For more information on events and accommodations, call the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 854-1234 or visit the official Biketoberfest website at www.biketoberfest.org

DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Biketoberfest, a fun-filled family oriented biker event held each October in the Daytona Beach area, is a successful international motorcycle event which has experienced skyrocketing growth since its early origins in 1991.

Factors that fueled the enormous success of the event included implementing clever marketing strategies, increased community awareness and involvement, increased support from leading tourism and business authorities, and cooperative weather.

The event traces its origins to 1991 when the Halifax Area Advertising Authority (HAAA) created the Tourism Events Department in the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (DBACVB), its marketing and administrative division.

Janet Kersey, a life-long Daytona Beach resident with an extensive background in promotions and marketing, was hired to create special events to attract visitors during off-season periods.

Kersey's first assignment was to create a special biker event similar to the ever-popular Bike Week around an existing motorcycle racing event, the American Motorcycle Association's annual fall races, held each October at Daytona International Speedway.

Kersey formed a five-member committee, which was open to community leaders and the general public. Key players included Gary VanVoorhis of the Daytona International Speedway, Chuck Spicer of the Motorcycle Safety Council, Brian Romaine of Doan Management and members of the Daytona 200 Club, who all began work on the original event, then known as the Daytona Fall Tour.

The Daytona Fall Tour, held October 16-18, 1992, featured a 125-mile scenic touring ride through Volusia County, bike shows, the Speedway races and Bikefest, a series of activities offered by Main Street Merchants. Armed with a marketing budget of only $7,000, The Daytona Fall Tour attracted 5,000 new visitors, mostly from the Florida market, garnering a $1.25 million estimated economic impact for the Daytona Beach area.

The event's success prompted increased interest from merchants and other community members who took active roles to encourage the event's growth and continued success and in 1993, those changes molded Biketoberfest. The 1993 Daytona Fall Tour Committee, comprised of 38 members, realized that a long-term marketing strategy was needed and the marketing budget was increased to over $20,000, and the number of special events expanded to over 40 in a three day timespan.

That year, major corporations hopped on board as sponsors. The Daytona Beach News-Journal and the Boardwalk Merchants Association sponsored trade shows, the Adam's Mark Daytona Beach Resort staged a free concert and Daytona Harley Davidson held activities along with Beach Street merchants.

Other changes were made during that year. Buzz Kanter, publisher of American Iron magazine and an outside advisor, told Kersey that it was unwise to link the words "fall" and "motorcycle" in a biker event's name.

The committee met to discuss new name possibilities. Kanter suggested the term "Biketober", but Randy Russell, a New Smyrna Beach committee member, blurted out "Biketoberfest" and the new name struck a chord with the committee.

The new name became popular in both domestic and international biking markets, especially among European motorcycle enthusiasts in Germany where the Octoberfest celebration is held nationwide.

Karl "Big Daddy Rat" Smith, a St. Petersburg, Florida-based motorcycle promoter who had held Bike Week promotions in Daytona Beach since the early '60s, took Biketoberfest information to Germany and Smith discovered significant interest among German bikers.

An international marketing push was created through the DBACVB's London office and Biketoberfest evolved into an international biker event, drawing visitors from European bikers who wanted to enjoy a fun-filled holiday in the States, escaping the winter weather.

In its first year under its name, Biketoberfest '93 (October 21-24), drew 15,000 new visitors, primarily from Florida and the southeastern United States and realized an economic impact which generated over $4.6 million dollars for the Daytona Beach area.

The following year, Biketoberfest '94 (October 20-23) revenues doubled. Biketoberfest Committee membership jumped from 38 to 88, the marketing budget was increased to $23,000 and 80 county-wide special events were featured over a four day period, attracting approximately 25,000 new visitors from Florida, the eastern United States, portions of the western United States, and Canada. Those visitors generated an estimated $4.6 million dollar economic impact

The 1994 increases were attributed to the beginning of a dual marketing push held during Daytona Bike Week, a trend which has remained in effect ever since.

Also during that year Daytona Beach Public Safety Director Paul Crow, who helped turn Bike Week from an invasion into a tremendously successful celebration, joined the Biketoberfest committee and created the Police Motorcycle Skills Championship, a special event held at Daytona International Speedway which features police officers from across the country competing in slow-speed maneuvering skills competitions.

In 1995 the 113-member Biketoberfest committee, armed with $26,000 general and promotional budget expanded Biketoberfest to two weekends (October 12-14 pre-weekend events and October 19-22 official weekend) promoting over 150 events, two being the Police Motorcycle Skills Championship and the Daytona Harley-Davidson Downtown Seafood Festival. The first weekend attracted over 3,000 new area visitors, the second weekend attracted over 40,000 visitors from the United States, Canada, and Europe. The promotion's total economic impact for the Daytona Beach area equaled $20.75 million, prompting Biketoberfest officials to further expand the event the following year.

Biketoberfest '96 (October 12-13 pre-weekend activities; October 17-20 official weekend) was expanded to over 300 events covering two weekends and two counties (Volusia and St. Johns) and the total marketing and promotional budget was increased to over $37,000. That year, a new marketing device was introduced -- the Internet.

Through cooperative arrangements made between the DBACVB and a Daytona Beach area Internet access provider, the Biketoberfest web page was born. Located at www.daytonabeach-tourism.com/biketoberfest, the web pages feature a calendar of events page, a press releases page, Daytona Beach area information, and a vendor and event locations and a local Business Directory with links to some of the hottest motorcycle web sites in the country.

The site also featured a special section featuring area hotels, restaurants, and drinking establishments, granting area businesses the opportunity to advertise on the web. The new web site was an instant Internet "hit" and received over 120,000 "hits" its first month on the web and was featured on as "Event of the Day" on festivals.com, the Internet's largest source of festival and event listings in the world. The Biketoberfest site continues to supply motorcycle enthusiasts the latest information about upcoming scheduled Biketoberfest activities.

Other factors that have contributed to Biketoberfest success story is weather. In October, portions of the northeast are making headway seasonal changes into mid-fall and Florida is making the transition from late summer to early fall. The Florida weather grants bikers one final opportunity to experience the freedom of the open road in beautiful sunshine before "Old Man Winter" sets in. Thus far, Biketoberfest has been spared the ravages extreme foul weather can effect a special outdoor event.

The emergence of the Biketoberfest Development Committee by its governing body, the Halifax Area Advertising Authority is focusing on the future. This 17-member group, comprised of a cross-section of area tourism and business officials, will meet to focus on the manageable growth and development of Biketoberfest. Under the direction of the Biketoberfest Development Committee '97 the event moved into an award winning status being named one of the top 25 events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society as well as receiving a Gold Addy from the 4th District Ad Federation and first place honors from the Florida Festivals & Events State Association for it's marketing practices and growth.

Now Biketoberfest organizers are gearing up for Biketoberfest '98 (October 22-25), an event which could attract nearly 100,000 visitors and create a $60 million dollar impact for the Daytona Beach area.

"1998 promises to be a even more spectacular for business, where there once was none and for our community who has come together to succeed together and help ourselves do big business on the World's Most Famous Beach," Kersey says.