Progressive IMS Outdoors has successfully completed three events along the 2021 tour, Northern California, Chicago and Pennsylvania, with five markets still to come. Throughout the three events, tens of thousands of experienced and new riders participated in IMS’ vast assortment of experiences, including on and off-road demo programs, shopping in The Marketplace and The Range, discovering new brands, expanded Learn To Ride experiences, listening to music from local artists and reconnecting with fellow enthusiasts.
In December 2020, IMS revealed the Tour’s exciting refresh from an indoor convention setting to outdoor venues that broaden the experience for consumers, enabling attendees to fully immerse themselves with brand-new models and engage with products that complement the motorcycle lifestyle. “Transitioning to an experience-forward event series has been very well-received by both our attendee and exhibitor community, a model everyone is excited to continue,” said Tracy Harris, Senior Vice President of Progressive IMS Outdoors. “This new and improved layout mirrors the Powersports lifestyle by providing a fun environment for enthusiasts to reconnect after so many months apart and demo product of interest, from on and off-road, four-wheels, to the latest e-bikes on the market.”
EXPANDED DEMO OPPORTUNITIES
With each participating OEM running an average of 20-minute demo rides all weekend, the first three weeks of the Tour delivered upward of 14,000 demos. “Progressive IMS Outdoors has been a great opportunity for Kawasaki to showcase our exciting Side by Side line-up to the IMS fan base and the motorcycle industry,” said Kawasaki’s Chris Brull, Vice President of Marketing and Racing. “The Kawasaki demo experience is equal parts educational and exciting, especially for first-time riders. In addition to our complete line-up of motorcycles, including Ninja, Versys, Vulcan and Z motorcycles, we are thrilled to offer attendees the chance to ride our new Teryx KRX 1000 Side x Side line-up through a unique off-road course and tackle any obstacle with ease.”
“Progressive IMS Outdoors has proved to be a major success for Indian Motorcycle,” said Taylor Young, experiential marketing manager, Indian Motorcycles. “We’ve been thrilled with the exposure to new and existing riders, as well as our family of Indian Motorcycle owners who’ve been coming out to support. We look forward to the remaining markets on the Tour.”
DELIVERING NEW RIDERS
A focal point of this year’s Tour is building a solid base of new riders through more Learn To Ride opportunities. Nearly half of surveyed attendees in Chicago were either prospective riders that plan to start riding in the next 12 months or are new to riding. IMS’ transition to an experiential event series welcomes a handful of entry points into the world of motorcycling through greater opportunity for eager new and interested riders to hone their ability to ride via programs like Discover The Ride, Ride With Us and Harley-Davidson’s Invitation To Ride. Also notable is the expanded electric footprint and inclusive activities for kids at the tour.
“I loved the learn to ride area,” said an IMS attendee. “The people and experience were amazing! I ride with my husband, but I have never ridden by myself because I didn’t want to spend $300 to take a course and not be sure if I like it or not. This quick course has influenced me to sign up for a motorcycle class. Thank you so much; what a terrific experience!”
Harris continued: “We do not have plans to return to the indoor event series. Our mission is to support the industry’s growth, connect enthusiasts with the brands they love, and provide an experience that is so much more than simply looking at new models — and the Summer months allow for this level of engagement. With so many smiling faces in Northern California, Chicago and Pennsylvania, we could not be more excited to share that Progressive IMS Outdoors is here to stay.”
