It’s no secret that that general registration for the annual Boyne Thunder Poker Run quickly sells out. It took all of three minutes and change this year—is remarkable.
It’s also no secret that those almost-immediate sell-outs aggravate would-be newcomers and longtime supporters of the Northern Michigan event.
Supply consistently outstrips demand at the Boyne Thunder Poker Run. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
During the Detroit Grand Prix this summer, I bumped into one of those generous, longtime supporters who didn’t get in this year, a close friend who will—per his request—remain nameless.
“I’m never going back to Boyne,” he said. “If they can’t support the people who’ve supported it from the start, I’m done.”
On one hand, he had a fair point. Boyne Thunder would not be what where it is without the steadfast support of participants who’ve signed up since its earliest days. They deserve credit.
On the other hand, the overriding goal of the nonprofit event is raising money for two children’s charities, the Challenge Mountain program and Camp Quality-Michigan. Space is limited to 120 boat, 60 for general participants and 60 for sponsors.
Sponsor registration fees are, of course, higher than general registration fees. That’s why sponsor registration stays open for hours rather than minutes.
Bottom line? Boyne Thunder demand outstrips Boyne Thunder supply. That’s simply Capitalism 101, of which this reporter is a diehard supporter, in action. The event is a victim, so to speak, of its own ongoing success.
Boyne Thunder events coordinator Ingrid Day is well-aware of the conflict.
“There is a constant push-pull between honoring those that have supported you and also welcoming new registrations of any level,” Day explained during an interview yesterday. “When you have ‘new,’ that does two things: It perpetuates the event itself and is—as we know—sometimes the best PR. From a business standpoint, 10- to 15-percent new registrations are good, but that can have unintended consequences. My team for this event is solid, but if there is one thing I constantly wrestle with it is exactly that concern. We easily could sell 200 registrations but we are maxed out a 120.”
The solution remains elusive, Day admitted.
“We will be slightly changing how we do sponsorship registration this year, but it will still involve calling the office, I think,” she said. “As for general registration, I suggest having a couple of computers ready to go at 8:59 a.m. on March 1 and being ready. Don’t add riders and such, just get your information in and hit ‘go.’ If you don’t get it the first time, try again.
“The system can get a little jammed, but once it unspools, spots open again,” she added/
That might not be music to anyone’s ears, especially for those folks who’ve come up short in the past. But it is reality.
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