MMBA Expo

I spent yesterday afternoon with Marne Smiley, executive director of MMBA. We were spreading the word about this year's Annual Meeting & Expo, which will take place Feb. 22. This year's Expo is at the Lansing Center in downtown Lansing, and I can't begin to explain how excited I am about this change. In previous years, the Expo has been held in Davisburg at a venue which, in my opinion, was too small, too out of the way and definitely too cold. I spent the whole time I was there last year freezing my butt off.

At any rate, this year's venue has all the modern conveniences, such as heat. It's also not more than a few minutes drive from the highway, so it should be easier for attendees to make it. (It's certainly good for us, since it's only a mile or two from our house.) The hope is that the centralized locale will allow a lot more Western Michigan folks to attend. It's not such a haul.

Marne is very enthusiastic about the venue change as well. It is a bigger expense, though, so we are hoping to bring in lots of vendors to help defray the costs. I would like to make sure it goes well, not only to keep it in mid-Michigan, but also to increase the organization's presence in our part of the state. I'm going to do my best to help advertise it so locals who aren't currently involved will be encouraged to do so. There are probably a lot of riders out there who still don't know MMBA exists or understand the reasons for joining.

I plan to visit a few more businesses tomorrow and this weekend and get some signs posted in as many places as I can think of. Chris Mensing, our chapter president, will be out there spreading the word as well. Marne is still looking for vendors, items for the Silent Auction (in its second year after raising about $5000 for MMBA last year) and lots of attendees. If you have questions, need more info or want to donate anything, contact Marne at execdir@mmba.org.