MOTORCYCLE
WEEK
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Adopted September 13, 2004
Submitted September 27, 2004
INTRODUCTION
On November 12, 2002, the
Laconia City Council created the Motorcycle Week Advisory Committee (MWAC) and
adopted the following Mission Statement:
Look objectively at the
event and its impact on the city public relations and infrastructure.
Determine whether or not it
is in the city's best interest to assume responsibility for the event.
Determine whether or not the
length of the event should be changed.
Examine ways to create a
better working relationship with business involved in the event.
Examine funding alternatives
for costs associated with city, county and state agencies involved in the
event.
On May 12, 2003, the City
Council interviewed a number of Laconia residents who had expressed an interest
in serving on the MWAC. The Council intended to appoint one member from each of
the City’s six wards, plus one at-large member, and questioned the applicants
thoroughly to determine whether they had any particular bias or conflict of
interest that would interfere with their duties.
On May 27, 2003, the Laconia
City Council appointed the following Laconia residents to the Committee: Jim
Baird (Ward 1), Brenda Schmucker (Ward 2), Sharon Fleischman (Ward 3), James
Joyal (Ward 4), Richard Heinis (Ward 5), Linda Peary (Ward 6) and Peter R.
Brunette (At Large)
On June 3, 2003, Mayor Mark
Fraser called to order the first meeting of the Committee at which the
following officers were elected:
Chair - Peter R. Brunette
Vice Chair - James Joyal
Secretary - Sharon Fleischman.
Since the organizational
meeting, the Committee met at least once per month save one. All meetings were
posted and public, in accordance with the Right-To-Know Law (NH RSA 91-A), and
public comment was provided for in the meeting agendas.
On June 26, 2003, in order
to more efficiently perform its duties, the Committee established seven
subcommittees with certain assigned tasks:
Public Safety and
Infrastructure
(Rick Heinis, James Joyal)
City Council Liaison (Brenda Schmucker, Linda
Peary)
Laconia Rally & Race
Association Liaison (Linda Peary, Brenda Schmucker)
State and County Government (Peter Brunette, Sharon
Fleischman)
Local Businesses and
Landowners
(James Joyal, Rick Heinis)
Vendors, Exhibitors and
Non-local Businesses (Sharon Fleischman, Jim Baird)
Event Model Research (Other,
similar events) (Jim Baird, Peter Brunette)
The subcommittees reported
back to the Committee on a regular basis and made certain recommendations where
appropriate. Many of the documents that appear in the appendices of this Report
were collected or generated by the subcommittees.
The Committee held a duly
noticed public hearing on September 24, 2003, which was subsequently broadcast
on local public access television. Twenty-two residents addressed the Committee
and their comments were summarized in the minutes. Additional public comments
were taken orally at many other meetings, and a number of persons and
governmental entities provided written comments, which appear in the
appendices.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF LACONIA
MOTORCYCLE WEEK
Laconia is often referred to
as the Oldest National Motorcycle Rally (the other two being Daytona, Florida
and Sturgis, South Dakota), a claim based on a large gathering of motorcyclists
at the Weirs, lasting several days in the summer of 1916. The following year,
the gathering became part of the “Gypsy Tour,” sanctioned by the Federation of
American Motorcyclists, (F.A.M.), predecessor to the present American
Motorcyclist Association (A.M.A.), founded in 1924. A hill climb event was held
on Tower Street in the Weirs, and other races were held at various locations
around the Lakes Region.
Throughout the 1920s and
1930s, the Gypsy Tour continued to visit Laconia nearly every year, with a
handful of motorcycle enthusiasts and small-scale promoters organizing races,
shows and other events. In 1938, Fritzie Baer was instrumental in establishing
road racing at the recently developed Belknap Recreation Area (now Gunstock).
Mr. Baer remained involved in the races over the next three decades, and the
rally, now generally referred to as Laconia Motorcycle Weekend, grew in
popularity, attracting more and more riders from all over the United States.
After World War II,
thousands of former servicemen returned home and became recreational motorcyclists.
The number of Laconia attendees regularly increased from year to year as
motorcycling increasing in popularity and, with the assistance of movies such
as “The Wild Ones” and “Easy Rider,” the “biker” became a countercultural icon.
In 1960, the A.M.A. ceased
its sanction of the Gypsy Tour, but motorcyclists continued to visit Laconia in
ever-increasing numbers. Gradually, the rally became a weeklong event, with
many bikers arriving earlier in the week. Local businesses dependent upon
tourism became ardent supporters of the rally, as it brought increased mid-week
business during the early part of the relatively short tourist season.
