Installing demo content via module.install file with Migrate module
Ok, I now understand that registering a migration is only registering it, not importing it, you still have to process the import.  I now call the _panopoly_core_import_demo_content function which executes $migration-&gt;processImport(); 

&lt;?php

/**
 * @file
 * Installation file for Parcel Event Demo
 */

/**
 * Implements hook_enable().
 */
function parcel_event_demo_enable() {
  Migration::registerMigration('ParcelEventMigrateEvent');
  _panopoly_core_import_demo_content(array('ParcelEventMigrateEvent'));
}

/**
 * Implements hook_disable().
 */
function parcel_event_demo_disable() {
  _panopoly_core_rollback_demo_content(array('ParcelEventMigrateEvent'));
  Migration::deregisterMigration('ParcelEventMigrateEvent');
}