Getting In Front Of Those That Support These Incredible Events
Story and Photos by Betsy Fessler
UTV Takeover Coos Bay in Oregon was the best attended Takeover yet, as told by every vendor I talked with last week. From camping on the beach, ride activities and at any given time, a vendor row packed with attendees, eager to shop for UTV parts and accessories and participate in events post Covid.
Vendor row is the busiest place at Takeover with booth sizes ranging from pop-ups all the way to the semi-trucks of Polaris, Rugged Radio and others. There was a wide selection of food vendors too, ranging from fresh local oysters, to pizza, BBQ and pan fried noodles. Flags and lighted whips were available for purchase, as well as hats and t-shirts, tires and wheels, radios – you name it.
Rugged Radios is a title sponsor of UTV Takeover, and had the Offroad Syndicate trailer there Rugged teamed up with other heavy hitters such as Ford, PRP, Polaris and Rigid in a joint marketing effort. The Syndicate showroom transformed to almost double its width,and had product from each partner on display. A wall of large windows gives participants the opportunity to lounge in air conditioning, watch over the crowd and shop for Rugged products in their indoor store. If you made a purchase, you could wait right there while your new radios were installed in your ride.
Additionally, if you wanted to have your UTV dyno tested, you were in luck. Db Powersports from Lebanon, Oregon was there with a mobile dyno machine. Their event pricing was $100 for three pulls, what a deal! The sound of a UTV running at high RPM’s definitely caught people’s ears, so they often had crowds around watching. If you’ve never seen a dyno test before, it was interesting to see how it’s done.
Polaris and Yamaha both had large semis at Takeover. Both were offering ride experiences in their latest models and promotions to win a new UTV.
Monster Energy is always a crowd favorite at the Takeover. As predicted, the Monster Crew handed out complimentary sugar-full and sugar-free beverages and stickers every day. You had to get there early though, because when they ran out of stock, the crew packed up and took off to participate in Takeover fun the rest of the day.
The booth at Simpson had an overwhelming Takeover weekend. They had door bags marked ½ off. Their seats were discounted also. Rumor had it that they sold out quickly, I can’t imagine why? I went by to say hello several times. Each time, I was greeted by a sign on their door that said “out to play.” Hey – If I sold out my inventory, that’s what I would have been doing also. It’s also about having fun, right?
Other vendor row staples included KMC Wheels, SuperATV, Superior Motorsports (who had killer deals on t-shirts, starting at $6.50 per shirt!), Sector Seven, HCR, and Full Throttle Batteries. Vendor reps were enthusiastic to finally be out and participating in events again, anxious to talk to customers and to help participants however they could. You could feel the energy.
A few vendors had little or no inventory, but were still at the Takeover to represent their brands and support their distributors. They sent me away with the message for UTV Sports readers, saying that if any readers have orders in with them, to please be patient, Covid has made the timeline for manufacturing, shipping and delivering products challenging. They are thankful and appreciate the orders, and said they will deliver as soon as they get product back into inventory.
I made a point to stop by Vixen Industries. I couldn’t help it. They had a primo location just inside one of the entrances. Becky McDonough, the owner, and her two daughters manned the booth all weekend and welcomed me each time I went in. Becky had offerings for ladies of all age groups. Each time I entered and left vendor row, I would pass VXN’s booth. There was a t-shirt that kept jumping out at me that said “WHEEL TURNIN,’ PEDAL STOMPIN’, EYELINER WINGIN’ KIND OF GIRL.” On the last day of the Takeover, I couldn’t resist any more. Becky still had my size, let me try it on, and I purchased it knowing that if I didn’t do it then, I may never have the opportunity again.
In addition to being busy all day, vendor row was alive at night. Happy hour was from 6-8 p.m. every night at the community tent. Also held there each night was Rock-N-Roll Bingo and a raffle. Attendance and enthusiasm were high and folks had a great time rubbing elbows with other UTV owners and showing off their rides.
UTV Takeover Coos Bay was bigger than ever this year. Participants were eager to be there, eager to participate, and eager to spend money and have fun, which was evident at vendor row. Vendors were glad to be back, and were available for questions and information. From the level of activity seen there each day, vendor row at the Takeover was definitely the place to meet industry leaders, check out their offerings, make purchases, and fill your belly all in the same place.
This is the first of 4 UTV Takeover events of the year. For details on the others, visit www.utvtakeover.com. Consider participating. They’d love to have you there.
