A leaner, meaner BMF with clear objectives, set the theme for the BMF’s AGM on Saturday.

Held at the Harefield Community Association, Uxbridge, Middlesex, the meeting heard from outgoing chairman Anna Zee that while individual membership numbers had fallen slightly, affiliated club membership remained buoyant and that the BMF’s portfolio of shows, a key source of income for the BMF, although now more professionally presented, had no doubt been hit by the current economic situation.

Speaking on BMF finances, Finance Director Howard Anderson said that while office overheads had been considerably reduced during the year, the work load was still there and he asked for more volunteers to help spread the load. The good news was however that Archant Dialogue, the producers of the BMF’s magazine Motorcycle Rider, had not only cut costs dramatically and increased advertising revenue he said, but were also upgrading the BMF’s website.

This financial theme was continued when it came to the BMF’s shows’ portfolio. For 2012 and beyond, a new contract had been entered into with The Mulberry Group, the organisers of BMF shows for the past two years, whereby they would now take on full responsibility for the shows both functionally and financially.

Martin Chick, Mulberry Group MD, said that while overall he had been happy with the content of the shows, he was not happy with their financial performance. He said that the move of the Tailend show to Lincoln had been a worthwhile experiment, but was not a financial success and therefore, having taken into account public and trader views and discussed it with the BMF’s Management Team, Tailend, with improved contract terms, will be moved back to Peterborough for 2012. “We clearly got the moving of the Tailend show wrong, but we did it for the right reasons” said Martin. “As we’ve said all along, we’ll listen to traders, BMF members and attendees. They’ve all said Lincoln isn’t right for them, hence the move back to Peterborough."

Martin also said that his team were in negotiations with a new sponsor for the shows, which would help defray expenses and increase profitability. 

The show dates for 2012 were announced as:

BMF Show, Peterborough, 18-20 May

BMF Bikefest Kelso, 6-8 July

BMF Tailend, Peterborough, 14-16 September

Amy Nicholson from Archant Dialogue then spoke about Marketing and Communications, specifically about the growth and development of Motorcycle Rider magazine. Advertising revenues had risen she said and there was a new confidence from advertisers, one of whom had already booked for the forthcoming four issues. She noted that with the development of the BMF’s website there would be a further increase in revenues, but as the development had to be self-funding, this would not be overnight.

The BMF’s Government Relations Executive, Chris Hodder, then spoke about lobbying and government relations. He said that the motorcycle training review was still ongoing and he outlined the Euro demonstration planned for Brussels in November against anti-motorcycling proposals. He stressed the need to concentrate on real and not imagined threats and went on to talk about European type approval regulations, in particular dispelling some myths about roadside checks, on-board diagnostics and compulsory ABS.

When it came to BMF elections, Peter Laidlaw was re-elected as Director of Member Services while two new volunteer directors, Tom Duncan and Roger Ellis were co-opted on to the Management Team.

After five years at the helm, outgoing chairman Anna Zee said that for personal reasons she would be standing down but hoped to continue to participate in the Federation’s activities wherever she could and wished everyone well for the future. A vote of thanks was given for the tireless work Anna had performed over the past five, very difficult years.

www.bmf.co.uk

Channel 4’s Hit Series Four Rooms is back and looking for more extraordinary items to feature in the second series.

Our four top dealers are ready to part with their cash for something truly exceptional.

From iconic memorabilia to beautiful or rare objects, or even the grotesque and macabre, your item could be bought for life changing amounts of money.

If you own an item that you would like to show the dealers, we want to hear from you!

To apply please call 0207 861 8499 or email a photo and description to [email protected]

Motorcycle Live is back at The NEC, Birmingham from 19-27 November 2011 and the industry’s Get On campaign will once again be offering free two-wheel taster sessions to novice and born-again bikers. For visitors with no experience at all – or even those who have spent some time away and want to get back into biking – the Get On arena should be the first port of call.
 
Occupying a secure area in hall 4 for the duration of the nine-day event, Get On will be offering riders over the age of 16 the chance to take part in a 20-minute taster session. Visitors can choose from a range of scooters and motorcycles provided by supporting manufacturers – and there will also be the option of electric scooters for eco-friendly future riders.
 
All safety equipment will be provided and a fully qualified instructor will give a one-on-one briefing ahead of each session. Participants will then be introduced to the basics of biking as they ride a short and simple course to get a feel for life on two wheels. The Get On arena is always a popular attraction at Motorcycle Live and while walk-up appointments will be available, it is also possible to pre-book via  www.geton.co.uk. Simply enter the postcode for the The NEC (B40 1NT) in the ‘Book a free ride’ section and select Motorcycle Live as a training location.
 
