Sturgis is fertile ground for Lincoln Electric and Bad Dog Tools
Sturgis is fertile ground for Lincoln Electric and Bad Dog Tools
October 2013 - Enthusiasts don’t wear name tags at sporting events like the 73rd Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which in August drew nearly 450,000 attendees to this South Dakota town. Do-rags and leather, the designated uniform of the day, offer little to no insight into the professional lives of the bikers in attendance. The rally is a showcase for nearly every kind of bike on the market and fertile ground for companies like The Lincoln Electric Co. and Bad Dog Tools that are looking to make customer connections. They and other vendors attract visitors with product demos and displays along with more practical services.
Reaching customers through their off-hours interests is an approach that Scott Skrjanc, Lincoln Electric’s group leader for trade shows and events, says the company has pursued for a number of years. “We realize if we can reach people when they are working on their passion and their hobby, it’s a win-win,” he says.
Repeat attenders
Cleveland-based Lincoln Electric is a leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc welding systems, plasma and oxy-fuel cutting equipment. Along with Sturgis, its sports marketing group is a regular at events like NASCAR, the Indy Car Racing League, National Hot Rod Association, Experimental Aircraft Association and its newest interest group, Professional Bull Riding. “The reality is that this audience is made up of ranchers who are hands-on,” says Skrjanc. “A lot of these people also are fabricators.”
Restoration and maintenance activities at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual AirVenture Oshkosh are another natural fit for Lincoln Electric. The company offers welding seminars and product demonstrations along with activities geared toward different age groups including the Young Eagles program.
The events are selling opportunities for Lincoln Electric but Skrjanc says that more importantly the venues represent a branding opportunity for the company. “That’s the nice thing about Sturgis,” he says. “It’s our third year at the event and their attendance continues to grow. People are beginning to recognize that we’re there.” Because bikes are built and repaired with TIG welders, Lincoln Electric offers on-the-spot quick fixes for everything from a frame assembly crack to small fractures in kickstand brackets and exhaust pipes. Lincoln Electric, which acquired Torchmate in 2011, also offered demonstrations this year with the brand’s plasma 2-D CNC cutting tables. “We’ve already had several inquiries from people who attended Sturgis this year and are now back in their own job shops looking at how our technology might fit into their production lines,” Skrjanc says.
Nontraditional markets
For Bad Dog Tools, which typically exhibits at trade shows like Fabtech and IMTS, Sturgis was an unknown, says Joseph Strong, co-owner of the Bristol, R.I., company. “We usually don’t do shows like this,” he says. “After a successful showing in 2012, we came back to Sturgis this year because we found that the demographic represented at the rally makes it a good place to sell our specialty tools. Visitors are loyal. If you show up at their event, they become fans of yours, too.” (Photo Gallery: Bad Dog Tools at Sturgis 2013)
Bad Dog Tools offers a wide range of specialty and multi-purpose carbide tools for drilling and cutting. The company supports an equally diverse customer base from home use to machine and job shops. With its exhibit space strategically located next to a custom bike build-off, the Bad Dog Tool team cut sheet metal and drilled holes for some of the builders. Strong says participants stopped by the booth during the judging to look at tools for future bike building projects. The tool specialist’s newest product is a 21st century reincarnation of its very first product, the Handi Disc flexible abrasive wheel. The HD II 4 ½-in. 60 grit diamond wheel is designed to cut anything from stainless steel and fiberglass to plexiglass. “These are the kinds of materials bike makers encounter every day,” Strong says. “There’s really nothing like the HD II. For a reasonable price, you can cut anything you want to cut. It’s a nice thing to have in your tool box.”
The tool maker also has found Sturgis a good place to gather feedback about its products. “We displayed the new tool at Sturgis in 2012 and found that a lot of the visitors were used to those little black grinding wheels throwing debris in their faces.” Initial intelligence revealed that users wanted a thinner wheel. “We listened to the feedback and made the HD II thinner,” says Strong. “It gave our product the capability to cut less material, which makes the cutting process faster.”
Strong adds that he plans to exhibit at Sturgis in 2014 with a larger company presence. “You are coming into contact with hands-on guys. You can’t lose going there. These people love tools.”
In addition to Sturgis and its other venues, Lincoln Electric will continue to look at nontraditional communities it can connect with, says Skrjanc. “We expect that part of the audience will always be made up of do-it-yourselfers as well as people who manage, operate or own their own companies,” he says. “It might be the business owner, vice president of engineering, a welding engineer or construction supervisor. It could be the vice president from a major retailer or welding distributor who is responsible for tools. You never know who you’ll be talking to at an event like Sturgis.” FFJ
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