Women make the majority of household purchasing decisions. That’s a fact widely understood among savvy marketing and advertising agencies including the marketing specialists at the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. They know that those purchasing decisions include family vacations and travel that includes motorcycle rallies. So at this year’s Daytona Bike Week, slated for March 6 to 15, organizers are reinforcing that notion with an advertising campaign that includes messaging specifically for women riders.

“Motorcycle events are huge economic generators in Daytona Beach, and women are a growing part of that mix,” explains Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Market Development Director Shawn Abbatessa. “We saw strong results last year from our marketing efforts to motorcycle groups, and this year we’re increasing our total marketing spend by 38 percent for both Bike Week and Biketoberfest, the CVB’s October 15-18 motorcycle rally.”

This year, 2015 marks the 74th Annual Bike Week and is expected to draw more than 500,000 motorcycle enthusiasts, many of them women, to the Daytona Beach and surrounding areas. Gas prices, which have reached their lowest level in years, are also expected to have a positive impact on the event.

“While we do reach women through our traditional biker publications and media outlets, we really wanted to strengthen that focus,” adds Abbatessa. “We refreshed our ads, integrating visuals of female riders and images from our new Original American Beach campaign, and we doubled our marketing spend on sites like WomenRidersNow.com (WRN), all based on the results from last year’s campaign."  

“Statistics and website analytics show that women as a market segment are the strongest and most influential consumer emerging in the bike event arena. We’re confident that our marketing efforts will not only enhance our motorcycle events, but also pay big dividends for 2015 and beyond.”

Genevieve Schmitt, founder and editor of WomenRidersNow.com, says, “The folks at the Daytona CVB get it! They have been marketing to women through WRN for the last several years and consistently WRN has delivered large numbers of engaged female motorcycle enthusiasts—women who have time and money to spend—to the events’ websites.” WomenRidersNow.com is the longest running and most widely read international resource for and about women motorcycle riders.

What to Expect at Bike Week This Year
Specifically for women riders, the MDA 2015 Harley-Davidson Women's Ride, now in its 8th year, is being held Tuesday, March 10, 2015 starting at the Daytona International Speedway. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. at the Harley-Davidson display in the parking lot there. The ride will depart promptly at 10:00 a.m. and arrive at Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach at approximately 10:45 a.m. More details will be available very soon. You can read about coverage of last year's MDA HD Women's Ride here on WRN, which covered the same route. For registration details, visit this page on the MDA's website.

New to the local landscape for Bike Week 2015 will be evidence of the $1 billion currently being spent on upgrades to the area. Infrastructure improvements can be found at the intersections of Interstates 4 and 95, and to International Speedway Blvd., as well as $400 million in renovations currently going on at Daytona International Speedway. New since October 2014 is the Indian Motorcycle dealership on famous Beach Street, and the Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art at Daytona Beach’s Museum of Arts and Sciences. Check out the Sand Blaster rollercoaster, a first for Daytona Beach, at the Daytona Beach Boardwalk & Pier, as well as lots of new eateries throughout the area.

This year’s festival will include plenty of traditional action, too. Visitors will see live music in hundreds of local venues and watch the pros compete in Daytona International Speedway’s Motorcycle Races. For those wanting to get a taste of the event’s history—and enjoy some fun and sun on the Original American Beach—riders can take a 10 mph cruise on the hard-packed beach in designated areas, just like rally-goers experienced back in 1937, the year of the first beach race.

Bike Week events are scheduled throughout Daytona Beach and surrounding areas, including key venues like world-famous Daytona International Speedway; Daytona Beach’s Main Street, Riverfront Park and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard; and Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona, a year-round motorcycle complex that features Daytona Harley-Davidson’s 109,000 square foot showroom, retail and specialty shops, restaurants, a concert pavilion, and an on-site hotel. Each venue offers visitors a variety of delicious foods, live music, biker apparel, and more. Nearby DeLand and New Smyrna Beach also offer activities during the festival.

Where to Stay
Hotel accommodations are now available for Bike Week 2015. Visitors can choose from more than 15,000 rooms at 200 local properties. The destination offers options for all lifestyles and budgets including high-end resorts, B&Bs, hotels, historic inns, campgrounds and RV parks, and everything in-between. Many properties offer trailer parking as well.  

Visit BikerBeach.com for the latest information about Bike Week 2015 happenings, as well as a current list of lodging options. 

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