The Hill Climb Event at
Belknap Recreation Area was discontinued in 1962, and the road race moved to
Bryar Motorsport Park (now New Hampshire International Speedway) in Loudon in
1964 and was later for a time renamed the Loudon Classic. Motorcyclists began
camping in large numbers along the side of road on Route 106 in the vicinity of
the track, and as far north as Belmont. Still, Lakeside Avenue at the Weirs
remained the primary gathering place and the rally was generally known as
Laconia Motorcycle Week.
During the 1960s, a decade
of social unrest and rising mass media influence, clashes between police and
bikers occurred at motorcycle rallies around the nation, and Laconia was no
exception. The so-called “Riot of ‘65” brought national media attention, and a
resulting bad reputation, to the Laconia rally. Confrontations between motorcyclists and the police became
commonplace, and the City increasingly came to see Motorcycle Weekend primarily
as a law enforcement problem. For several years after the civil unrest of 1965,
the number of mid-week events decreased, and the rally consisted of a three-day
weekend. In 1975 all camping along State Route 106 was banned and the number of
visiting motorcyclists dramatically decreased for a time.
During the 1980s, the
numbers of motorcyclists attending Laconia Motorcycle Weekend increased slowly,
as tensions gradually eased between bikers and the police. In 1990, local
business owners contacted the A.M.A. with an eye toward returning the rally to
a week in length as it had been prior to 1965. The following year, local
business owners and the Lakeside Sharks motorcycle club formed the Laconia
Motorcycle Week Association (later renamed the Laconia Motorcycle Rally &
Race Association, now again known by its original name). The Association
assumed responsibility for scheduling and coordinating events, publishes a
periodical magazine and actively promotes Laconia Bike Week nationwide. In
1992, Laconia once again became an A.M.A. sanctioned event on the revived Gypsy
Tour, and in 1993, the Hill Climbs returned to Gunstock (formerly known as the Belknap
Recreation Area).
The City of Laconia enacted
a comprehensive licensing ordinance in 1999 (Chapter 161) to regulate itinerant
vendors and special events, devoting a subsection to Motorcycle Week. In 2000,
the council generally amended the licensing ordinance and defined Motorcycle
Week as a nine-day period ending at midnight on Father’s Day. (Chap. 161-11-A).
Applicants must submit written forms and fees, and their application is
reviewed by the Motorcycle Week Technical Review Committee. Property owners who
wish to rent sites to vendors or otherwise engage in commercial activity must
submit a site plan for review. The City Council further regulates the event by
issuance of special parking and traffic orders, and appropriates the necessary
funds for City departments that have Motorcycle Week-related expenses.
Laconia Motorcycle Week
currently runs from the second Friday in June through Father’s Day. Most
activity, and the greatest crowds, usually occurs during the last four days.
Estimates vary, but the number of visitors to the State during that period each
year is usually set at between 100,000 and 400,000.
NARRATIVE SUMMARY
MISSION STATEMENT ITEM ONE:
Look objectively at the event and its impact on the City[‘s] public relations
and infrastructure.
The committee members
discussed this mandate on several occasions, the discussions centering on the
use of the terms “impact,” “public relations” and “infrastructure.” For the
purposes of this report, the term “impact” will be used in the general sense
meaning, “having an effect,” whether negative or positive. The term “public
relations” was considered in two ways, referring both to relations between the
City government and the public, and also to the public image of the City.
There can be no doubt that
Motorcycle Week has an impact on the City’s public relations. The Committee
itself was created partly in response to public criticism of City government’s
role and regulatory activities regarding the rally. A number of local residents
see Bike Week as an annoyance, and some are clearly inconvenienced by it. As
far back as the 1960, some local residents have called for its abolition, and
have at times addressed their grievances to City officials and employees. On
the whole, however, the most significant continuing problem that City officials
face in dealing with Bike Week related problems is that it is impossible to
please everyone. Some residents are opposed to the rally as a whole, many
merely tolerate it, and others economically benefit from it. The one issue on
which nearly all agree is that the City must ensure that the regulation of and
provision of services during the rally should not result in any increase in
property taxes, and indeed, some have suggested that the City could actively
participate in a commercial manner so as to generate a profit and thereby
provide tax relief. In essence, whether the rally has a negative or positive
impact on the City’s relations with the public depends on to whom one is
talking and the topic at issue at the moment. At the risk of over-generalizing,
the Committee points out that the key to improving relations between City
government and its residents is simple: The City Council and the Departments
must publicly, diligently and consistently address the stated concerns of its
residents, especially as to the most commonly noted negative Bike Week impacts:
noise, traffic congestion, breaches of the peace (including public indecency
and alcohol-related offenses), and of course, public expenditures that result
in increased property taxes. To this end, it is respectfully suggested that the
Council strive to be proactive, rather than merely reactive, on matters and
issues related to Motorcycle Week.
