Madison Regatta announces new pricing structure, could field 8 boats
Mark Campbell, Sports Editor
Madison Regatta Inc. has announced a new pricing structure for the 2018 race weekend that should generate more revenue for the cash-strapped organization while basing admission fees on whether fans want to attend the boat races, the music festival or both.
The new structure, the product of the Regatta’s annual working retreat last month, will establish three admission levels based on which events fans wish to attend, a move that President Dan Cole thinks will save some fans money while passing along additional fees to other fans seeking a more all-inclusive experience.
Last year the Regatta sold general admission wristbands for $25 with a separate fee to attend a Saturday night concert at Bicentennial Park. This year wristbands will be available for either the boat races or the music festival at a cost of $20 each or there will be an all-access pass allowing entry to both events at a cost of $35.
Cole said the new structure was the product of a lot of study and a lengthy discussion at the retreat.
“This is giving fans choices but at the end of the day we have to have money to put on a show,” Cole said, adding that fans of only the boat racing will see a savings while fans of the music festival will pay about the same as last year but that the Regatta is planning a much bigger show for 2018 with an as yet to be determined headline act.
Cole said the all-access fee of $35 remains a solid value for fans since similar motorsports and music events at other venues often cost well in excess of what the Regatta will charge for all-access on race weekend.
“Thirty-five dollars for 2 1/2 days full of entertainment is a bargain,” Cole said. You’re getting eight hours of music plus the boat racing for $35. We’ve looked at other sites like Tri-Cities, San Diego and Detroit and we’re still the best bargain in boat racing. We’re very comfortable on our price structure.”
Other changes also will be phased in with the 2018 event, scheduled for July 6-8. The race program will be reduced to a two-day event with no activity on the water on what the Regatta is now calling “Free Friday.”
The boat racing teams are scheduled to arrive Thursday, July 5, for set-up in the pits and drivers and crews should be at the site by Friday, July 6. Although no testing, qualifying or heat racing will take place on Friday, the pits will be opened to the public for free tours and a chance to meet drivers and crew members before paid admission is charged for a condensed lineup of H1 Unlimited and Grand Prix World racing on Saturday and Sunday, July 7-8.
Another change is in the way younger fans will be admitted. In the past, spectators younger than 10 were admitted free but the new pricing structure will charge $10 for an all-access wristband for fans ages 6-14. Cole said the change will cost families a little more for children ages 6-10, but saves money for those ages 11-14 with all-access included as part of the $10 deal.
Cole said the Regatta is trying to put a better show on both the water and the stage. The race will feature at least eight H1 Unlimited hydroplanes in an official points race as well as the automotive-powered Grand Prix World fleet. The music festival will include four to six featured bands as well as a headline act capable of drawing music fans to the event for that performance alone.
The budget for all this breaks down to $100,000 for the H1 Unlimited series, $50,000 for the Grand Prix World series and a total of $50,000 for the music festival with as much as half of that going to the headline act.
After staging a non-points race involving four Unlimiteds and the Grand Prix World series last year, returning to an H1 points race was a high priority in 2018, said Cole. He noted that although the Regatta has structured its payment with an eight Unlimited minimum, more teams than eight could be in attendance since National High Points are now back at stake.
In fact, Cole said the Regatta floated two proposals to H1 Unlimited with both guaranteeing at least eight boats — a flat $100,000 fee to be distributed as H1 Unlimited saw fit and a second “performance-based” payout that would divide the race teams’ portion of the $100,000 purse based on various performance guidelines such as qualifying speed, laps completed and heat placement. Cole said H1 is considering the second option but has not yet made a decision.
Overall, the hope is that the Regatta can stage a program that appeals to both race fans and music fans while drawing strong enough attendance to cover its 2018 expenses and help retire the about $49,000 debt the organization carried over after last year.
In other related topics
• Vice President Matt True reported that the Regatta is in discussions with a drone racing group based in Louisville to stage an event somewhere on site during race weekend.
The discussion is still preliminary both in function and finance but as an up-and-coming sport with a great appeal to younger fans, True said drone racing could prove attractive in marketing toward younger fans the Regatta hopes to draw. “It would be a cool addition and something very different that might appeal to a younger audience,” True said.
• Announced that a logo contest will be launched soon for the rebranding of the Madison Regatta as both a boat racing and music event. The last Regatta logo was created in 2001 and is in need of refreshing. Details on the contest will be available on the organization’s Facebook page and entries can be emailed to info@madisonregatta.com.
• The Regatta membership’s annual Christmas Party is Saturday night at The Boneyard Grill and the next working meeting is Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. at The Boneyard Grill.
https://madisoncourier.com/Content/L...182/264/106529
