Within the motorcycle community, Daytona Beach is pretty darn close to the mecca. With two yearly events drawing hundreds of thousands of riders from across North America to the sunshine state. Two weeks that our event marketing engine roars load. Taking place in mid-October, Biketoberfest is the little brother of the infamous Bike Week, with the pilgrimage attracting between 100,00 and 150,000 riders on a wide array of two and three-wheeled vehicles as unique as the people riding them. This year, impacts from Hurricane Milton forced some vendors to limit their participation. It also led some area hotels to cancel blocks of rooms, but it’s estimated that the event still drew close to 75,000 dedicated riders.
The diverse crowd that attends is both inspiring and amusing, with riders from all walks of life converging at “The world’s most famous beach” for a week of festivities, riding, and camaraderie. And as with most bike rallies, the roar of machines and convergence of some of the most unique people you’ll ever meet create sights, sounds, and memories you won’t soon forget.
Going BIG at Daytona International Speedway
This year, we helped Can-Am activate their biggest Biketoberfest event marketing presence in years, cementing their standing as one of the largest brands in the powersports industry (for those that don’t know, Can-Am began building off-road motorcycles in 1972). To strategically maximize penetration, we leveraged a static display at the Daytona International Speedway. And we complimented that with a consumer demo ride at the local Can-Am dealer. The strategy was to provide a one-stop brand hub, but also qualifying potential buyers at the static display, then channeling them to the demo site with a special promotion.
At the speedway, we employed our 40’ Show Trailer package, complete with race canopy, flags, signage, show units, and our Can-Am Plinko board to incentivize lead collection. To augment the display and showcase the depth of Can-Am’s product offering, we brought our 28’ Can-Am Defender show-in-a-box package, as well as a cross-section of off-road vehicles to create an immersive brand experience that captivated the attention of attendees and welcomed riders from all backgrounds to explore all that Can-Am has to offer.
Seasoned product specialists proactively engaged attendees with support from BRP’s corporate sales staff, ensuring everyone who visited the Can-Am display was met with a smile. And left with something to remember Can-Am in the future, be it a branded neck gaiter, a limited-edition rider’s patch, or a better understanding of how Can-Am can elevate their riding experience.
Where the Rubber Met the Road
At the local dealer, RideNow Powersports of Daytona, we activated a consumer demo experience on five of the most popular Can-Am on-road models. Two veteran product specialists educated new Can-Am riders on basic controls and protocol, unique features, then led them on a scenic 45-minute ride through the famous Ormond Loop. When they returned to the dealership, sales staff welcomed them back and helped them chart their future on three-wheels.
We activated three full days of event marketing at Biketoberfest under blue skies with ideal Florida Fall temperatures. Our strategic combination of static displays, consumer demonstrations, and engaging product experts catered to visitors at all stages of Can-Am’s sales funnel, from awareness to purchase, ensuring we generated maximum ROI while building invaluable brand capital among all attendees.
