melliet]

Thank you for the well explained update and all of the time and energy put into the show over the years.

It was a delight to volunteer in 2017. I couldn't help but notice how the people at the booth, stopping for a chat or simply breezing by lit up.

It was an honour to wear that bright yellow shirt, invite people to check out the amazing photo wall from various rides and the stunning rider/member created photo book.

Every person left that booth smiling and/or curious about a group of folks who can excitedly share stories of riding around logging roads and other backwoods / mountaintop adventures, breaking parts (both bike and bodily while grinning ear to ear.

I can understand why such a highly commercialized retail event no longer has much space for people that regularly take on (and love or need) the personal, mental, physical and technical challenges DS brings us.

Onward and upward.

 

[TroUtman_888]

Haven't posted in DSBC for years. Kind of lost touch, but never with the sport. The irony is I got re-connected when I visited the DSBC booth at the show last year. Thanks for all the work you key volunteers have put in!