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August 8, 2011 – ISMA encourages clubs to host snowmobiling events

To encourage state and provincial snowmobile associations to work with local clubs and other partners, the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association is awarding $10,000 in prizes to event hosts.
The 2012 Go Snowmobiling Take a Friend Snowmobiling Campaign asks state and provincial associations to host events between Jan. 1-March 31, 2012.
“We encourage all clubs and associations to participate in this fun and profitable contest,” said an ISMA press release. “We encourage snowmobilers to welcome non-snowmobilers to enjoy snowmobiling and the great scenery, friendship and fun that we all enjoy during the winter months.”
One state member of the American Council of Snowmobile Associations and one provincial member of the Canadian Council of Snowmobile Organizations will receive a $5,000 prize each for hosting an event. Once the prizes are awarded, the winning associations can decide how to use the funds.
The primary goal of the new contest is to encourage the associations and clubs to work more with their local communities. ISMA recently surveyed the associations, asking what promotion they had done for the Go Snowmobiling campaign. Most had made some effort, but they didn’t have any incentive to make a more concerted drive. Ed Klim, president of ISMA, had managed a metro Detroit Chamber of Commerce in the past and had worked with others before, so he knows that organizations such as Chambers of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureaus would enjoy working with local clubs to promote snowmobiling events and encourage more visitors to their local area. Chambers and Visitors Bureaus can also help advertise the events in their marketing efforts.
Clubs and associations are also encouraged to work with the media, area businesses and their local dealers.
“Dealers can be very helpful in this kind of event,” Klim said. “There’s no doubt about it; everyone in this business knows if you put someone’s butt on a snowmobile, and they enjoy the ride, their likelihood of buying is much higher.”
Dealers can also use the events to encourage prospective customers to ride in the hopes that a sale will follow.
ISMA’s second reason for the contest is to encourage events that cater to new snowmobilers. The hope is if snowmobiliers break into the sport during a club event, they will then join the club and become fully invested into the sport.
The $10,000 in prize money came from donations from the snowmobile manufacturer members of ISMA. The manufacturers participated because they believe the program will lead to more enthusiasm for snowmobiling, and therefore, sales.
Entry forms can be easily downloaded at
www.gosnowmobiling.org, and they are due to the ISMA office by April 30, 2012. ISMA’s Communication Committee will choose the winners. The contest will be judged on how many people attended the events, if safety briefings were held and if food was provided, among other criteria.
“They’re really looking, too, to see if they used a multiplier, in other words did they use a partner or two,” Klim said. “They’re certainly looking for that multiplier in order to get a few more people out there and throw a better party.”
His hope is that the incentive of the prize will encourage state associations and clubs to host more events and higher quality events in 2012.
“It hopefully won’t be a one-time flash in the pan. Hopefully it will be a yearly event, and they grow,” he said.

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