February 7, 2011-An event geared to expand the rider age demographic

PowersportsBusinessFebruary 8, 2011

A couple of years ago, the average age of a snowmobiler was 41.
Last year, that key demographic rose even higher, to 44.
If you’re concerned that the key buyer demographic continues to age, then an upcoming industry event is likely you and your staff’s best chance to change that.
The snowmobile community is holding Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week, an elongated week scheduled for Feb. 12-21 that celebrates friends and family snowmobiling.
This week compliments the Take a Friend Snowmobiling campaign and encourages the industry to take its non-snowmobiling friends out riding.
The event is designed to be simple, but there are a few recommended guidelines:

Safety training: Make sure to cover all the safe snowmobiling behavior with your friend before taking them on their first ride.

Make sure your friends are comfortable and properly dressed for the cold when they first get on a snowmobile.

Be cautious and ride slow when taking out a new rider.

Plan on making numerous stops and enjoying the scenery. It is recommended the first ride be short and include a stop for a light meal or hot chocolate or coffee and a little camaraderie and storytelling at the local restaurant, clubhouse or outdoor barbecue area.
Clubs and their members are encouraged to participate and to hold a special day or weekend encouraging members to bring non-snowmobiling friends to the clubhouse to go for a short ride and discover what snowmobilers do during the winter.
The campaign follows the guidelines and recommendations from customer research, according to the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA). ISMA?research shows non-snowmobilers know very little about snowmobiling, but they want to try it. Most non-snowmobilers don’t know where the trails are, they don’t know who builds and maintains and pays for the trail systems, and have no idea of the scenery riders enjoy while riding our snowmobiles.
Giveaway
As a special incentive to take non-snowmobilers snowmobiling, manufacturers will give away a gift certificate to a lucky individual who registers online and participates in the Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week event.
In January, the Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week Registration Form began to be prominently displayed on the Go Snowmobiling website: www.gosnowmobiling.org.
Non-snowmobilers and their snowmobiling friends need to fill out the registration form to be entered in the drawing. If a club is interested in organizing an event, their club members who participate get to register to win, and their guests get to register to win as well. PSB

PowersportsBusinessFebruary 8, 2011