As far is the City’s
reputation or national media image is concerned, the Committee has not received
sufficient evidence on which to base any specific findings or recommendations.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the memories of the past linger, and the news
media, especially national outlets, tend to focus on negative events when
reporting on the Laconia rally. The entertainment media have been more kind;
several programs featuring Laconia Bike Week have been broadcast on the cable
channels (The Discovery Channel, Travel Channel and NESN), and depicted the
rally, and its host City, in a positive light. Such programming undoubtedly
goes a long way to offset any negative publicity, and promotes Laconia and the
Lakes Region as a favorable tourism destination to a wide audience, at no cost
to the City. Should the City desire to be more proactive in this area, a
media/public relations consultant could be retained, or a employee hired or
assigned to this task, but such actions are not revenue-neutral, and would be
more likely to occur if Bike-Week-related revenues were enhanced, as discussed
later in this report.
MISSION STATEMENT ITEM TWO:
Determine whether or not it is in the City's best interest to assume
responsibility for the event.
This item was the subject of
much preliminary discussion by the Committee. Some members felt that this was a
restatement of a question that was debated in the press several years ago: Who
Owns Bike Week? To the extent that the Council desires the Committee’s answer
to that specific question, the answer is: Nobody. Neither the City, or the
Motorcycle Week Association, or any other person or entity, exerts any of the
rights or privileges generally associated with ownership, in regards to the
rally. However, it is apparent that the
City of Laconia has long hence “assume(d) responsibility” for the rally, in the
sense that it has necessarily undertaken the primary responsibility for public
health and safety, traffic control, land use regulation, and law enforcement
related to Bike Week. The City’s regulatory powers over the use of private and
public lands are the primary means by which it exerts any control over the
rally, and could be used to drastically alter the form and substance of the
rally, but the benefits of doing so remain unclear. Perhaps the best answer the
Committee could provide on this point is: Since the City is already primarily
responsible for providing the services and infrastructure on which the rally
depends, no further responsibilities should be assumed unless there is a
corresponding benefit to the City or its residents. The City could, however,
assume a more proactive role in promoting, planning and managing the rally.
MISSION STATEMENT ITEM
THREE: Determine whether or not the length of the event should be changed.
On this question, the
Committee considered all the oral and written comments received from the
public, governmental entities and private businesses and associations. No one
seriously advocated, to the Committee’s knowledge at least, that the rally
should be lengthened beyond its present nine days. Some advocated reducing its
duration to three or four days, basically eliminating the first weekend. The
Laconia Motorcycle Week Association, vendors, and landowners who rent vendor
space, were generally opposed to shortening the rally for obvious reasons.
Public safety and law enforcement officials generally were in favor of
shortening the rally, as were a number of residents, mostly in the Weirs, who
were understandably upset by the inherent noise and inconvenience to which it
subjects them.
Each of these stakeholders
articulated the advantages of their proposal, based on their specific
interests. However, the Committee was hard pressed to find evidence of any
significant advantages to the City as a whole that might be derived from
changing the duration of the event. Most of the impacts on City services and
infrastructure occur during the last four days of the rally as it is now, and
eliminating the first five days would result in little or no change to these
impacts. The City’s regulatory and ordinance enforcement functions would remain
essentially unchanged, and even if the shortening of the event would result in
a decrease in applications for site plan review and vendor permits, there would
be little or no resulting reduction of wages paid to City employees who perform
these functions, which are part of their normal duties and usually performed
during normal work hours, except during the rally itself. In short, the
Committee concludes that the length of the rally should not be changed, until
or unless a resulting benefit to the City as a whole could be identified.
MISSION STATEMENT ITEM
FOUR: Examine ways to create a better
working relationship with business involved in the event.
