I had to smile at your first sentence...enough said.
First off, my disclaimer. I am no longer involved with the day-to-day operations of MultiSport Canada and the Tri/Du series. I am still the race director for Barrelman (thank you for your kind words), and am still involved enough in the sport to add my two cents.
I agree with your sense of the situation in that the sport is perceived to be too expensive for those who want to enter. I also agree with your statement that one can build a really fast tri bike for far less than many of the brands and models that are being advertised. It makes me wonder if some of the enterprising bike retailers, in markets where there are enough potential sales to promote "let us build you an affordable bike", are missing an opportunity. The concept being that they partner with the triathlon races/series and bike events of any sort in joint marketing campaigns. The goal being to attract people to the respective sports, in part by educating them on some realities and countering the belief that they are too expensive.
With less reliance on print advertising the cost to target market locally, what with social media being the main communication platform, has deceased over the years. Maybe a relatively inexpensive grass roots campaign with the potential for new customers, both for the sport and the retailer might be something to explore. For the retailer there is probably a higher ROI in that repeats visits to the shop are probably more frequent than the number of races one will do. That is even more likely if the retailer is educating the customer about proper maintenance and upgrades right from the start. It is also an opportunity to introduce the race or series to that customer, hand them off electronically and let that race or series introduce themselves. Will it increase sales exponentially? No. However, the vast majority of local growth over the years in the sports of Tri/Du has been organic word of mouth and I believe, will stay the same. Just a thought....and me musing out loud.
I am sure you are also right about overall numbers decreasing in the sport in some markets however, I have not done the wholesale research and can only comment on our tri community in Southern Ontario. I think that if you compare numbers pre-covid and post you might find that numbers have not decreased dramatically and some have actually increased. In some instances it means the numbers are at least net zero for some events and for others there has been growth. That still is not large growth however, it is not a decrease either. Someone like Steve Fleck would probably have a very good handle on the situation on a more global level.
As an FYI, Barrelman is tracking ahead of previous years. Thanks again for your kind words!
John Salt, Founder - MultiSport Canada
Canada's Largest Triathlon Series and Barrelman Niagara Falls
http://www.multisportcanada.com / http://www.niagarafallstriathlon.com
"Discipline Is What You Do When No One Is Watching You"
First off, my disclaimer. I am no longer involved with the day-to-day operations of MultiSport Canada and the Tri/Du series. I am still the race director for Barrelman (thank you for your kind words), and am still involved enough in the sport to add my two cents.
I agree with your sense of the situation in that the sport is perceived to be too expensive for those who want to enter. I also agree with your statement that one can build a really fast tri bike for far less than many of the brands and models that are being advertised. It makes me wonder if some of the enterprising bike retailers, in markets where there are enough potential sales to promote "let us build you an affordable bike", are missing an opportunity. The concept being that they partner with the triathlon races/series and bike events of any sort in joint marketing campaigns. The goal being to attract people to the respective sports, in part by educating them on some realities and countering the belief that they are too expensive.
With less reliance on print advertising the cost to target market locally, what with social media being the main communication platform, has deceased over the years. Maybe a relatively inexpensive grass roots campaign with the potential for new customers, both for the sport and the retailer might be something to explore. For the retailer there is probably a higher ROI in that repeats visits to the shop are probably more frequent than the number of races one will do. That is even more likely if the retailer is educating the customer about proper maintenance and upgrades right from the start. It is also an opportunity to introduce the race or series to that customer, hand them off electronically and let that race or series introduce themselves. Will it increase sales exponentially? No. However, the vast majority of local growth over the years in the sports of Tri/Du has been organic word of mouth and I believe, will stay the same. Just a thought....and me musing out loud.
I am sure you are also right about overall numbers decreasing in the sport in some markets however, I have not done the wholesale research and can only comment on our tri community in Southern Ontario. I think that if you compare numbers pre-covid and post you might find that numbers have not decreased dramatically and some have actually increased. In some instances it means the numbers are at least net zero for some events and for others there has been growth. That still is not large growth however, it is not a decrease either. Someone like Steve Fleck would probably have a very good handle on the situation on a more global level.
As an FYI, Barrelman is tracking ahead of previous years. Thanks again for your kind words!
John Salt, Founder - MultiSport Canada
Canada's Largest Triathlon Series and Barrelman Niagara Falls
http://www.multisportcanada.com / http://www.niagarafallstriathlon.com
"Discipline Is What You Do When No One Is Watching You"