Savannah, Georgia

[Joe J]

Kenn Christie arranged for a full sized road-side billboard advertising our divisionals in Oroville CA. this year.

Total cost...........$80.

Anything is possible.

Joe

[Andrew 4CE]

$80!? Wow, is that typical or a wheeled and dealed price?

Anyone with pics of the billboard with some back ground around it?

This thread is dead on... I work the shows for our club, one show is literally 10 minutes from the park lake we race at and every year I meet many new people at the show and they say "You've been racing here for years? I've never even heard of it." There is alway more ways you can advertise/promote... many free ways... just takes volunteers to spend an afternoon... many in our area would rather have a root canal it seems.

[Kristi Ellison]

I thought the SORC put a billboard up in Alex for the winter nationals a couple years ago...anyone know how much it cost??? A billboard would be way cool!!

[Dave M]

Ask NBRA

At the risk of Dana Holt's rath coming down upon me for sounding like I am beating a drum, Ask the folks who put on the NBRA race in Centrallia IL.

There was thread detailing the kind of ads they used.... including billboard signs and tv comercials.

Must be boat racers have a VERY small good idea retention rate......

If you need phone numbers or who to contact let me know. I can provide.

[Kristi Ellison]

Dave send me a PM with the info.

[race4kaos]

you've got to be kidding me...

the traffic in savannah was so bad because of the THOUSANDS of people that were downtown all weekend for the Seafood Festival and the ChampBoat race. somehow they all got the message. ChampBoat advertised in the Savannah Morning News (paper), local TV was there, marinas advertised, and online in 'things to do in Savannah' months ahead of time. spectators were lined up 3, 4 deep for 1/2 mile long on both sides of the river, and there were no open seats in the grandstands.

i find it HILARIOUS that you PROmotional people (that are lucky to get a hundred true spectators at a race) suggest to make some homemade signs to put up for the 'boat races' (right next to the ones for the 'flea market'?). but thanks for the laugh...

there has been some good discussion that has resulted though. billboards, radio, etc. are good tools. the Bay City River Roar had a full size billboard for the 2006 event for only a few hundred $. the problem has been that this type of promotion does not give measurable results and when it comes time to present the budget to committees, it is just as easily axed as anything else.

promotion IS key to boatracing and it's future. OPC may not do everything right, but promoting series races is not one of our weak points. for those of you that missed it, you can watch it on SPEED on a Saturday in January just before noon.

[David Weaver]

Well, you might be right but,...

i find it HILARIOUS that you PROmotional people (that are lucky to get a hundred true spectators at a race) suggest to make some homemade signs to put up for the 'boat races' (right next to the ones for the 'flea market'?). but thanks for the laugh...

promotion IS key to boatracing and it's future. OPC may not do everything right. but promoting series races is not one of our weak points. for those of you that missed it, you can what it on SPEED on a Saturday in January just before noon.

...I think I can speak for all the PROmotion people when I say, what a di*#!!!

Good counter point, terrible delivery.

[race4kaos]

trust me...

... i wasn't trying to make any friends.
after what the PROfessional category did to me last summer, i could care less what any of you think. you won't find me in bfe looking for the 'boat race' sign to turn left at and head into depue again.
had someone from your category not ripped on my category, i might have left it alone.

[Kristi Ellison]

I can only guess who you are but whatever.....I think the 5000+ fans that show up each day for Florida speedweek speak to our PRO motional abilities.
You might want to re read the posts since NO ONE was ripping on anyones catagory they simple pointed out an observation. Frankly if you want to be anass then you can stay in whatever catagory you are in now we prefer to display some degree of internet etiquette.

