Harley-Davidson's bike parade through KL [GALLERY]

COMPANY:HARLEY-DAVIDSONEVENT:ASIA HARLEY DAYSDATE:15-20 SEPTEMBER 2013LOCALE:KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIAEVENT OBJECTIVE:To directly engage with Harley-Davidson owners and fans. Additionally, the event was also aimed at making the brand more accessible to the wider public audience.EXECUTION:Harley-Davidson utilised public relations channels to generate awareness and interest among fans worldwide. The event was organised in conjunction with Harley-Davidson’s 110th anniversary global celebration. These efforts were supported by having a promotional team present at various 110th Anniversary celebration locations such as Italy, South Africa and China, as well as event listings on various websites, social media engagement, and a dedicated Asia Harley Days website.As for the event in Malaysia, a free two-day expo was made available to the public at KLCC Esplanade and a bike parade went through KL City for a 60KM riding tour. A photo stop was made at Dataran Merdeka. Asia Harley Days was promoted via road shows at its 110th anniversary celebrations globally, as well as via Tourism Malaysia channels.An event highlight included a Harley-Davidson dynometer and JumpStart station.Stations with static Harley-Davidson motorcycles were used to provide the Harley-Davidson experience to fans.There was also a Harley-Davidson motorcycle exhibition where various models of Harley-Davidson motorcycles were on display, allowing fans to get closer with the bikes and experience their look and feel.The event also included street performances such as flash mobs, street dancers, mimes and clowns to entertain the crowd. In addition, there were also local and international band performances in the day and night for two days at the KLCC Esplanade featuring local as well as international bands. Radio-Frequency Identification tags were one form of technology used during the event. Pictures were taken by an event crew member and were uploaded directly to a participant’s Facebook page. Each participant was registered with a tag, linked to their Facebook page prior to the registration.Google Hangouts was another form of technology used. This was manifested in a live chat session with Bill Davidson, the vice president of the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee. Fans and media were given an opportunity to have a live conversation with Davidson from the comfort of their home.There was also a ticketed four-day riding tour segment from 17 – 20 September that showed off the sights and sounds of Malaysia. This tour was organised for 220 riders inclusive of accommodation, meals and fuel.Participants rode from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, then on to Penang, and finally back to Kuala Lumpur, covering a total of 1,300km over four days. Support vehicles providing medical and technical expertise accompanied the 148 bike-strong convoy throughout their journey.Additionally, Malaysian traffic police were on hand to help manage traffic and ensure smooth passage throughout the whole journey.RESULT:The event saw over 10,000 people attend the event held at KLCC Esplanade and over 600 bikers rode in the KL bike parade. Additionally, 220 riders from 12 countries joined the riding tour.The Harley-Davidson boutique located in Suria KLCC mall saw visitors increase over 500% on 15 September alone. In addition, the Asia Harley Days Google+ page garnered over 26,000 fans  throughout the whole campaign period.The event received coverage amounting to a total of MYR$163million in PR value and MYR$40million in advertising value equivalent as of 1 October 2013, said Iskandar Shahril, marketing manager, Asia Direct Markets, Harley-Davidson Asia Pacific. Coverage is still coming in daily.Additionally, Harley-Davidson in Kuala Lumpur saw a ten-fold increase over regular weekend motorcycle bookings, and an increase of six times over regular weekend merchandise sales.There was also PR coverage across local media including television (Bernama TV, MyTourism TV, TV1 and TV3), radio (Traxx FM), newspapers (Malay Mail, The Star, New Straits Times, Utusan Malaysia, Harian Metro and Oriental Daily) and international media such as The Brunei Times, Borneo Bulletin, The Economic Times India, Antara News Indonesia, Associated Press and Reuters.LESSONS LEARNED:One of the biggest challenges in organising the event was securing an iconic event venue at the base of the iconic Petronas Twin Towers. Typically, only Petronas events are allowed at the KLCC Esplanade venue.Additionally, organising the largest motorcycle tour and Harley-Davidson parade in the history of Malaysia posed its own challenges in terms of logistics and approval.The brand overcame these challenges with the support from Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Malaysia Major Events, the Royal Police Force of Malaysia and Petronas.Another challenge was to meet both Harley-Davidson’s and Malaysian authorities’ objectives.“Fortunately, the mutual benefit of Asia Harley Days to both parties resulted in a high level of co-operation,” said Shahril.For future events, Harley-Davidson plans to review and make it better based on the feedback garnered from participants as this is the first Asia Harley Days that the brand organised in South East Asia  “Our priority is to provide event participants with a unique and memorable experience that helps them fulfill their dream of personal freedom,” said Shahril.What were some contingency plans for the event?“Sime Darby Healthcare, who was our official partner for the event, was on standby for emergency services. Moreover, we worked closely with the relevant authorities for the KL bike parade and the riding tour to ensure smooth traffic flow for our riders and the members of the public. The safety of our riders and the public was our priority,” Shahril added.“The authorities, such as the PDRM joined the nationwide KL Bike Parade and riding tour to ensure safety and guidance, with Petronas providing the fuel for the riders. Safe to say, a year’s worth of planning went into this event and we are very pleased with the outcome,” he added.More images here: