Little Rock welcomed about 40,000 motorcyclists this week for the 39th Annual National Bikers Roundup at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds. Economic developers expect the event to have an $11 million economic impact on the county.
This is the group’s first trip to Arkansas, according to Alan Sims, vice president of sales and service for the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau. And it’s twice as big as the city’s largest annual event, the American Taekwondo Association’s convention, he said.
Sims said it took more than two years of hard work to bring the event here. The Roundup travels to a different state every year, he said.
That process, Sims said, included getting the state’s motorcycle clubs to come together and agree that they could raise enough money and had enough volunteers to host the event.
He didn’t have the total amount spent to bring the Roundup here but said one of the largest expenses was a $20,000 fee to rent the fairgrounds. Roundup organizers didn’t have to pay for that venue, Sims said.
The economic impact figure includes how much the motorcyclists are expected to spend in Arkansas on lodging, food, entertainment and more. Sims said the event would not only effect the county economically, but also the state, as visitors checked out other attractions likes the Pig Trail and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Sims said he reached out to contacts in Tulsa when he first heard about the event. Tulsa hosted the Roundup in 2014. His information on the event, including that economic impact estimate, came from his Tulsa contacts. After seeing that information, Sims said he determined the Roundup would be “huge” for Little Rock.
City, county and state police as well as the Little Rock Fire Department helped out with the event. The community-oriented motorcycle group also donated money to the Arkansas Food Bank, Sims added.
“This is like a big family reunion. These people look forward to this all year. They travel from all four corners of the United States. They’ll all tour and touch all parts of Arkansas. We’ll see bikers everywhere. So it’s a big, big deal,” Sims said.
Sims said the bureau hopes the event can return to Arkansas in the next three to five years.
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