Last updated: August 11, 2020
Nick Gray (that’s me!) spoke at the Motorcycle Industry Council’s 2017 annual meeting as a premium keynote speaker.
I shared business stories and lessons from our experience at Museum Hack in attracting new visitors and customers to cultural organizations.
Disrupting Your Industry
The conference organizers selected me as a speaker in order to “shake up” the audience.
“We want you to give them a kick in the butt and encourage some new ideas.”
Video Testimonial for Keynote Conference Speaker
My Innovative Ideas
A lot of my speech was customized for this audience based on informal research I conducted. We discussed things like:
Barriers to Entry
What barriers to entry are there to this industry? How hard is it for someone to become a motorcycle rider or owner?
Current Industry Leaders
Who in their industry is doing well among the millennial audience? My friends told me about Riders Alley, a garage in New York City. And the Made in the USA clothing brand, Feltraiger. I showed examples from their marketing that spoke to this idea of attracting new audiences.
New Customer Acquisition
What’s the easiest possible way to get new customers and new riders? I showed some examples that I’m excited about, including the upcoming RIDE program and dirt bike schools.
Social Media Best Practices
We reviewed what millennials want, and talked about some fast facts that might help dealerships. Did you know that a Georgia Tech study in 2014 showed that photos with faces get up to 38% more likes on social media? More importantly for this crowd: how do helmet laws impact that and social sharing? We discussed ways to stage photos to encourage social sharing.
Millennial Mindsets
Millennials often times show a lack of commitment. They want experiences, not ownership. I talked about my experiences here and what I’ve seen.
Membership, Not Ownership
Museums have sometimes faced a decline in membership. How does that affect this industry? We looked at the Book program by Cadillac, followed by the PORSHE Passport and the Canvas ownership program (owned by Ford).
Questions and Answers and Debate
I loved the Q&A with this audience. They were hyper-involved, and we both challenged each other. As a speaker, I measure myself on how engaging the Q&A is. The worst thing for any speaker is a silent audience afterward. I’ve done a lot to improve and guarantee that there are great questions and a lively discussion.
Keynote Speaker about Innovation
In starting Museum Hack, my goal was to invent a new type of museum tour “for people who don’t like museums.”
- We use disruptive marketing messages to reach new audiences.
Keynote Speaker about Millennials
Earlier in the day, Shama Hyder spoke to the audience about millennials and marketing.
I added to the dialogue by asking: How do we get millennials and other new audiences to be receptive to our marketing?
I shared our strategies for this, including focusing on the three things that make our product special:
- Guides
- Games
- Gossip
About the Conference and MIC
The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) is a not-for-profit trade association that supports motorcyclists across the United States. This conference was held in Carson, California near Los Angeles on November 15th, 2017.
Bonus Photos
Related Information
- Nick Gray as Keynote Speaker 2017: Click here to see a list of all the places I’ve been a keynote speaker.
Comments
- Peter W. Knox: Love this recap Nick. You share without giving it away and convey the excitement involved.