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Just a sample of what promoters are dealing with this season... from the monthly Racing Promotion Monthly....
Summarizing the season... AS MANY RACERS, FEWER CARS... Promoters report their registrations and participant numbers are as high and sometimes higher, than previous years, but most say weekly car counts are level at best. The reasons are many, but mainly entrants’ changing family-time habits and racing's cost seem the chief causes. SPECIALS GOOD, WEEKLY NOT... Crowds and car counts are good to excellent for special events, but weekly races frequently lagged prior seasons. Ditto the aforementioned reasons on both sides of the wheel fence. NOT YOUR FATHER'S BUSINESS: We can’t sugar coat what’s going on. Never have we seen so many operations struggling behind the scenes, nor so much promoter turn over. Digital distractions and increased competition for fan's leisure time are most often blamed, but an increasing number of new promoters that fall pray to their own excessive expectations contribute as well. BRIGHT SPOTS: Across the continent, experienced promoters cope the best. This is not to say they've had an easier time, or are immune to the social and economic forces that confront short tracks. Mainly, they are accustomed to the difficulty of promotion, and know how to hedge the risks, adapt, and persevere. And maybe, just maybe, some are figuring out how to market to the digital generations. AN ASIDE... We worry about young people who nowadays seem totally different from traditional fans and participants. Marketing to Millennials proved tough enough, but at least, they enjoy social gatherings, and tracks can be their hosts. The youngest, however, seem to prefer the wired lifestyle alone in their abode--an even harder sell.
Summarizing the season... AS MANY RACERS, FEWER CARS... Promoters report their registrations and participant numbers are as high and sometimes higher, than previous years, but most say weekly car counts are level at best. The reasons are many, but mainly entrants’ changing family-time habits and racing's cost seem the chief causes. SPECIALS GOOD, WEEKLY NOT... Crowds and car counts are good to excellent for special events, but weekly races frequently lagged prior seasons. Ditto the aforementioned reasons on both sides of the wheel fence. NOT YOUR FATHER'S BUSINESS: We can’t sugar coat what’s going on. Never have we seen so many operations struggling behind the scenes, nor so much promoter turn over. Digital distractions and increased competition for fan's leisure time are most often blamed, but an increasing number of new promoters that fall pray to their own excessive expectations contribute as well. BRIGHT SPOTS: Across the continent, experienced promoters cope the best. This is not to say they've had an easier time, or are immune to the social and economic forces that confront short tracks. Mainly, they are accustomed to the difficulty of promotion, and know how to hedge the risks, adapt, and persevere. And maybe, just maybe, some are figuring out how to market to the digital generations. AN ASIDE... We worry about young people who nowadays seem totally different from traditional fans and participants. Marketing to Millennials proved tough enough, but at least, they enjoy social gatherings, and tracks can be their hosts. The youngest, however, seem to prefer the wired lifestyle alone in their abode--an even harder sell.