Having completed a taster session, participants can then find out everything they need to know about biking at the UK’s biggest interactive motorcycle show. Everything from where to do a CBT and how to get a full licence, to buying that first bike and getting kitted out and insured… Motorcycle Live offers it all. It is the best place to experience not only the practical elements of motorcycling, but also discover the freedom, fun and flexibility that life on two wheels brings.
 
Children as young as five can also enjoy a free taster session with My First Honda Licence, which is designed to introduce aspiring young riders to motorcycling in a safe, controlled environment. They will be guided around a specially constructed street scene before receiving their very own printed mock-up licence – and as with every live feature at Motorcycle Live, it’s all completely free!
 
The ticket price for Motorcycle Live 2011 is completely all-inclusive, meaning visitors can enjoy everything the show has to offer at no extra cost. Tickets are £16 in advance* for adults, £10 for seniors, £6 for children aged 6-16 and  kids under five accompanied by a paying adult go free. Visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk or call 0844 5812345. Visit www.facebook.com/motorcyclelive or follow @motorcyclelive on Twitter
 
For more information about the Get On campaign visit www.geton.co.uk – a one-stop shop of biking information. Get On is brought to you by the leading motorcycle manufacturers, dealers and other companies in the market, through the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA).

IAM spokesperson Vince Yearley said: "Dangerous driving can result in anything from near misses to serious injuries. But the maximum jail term for dangerous driving must relate to the driving offence - not the consequences, however awful."

The following figures represent the number of accidents caused last year by various types of dangerous driving activity (Department for Transport statistics):
 
•           18,803 accidents were caused by careless, reckless or hurried driving.
 
•           3,862 accidents were caused by aggressive driving.
 
•           Aggressive, careless, reckless or hurried driving caused at least one death a day.
 
•           5,858 accidents were caused by drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol, resulting in 160 deaths.
 
•           A significant 32,525 accidents were caused by illegal manoeuvres such as exceeding the speed limit, illegal turns, disobeying traffic signals and disobeying rules pedestrian crossings.
 
•           14 deaths and 139 serious accidents involved a stolen vehicle.

The Heritage Motor Centre, in conjunction with local design agency Box Clever Marketing, has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award for its conference brochure and e-brochure.

The Centre is among the final four for the Best Brochure – Venues/Destinations category in the Meetings Industry Marketing Awards (MIMA) 2011. The HMC has been shortlisted alongside the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Jersey Conference Bureau and Victory Services Club in London. All the award winners will be announced at the Park Plaza Riverbank London on Monday 17 October.

The HMC and Box Clever Marketing have successfully developed an integrated campaign with the tagline ‘an ideal blank canvas for conferences, meetings and events’. The campaign focuses on the Centre’s unique selling points including the expert and personable team, the large amount of conference space, the central location, positive quotes from clients and that delegates can look round the Museum for free. The project was so successful it even expanded into the reception area to improve communication, increase bookings and occupancy and maintain the day delegate rate during the economic downturn. The success of the campaign is reflected by occupancy rising by 7%, confirmed bookings from new customers increasing by 25% and the e-brochure on the website receiving 100's of views per month.  8% of confirmed bookings so far this year have come via online sources compared to 5% for the entire 2010.

Penny Tyler, Marketing Officer at the Heritage Motor Centre stated “We are thrilled to have been shortlisted for a national award. We hold conferences for blue-chip clients ranging from O2 and Hewlett Packard to Tesco and Virgin but we are still relatively unknown for the fantastic and diverse range of conference facilities that we have. We are competing against key global destinations for this award but the fact we have been shortlisted proves the calibre of the creative talent that there is here in Warwickshire”.

Justin Woodman, Managing Director of Box Clever Marketing, said he was proud to have been involved in a campaign which has received national recognition. “Our ethos is to dig deeper than any other agency to deliver commercial return on investment to our clients. We carried out significant research before we developed the creative concepts and ideas to hit the conference targets and grow the conference business”

The HMC is a dedicated conference and exhibition centre conveniently located off junction 12 of the M40 in Warwickshire. The Centre offers over 20 stylish meeting rooms for 6 - 600 delegates with internal and external exhibition space and outdoor event space licensed for 5000 people. Set in 65 acres, the Centre also boasts a meadow for team building, two 4x4 off-road tracks, 2000 free car parking spaces, and external hard standing (9700sqm), ideal for marquees and outdoor events.

www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk