PARTICIPATE: For Businesses and Organizations
Return to HER Helmet Thursdays information Quick Links.
Below are “How to participate” details for Businesses and Organizations.
Already know you want to sign up? Please phone us.
Just want to grab the staff reference sheet? Click here.
What’s it about?
The HER Helmet Thursdays project helps sustain our economy and environment, while it creates a more bike-friendly county.
- Read the history Wheel the Earth: HER Helmet Thursdays cuts carbon emissions and costs – The Monterey County Weekly, 4/22/10
- Watch a video about HER Helmet Thursdays here.
- Or listen to a 2-minute audio introduction, What’s up with the bike helmet buzz?
- Refer to the Quick Reference Guide on the Listings/FAQs page to see all participants. (Curious who the early leaders were? See Charter Participants list.)
The HER Helmet Thursdays Project’s 12th Anniversary, Thanksgiving week 2021.
The commemoration poster below was a full-page ad in the Monterey County Weekly for the project’s 5th anniversary.
How to participate
If you would prefer to learn about the HER Helmet Thursdays project by phone or through an in-person visit, please contact us.
If we have already spoken, and you are ready to sign up, please phone us, 831.375.6278.
If you have an H-E-R business or organization, and it is in Monterey County, you are invited to sign up to be a participant. HER Helmet Thursdays was created and launched in 2009 in Monterey County as a public service. Outside Monterey County? Please contact us.
What does H-E-R mean?
Besides referring to HER/Mother Earth, who benefits from more people bicycling, HER is also an acronym for participating H-E-R businesses and organizations.
- H=Hotels, and other lodging, such as bed-and-breakfast, hostel
- E=Entertainment venues and Educational attractions, such as museums, whale-watching, concert venues, and a few you might not think of, e.g., spas (the “E” category is flexibly defined–just ask us if you think your business might fit in)
- R=Restaurants, and related places, such as wineries, coffee houses, bakeries, and delis (any place where there is sit-down food or beverage service)
Is there a fee to sign up?
As of the 12th anniversary, November 2021, there is still no fee. To show appreciation for the work required to create, coordinate, and promote this project, businesses and organizations signing up are now encouraged—not required—to provide a gift certificate or gift card to their establishment. Send your gift card or certificate via postal mail. The gift certificate/card will be used either as an optional reward for Bicycling Monterey contributors or to allow a Bicycling Monterey volunteer to experience your establishment.
How does it work?
- See Listings, How to Get the Discounts, and FAQs about HER Helmet Thursdays
- The discount is a percentage (between 10 and 50%) off the total tab, unless you exclude alcohol. (Note that for properties that will participate in more than one category, such as both lodging and dining, if they wish, they may choose a different percentage for each category.)
- For “H”/Hotels/lodging, note that the discount applies to Thursday night lodging only.
How do people show us that they are biking?
For the “H”/Hotels/lodging category: Guests either (1) BYOB—Bring Your Own Bike; or (2) provide a receipt for a one-day (or longer) bicycle rental from any bike rental shop in Monterey County. The rental can be for Thursday or Friday. See “How to get a lodging discount” for more info.
For the “E” and “R” categories: Customers show a bike helmet, as evidence they either bike or bike-and-ride to your place.
- Showing a helmet is required simply because it provides evidence of cycling. (This isn’t a bike safety project to promote helmet use.) No need for coupons, cards, or stickers—just show helmet.
- If you want to allow your customers the option of showing a bicycle pump (or other evidence) instead of a bicycle helmet, that’s fine. Please advise your staff by checking the appropriate box on your Staff Reference Sheet. No need to advise us of that unless you’d like that noted in your listing.
- An option for elegant places that have hat-check rooms or valet service is to simply jot “helmet” or “bike” on the claim check, as evidence that the cyclist can show to the staff member who will provide the discount.
How long is this commitment?
This is a long-term ecology-economy sustainability project, with no scheduled end-date.
If ever you must withdraw from the project, simply notify us.
At any time, you are welcome to contact us if you’d like to raise or lower the percentage of discount offered, or to change an include/exclude alcohol policy.
To sign up by phone, here is all that is required
To sign up by phone, there are three things to communicate to me:
- The percentage of discount you would like to offer (choose from 10% to 50%).
- If you serve alcohol, whether you want to include or exclude alcohol from the discount.
- Your email address for infrequent project communication only. (It will not be shared with others.) You may expect to receive a “Welcome to HER Helmet Thursdays” email, typically within a week or so.Sometimes there is also an option to sign up online.