This mandate is based on an
assumption that the relationship between the City and the Bike-Week-related
business interests needs improvement. Proceeding from that assumption and, in
order to address this item in meaningful way, the Committee first considered
what are the business interests to which the item refers. For the sake of
discussion, the Committee divided businesses into two basic categories: local
and non-local. The members of the Local Businesses and Landowners Subcommittee
requested input from several local business and civic groups, but the response
was minimal at best. Many local business concerns derive little or no economic
benefit from the rally, some actually lose income, and indeed, some businesses
are unable to operate at all during the rally; only a few are directly
“involved in the event.” Many of these same local businesses are members of the
Greater Laconia-Weirs Beach Chamber of Commerce, a group that traditionally
assists in maintaining and promoting a good working relationship between City
government and the business community. The Committee therefore concluded, as a
preliminary matter, that the Chamber could and should play an even greater role
in municipal Motorcycle Week planning and in providing assistance to local
businesses that may want to initiate or increase involvement in the rally.
Another point considered was
that the City could review its Motorcycle Week ordinances and policies with an
eye toward assisting those local businesses that are negatively impacted by
Motorcycle Week. Traffic control orders, site plan review and vendor
regulations could be modified so as to protect local business interests, and
even promote increased involvement in the rally. As for direct relations
between the City and those businesses that are directly involved, it seems that
both sides are comfortable with the status quo, and benefit from the
relationship as it is. The Motorcycle Week Association has at times acted as a de
facto advocate for these business interests before various governmental
bodies, and continues to promote the rally and provide assistance to local
businesses that wish to become actively involved.
As for non-local businesses,
the Committee noted that most itinerant vendors deal with the City directly for
permitting purposes, although some rely on local agents and landowners. For
many vendors, Laconia is but one of many locales at which they conduct their
business. The Motorcycle Week Association provides an important service to
out-of-town businesses by publishing event dates and locations well in advance
and providing information about local regulations and accommodations. The
Committee received comments from the local representative of one vendor
association that represents non-local vendors, and was grateful for the
professional manner in which its views were presented. Such groups might be a
useful resource to the City for purposes of establishing a dialogue regarding
Motorcycle Week issues in the future. The Committee’s only other comments
regarding this item relate to several other items as well, and are more
particularly addressed in the Recommendations section of this report. The City
could create a full or part time position for the purpose of coordinating the
City’s functions in connection with Motorcycle Week. Among the probable tasks
assigned would be acting as liaison to the business community, and providing technical
assistance to local businesses that wish to be involved in the business of Bike
Week.
MISSION STATEMENT ITEM FIVE:
Examine funding alternatives for costs associated with city, county and state
agencies involved in the event.
This mandate, like the
previous one, is based on certain assumptions regarding the present situation.
The major implication here is that the current funding sources are
quantitatively and/or qualitative inadequate.
In order to address the issues raised here, the Committee attempted to
examine the public-sector costs associated with Bike Week, the funds
appropriated therefor, and the difference (if any) between the two. Next, the
Committee considered the alternative sources of revenue available, by reviewing
readily available City budget information, and requesting data from the County
and State.
Despite the broad scope of
the mandate, the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations on this item are
herein limited to the costs incurred by, and revenue sources available to, the
City of Laconia, primarily for two reasons. First, the City is the only
governmental entity that explicitly separates Bike-Week-related expenses and
revenues for budgetary accounting purposes. The State and County data made
available to the Committee, which was extremely limited, is anecdotal at best,
as it is not collected or reported in a manner that allows any meaningful
analysis of the costs associated with, or revenues generated by, Motorcycle
Week. For example, it was suggested that the State’s road toll and Meals and
Room Tax revenues were significantly greater during Bike Week, but the
Department of Transportation and Department of Revenue Administration were
unable to provide pertinent statistical evidence. Likewise, the New Hampshire State Police overtime costs and
deployment figures are not broken down by week, and the County reported no
significant fiscal impact associated with Bike Week. Secondly, even if County
and State data were available, it is unclear to the Committee how the information
or any recommendations based thereon would be useful to the City Council, whose
jurisdiction is necessarily limited to City affairs. For these reasons, the
Committee focused exclusively on the Laconia’s costs and revenues.
The Committee concludes that
Laconia’s Bike-Week-related costs are in large part offset by the
administrative fees collected, but the exact amount of any difference between
revenues and costs is impossible to calculate with any reasonable degree of
certainty. For example, although the budget items in the Motorcycle Week
category include most extraordinary expenses directly related to the Rally, the
hourly wages and salaries paid to City employees who perform Bike-Week-related
functions within the scope of the usual employment are not included, nor are
the various intangible impacts on the City’s infrastructure, environment and
economy that defy quantification.
