NAMBA Propwash Web October 2022.pub

PROPWASH October 2022 21 NAMBA’s Arrive and Drive By David Santistevan NAMBA IT Chairman NAMBA District 9 has been very successful the past few years with their Arrive and Drive program. Six FE boats have been set up and maintained at their district races available for a new model boater to get the feel of racing at a district event. They apply for an SEI (Single Event Insurance) through the NAMBA Membership Portal and process a payment of $15.00 which provides them with the same insurance coverage at a race afforded all NAMBA members. They can do this once in a given year and if they decide at a later date that same year to become a full NAMBA member, they will be credited the $15.00 towards the full membership. NAMBA has now taken that concept to another level. NAMBA recognizes that there are people who would like to try running a boat under a more relaxed situation and NAMBA members who are willing to allow a person to run their boat to feel the experience. All well and good however there can be some possible liability in doing this. NAMBA recognizes that some districts have organized “Test and Tune” days scheduled on their district web site. And they are just that. A club within the district or the district itself will schedule a day some time between district points races for testing and tuning their boats for the next upcoming race. Occasionally, someone from the general public will stop by and be interested in the model boats. Sometimes, enough that they can see how they run, how much they can cost, but they do not know the feel of holding the transmitter. That is what this program is all about. President Richard Romero has been working with District 20 Director Mike Mullarkey, NAMBA Vice President Karl Loveless, NAMBA IT Chairman David Santistevan and District 20 member Jesse Melnick (supplier of the FE boats) this past year. A program with rules, requirements and record keeping was designed that we feel will safely and effectively allow a new prospective model boater to try out running a radio controlled model boat. Not just an FE boat but all ranges of boats that the club or district is willing to allow the boater to run. There are two information sheets that come with this program. One is the instructions for the Club President or District Director applying for the Arrive and Drive day. This application process will be accomplished through their NAMBA Membership Portal. The District Director will be notified and he only can okay the application. A QR code will then be issued for that requested day and for that day only. When a prospective boater shows up at the pond, if they are interested in running a boat, they scan the QR code with their phone and fill out their information (similar to an SEI). The Club President and District Director immediately receive that information. The prospective model boater is insured for that day. This program does not replace or substitute an SEI. The applicant may not have been a previous member of NAMBA or IMPBA and may use this program a maximum of two times. All safety rules must be followed as though they were a NAMBA member. The cost is $5.00 per person and is recorded by the NAMBA office. The club or district will be billed accordingly at the end of the year. The other handout is for the participant. This is a must, to completely follow the program in its entirety. It explains the process of applying for the Arrive and Drive, what is expected of them and rules to abide by. The whole process may sound a little daunting however it is pretty basic and yet simple to do. The most important thing is the due diligence expected by the hosting club and NAMBA mem- bers who guide/pit/coach the prospective model boater while running a boat and the pleasurable experience they can provide. This program has showed some great success in District 20 with the addition of six new members this year who may not have joined NAMBA with out this program. It also provided them with the opportunity to decide on their “first model boat” choice with a better understanding of what was best for them. If there is a district or club interested in this program, please contact Al Waters at the NAMBA office at 760.522.9138 or e-mail at secretary@namba.com The required information/instructions/tech support are available to help you grow your district. And who does not want that? On another note, it has been asked how do we get more exposure as we are not as popular or visually apparent to the radio controlled world as RC cars and airplanes. We have an answer and a solution to that question also. Please read NAMBA IT Chairman David Santistevan’s following article on what he has accomplished and designed with his target and marketing program with Facebook and the success he is having growing District 20. Daniel Thompson, a prospective model boater using the District 20 Arrive and Drive online QR code program designed by David Santistevan had the opportunity to drive different RC boats. Shortly there after, Daniel became a NAMBA member and settled on Classic Thunderboat as his first boat of choice. District 20’s Social Media Advertising Program By David Santistevan NAMBA IT Chairman Like so many other districts, D20 has struggled with a stale membership and dwindling numbers. It has been frustrating to come up with ideas to bring in new members outside of putting fliers in hobby shops and posting to our Facebook page. Thinking about this problem earlier this year, I went back to some of my traditional sales and marketing training to see how the application of a selling system could help us to generate new memberships. I chose Facebook and Instagram as my starting point and developed an advertising plan and selling system to (Continued on page 22)