BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
The people behind Interbike are ringing the changes for 2013. Not only are they moving Interbike to Vegas’ Mandalay Bay, but they’re also officially opening the doors to a limited number of consumers.
Now the Interbike team is launching a new Electric Bike Media Event, set to take place in February in California. Gathering e-bike manufacturers, industry experts, mainstream consumer media and cycle media for test rides and education on the segment.
The event’s debut will be on February 12th to 13th, 2013 at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. It will be a limited access event that will be open to 15 sponsors, who will have an opportunity to interact with journalists in attendance, showcase their products/technology and allow them to test ride the product.
“It’s no secret that electric bike sales are exploding in Europe and Asia, and are creating both a new revenue stream and a different, unique consumer for bicycle retailers,” said Pat Hus, Interbike MD. “In countries like Holland, 20 per cent of all bike purchases are electric – and the numbers are growing steadily. As the leading event organizer in North America for the bicycle industry, we felt that the timing was right to create this initiative and help showcase the benefits of these products to the mainstream media, and ultimately raise awareness of the electric movement.”
The likes of SRAM and East Motion USA have already committed to the show, as well as Prodeco, Bikes Belong and Currie Technologies (the makers of IZIP and eFlow).
Currie Tech president Larry Pizzi was enthusiastic about the new event: “We have to be proactive in educating the public on the benefits of electric bike technology. Just as the other categories of bikes have their purposes and target consumers – so does electric. There’s a misnomer that electric bikes are like scooters or mopeds – but these machines are bikes first and foremost, that give an added “assist” when the peddler needs it most. We need to change this perception and the Electric Bike Media Event is the perfect platform to do so.”
EVWorld.com’s editor-in-chief Bill Moore will provide the keynote speech, with other speakers including Bruno Maier, Sr. Vice President of Marketing, from the Bikes Belong Coalition. US trade mag BRAIN is also supporting the event alongside the Light Electric Vehicle Association.
Local bike retailers will be welcome to the event after 2pm.
