I would be great to have the Rally’s started again! This was agreat way for home brewers and beer geeks to get together.
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Absolutely discussed as a thing to bring back!
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I loved the rallies, but they were a huge money loser. Hope they find a way to bring them back.
I don’t know much about them, but what made them a money loser? Was it a whole bunch of $$$ invested in the event, with no revenue stream to compensate, or charging for attendance but not enough people showing up? Or a whole bunch of people descending a brewery and not buying from the proprietors? Or something else?
There seems to be a desire for something like this – but if cost is an issue, I think re-envisioning it might be the way to go. For me, I don’t care much about prizes, tours, etc. – I mostly want a chance to meet other homebrewers (and perhaps experience a new brewery) in my area.
Folks can correct me where I’m wrong, but the original intent behind the rallies was always to use them as recruitment/renewal drives. Come hang out at a BA member brewery, talk with staff, etc. etc. They could drive really good member numbers (like Stone always went gangbusters back in the day), but there were costs associated - like having staff time on organizing/logistics, staff at the events (so travel), materials, getting things shipped back and forth, etc.
I think the rallies are great, we’d just need to re-think how we do them.
Thank you for that info – totally makes sense! So I guess there could be a difference between a membership drive and a member get-together, in terms of cost and goals.
Not to mention that back then the AHA had the staff on hand to do them. I recall that they were a great party, but it was almost exclusively members who showed up, and they didn’t generate anywhere near the new membership that was the goal.
Depended on the venue from my memory - Stone would pull nearly 100 new/renewed memberships while “Your Neighborhood Pizza Pint Pub” would get 3-5.
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The rally’s at stone had a homebrew competition component that was really fun. I believe the entries were judged by the brewers at stone and then all the beers entered were available to taste on the day of the rally (5 gallon requirement per entry). It made for a fun day of tasting homebrew and a cool ceremony at the end.
Yeah, that was always a heck of a time and a ton of work!
There has to be a way to do this that helps promote the brand of both the AHA and the local brewery. I remember going to an event at Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee that was epic in every way- especially the Lakefront Brewery Tour which never disappoints and I highly recommend to anyone visiting.
Same goes for here in Indy and the times I’ve attended our FBI Club Pub Nights where we get access to a tour and to ask all sorts of questions - huge shout out to Sun King and Moontown and all the others I’ve missed.
Maybe I’m not remembering the specifics of a rally. However, I see these types of events of appreciating what the pros do as they can talk to us in less marketing speak and more appreciation for great beer and process - hence we support them by drinking their beers and becoming ambassadors for them while learning how to create some of the same magic at home.
People love to come together over a beer and champion a story. The brewery gets to sell more beer, we learn a few tips as brewers, new brewers see what’s possible. Throw in a local homebrew shop for a referral and we have a winning combo.
But how does the AHA translate that into membership $? Altruism alone will not make the AHA viable.
Great point - I just assumed clubs like the ones I’ve belonged to actively promote the AHA membership and benefits. Thanks for the reality check. Without that knowledge and members being ambassadors, you are spot on it’s not going to translate into anything other than maybe a good time.
I overall agree – but would counter that there are also ways to do these kinds of events with much less money in. It sounds like the old model (pay for a bunch of staff to fly/drive in, hotels for them, create an event that required lots of preparation, shipping things around, etc.) is not sustainable. BUT…I do think there are other models that could work. (I’m not just speculating – I have direct experience with this through other organizations)
This might well be the mantra of the new AHA. 
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Music to my ears!!!
Suggestions?
Optimism is great, but ideas are needed.
I think we’ll need to embrace this digital world that we’re in. More virtual visits, more “pre-planned” type events in a box that you can send off and have people do. Etc, etc.
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Echoing Drew, I think “events in a box” are a great model successfully used by other organizations…I know it’s not as simple as “just put together a checklist,” but I have seen instances where having volunteer ambassadors can work well for some organizations. This is pretty common in academic publishing, for instance – hey, you’re going to a conference, here is some inexpensive swag to give out, put our journal on a slide, and here are some talking points when you’re chatting with people. I have done this for some journals at which I am an editor – I have no financial stake in the journal (beyond wanting new kinds of publishing outlets; I preferentially engage with non-profit / open access journals), but have informally become known as someone people can approach, and I feel empowered to suggest it as an option to those who might be looking for a place to publish their work. I know it’s not exactly the same as a homebrewer meet-up, but I do think we’ll benefit from looking to other organizations and seeing what works for them rather than re-inventing the wheel.
I think new kinds of online meetups are another possible venue – I had a great time a few weeks back connecting with a fellow AHA member who reached out to me; it was an informal drink-and-chat, and I enjoyed connecting more personally with a fellow hobbyist in another part of the continent.
Another hobby that we might look to is knitting – my spouse is very active in the ravelry community, and they have lots of cool activities both virtual and in-person.