Wanting to set up event at local mall

[dzdk6s]

Not wanting to reinvent the wheel here, has anyone had any luck setting up a Segway gathering at your local Mall? We have a couple of malls in the Phoenix area that have Brookstones (they sell Segways) and want to get a bunch of Segway owners to gather have lunch, cruise the mall, generate interest, support our only local retail outlet some weekend.

What difficulties have you run into.
What success have you had?
How to contact local owners to make aware of event?

Thanks
Don

[Segway City]

If you're doing it as a hobby/enthusiast gathering, you can meet at any public location and enjoy yourselves without a problem. If you do it as an agent of the dealer, there could be some legal problems generated without intention. Clear it with the dealer first.

Best way is to do it as a SEG event. Have you a local chapter Coordinator? If not, why not become one? ;)

If the mall is your primary point to cruise, secure approval from the mall management itself. While most malls have no problem with a couple or few HTs roaming, a gaggle of 4 or more tends to become worrisome to security.

Contacting local owners is by owner to owner word of mouth, SC and SEG membership mail forwarding (check with the moderators first with a draft invite as a courtesy), media notices and posted signs in high visibility areas. The dealer would probably assist in hanging a poster and putting out the word.

Best way, by far, is an organized, scheduled meeting each month of a named group. That way, notices can be sent to local newspapers, word can get out and familiarity with the group name will draw more in.

Media loves a good photo op, so do something more than just gather and cruise. Find a church or scout or other community service group that's doing a fundraising event and do the group gather as part of that event. Invite the media for photos. If nothing else, organize a canned goods collection event for your local food bank and Seg door to door!

It'll start slow, but each month you gather the group will grow. Consistancy and fun are the two requirements for returning riders. Just gliding and touting gets old fast, so do something fun and good for the community at the same time.

Good luck!

[Stan671]

Don, a mall is not public property. It is private property and so far, most mall management has not been in favor of Segway HT's being ridden in the malls.

PLEASE check with the mall people before even taking a single HT in there, let along a bunch of them. Otherwise it could get really ugly.

Stan Dobrowski

[Stan671]

Just because there is a Brookstone in the mall, and that store sells them, it does not mean that they are allowed to be ridden in the mall. And from what I have heard about the Brookstones, many of them don't even have machines. And the few that do, keep them in the back of the store and don't let many people ride them. There are important liability issues with letting people ride in the store and/or in the mall. Most business are too afraid of lawsuits to let anyone do anything.

Stan Dobrowski