BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
BikeBiz spoke with marketing manager Ian Chandler…
There’s been plenty of changes between the last show and the forthcoming one, not least the change in date…what led to that decision and how will it benefit exhibitors and attendees?
While the January Show was well received, it proved problematic for a number of exhibitors as it was too soon after the Christmas break which made it difficult for them to be at the show. February is a time when a lot of consumers are making choices about their bicycle purchases for the coming year and Christmas debt has been cleared, so there’s even more chance for exhibitors to turn browsers into customers.
And what impact will the Telegraph Media takeover have?
The 2014 London Bike Show is going to eclipse last year’s event, and this is in part due to the extensive support the show will receive from our new owners, The Telegraph.
We have access to a huge media resource which will benefit everyone including exhibitors, sponsors, partners and show visitors. A case in point is the competition we ran in conjunction with Le Coq Sportif during the Tour de France.
Even though the show is still a good few months away, The Telegraph has already begun to support us in promoting the event to potential visitors.
Throughout the three weeks of the Tour de France, The Telegraph ran a competition to help promote the show – with the winner receiving a full set of limited edition Le Coq Sportif Tour jerseys. 14 print ads were published in the Sport section and we ran a series of online ads (with over 800,000 impressions), including a site takeover of the cycling pages on Telegraph.co.uk.
In previous years we could have only dreamed of having such fantastic coverage in a national newspaper, especially six months out from the show. Imagine how much exposure the London Bike Show is going to get in the run up to the event…
And then there’s the London Triathlon Plus event – are you seeing that as something that will bring extra attendees and triathletes to the show or as an added extra for those that are already going to the London Bike Show?
Having the Triathlon Plus Show and The Telegraph Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show running alongside The London Bike Show means that we can cater to anyone that has an interest in cycling and the outdoors – from the dedicated commuter, to the off-road weekend warrior right up to those serious athletes wanting to compete in triathlons and road racing.
The marketing campaign for the Triathlon Plus Show will target everyone from experienced triathletes through to complete beginners so we expect it to deliver a large audience who wouldn’t have otherwise attended. We’re delighted to be building on our already successful relationship with Future Publishing and welcome Triathlon Plus as the headline partner for the show. Other partners include IMG Challenger World (organisers of the London Triathlon and the Blenheim Palace Triathlon) and Limelight (organisers of the Royal Parks Half Marathon and the London Duathlon) – all of which will be promoting the show extensively.
Exhibitors can expect a big rise in visitor numbers attending the show in February.
Do you anticipate much cross over appeal between those attending the MCN Show?
We know there’s definitely potential for a large cross-over between the shows. A large percentage of people have switched from riding motorbikes to push bikes in the past ten years, and this pattern looks set to continue. We’re going to be working closely with the organisers of the MCN event and if there are people in their show interested in cycling, triathlon or the outdoors we’ll make sure they come and visit.
Another benefit of working with the MCN show is that it’s owned by Bauer Media, one of the largest media owners in the UK. This creates scope for a broader media partnership across their magazines (Trail, Country Walking, Outdoor Fitness) and radio stations.
The London International Dive Show also takes place at ExCeL on the Saturday and Sunday so we’ll be promoting our events to their visitors too.
Are there any more surprises up LBS’ sleeve?
We’re working on some exciting plans for 2014 which we’ll divulge in due course. The great thing about organising a consumer event is that we can reinvent it each year to keep it fresh for exhibitors and visitors. As ever we will be offering visitors a market leading experience and we strive to keep improving the event.
The Show is one of, if not the largest, consumer cycling exhibition in Europe. With Le Tour coming to the UK in 2014, and London’s cycling boom only just taking off, we look forward to cementing The London Bike Show as Europe’s leading consumer cycling exhibition.
Any final message for the trade?
When the shops are quiet over a wet weekend in February, we’ll have tens of thousands of potential customers at ExCeL.
With our new backing, the show is an opportunity not to be missed within the cycling calendar – and a superb opportunity to position your brand or product in front of a perfect audience.
If you’re interested in exhibiting or sponsorship please contact either Frazer Clifford on 07889 362775 or Matt Letch on 07951 601109.
