STURGIS, S.D. – The 2019 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Post-Rally Summit was held today.
The annual get together of rally organizers featured a recap on this year’s event and begins the process of looking ahead to next year.
Sturgis Rally Director Jerry Cole says the 79th Annual event saw a slight decrease in numbers from the 78th, but all indications are for a bigger year in 2020 – which will be the 80th Annual Motorcycle Rally.
Cole says all the events that made this year so successful will be back next year, and because the rally brings so much money to local charities, he wants to make that a prominent display next year.
“One of these we want to answer is how to do we market that charity aspect, where all this money is going back to chairty from the rally.”
The city puts this year’s estimate at 490,000 and it raised $615,116 that is given back to youth organizations and non-profits around the area.
Also highlighted today was the growing social media and digital technology advancements related to the rally. The Rally’s Facebook and Instagram accounts have seen exponential growth.
Brad “Murdoc” Jurgensen with Homeslice Media, the city’s social and digital partner, believes the rally can grow and wants to work beyond the rally’s hard data and statistics.
“This is a professional festival that generates hundreds of millions of dollars back to the state. That exists five state region wide. There are gas stations from Colorado to Wyoming that make money on this rally.”
Jurgensen says the goal should be instead of a conversation about the rally’s woes – to focus on how to make and promote the good things about the rally better.