Your in-house arrangements
- You are welcome to request a later start date; otherwise, your start date will be the next Thursday.
- The Staff Reference Sheet is provided for your convenience. Please post on employee bulletin board and/or copy and provide to staff members.
About holidays and special event weeks
Project-wide, the discount normally applies every Thursday, year-round, excluding federal legal holidays and Monterey County special-event weeks. The restricted dates are posted on this site, and for your in-house communication, they are also listed on the Staff Reference Sheet.
Some participants say, “We don’t want to restrict any dates!” Others participants are concerned about dates when they are typically extra busy.
You decide what’s best for your establishment. Your staff will need to know your decisions, in case bicyclists call ahead to ask. So, simply check off the boxes on the Staff Reference Sheet, to advise your staff whether you waive any date restrictions. (No need to advise me.)
About peak season for lodging participants
If necessary, for the lodging (“H”) category only, you may specify further date restrictions for peak season. If so, these will be posted as a special restriction in your individual listing.
What to do after signing up?
- Print and complete the staff reference sheet for your in-house use.
- Look over the FAQs.
- Promote your participation as your time and resources allow.
How to attract people by promoting your participation
- To ensure accurate messaging, contact us anytime with your questions about HER Helmet Thursdays.
- Put the HER Helmet Thursdays “Participant” logo on your website, in ads, on menus, on signs, on t-shirts, etc. A variety of sizes and formats (for web, print, cloth) are available; contact us.
- Promote your participation via online social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. To ensure accurate messaging, or for suggested text, contact us.
- A variety of window signs and fliers are available on the posters, etc. page, as well as participant signs being available below (on this page). To be sure of having the most current versions available, or if you’d like customized text or materials, contact us.
- HER Helmet Thursdays has also been promoted on marquees, by presentations to civic clubs, in radio and TV feature stories, and more. Contact us for details.
What info is included in HER Helmet Thursdays listings?
- The Quick Reference Guide (found on the Listings/FAQs page) immediately displays your business/organization name, address, and phone; the percentage of your Thursday discount; and when applicable, “alcohol excluded.”
- When people click on your business/organization name in the Quick Reference Guide (or on the clickable map, when they “CLICK FOR FULL DETAILS”) they get additional information. This includes a link to your website (if you have one). It may also include a general description about your place, as well as bike-there tips. And it includes the HER Helmet Thursdays participant logo, and where to go for FAQs and other tips.
- About descriptions: If you would like a description about your place included in your listing, simply provide that text to us. There’s a place to do this on the online sign-up form, or you may provide the draft text by sending us an email or phoning (831.375.6278).
- No website of your own? A review from a Monterey County publication can be linked.
- About bike-there tips: It is not essential that there be custom bike-there tips prepared for all participants, since people can use resources such as Google Maps (click the bike logo for directions by bicycle). However, tips prepared by someone who personally knows the local route are a plus, so most charter participants already have bike-there tips prepared by Bicycling Monterey. If you would like to contribute some bike-there tips for your location, please provide the draft text by sending us an email or phoning. You might also mention if there is a good bike parking option (e.g., bicycle rack) nearby.
- Questions? Please contact us.
Promote your participation and build awareness of our bike-friendly county!
As shown below, a special “Participant” HER Helmet Thursdays logo is available for the participating business and organizations. The “Participant” logo is available in various sizes and in versions for websites, print, cloth, etc. Ask us to email what you need.
Staff Reference Sheet for Participants
Staff Reference Sheet is provided here.
Ideas for posters or minis use: Laminate or frame and display. Some participants even print them on clear or white decal paper–voila! a window decal.
Below are the items most pertinent for HER Helmet Thursdays participants. These are also included on the Posters, Minis, Logos, and More page, which includes additional items too—such as Tips for Bicycling Monterey County posters, bike law summaries, and more.
Check with us to see if updated versions of the items below are available, or if you need customized text.
Certificate of Participation/Sign – for “H”/Hotels/Lodging venues
Download PDF:
PARTICIPANT: Any Hotel or other lodging participant
Many lodging providers add this 8-1/2 x 11 poster to their concierge binder, alongside a Tips for Bicycling Monterey County poster. A mini is also provided here….
Download PDF:
MINI – Any Hotel or other lodging participant
Certificate of Participation/Sign- for “E”/Educational or Entertainment and “R”/’Restaurants and related places, such as wineries and spas
Download PDF:
This 8-1/2 x 11 poster is for all non-lodging participants: It is for “E/educational/entertainment and “R”/restaurant participants, and related venues, such as wineries.
