Flyers for TRC Rallyes

Objective

The purposes of a rallye's flyer are

• to inform (or remind) prospective rallyists of the details of the rallye -- theme, rallye type, date, time, and anything special.
• to explain to first timers what a rallye is or what the rallye will be like, if a rallyist provides a flyer to a prospective first timer.
• to convince both to attend or to seek more information about rallying and about the club.

TRC's flyers are posted online and printed onto paper. Paper flyers are offered (for free) at prior rallye events. Ideally, consecutive rallyes' flyers are printed on opposite sides of the same sheets, to save paper. These flyers are sometimes printed in color, but are not reimbursed at a rate that fully covers the expense.

Mailings

In the past, we snail-mailed black-and-white flyers to members who requested hard copies and to nonmembers who have run a rallye in the past many months (in hopes they will return). We now mail postcards instead, which have the most important details of the rallye (rallye name and/or logo, type, date and times, RM contact info). These typically include a small graphic (also usable on TRC's new web site) or logo. This graphic is displayed in color online, but postcards are printed in black and white. These postcards are mailed quarterly and cover up to 3 rallyes, so these details and the graphic must be available as many as 4 months before the rallye! Ideally, the flyer will also exist at that time, so people who receive the postcard and are interested can print their own flyer, share it with friends and coworkers, etc.

Rallyemasters provide artwork for the postcard mailings. The area for the artwork is about 1 inch by 2-2/3 inches. This area can display a single image with an aspect ratio of about 3:8, or a combination of text/fonts and image(s). Email it to the board.

Web Postings

TRC has calendar entries for each flyer. Our new web site also allows rallye announcement pages; these are web page equivalents of flyers, with all pertinent information. These are not limited to one printed page. Rallye Masters can create their own rallye announcement page. Ask the board to permit the page to you. If you do not want to create your own rallye announcement page, provide the board with a large copy of all the graphics you use on your flyer (and a copy of, or all the details for, the flyer and postcard), so that a board member or webmaster can create this page for you.

We want to have one-page flyers, as well, so people can easily print one and post it on a bulletin board, etc.

Guidelines

Do not assume that every rallyist will have seen your flyer. Therefore a flyer can not set up a gimmick for your rallye, unless it is also set up in your rallye's registration packet.

(One could include a flyer for February's rallye in January's registration packet, however, including some gimmick for January's rallye, such as a NOTE or BONUS instruction.)

TRC Gimmick Rallye Rules describes the requirements for a flyer. Specifically, flyers must include:

• date and start time
• start location
• type of event
• entry fee
• classes, or an indication that there are multiple classes
• rallyemaster name(s) and contact info
• TRC name and/or logo
• TRC URL (web address TheRallyeClub.org)

Rallyemasters are encouraged to use a rallye-specific email address hosted on TheRallyeClub.org as their contact information. These email addresses are in the form mmmYEAR@TheRallyeClub.org (e.g., jun2015@TheRallyeClub.org is the address for the June 2015 rallye), and will forward email to your real email address. Any phone numbers provided should include area codes.

It is also useful to include:

• finish time
• time of the beginners school and/or Q&A session
• map of the start location
• type of event (especially if it is not a CM gimmick rallye)
• awards offered
• availability of preliminary GIs

Ideally, flyers should go beyond the factual data described above, and sell potential rallyists on the idea of running the event. Most flyers include some sort of artwork (if only theme-related clip art), but it is possible to do more. For example, you could briefly describe how the theme is woven into the rallye. Or perhaps you could use a catch phrase that hints at how the theme is woven into the rallye. Or perhaps you could include a review-style quote (e.g., from a respected prechecker who especially enjoyed your rallye).

But consider how you might encourage someone to attend your rallye when you meet them at the finish the month before. Or how you would encourage someone who has heard about rallyes to finally attend a rallye--specifically, to attend your rallye.

Flyers often have a phrase to tell newbies that they don't need a sports car to rallye. This might say "Any car can run" or "Bring . . . any type of car." It is important that these sentences never say "any vehicle" (and no one we know is on a motorcycle should be registered), because our insurance does not cover motorcycles!

Resources

Resources#To_Prepare_a_Flyer contains parts from which you can construct a flyer.

The Gimmick Rallye Descriptions page offers various brief descriptions of what a rallye is.

Spelling: in the U.S. "flier" may be generally preferred. Nonetheless, TRC usually uses "flyer." This might be expected, given how we spell "rallye."

Format

The rallye flyer should contain something (like a photo, drawing, or large text) to attract attention when the flyer is posted across the room.

It may also contain "fine print" to be read by someone directly in front of it. See also the Guidelines of what the flyer should include.

Submission

An electronic copy (in PDF) should be sent via email to the webmaster. The person assigned to print the mailing may also request a copy. (If you don't know, simply CC it to the president and secretary.)

File naming convention

Mail your PDF as an attachment named yyyy-mm-dd-Flyer-NAME.pdf where:

• yyyy-mm-dd is the date the Rallye is to be run
• Flyer is literal (rather than "PreGI", or "Results", and case matters)
• NAME is the name of the Rallye

For example, the flyer for Ghostchasers, a rallye that was run on October 6th of 2012, the preferred filename is 2012-10-06-Flyer-Ghostchasers.pdf