Horse Power Promotions will keep bikers downtown
Horse Power Promotions knows a lot about biker rallies. The new
promoters of the Hollister Independence Day Rally have a long
history of promoting events around the United States. They have
even promoted similar bike shows in Oklahoma and Kentucky. Closer
to home, the company has done motorcycle shows in Santa Maria, the
Rose Bowl in Pasadena and the Cow Palace in San Francisco.
Horse Power Promotions will keep bikers downtown
Horse Power Promotions knows a lot about biker rallies. The new promoters of the Hollister Independence Day Rally have a long history of promoting events around the United States. They have even promoted similar bike shows in Oklahoma and Kentucky. Closer to home, the company has done motorcycle shows in Santa Maria, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and the Cow Palace in San Francisco.
Promoter Seth Doulton has been in the promotions business since the 1970s and has operated Horse Power Productions since 1981.
Compared to some of the other rallies Doulton has worked on, Hollister will be different. Many of the events are behind a paid gate, but Doulton is excited about the logistics of an unfenced venue for the Hollister rally.
“Previous years, they’ve had the bikers on San Benito Street and the vendors were on the side streets,” Doulton said. “We’re designing it this year so that the vendors will be at the heart of everything and we’re turning San Benito Street into a market place so as to incorporate the businesses located there as well. Previously the city took second stage to the event, but it doesn’t make any sense not to utilize the local businesses. We want more people to benefit.”
The new contract with the rally commission requires that the organizing committee – headed by Charisse Tyson, owner of Johnny’s Bar and Grill – cover the city’s staffing costs, which have been estimated around $380,000. The committee must pay at least $100,000 by Jan. 15, $250,000 by March 1 and the complete balance by March 31. If it fails to meet any of those deadlines, the event will be canceled.
For their services Horse Power Productions will receive 60 percent of all vendor proceeds as well as 60 percent of proceeds derived from any sponsors Horse Power Productions brings to the rally. The rally commission will receive 100 percent of proceeds for sponsors they bring in.
Some people have complained that the rally should be held at a gated venue, such as the Hollister Airport or Bolado Park, but Doulton said the downtown in Hollister is part of the reason people come to Hollister.
“If we moved the event to the airport, we’d risk losing business. Palm Springs tried to move their event once it had an established location and they lost many people because the vendors do less business the first year and then you can’t get them to come back,” Doulton said. “Even when there isn’t a gate fee, all of the major motorcycle rallies happen in downtowns. Sturgis is all downtown and Daytona Beach, too.”
Security for an ungated event is a concern, but Doulton said that planning simply requires more planning because of the open spaces, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s harder to contain. Feelings of a controlled environment simply take more law enforcement, Doulton said.
Ultimately Doulton’s goal is to make the rally an event that is financially beneficial to San Benito County throughout the year. One of his ideas is to get local businesses return visitors.
Other cities have been satisfied by the results that Doulton has produced for them, Doulton said.
In 2005, Doulton was awarded with the Santa Maria Mayor’s award for bringing more tourism dollars to the city that year. His company has also conducted studies that show people will come back to area during other times of the year if they have a good time. His business will follow local businesses here closely to find out if and how local businesses benefited.
“I think it’s a testament that we haven’t run into anybody who has said ‘we don’t want you to come back,'” Doulton said.
The one issue that does concern Doulton about this year’s rally is the time frame. His company only has six months to get all the issues worked out.
“The timeline troubles me the most. I tell people I’m really looking forward to the 2008 Hollister Independence Day rally, because the 2007 event is only six months away,” Doulton said. “Next year we will have worked out all the logistics and we’ll have 12 solid months to pump the event up. This year we really only have half the time to put the rally together.”
Representatives from the city of Santa Maria could not be reached for comment.
Patrick O’Donnell can be reached at [email protected].
