Hollister
– How many people attend the Hollister Motorcycle Rally? Where
do they come from? There hasn’t been much concrete data, but rally
organizer Seth Doulton said that’s about to change.
Hollister – How many people attend the Hollister Motorcycle Rally? Where do they come from? There hasn’t been much concrete data, but rally organizer Seth Doulton said that’s about to change.
Doulton plans to set up computers at the intersection of Fourth and San Benito streets to survey rally visitors. Information about where visitors live and their spending habits should help future rallies draw more support, he said.
The annual motorcycle rally has brought tens of thousands of bikers and tourists to Hollister every Fourth of July weekend since 1997. Doulton acknowledged that not everyone at the rally will fill out a survey, but he hopes to compile information about a good cross-section of the crowd.
Rally workers will promote the surveys, and entry into a drawing for a BMC Hooligan Chopper will give visitors incentive to participate.
If Doulton can demonstrate the rally draws a national or even an international crowd, he said he may have a better chance of persuading state officials to support the event financially.
“They flat-out told us, ‘This is a regional event,'” Doulton said.
City Councilman Doug Emerson agreed that the information is a key part of evaluating the rally.
“(This data) is a necessary part of decision making,” City Councilman Doug Emerson said. “When we look at the future of the rally, what I’m looking at is economics.”
Emerson said he was dissatisfied with the survey system put together by previous rally organizers. At past rallies, attendees were asked to visit the rally Web site to fill out the survey.
“That’s a self-selected group,” Emerson said.
Early data suggest the motorcycle rally is more than a regional or even statewide event, Doulton said. His company, Horse Power Promotions, has sold more than 1,300 VIP passes.
While the bulk of those passes went to California residents, they also went out to dozens of people in Oregon and Washington, as well as 13 other states and three other countries.
The City Council voted to cancel the official 2006 rally because of escalating costs, but some motorcyclists staged an unofficial invasion, one that took a toll on city coffers. The council approved the 2007 rally, but required Doulton to cover public safety costs.
Doulton said the council’s earlier decision made sense.
“I totally agree with the reason the rally was canceled before,” he said. “The motorcycle rally should pay for its own bills, plus do other good things for the community.”
