The MOA Board, staff and key volunteers begin planning next year’s rally around the first of July, as soon as we’ve wrapped up all the paperwork and reports for this year’s rally. We don’t expect everybody to do this, of course, but the sooner you start planning your personal rally, the more likely you’re going to get to do and see all the things you want to do and see. This simple guide is offered as one way to help maximize your rally experience, especially if you’re a newcomer. We don’t want you to miss out on anything just because it’s your first time and you might be unfamiliar with what the MOA National Rally is all about.

If it is indeed your first time attending our Rally—which we liken to a 5,000-plus-member family reunion—let us be the first to welcome you. Once you move through Rally Registration, stop by the Ambassadors’ booth for a formal greeting and some special first-timer swag! Many of the tips you’re about to read came from the MOA Ambassadors, some of whom have attended 40-plus rallies.

Volunteer

While you can certainly hang out in the camping area or take your Kermit chair to the concert stage, the surest way to dive into the culture of the Rally and really meet people is to take on a volunteer shift. By doing this, you’ll help ensure everybody has a great experience and get a great feel for how things operate. The Rally doesn’t go off smoothly unless more than a thousand volunteer shifts get covered by people just like you. One of the critical and often overlooked opportunities is sticking around on Sunday to help clean up—we have to leave the Rally site the way we found it, after all!

Find out more and sign up for a shift by opening the Rally app or visiting the Rally website, rally.bmwmoa.org/volunteer.

Camping

Here’s a hot tip—if you’re registered for a volunteer shift, you can arrive as early as Tuesday afternoon and scout out a prime campsite. Once you get through registration, set up your tent in a shady spot and get to know your neighbors as they filter in. If you can accommodate a small cooler on your bike, it will come in handy throughout the weekend. Keep in mind there’s no designated quiet area, so if you’re a light sleeper, bring ear plugs and an eye mask. The Sherpa guy always provides a glamping option, so check him out (via the website or app) if that’s more your speed.

Take a Lap

Rally Delay Syndrome is a real thing once everybody shows up, so take the advantage of your early arrival to do a lap of the site. Find the exhibitor areas (indoor and outdoor), the beer garden, the concert stage, the First Aid tent/hut, the seminar rooms (more on that soon), the MOA Booths (locals/hospitality, pin/patch, sewing, lost & found, information, Ambassadors, door prizes, 50/50 raffles for our children’s charity, the Foundation and more), bike wash, DIY, the food vendors, the training area, the demo trucks and the beer garden. Yeah, I mentioned the beer garden twice because it’s the BEER GARDEN!

You’ve also got three places to see some really cool motorcycles—the vintage bike display, the People’s Choice bike show and the Builder’s Best custom bike show. Lean on the site maps available in the app and keep an eye out for shuttles to help get you around the area.

Don’t Miss Out on Seminars

If you’re a first-timer, it’s easy to miss out on some of the Rally goings-on like the seminars. The most up-to-date info on seminars is in the app, but you can also stop by the seminar rooms to see the daily schedules. You can’t attend all of them, but whether you’re interested in riding to Alaska or learning about your Airhead, there’s bound to be a few seminars to grab your attention. Additionally, a number of exhibitors will give seminars on their products or services; these are valuable ways to find great ways to care for and upgrade your motorcycles and yourselves.

We try to put the seminars in air-conditioned rooms, so during particularly hot summers, a seminar can provide a welcome break from the heat and humidity.

Enjoy the Food and Entertainment

Some folks use the Rally as a central location from which to explore the area. Others park their bikes on Thursday and don’t touch them again until Sunday. We try to accommodate both types of folks and everybody in-between by making sure you have plenty of food and entertainment options on-site and info about what’s in the area as well.

Grab some coffee first thing in the morning and hang out, then get your day going however you like. Unless you love standing in lines and chatting—some of us do!—grab lunch at 11:30 am or 1 pm. Music starts every night around 7 pm; we feature a variety of styles to hopefully appeal to as many people as we can. Grab some food and a beverage and settle in for some fun—and don’t forget that between acts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we’ll be giving away some great grand prizes. You could win a trip of a lifetime, high-end riding gear or even a brand-new motorcycle!

Get Excited About the Door and Grand Prizes

Just by registering for the Rally (and showing up, of course), you’ve qualified for any of hundreds of prizes donated by the exhibitors who attend the Rally along with you. But you have to participate by visiting the Door Prizes Booth and dropping your tickets off.

We do Door Prize drawings multiple times throughout the Rally, so visit the booth often to look for your numbers and collect your winnings! Many of the Grand Prizes are “must be present to win,” so be sure to pay close attention to those requirements and hang out at the concert stage each night.

Have a Budget for Purchases

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you enter the exhibitor’s hall and just start buying up every cool thing you see. We understand, it happens to us too. If you set yourself a budget and take a spin through both the indoor and outdoor vendors before you start spending, you’ll have a better chance of controlling yourself.

Some exhibitors will install their products for you on-site, so be sure to ask and get an appointment if they’ve got space in the schedule. This is especially true if you’re buying tires or bolt-on accessories like riding lights. Have a plan for anything you remove from your bike as well as any gear you buy to replace the tired stuff you wore on the ride in (see the Bonus Tip for an option).

Download the Rally App

The world is shifting to digital and the MOA Rally is no exception. We’ve worked hard to provide you an easy-to-use app packed with information. You’ll find the overall schedule for the entire Rally, the schedule of seminars, site maps, ride routes, a social wall to interact with your fellow rallygoers, and much, much more. We’ll push announcements out on the app throughout the Rally to help keep you informed of what’s going on—it’s worth using it for that alone.

Whether you use Apple or Android devices, we’ve got you covered. Once the Rally kicks off, the app is the best source for updated information if anything changes. Use these links—bit.ly/rally_android or bit.ly/rally_apple.

Visit with People Along the Way

The National Rally is a great time to suppress your inner introvert and greet everybody you see with a smile and a friendly word. There is simply no way to get through your Rally experience without talking to people, so try leaning into it! You can always retreat to your tent for a little alone time, but one of the greatest aspects of every Rally is being able to meet, greet and chat with people who are as excited about riding motorcycles as you are.

You never know—you might find your dream bike or meet your next best friend at a Rally. It all starts with being open to the experience and sharing a little of yourself with those around you.

Register for Next Year’s Rally

Not only can you visit a booth for info about where next year’s Rally will be, but you can also register for next year’s Rally at this year’s Rally.

Registration fees for next year are the lowest they’ll be as a thank-you for attending this year and being registered is a great way to start planning your next ride and build anticipation for another great Rally somewhere in America.

Ship it Home

Every year, the MOA works with a local company—typically a UPS Store location—to provide you with a way to get all your rally finds home without having to pack them on your bike. Not only can you ship home that new whatever you got, but here’s an overlooked tip: mail your dirty laundry home, too! You’ve got at least one new shirt (your Rally T-shirt) and probably more than that, so send those dirty shirts and nasty socks on ahead of you. Be sure to address the box to yourself, though!

If you won’t be camping on the way home, you could also ship your camping gear and lessen the load on your bike.

Thanks to MOA Ambassadors Greg Beck, Peter Burke, Charles Coons, Ross Copas, Rhonnie Garcia, Wayne Garrison, Bob Lumby, Clark Luster, Reece Mullins, Jennifer Ott and Kandi Spangler for their tips.