the brief:

With a world class motocross event due to be held at a new Hampshire venue for the first time, promoter Bike-it was determined for the MXGP to be a success. The specialist press and motocross enthusiasts had already pledged their support but Bike-it wanted the weekend to attract more local visitors.

An intensive six week PR campaign was launched to ensure that people in Hampshire and the surrounding area were totally aware of the MXGP – and what’s more, that’s the place they wanted to be.

Southampton city centre was brought to a halt for a parade of the world’s leading motocross riders, stunt riders entertained the crowds and the media coverage was immense.

Local television covered the city centre extravaganza, BBC South Today broadcast its evening sports slot live the night before action got underway, the daily papers in Southampton, Bournemouth and Dorset ran four page features, the local press all previewed the event and competitions held in key media added further weight to the PR campaign.

The result – Bike-it attracted 39,000 people to the event – more than 20,000 from the region.