A mini is also provided here….
Download PDF:
MINI – Any HER Helmet Thursdays Educational, Entertainment, or Restaurant participant
Poster Honoring Charter Participants (8.5 x 11)
Download PDF:
Charter Participants HER Helmet Thursdays – Final List
This 8-1/2 x 11 poster gives a special salute to Charter Participants. Charter Participants are those who joined in the project’s first year (between Thanksgiving week 2010 and Thanksgiving week 2011). If you are a Charter Participant and your logo is not on this poster, please email me a jpg image of your logo, and I will be happy to prepare a custom poster for your location. Please contact me with any questions or special requests.
Displaying the posters prominently…
helps build a reputation for Monterey County as one of the most bike friendly places in the country! Your help is appreciated.
If you’ve bicycled here quite a bit, it’s easy to forget that first-timers and others often have questions about bicycling in Monterey County. Some participants also like to print the poster below and laminate it on the back of their “Participants” poster, pointing out the availability of the Tips for Bicycling Monterey County guide and the many other resources found on the Bicycling Monterey website.
Tips for Bicycling Monterey County and HER Helmet Thursdays
Have an events calendar on your website?
Add HER Helmet Thursdays, as participating venues Paraiso Vineyards and Portola Hotel & Spa do, and as do others–e.g., bike clubs Monterey Off Road Cycling Association and the Naval Postgraduate School Cycling Club.
Put a link on your website
- You are encouraged to post on your website a link to HER Helmet Thursdays/Bicycling Monterey. You might link to (1) your individual listing; or (2) the listings/FAQs page; or (3) the home page of bikemonterey.org. (Note that linking to your individual HER Helmet Thursdays listing will quickly connect people with any bike-there tips to your location.)
- For all HER Helmet Thursdays participants who have a website, Bicycling Monterey includes a link to their website in their individual listing. Participants are also linked many other places on the Bicycling Monterey site, ranging from bicycle security section to sections highlighting various cities (e.g., Carmel and Carmel Valley, Castroville and other North County communities, Greenfield and other South County communities, Salinas, Seaside).
You or your webmaster may contact me with questions or requests for custom text or ideas, or other help.
- If linking to HER Helmet Thursdays, link to your individual listing (ask me if you don’t know that URL) or to the Listings and FAQs. To obtain the HER Helmet Thursdays logo in various sizes (75, 100, 150, 200 px), contact me.
- If linking to Bicycling Monterey, link to bikemonterey.org’s home page. For Bicycling Monterey logo, contact me.
Optionally, you may also wish to:
1. Email me a jpg photo of your place, with a bike, bike rack, or cyclist in the photo.
From time to time, I feature various participating locations on the website. Having your photos at hand will make it easier for me to promote you, time permitting. Check out these examples: “Who bikes to work? This Heller Organic winemaker” and “Commercial Wharf II says, ‘It’s unanimous!'”
Click on “HER Helmet Thursdays Stories” for other examples of how individual HHT spots are highlighted on the Bicycling Monterey website.
2. Write a guest post about your location
You are welcome to contribute a short feature about your business or organization, as long as it somehow connects to bicycling! Call me with your ideas.
3. Make use of online social media
Online social media–even though no substitute for in-person relationships–can be a very helpful tool. For the most current information about Bicycling Monterey’s online social media accounts, refer to the Contact page.
Facebook. If you are on Facebook and would like me to provide (at no charge) some text about your participation that you can post to your FB wall, contact me.
Twitter. A small number of HER Helmet Thursdays businesses and organizations are on Twitter. If you are, you may provide me with your Twitter name, and I will follow you @HERHelmetThurs. This helps me keep in touch with your news.
Feel free to contact me (831/375-6278) for help.
Thank you for helping to make Monterey County
one of the most bicycling friendly places in America.
Creating and launching the project in Monterey County is a way to help sustain the environment and economy of my home county since 1981.
Monterey County’s participating businesses and organizations also serve as helpful role models for the nation, because the project can be replicated in many other geographic locations. Spread the word!
If you’re in another location, check out the Goals and Overview of the HER Helmet Thursdays project, or just contact me.
* * *
There is also a plain logo that anyone may use. In the photo below, see how the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation Cycling Club used it!
The NPS Foundation Cycling Club found a unique way to get the word out–at a Twilight Ride at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca.
