BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Interbike’s organisers have today announced the launch of a new four-day demo event that focuses on East Coast bicycle retailers and their staffs at the onset, and ends with a two-day consumer demo and music festival.
Dubbed the Fall CycloFest, the event will incorporate a blend of Interbike’s OutDoor Demo, tech seminars, retail education and more over the first two days of the event, and will also include activities and races to create some competition and fun between stores. Musical entertainment is planned for both the trade and consumer days. At press time, Interbike was still working to secure the details behind the race component.
The event will be held October 20-23, 2016, at the U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC) in Charlotte, NC, just minutes from Charlotte Douglas International Airport – the 2nd largest airport on the East Coast and the largest hub for U.S. Airways.
The USNWC was chosen for several reasons, including its central location on the East Coast, access to the largest concentration of bike dealers in the U.S. (Southeast), the more than 25 miles of groomed mountain bike trails, the extensive road riding in the surrounding area, and the facility’s other activities such as zip lining, SUP, rock climbing, whitewater rafting and more.
The Fall CycloFest will start out with two days open to retailers, distributors and media only. In addition to the heavy emphasis on demo, the event will also feature numerous educational sessions for retailers from Mann U, the NBDA and Interbike University. Technical seminars are also planned, with SRAM and Fox Racing already committing to the demo and technical seminars at the event.
Show organizers are looking to integrate a strong music component as part of the experience for both trade and consumer days. Interbike will be working closely with the USNWC’s team to secure music acts that reflect both the region and the audience. The USNWC hosts musical acts on its concert stage most weekends throughout the summer.
“This is in no way a replacement to Interbike for East Coast retailers and their staffs, but more of an opportunity to let them be a part of the demo experience,” said Pat Hus, Vice President of Interbike. “When we look at our OutDoor Demo attendance every year, it is always weighted heavily to the west coast. Most eastern retailers could have two days of travel in order to attend Interbike, making it difficult to attend the demo or even take part in tech seminars. This event is a natural progression and one that we hope will allow retailers to experience those things they have been missing for years now at Interbike. Adding some new twists to this new event should make it a very compelling event to attend.”
Interbike returns to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, beginning with OutDoor Demo in Boulder City, Nev., September 19-20, 2016, followed by the Interbike Expo September 21-23, 2016.
