How do I organize a Poker Run

Anyone ever been in charge of organizing a poker run? I want to put one together next year for our small town festival. Possibly as a fund raiser. Wondering what I need to know and how to approach the places I want to involve.

Let's Ride !

Sure. First you need to figure out how long you want the run to be and then plan a route. Ride the route to check the time (remember, people will be stopping), noting convenience stores along the way or other places that would be conducive to hanging out for a while (small park with picnic bench for example). It would be helpful to let store owners know how many people you are expecting. Tell them they'll probably get sales of drinks, snacks and gas out of it. If they don't want to deal with the cards and signing the sheets themselves, see if you can have a place there for someone to handle it. Typically if it's going to be a small event, the store owner won't mind handling it. Otherwise you'll want volunteers to be at the stops. Your first and last stops can be at the same place.

You might want to have a volunteer be one of the first people out. On the last poker run I went on, there were a couple of stops where the owner had agreed to do it but the word hadn't gotten to the person working that day. At one stop they knew about it, but weren't ready and had to find the cards. At another stop the cashier didn't have a clue. I asked her if she had a deck of cards behind the counter (oh yeah, you'll want to take the cards to the places that are doing it ahead of time). I finally spotted the cards on top of a shelf. I had nothing to do with the planning of the ride, but I was the only one in the group of riders from the HOG chapter that was sponsoring it and I felt responsible to figure it out. It would have been a lot better if someone who had a hand in planning it had been out there first.

Anything else?

You might want to try asking someone else that has organized one for some pointers. For example go take part in one that is posted at the local motorcycle shop or something and then pick their brain at one of the stops.

I recently went on a very large one that was well organized. They started and ended at the same venue where the registration and signing of wavers took place. This is also when the first "cards" were pulled. They used some plastic chips that had the cards stamped on them in a bag so you simply reached in and pulled one out. Then they had people leave before the riders to go to the next stop. This eliminated the need for the vendors/bars/restaraunts to do any of that part.

The route was well planned too. The bikes went on the "scenic route" while the organizers took the direct route so they would be sure to get there before the ride. Keep in mind that a lot of people who attend these rides may not want to do 300-400 miles in a day. I would suggest keeping the stops under an hour from one another. Maybe an hour for the 1st one then start shortening them a bit as you get closer to the end. Our last one was about 150 miles all together and it was perfect. Also keep in mind that a large group will likely be going slower than you will be on your test run.

I would also contact the Police in the towns on the way and let them know when and what time you will be coming through. It would also help if you had a handle on roughly how many people you are planning on. Maybe preregistration would help there. The last one I was on had about 700 bikes and 900 people total. The police provided support at intersections throughout the ride and even escorts through some towns to make things go smoothly.

I doubt you are planning one that large the 1st time out but at least it gives you some ideas.

You might also want to check with some local motorcycle groups for some intput like the local HOG (Harley Owners Group) chapter for example. We also have the MMA (Massachusetts Motorcycle Association) here.

Make sure the places you approach are large enough to accomodate a large group. I would expect extra people if the weather is especially good. And be sure that it is the owner or manager of the establishment that you speak to as already mentioned and not just an employee. You don't want to alarm anyone when a butload of bikes pull in. I saw a bar loose there lease once because they did not notify the land lord of the ride and there were other businesses affected in the plaza so that's something to think about too.

Good luck.

Make sure that you have lots of gas stops on the way. Remember that some people will be operating older bikes, or bikes that are gas pigs... you want to ensure that there is gas available for the bike with the worst gas mileage.

Also make sure that there is some designated meal area. The last poker run I was on had sandwiches provided with the registration costs. This makes life easier on the riders, and also ensures that some people aren't waiting forever for certain meals to be prepared. It will also give you better control over timing of the event. As for the sandwiches, they were donated by a local company for the good of the cause.

Make sure that all the riders have a map of the designated run pattern... nothing worse than inexperienced riders who don't know the area.

On your registration form, ensure that you have some legal clause exempting you from responsibilities for collisions, injuries, etc. Have people sign same, and also have them initial that they hold a valid motorcycle operating licence.

Finally, encourage team participation... have company or club (non-1%er) team challenges. Makes for a bit more fun.

Good luck!