Operation Saving Reno

[GRNDP51]

Ok the time has come, I among most if not all of you want to save the races and the time is now. I received clearance to send a long and detailed e-mail to RARA which will be forwarded to the CEO to be read and looked upon.

I beg all of you to PLEASE send me any ideas you have which can help save the races. I am already using some of the awesome ideas in the other threads in the message and want all that I can get. And Big Jim I know you have some killer ideas and even if you think this is a wasted attempt, please just post them for the sake of our sport. I will try my best to make the most out of this endeavor and help some of you get your ideas heard by RARA.

Please just send them!!!

*I will be sending it in Friday so please try to post before then*

[Wild Bill Kelso]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

Most of us have posted ideas until blue in the face. Until certain egos ON MANY FRONTS are dropped sending an email will fall on deaf ears. Until a better line of communication with all the players happens the event is doomed to fail. Just like any other problem; identifying that you have a problem is the first step. Right now we just have a bunch of people pointing at each other as the problem.

[supercub]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

I love the races, and I think they're great.............but with anything, there's room for improvement. Here's my thoughts, in no particular order.

A full unlimited Class
Big name acts, like Blue Angels (2016 they're scheduled, which is a move in the right direction) Thunderbirds, Snowbirds.
Shawn Tucker, etc etc. Just the Breitling Team, good show.
Military Aircraft demos
The more people, the more $$ for purses.
Get the big $$ companies involved along with the casinos. Years ago, every event/race had a casino name attached to it. it all equates to $$.
Brietling is a big sponsor, but what about...........Microsoft, Boeing, Coke Cola, etc etc..........there are millions of large corporations out there...........if RARA could just get a handful of them interested in Reno, it would be huge.
Perhaps a Friday and/or Saturday night airhshow and fireworks as a build up to the Sunday Finals.

[Wild Bill Kelso]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

Big sponsors like Microsoft have come and gone. Again... Nobody is going to dump money into an event that is overly public about how bad it's failing. It's like a desperate dude trying to nail a hot chick.

[Wild Bill Kelso]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

"Without promotion...a terrible thing happens...nothing!" P.T. Barnum

[FlyKidChris]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

"Without promotion...a terrible thing happens...nothing!" P.T. Barnum

Yep.

Remember when the Snowbirds used to cruise (overhead) Virginia Street to announce their arrival? I sure do. In recent years, I've been surprised by how many of the locals don't know that the air races are happening that week - A flyover each day would sure alert the town.

Also, I'd like to see RARA sponsor some demo races at various large air shows around the country (especially in the western U.S.). I suspect that there are enough Sport Class participants around who would and could help once or twice a summer. Let's show folks within driving distance what real air racing is like!

"Without promotion...a terrible thing happens...nothing!" P.T. Barnum

In our case, "Location, location, location" needs to be read as "Promotion, promotion, promotion!"

[ignomini]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

These aren't bullet points, just the facts as relate to a consensus of one.

For me, the races start and end with Unlimiteds. If 15 entries is the new norm, after this year I'll probably cut back the number of days I spend in Reno. If there are no Unlimited races between qualifying and Saturday, I'll start showing up on Friday, rather than the weekend before.

I don't know the circumstances of the fight over Unlimited participants, but RARA, you and the community stand to lose if you can't field at least three full Unlimited classes. That's just a fact. You can draw some folks to watch sport class, but you'll never draw enough folks from out of state to keep the races viable without Unlimiteds.

[fastpace]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

AMEN BROTHERS The tea leaves have been read.

[Race 29]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

These are all good points. I remember when Virginia street would close, and the Unlimiteds would be parked right in the center of town. Great way to inform locals and visitors about the races! Fly overs would be great too!