[Kevin54]

Hey since I'm bored and already have no friends, I'm going to blow some wind on this fire. If know one was bashing catergories then why was this post started??? What was the purpose? If you think that you can do it better get a hold of Champboat and volunteer to help next year, I'm sure they could use your expertise in the promotional area of boat racing, you can drive around and staple signs to all the street poles or maybe stand on some corner with a billboard on you. I could go on for ever, but the bottom line is that there was more people there this year then last and the people that were there got to see some great racing. your loss

[Kristi Ellison]

There is no fire to throw wind on. Maybe you guys should learn to read the posts. Bill simply stated he knew there was a race but when he got to town he did not hear anything about it locally or see signs. How is that bashing a catagory??? How is that saying no one showed up?? No one's loss he did not go to Savannah to see a boat race he went to spend the weekend with his wife because he had never been there. Don't look for insults where there wasn't any. Mr. Christener made a simple point and observation from past experience there is no need to start insulting him either. If your looking for a fight please look somewhere else.

[SPN#43]

Savannah race was unbelievable, there were thousands and thousands of fans lined up on both sides of the river, and what I have never seen at any race, was that every single roof of each building on the city side was packed with fans, it was just fantastic.

[raceright]

... i wasn't trying to make any friends.
after what the PROfessional category did to me last summer, i could care less what any of you think. you won't find me in bfe looking for the 'boat race' sign to turn left at and head into depue again.
had someone from your category not ripped on my category, i might have left it alone.

It is safe to say all the past thinking on how to promote boat racing isn't
worth the ink used to explain it lets face it we have the most exciting water
activity on earth but the worst promotional ability known to man--you talk about several hundred to several thousand ,what you kidding there should be ten's of thousands of spectators at boat races we have missed the boat(no pun) over and over again zero spent on Promotion over the last several years.
You know who you have to blame look in the mirror and you will see who.

Been to many races over the years Unlimited,offshore,Opc, Pro,inboard,stock and so on have seen the Promotion slide right with the #'s of spectators.

Was at Offshore race on LI this summer not APBA and man there was ten's of thousand's of spectators, and they used everything known to man and sold cars,boats food drinks shirts hats resturants were packed the city was
Patchogue L.I. and the city was part of the race Fire Departments involved for get it they did it right not APBA but real Promotion...
No need to fight with ourself's either give up or do something about it and ask around I ha ve been a thorn in the side of some in APBA and will not give up unless .Title series Choses to.

Pat

[bill van steenwyk]

life lessons

I am sure no one, much less me is going to change the mind of "raceforchaos" and his opinion of the PRO Division based on a decision that went against him at DePue at the 2007 PRO Nationals, BUT in my years spent around and participating in boat racing, it never ceases to amaze me that sometimes those who run the best and have the most to be proud and positive about their accomplishments in the sport, are sometimes the poorest of sports themselves. You need to realize that if you choose to compete, that sometimes decisions are going to go against you. Whether right or wrong, humans make mistakes, and with an all volunteer workforce at a race, mistakes can and will be made. I don't know whether this was the case in his situation or not, and that is not the point. Stuff happens, and if you choose to compete under the situations that exist presently (volunteers doing thankless jobs) then you run the chance of something happening regards decisions made by judges, just as you do if something happens to damage either equipment or yourself by competing. You weren't the first, and you won't be the last that was wronged, if that was really the case, but you need to get over it as it doesn't show you at your best. And you are one of the best, because I have watched you drive.
Take a look at the honors you have won to this point, and see whether it is worth tarnishing those in other's eyes, because of a decision made at a race, and your reaction. I know all of the people personally involved in that decision, and have for many years. I don't love them all, but I have watched them over the past 25 years, and they don't make biased calls, period. Mistakes maybe, but if a mistake was made, I can count them all on 10 fingers for the past 25 years. There are very few series run more professionally that USTS and the PRO Nationals.
Most all of us who have competed or are competing now, will have something go against us, that quite possibly was not our fault. Learn from it, you will be a better driver and person for it. Better yet, volunteer for some of those jobs yourself if you don't now, I guarantee you will be a better person for that.

[jkimble12]

the traffic in savannah was so bad because of the THOUSANDS of people that were downtown all weekend for the Seafood Festival and the ChampBoat race. somehow they all got the message.

Kevin,

Somehow they got the message about what, the great seafood or the boat race?


Josh Kimble

H-32 (formerly L-32)