The inaugural IBD Summit, hosted by Interbike and Sea Otter Classic, is staged and ready to launch on 17 April with 50 retailers from 40+ unique stores registered and expected to attend the event. Due to a late surge of interest, early registration pricing has been extended through to Wednesday 4 April, to accommodate as many retailers as possible.
The inaugural IBD Summit will be an educational and networking event for top independent bicycle dealers across the US. It will also feature suppliers attending the Bicycle Leadership Conference (BLC), held concurrently in Monterey. As the event organisers point out, all speakers and education sessions are finalized and ready to inform, inspire and educate dealers on a wide range of vital business topics.
“We’re thrilled with the quality of the shops that have signed up,” said Pat Hus, Interbike’s Managing Director. “We have a stellar list of attendees that includes many of the best retailers in the country. They’re in for a great conference.”
Retailers who have signed up for the IBD Summit have indicated that the high level education and interaction with other successful retailers are driving their interest.
“It took me a while to realize the impact this event could have, but I woke up one morning and the clouds cleared from my mind and I knew that I should do this,” commented Tom Henry of Landry’s Bicycles in the Boston area. “The Summit really does sound first-rate and exciting.”
“This year’s event will be intimate and allow for some great interaction among sponsors, Bicycle Leadership Conference (BLC) attendees and dealers, which was our goal when we set out on this mission,” continued Hus. “We’re expecting a small flurry of last minute registrants to the event and think we will actually get closer to our goal than we are right now.”
On tap for IBD Summit attendees is a curriculum stacked with leading experts on consumer trends, the economy, marketing, customer service, succession strategy and several panels of leading retailers and category innovators. The organisers point out that the level of education being offered is unprecedented in the bicycle industry and will address graduate-level business needs of top retailers and inspire them to even greater levels of success.
Key speakers include noted trendspotter, Marian Salzman; Nielsen VP of Consumer Research, Todd Hale; and PUBLIC Bikes founder Rob Forbes.
In addition to the educational curriculum and networking opportunities, attendees at the IBD Summit will be treated to exclusive tours of the factory and design centre of two of the industry’s leading innovators. Easton-Bell sports will lead attendees on a tour of itsHelmet Design Center in Scotts Valley where the company’s Easton, Bell, Giro and Blackburn brands are imagined, designed and tested. Fox Racing Shox will invite attending retailers to visit its factory in Watsonville where the company’s high-end performance suspension systems are built.
Both companies will also facilitate retailers getting to and from the tours and Monterey by sponsoring complementary airport shuttles to and from San Jose Airport.
Key sponsors of the event promoting the personal growth of retailers include Bikes Belong, NBDA, Fox Racing, Raleigh Bicycles, Specialized and Easton-Bell Sports.
