Interbike, the largest bicycle industry trade show in North America, has announced a strategic partnership with My City Bikes, a national US campaign of free localized mobile cycling apps. The My City Bikes concept ‘embraces new participants to the sport of cycling, by providing key bike related information on a free app that’s specific to each local market.’
As part of the new partnership between the app and leading bike industry trade show, My City Bikes becomes presenting sponsor of Customer Appreciation Day at Interbike.
Interbike returns to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center beginning with OutDoor Demo in Boulder City, Nevada, on 14-15 September 2015, followed by the Interbike Expo on 16-18 September 2015.
My City Bikes, along with its network of beginner-friendly bike shops and local municipal governments, creates beginner biking resources to empower individuals to improve their health by simply pedaling a bike. The app is specific to a number of major US cities. My City Bikes notes that apps for cities in Canada, Australia and the UK are coming soon.
The app puts key information at the fingertips of these new cyclists, including a list of bike trails, tips for family bike rides, group ride schedules, tips on basic maintenance, a list of beginner friendly local bike shops and more. The app is seen as the first of its kind to address cycling from a beginners’ perspective and concentrate novice cycling resources into single, localized reference points.
“My City Bikes’ national campaign aligns perfectly with The Manifesto for Change – doing what we can to help grow the industry (retail and supply) and to ultimately help get more people on bikes,” said Pat Hus, Vice President of Interbike.
“We simply need to put more emphasis into making the cycling experience better for all new entrants, and My City Bikes helps bridge that gap between the one device everyone seems to have these days (smart phone) and the decisions they make around going for a ride. A number of bike shops are already engaged with the app in their respective cities and are seeing immediate results in their stores.”
Jeff Palter, owner of Cycle Loft in Burlington, Massachusetts, is one of those retailers. “We got on board early with My City Bikes and have seen a steady increase in new riders coming through our doors via the app. If the app doesn’t exist in your community yet, you just have to reach out to them and start the process. It’s really that simple,” said Palter.
My City Bikes apps are completely free to download and use, and currently serve over 130 communities across the US, including San Francisco, Phoenix, Denver, Miami, Austin, Minneapolis and more. My City Bikes is a ‘corporate social responsibility model public health initiative supported by individual cyclists, local businesses and private corporations who believe in the transformative power of cycling to improve health and wellbeing in communities across the nation.’
“Our mission is to create beginner biking resources that empower individuals to improve their health by simply pedaling a bike,” said Chris Prager, board chair of My City Bikes. “We believe this partnership will help accelerate our mission by showcasing the power of our basic but essential mobile resources to the entire audience at the largest gathering of the bike industry in North America.”
The new partnership offers numerous cross promotion opportunities, a significant presence at Interbike and makes My City Bikes the presenting sponsor of Interbike’s Customer Appreciation Day, to be held on 18 September 2015.
Interbike is the largest bicycle trade event in North America, bringing together manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of cycling. Established in 1982, the show gathers more than 1,200 cycling-related brands, over 25,000 total attendees annually and is considered one of the most important global trade events for the bicycle industry.
Interbike is one of 90 premier trade events owned and operated by Emerald Expositions, a leading producer of large business-to-business tradeshows. Emerald Expositions, based in San Juan Capistrano, California, produces shows and conference events globally that connect more than 525,000 buyers and sellers across nine diversified end-markets. Markets covered include general merchandise, sports, hospitality and retail design, jewellery, photography, decorated apparel, building, healthcare and military.
www.interbike.com
www.mycitybikes.org