Notwithstanding these
reservations, the Committee was able to confidently make certain factual
findings, all of which support a general conclusion that the current method of
calculating and assessing fees is flawed. As previously reported to the Council
on December 3, 2003, the Committee found that: (1) The current “vendor fee”
structure does not adequately cover administrative costs or generate revenue;
(2) The practice of unauthorized expansion and merger of vendor sites creates
an enforcement problem and results in a loss of revenue to the City; and, (3)
The current site review fee structure, including those charged for such uses as
temporary campgrounds, beer tents, parking, special events and the like, does
not adequately cover administrative and infrastructure costs or generate
revenue for the City. In light of the foregoing, the Committee concluded that
ordinances relating to Motorcycle Week licensing and site plan review should be
amended to prevent the current practice of expanding and merging vendor sites
and to more fairly and equitably distribute associated public sector costs
among all participants, and that the fee structure should be reviewed annually.
Although the foregoing
findings regarding administrative fees included consideration of the revenues
generated, the Committee was mindful of the fact that administrative fees in
general are primarily intended to cover regulatory expenses and related costs
(“impact fees”), not to generate general fund revenue. However, the “related
costs” associated with Bike Week appropriately include resulting increases in
municipal spending for services and those infrastructure costs (such as
environmental and economic impacts) which are difficult to objectively
quantify, and could at least theoretically include certain expenses not
presently incurred, such as Bike-Week-related advertising, amenities,
promotions, and marketing.
The only other current
sources of municipal revenue associated with Bike Week are the relatively
modest amounts derived from the use of City-owned property, such as the vendor
spaces on the Weirs Beach Boardwalk and the parking lots, the impound fees from
towed vehicles, and traffic-related fines. The first item, rental fees for the
use of City property, is capable of expansion, but the others are directly
proportional to, and largely offset by, the administrative costs associated
with their collection. Other suggestions considered included charging fees for
parking on Lakeside Avenue, collecting “tolls” from traffic as it crossed the
Weirs Channel Bridge, and the like. While these ideas have merit, the Committee
determined that difficulties with implementation and enforcement render these
actions too problematic to recommend at this time.
The Committee’s final
conclusions in this area are based on the fact that the City is not currently,
and has traditionally refrained from, generating revenue by direct participation
in the marketplace. The Laconia Rally, like Daytona and Sturgis, is a
commercial behemoth. Although actual economic data are rare, it is estimated
that the Rally generates many millions of dollars, perhaps several tens of
millions, for business concerns directly or indirectly involved. Much of this
revenue leaves the region in the pockets and bank accounts of vendors.
Merchandising items as diverse as tee-shirts to vehicles, and everything in
between, these largely itinerant vendors keep coming back because the retail
business derived from Laconia’s Bike Week visitors is enormous. The City could
earn a share of these business profits through licensing and marketing. To do
so would pose little economic threat to local businesses, many of which could profit
by producing, warehousing, packaging, shipping and marketing the merchandise.
And most importantly, the City could make thousands of dollars in net revenue
per year. That money could go directly into the general fund or into a business
enterprise fund; either way it would provide tax relief without significantly
increasing expenditures.
Since the City has no
authority under State law to levy a tax on vendor profits, and its revenue
generating activities are essentially limited to administrative fee collection,
the Committee reached the inescapable conclusion that the City should explore
ways to engage in profitable commercial activities. Any income derived from
such activities would be additional to the administrative and impact fees. Not
only would such revenue allow the City to take a proactive role in managing and
promoting the rally, other possible uses of such income include infrastructure
improvements, overtime for City employees, vehicles and equipment for the
police, fire and public works departments, and the provision of grants to local
residents and business, intended to offset or reverse negative economic impacts
attributable to the Rally. The Committee determined that, by becoming an active
participant in the Motorcycle Week Marketplace, the City of Laconia could, in
effect, use the Rally to produce a tangible positive benefit to all its
residents and taxpayers, not just the relative few that currently receive a
pecuniary benefit.
RECOMMENDATIONS
These recommendations are
intended to suggest the various kinds of specific actions the City Council
should take, based on the information presented to and deliberated upon by the
Committee. Some recommendations relate to others, and some may appear to be
contradictory. These anomalies result from the fact that the City of Laconia
has not established a comprehensive plan or adopted specific policies that
would provide a structure for future decision-making. Therefore, the
Committee’s first recommendation should be considered paramount.
1.
The
City should adopt a Motorcycle Week Master Plan, or some other similar policy
document, so as to provide guidance and establish goals for future municipal
decision-making by City officials and employees.
2.
