The Hollister Motorcycle Rally has a front door.
Rally managers with North Carolina-based Worldwide Dynamics have an office in downtown Hollister. Managers Mark and Yvonne Cresswell are leasing office space at 202 Fifth St., the corner of Fifth and East streets across from the Whiskey Creek Saloon, and they hope to have the event headquarters opened by the end of January.
Hollister council members contracted with Worldwide Dynamics to manage the 2013 rally, the first one in five years. City officials have committed to the same manager and its partner, the Hollister Downtown Association, for the 2014 event while working toward an expected, long-term commitment. It is quite a contrast from the five-year absence for Hollister’s signature event, canceled after the 2008 rally due to skyrocketing police costs nearing $400,000. Those security costs for the rally are anticipated at $182,000. Managers expect that most of the revenue – to make up those and other costs – will come from sponsorships, vendor fees and beer sales.
“The phones are ringing. The vendors are excited,” Mark Cresswell said.
On Thursday, the Creswells were continuing to set up the office – they already had a banner and shirts hung on a wall – while also fielding calls from prospective vendors, sponsors and entertainers. They haven’t quite narrowed down specific office hours, but vowed to be there as much as possible once opened.
“We just put the sticker up,” Yvonne Cresswell noted, regarding the rally logo attached to the front door.
Most recently, there was an antique store in that location, which is within view of Paine’s Restaurant and Whiskey Creek, both hot spots during the event. It is also close to Sally Street, part of the event area’s expansion for 2014.
Mark Cresswell said he expects the office to be the rally headquarters – including a “Sponsors Corner” featuring promotion of those businesses – and a place to get event information.
“Like a tourist office,” he said.
From that office Thursday, he touted having 50 bands lined up for the event. That website at thehollisterrally.com now includes some basic schedule information for the 2014 event, and it is starting to gradually pick up more interest, he said.
“That’s what I was working on over the holidays,” he said.
