How to promote the sport of Stock Mod & Pro racing

[HRTV]

Pat: This is exactly what I am talking about. While you didn't exactly say this, your statements caused people to believe this.

For the record: APBA made NOTHING in profit last year; it cannot as a not-for-profit corporation.

Pat is referring to the value of assets owned by APBA most of which include the value of the land and building which make up the national office. That, of course, says nothing with regard to the liabilities the corporation has.

BTW: all of you need to support Hydroracer. Eddie.

Hey Ed,

Thanks for clearing this up before it got out of hand, I should know better. Regarding the issue of supporting HR everyone who uses the site should give what they can, its just pennies at the end of the day you will waste more money making two trips the fast food place in a week.

[14-H]

Wrong Place

I'm biased but agree that Dayton is the place to have it. Hell, APBA should take those assets Pat W. is talking about and buy the place. The inboards have also held their nationals there too. Eddie.

Pat: look closer at those statements. How much cash is on hand to pay the salaries of the office staff, the taxes and insurance on the building and the other operating costs? Answer: not enough. Those investments get a return on APBA's scarce resources so that the bills can be paid with out raising membership fees. Ed.

[Dr. Thunder]

... For the record: APBA made NOTHING in profit last year; it cannot as a not-for-profit corporation.
Eddie.

Ooops! will have to take exception to the idea that a not-for-profit can't make money ... not true ...it should be profitable or eventually it will cease to exist. A not-for-profit just can't distribute its net income to shareholders. Let's not confuse folks with the notion of not for profit being unable to make money. Both for profit and not for profit entities can make a profit on the services/goods they produce. At least that is what I've been led to believe as an not-for-profit organization CEO for that last 28 years. Don't know if APBA is a 501(c)(3) organization or not ... don't know what it's IRS classification is. Perhaps that might make a difference. Was there a non-profit for profit conversion at some point recently or is APBA still tax-exempt?

[14-H]

*** but anyone who says advertising is a waste never used it wisely and sure as heck does not understand its power,Home Depot ***pat

What do you suppose Home Depot spends for one television commercial, Pat? I'm quite sure it is well more than the dollar amounts total together from the items in the APBA financial docunemts you have quoted.

What type of advertising are you suggesting? See, it is really easy to criticize. Let's hear what you're talking about.

I was at the combined APBA/AOF/NBRA Winternationals last year and, while it was really cool to see them driving into town, I don't think the $800.00 that was spent for the billboards advertising the event got us anything. Maybe NBRA can comment about their expense for this at their nationals this year.

P.S.: Maybe Dan can move this discussion to another thread. It really doesn't belong here.

[HRTV]

What do you suppose Home Depot spends for one television commercial, Pat? I'm quite sure it is well more than the dollar amounts total together from the items in the APBA financial docunemts you have quoted.

What type of advertising are you suggesting? See, it is really easy to criticize. Let's hear what you're talking about.

I was at the combined APBA/AOF/NBRA Winternationals last year and, while it was really cool to see them driving into town, I don't think the $800.00 that was spent for the billboards advertising the event got us anything. Maybe NBRA can comment about their expense for this at their nationals this year.

P.S.: Maybe Dan can move this discussion to another thread. It really doesn't belong here.

Hey Pat,,

New thread coming up.

[HRTV]

How to promote the sport of Stock Mod & Pro racing

Ok folks have at it, lets hear how you think it should be done.

[ricochet112]

Big Corporate Dollars...

...Is the only thing that will bring outboard, (or boat racing in general) to the mainstream. Nextel and Powerade invest huge amounts of money, and one has to search hard for the smaller classes on TV. APBA is staying alive from the big numbers of outboard racers, the smaller classes. The masses want to see the biggest and fastest.

The first thing APBA needs to do is get ALL of power boating back under the APBA umbrella, form Unlimiteds to electrics to all of the wildcat (NBRA,AOF) clubs. We need strength in numbers, we are too scattered now.

Any sporting event now has a major sponsor, weather it's football, baseball or soccer. APBA needs a major sponsor, BUT we must have something better to offer first, or no major player will invest in APBA. That is our biggest stumbling block.

PS; my son mention last week that it was cool that boat racing isn't real popular, when you mention that you race a boat most people listen up a little more. It seems to get more attention from outsiders than say, " I race motorcycles", so do thousands of others too. But they also have major sponsors, (I just checked and it looks like) Toyota and FMF advertise with AMA motocross. Big names and big money.

[raceright]

Positive

Ok folks have at it, lets hear how you think it should be done.

First thing Ed Long Term Liabilities (money available to catergories)
inboard $123,214.50,stock $46,569.93 mod $26,180.21 pro$20,654.21 on an on oh yea $48,610.10 for a rainy day (Accrued Legal Contigency) this partly or in its intirity is available to be used with the permission of the BOD hopfully all the new kneelers will spend wisley.
Adverizing without making this too long there is no such thing as bad advertizing wise man once handed a blank check to a large advertizing agency in NYC and said fill it out after it works...Needless to say the agency
gave him back the check no guarantees I have no magic but I do have a understanding of Advertizing and would be willing to sit on any committee formed as such. Oh yea my hand will stay in my Pocketts as anyone who realy knows me will confer.

Pat

[HRTV]

...Is the only thing that will bring outboard, (or boat racing in general) to the mainstream. Nextel and Powerade invest huge amounts of money, and one has to search hard for the smaller classes on TV. APBA is staying alive from the big numbers of outboard racers, the smaller classes. The masses want to see the biggest and fastest.