The
City should seek to decrease motorcycle noise through consistent and rigorous
enforcement of applicable statutes and ordinances.
3.
The
City should seek to further reduce noise, alcohol-related offenses and other
breaches of the peace by educating motorcyclists of Laconia’s tough stance on
such issues through the use of signs, billboards, flyers, advertising and
Internet publication. The vast majority of Bike Week visitors are responsible,
law-abiding adults who will respond positively to such information and act
accordingly, even to the point where the rally could become self-enforcing
within the motorcycling community to some extent.
4.
The
City should utilize the permitting process so as encourage alcohol-free events
and discourage activities that promote the use and abuse of alcohol.
5.
The
City should implement traffic orders that minimize, to the greatest extent
possible, the negative impacts of the influx of visitors on Laconia residents,
especially those most adversely affected.
6.
The
City should strive to locate Bike-Week-related events, especially those that
create excessive noise, traffic problems or present an increased risk of
breaches of the peace, as far as reasonably possible from residential
neighborhoods.
7.
The
City, through the Planning Board and the Department of Community Development
and Planning, should review Bike-Week-related land uses and develop a specific
City-wide plan based on accepted best land use practices, so as to encourage
compatibility with existing permitted uses and the siting of events and
commercial activities in those commercial areas of the City that are currently
underutilized during the rally, such as Union Avenue, Lakeport Square and
Downtown Laconia.
8.
The
City should seek to coordinate Bike-Week-related planning, and share
information and resources, with neighboring communities, both directly and
through such entities as the Lakes Region Planning Commission and the various
local chambers of commerce.
9.
The
City should actively promote the rental of City owned property and encourage
the responsible use of its recreational facilities for Bike-Week-related
events.
10.
The
City should explore ways to minimize negative impacts on, and increase
voluntary profitable participation by, local businesses during the rally.
11.
The
City should encourage the Greater Laconia-Weirs Beach Chamber of Commerce to
take a more active role in planning, coordinating and promoting Motorcycle
Week.
12.
The
City should take a more active role as a member of the Laconia Motorcycle Week
Association in planning, coordination and promotion of the rally.
13.
The
City should create and maintain a Laconia Motorcycle Week website so as to
provide information and promote the Lake City on the World Wide Web.
14.
The
City should consider creating a full or part-time employee position with
primary responsibility for promotion, coordination, public relations and
related activities pertaining to Bike Week (and perhaps, tourism in general).
15.
The City should amend ordinances relating
to Motorcycle Week licensing and site plan to prevent the current practice of
expanding and merging vendor sites and to more fairly and equitably distribute
the associated costs among all participants, as follows:
· Site
plan and user licensing fees should be charged by area ($x per square foot)
with a fixed minimum fee for small sites.
· Fees
(per square foot) should be based on use. [For example: (a) Vending, (b)
Non-vending/exhibition, and (c) Charitable] Uses that the City determines
should be discouraged, such as those that promote the use and abuse of alcohol,
could be charged a higher fee, consistent with the higher governmental costs
and greater risk of breaches of the peace associated therewith.
· Site
plan review applicants should be responsible for collection and payment of user
fees.
· The
City should review fees annually.
16.
The
City should actively engage in the business of Bike-Week-related merchandising
through licensing, direct marketing, contract marketing, or a combination of
all three. For the purposes of this recommendation, the Committee adopted the
following definitions:
·
Licensing- The collection of fees and royalties for allowing other businesses
limited use of the City’s intellectual property (registered under trademark and copyright laws), such as logos,
patches, original artwork, and the like.
·
Direct Marketing- The direct retail and wholesale sale of products produced by and for
the City, via the internet, local outlets, and vendors, by City employees.
·
Contract Marketing- The direct retail and wholesale sale of products produced by and for
the City, via the internet, local outlets, and vendors, by contract with
merchandising or marketing firms.
17.
After
presentation of this Report and the conclusion of the City Council’s immediate
deliberations thereon, the Council should formally disband the Motorcycle Week
Advisory Committee. However, the City Council should consider creating a
permanent Motorcycle Week subcommittee to follow up on the recommendations
contained herein and to continue to seek public input and address the concerns
of residents and businesses related to the rally.
Respectfully submitted as
adopted by the
MOTORCYCLE WEEK ADVISORY
COMMITTEE:
September 13, 2004
Peter R. Brunette, Chair
James
Joyal, Vice Chair
Sharon
Fleischman, Secretary
James
Baird
Richard
Heinis
Linda
Peary
Brenda
Schmucker