Have you ever been out to the Adventure Rally–Colorado? It is a yearly event that teaches riders how to ride in the back woods and on trails. It’s an event that offers training, comradery and a unique motorcycling experience that will stick with you for the rest of your life. This event is put on by the famous motorcycling magazine Cycle World, but you’ve got to ask yourself, why is a magazine holding a rally? Well, in today’s motorcycle industry, it may just be a necessity.
Why Are So Many Events Are Being Held by Magazines?
In California, another adventure rally just like the one that happens here in Colorado just took place. It was also held by Cycle World magazine, and it won’t be the last rally the motorcycle publication puts on. As it turns out, magazines all over the motorcycling industry have been putting on events recently, so many that some may be starting to question if they are in the publishing business or event coordination. However, there is a method to the motorcycle magazine rally madness.
The motorcycle industry is in a bad way right now. Sales numbers in the industry didn’t rebound after the Great Recession of 2008, and more riders have been aging out of the sport than new riders have been picking it up. This has left motorcycle sales lean, and it has hit the motorcycle magazine industry too.
Sales for moto mags have been declining over recent years, which has caused many well-known names to go under. Sport Rider Magazine has been one of the more recent victims of this trend, and other pubs like Cycle News have been forced into online only distribution. This has forced publishers to find other avenues for making income, and it looks like organizing events is becoming the method of choice. But this isn’t just some fly-by-night scheme.
It turns out that the events organized by these magazines often draw new riders into motorcycling with the promise of lessons and community right from the get-go. Bonnier, one of the publishers at the center of this trend, has even stated that the people who attend these events are often more likely to buy bikes and gear after attending. This has drawn in sponsors like Alpinestar, Galfer, BMW and even Honda, as these companies try to get sales figures back on track for the industry.
In turn, this means that the event business could help prop up both the motorcycle publishing industry and the overall motorcycle industry at the same time. But trends come and go, sales go up and down, and so may go these events as well. So do you think you’ll get out and enjoy them while they last?
The attorneys who ride at Metier Law Firm remind you to go out, have fun and enjoy whatever motorcycling event you choose, but ride safe while you’re at it.