The first thing APBA needs to do is get ALL of power boating back under the APBA umbrella, form Unlimiteds to electrics to all of the wildcat (NBRA,AOF) clubs. We need strength in numbers, we are too scattered now.

Any sporting event now has a major sponsor, weather it's football, baseball or soccer. APBA needs a major sponsor, BUT we must have something better to offer first, or no major player will invest in APBA. That is our biggest stumbling block.

PS; my son mention last week that it was cool that boat racing isn't real popular, when you mention that you race a boat most people listen up a little more. It seems to get more attention from outsiders than say, " I race motorcycles", so do thousands of others too. But they also have major sponsors, (I just checked and it looks like) Toyota and FMF advertise with AMA motocross. Big names and big money.

You have to the bring the show and the money will follow, Kristi wrote in a post this morning that Pro drivers dont like spending eight hours or more at the races my point is an eight hour event is not a show its a work day. The weekend is like gold for most folks these days they want big fast fun and they want it quick so they can move on the with weekend, pack up the kids and keep rolling!

http://www.astdewtour.com/index.php

[raceright]

Ooops! will have to take exception to the idea that a not-for-profit can't make money ... not true ...it should be profitable or eventually it will cease to exist. A not-for-profit just can't distribute its net income to shareholders. Let's not confuse folks with the notion of not for profit being unable to make money. Both for profit and not for profit entities can make a profit on the services/goods they produce. At least that is what I've been led to believe as an not-for-profit organization CEO for that last 28 years. Don't know if APBA is a 501(c)(3) organization or not ... don't know what it's IRS classification is. Perhaps that might make a difference. Was there a non-profit for profit conversion at some point recently or is APBA still tax-exempt?

P&l shows about $94,000.00 profit by the time APBA files this will change maybe added to Item called Accrued legal Contigency that has $48,610.10 in it now
Only thing I'm trying to say is there is money available for each Catergory to use and we could do some good with it

Pat

[kws]

Ed. At the NBRA Nats. people worked there tails off (not saying we dont) and landed Touchstone energy as a sponsor. Touchstone is a CO-OP of cooperative companys. BTW in my opinion they only used about 20 percent of the usable pit area. the water is very clean. protected from blow-out by a high bluff on the west plus trees

[Kristi Ellison]

Here is how I see it:

APBA is a sanctioning organization. APBA does not have the personnel to promote or the funds to hire promoters.
We have all been burned in the past by promoters and that word has become taboo to most of us outboarders. How do you promote such a diverse sport? Nascar only really promotes Nextel...trucks come along for the ride. Which one do we promote to help carry the others?
For big promotions we need 2 things: a reasonably timed fast moving consistent show and a corporate sponsor with good sized pockets and commitment to the sport to see it grow.
We are an extreme sport. All of us have day jobs that have to come first to pay the bills which leaves little time to learn how to follow up on all these great ideas. Belive me on these 16-20 hour drives I can think of all kinds of things we can do but making them happen....not sure what to do next.

Pat I understand where you are coming from and I know your heart is in the right place. I think all of us agree that we want to promote this sport, see it grow.....but the big white elephant in the room is we all have an extreme lack of knowledge in this area. I want to know how do we get someone's attention???

[HRTV]

Here is how I see it:

APBA is a sanctioning organization. APBA does not have the personnel to promote or the funds to hire promoters.
We have all been burned in the past by promoters and that word has become taboo to most of us outboarders. How do you promote such a diverse sport? Nascar only really promotes Nextel...trucks come along for the ride. Which one do we promote to help carry the others?
For big promotions we need 2 things: a reasonably timed fast moving consistent show and a corporate sponsor with good sized pockets and commitment to the sport to see it grow.
We are an extreme sport. All of us have day jobs that have to come first to pay the bills which leaves little time to learn how to follow up on all these great ideas. Belive me on these 16-20 hour drives I can think of all kinds of things we can do but making them happen....not sure what to do next.

Pat I understand where you are coming from and I know your heart is in the right place. I think all of us agree that we want to promote this sport, see it grow.....but the big white elephant in the room is we all have an extreme lack of knowledge in this area. I want to know how do we get someone's attention???

Kristi,

The way I see it is we do not have a PR person someone who attends the functions and hangs out where the big guys with all the cash hang out. We don't need a whole huge PR dept but we do need at least one person with a professional back ground in sports marketing to get in the circle where these guys hang out and play golf etc. would be be shocked at how many million dollar deals are cut right in the club house on or the back nine at the country club.

[ricochet112]

I agree

You have to the bring the show and the money will follow, Kristi wrote in a post this morning that Pro drivers dont like spending eight hours or more at the races my point is an eight hour event is not a show its a work day. The weekend is like gold for most folks these days they want big fast fun and they want it quick so they can move on the with weekend, pack up the kids and keep rolling!

http://www.astdewtour.com/index.php

From my first post.

"APBA needs a major sponsor, BUT we must have something better to offer first, or no major player will invest in APBA. That is our biggest stumbling block."

[HRTV]

Kristi,

The way I see it is we do not have a PR person someone who attends the functions and hangs out where the big guys with all the cash hang out. We don't need a whole huge PR dept but we do need at least one person with a professional back ground in sports marketing to get in the circle where these guys hang out and play golf etc. would be be shocked at how many million dollar deals are cut right in the club house on or the back nine at the country club.

My point is the money we need is not going to come to us while in the pits at Denton holding up boats and pulling ropes, we need to go where the money is! its out there we just need a PR person who can rub shoulders with these guys and blend in.