All that is really just for the local audience though. If the Air Races are to survive, there HAS to be big contract national TV coverage. No big money sponsor is going to invest big advertising dollars unless they're getting a return for their dollars. Plain and simple. With all of the sports channels available now, if baffels me that the National Championship Air Races aren't better televised! But, if I want to watch the senior division of the lawn bowling finals, or the curling championships, I'm sure I can find a channel that's showing it just about any weekend. Al sponsored by Budweiser, Expedia.com, Priceline, Buick, Metlife, or Progressive Insurance (seems like Flo is everywhere!). RARA has to start negotiating a major TV contract to reach the masses. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had friends that don't even know they race airplanes. You have to reach more people and get them excited about the Air Races to get them out to the hotel rooms and rental car agency, then those folks will help sponsor the Air Races also. Mo money, mo money, mo money! To prove my point, when I tell people that I go to Reno every September for the Air Races, most people say "Didn't they have a crash up there a few years ago?" Even though it was bad press, it was NATIONAL TV COVERAGE, and it left a lasting impression on millions of people. I cried that day, and many after it, so don't think my analogy is sensationalising a horrible event. it's just to prove my point that real National TV Coverage is what gets people to pay attention. LiveAirShowTV does a fantastic job, but the average Joe doesn't know to look for the program. Just my opinion, flame away.

Race 29

Race 29

[Wild Bill Kelso]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

http://www.tvunetworks.com/products/tvu-one/

Just sat down with these folks today. I plan to have one of these dudes at Reno. Let's see who bits. Our company just bought a Canon C100 Mark II Cinema EOS Camera and a series of lenses. With any luck I'll have the gyro gimbal ready as well.

What is it? It's a live feed pipeline that news and sports networks can access in over 80 countries worldwide. I have already talked to several of the regular photographers about testing it out.

[supercub]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

Good for you Wild Bill, hope it works out, definitely a move in the right direction.
Brian

[JMS]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

So, just thinking off the top of my head what promotion does the hotel industry do to fill rooms with airrace fans. The hotels and casinos all benefit from the Air Races but do they do anything to help out? I have to wonder what the working relationship is between RARA and the local hotel industry. To answer my question above I've stayed at the SandsRegency for the last twenty plus years and I don't receive any promotions from them specific to the Air Races. I get a promotion based on my gambling, but that's all. There is Hot August Nights, Air Races, and the Street Vibrations just to name a few. Nothing from the Sands. What other promotions do people get from hotels? To coin an unoriginal term, get others to do your work for you. Hotels have the customer list and benefit when they fill rooms. RARA needs to bend over backward to befriend the hotel industry and get them to do their bidding. Just my two cents.

[Big_Jim]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

So, just thinking off the top of my head what promotion does the hotel industry do to fill rooms with airrace fans. The hotels and casinos all benefit from the Air Races but do they do anything to help out? I have to wonder what the working relationship is between RARA and the local hotel industry. To answer my question above I've stayed at the SandsRegency for the last twenty plus years and I don't receive any promotions from them specific to the Air Races. I get a promotion based on my gambling, but that's all. There is Hot August Nights, Air Races, and the Street Vibrations just to name a few. Nothing from the Sands. What other promotions do people get from hotels? To coin an unoriginal term, get others to do your work for you. Hotels have the customer list and benefit when they fill rooms. RARA needs to bend over backward to befriend the hotel industry and get them to do their bidding. Just my two cents.

I don't know what the hotels/casinos do specifically with/for RARA, but I count at least eight major ones on the sponsor page that are lending their help. Do you not think RARA is trying to do that?

http://airrace.org/sponsors/

[ShermB]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

I know that Circus Circus is a sponsor. Just don't know the extent of involvement.
I negotiate a contract with their Sales Dept. every year for the groups I work with.
They always bend over backward for us,
The T-6 Class also has a Casino/Hotel sponsor.

[planecrazy2]

Re: Operation Saving Reno

1. For the races to continue, RARA must draw the Unlimiteds in to race.
An Unlimited field of 15 birds (not enough to fill two classes!) with only six modified "Super Unlimited" ships, Strega, VooDoo, The Bear, PM, Buick and Yak, (whoops, scratch one Yak before we even start cause of some BS issue) so five 450mph + show liners is not gonna create enough new fans and draw older ones.

2. They must get sponsors with deeper pockets. (Or a sugar daddy)
Which has proven to be beyond RARA's capability, or simply not possible. As a marketing professional, I believe the later. This sport with its small population of fans is a major tough sell. RARA needs cash to promote the NCAR properly and to increase prize money to respectfully reward the winners and participants. Unfortunately the ROI in sponsoring the NCAR to the degree needed, is a negative number. Businesses don’t wanna lose money and history is proof that math don’t lie.

After proofing this post it just sounds like a broken record bitch from a guy who remembers the glory days of the NCAR event and wishes they could return. Sigh. Sorry this is not much help. Sigh, again.