The BikeBiz Awards are back for 2013

The categories for the sixth BikeBiz Awards have been shaken up, revamped and broadened to accommodate the increasingly diverse bicycle trade.

This year we’ve got four new prizes, making the grand total of awards a whopping 18. Those four new awards are for Coverage by Non-Specialist Media, Retail Services, Training and Cycling Advocacy Achievement.

So, without further ado, let’s go through the awards one-by-one to see where your bike business fits in:

Independent Retailer
Hardly an explanation needed here, the Independent Retailer award has been going from the year dot and honours the independent bike shops of the nation. Entrants for this category must have ten or fewer stores and must not carry out their retail business exclusively over the internet. Last year’s winner: Sigma Sport

Specialist Retailer
This retail award is open to online retailers and High Street chains in the cycle retail business. Last year’s winner: Wiggle

Workshop Services
This award is open to any retail bicycle workshop operating in the trade, whether independent, a High Street chain or a standalone workshop business, in addition to workshop service providers. Last year’s winner: TF Tuned

Star Store
This award is open to any single cycle shop, whether an independent bike retailer, from a High Street chain or mainstream outlet. Last year’s winner: Avon Valley Cyclery

Bike Distributor: Sales Team
This award is open to any high achieving distribution sales team, selling bicycles to trade outlets. Last year’s winner: CSG UK

Bike Distributor: Marketing Team
This prize is open to any distributor marketing team doing a great job of raising the profile of their bike brands.
Last year’s winner: Madison

P&A Distributor: Sales Team
You’re no doubt getting the idea with this, but any distributor sales team selling P&A to the trade can win this award. Last year’s winner: Fisher Outdoor Leisure

P&A Distributor: Marketing Team
Likewise, this award is open to any high achieving distributor marketing team, raising the profile of their P&A brands. Last year’s winner: Upgrade Bikes

Specialist Distributor
Not every distributor carries product for every single sector of the bike trade, so this prize is aimed at those that specialise in one or two areas, like BMX, or e-bikes, for example. Last year’s winner: Seventies Distribution

Specialist Print Publication
Moving on to media prizes, any consumer-facing bicycle-based magazine can win this award. Last year’s winner: Cycling Plus.

Specialist Consumer Site
Like the print publication prize, this award is open to any consumer-facing bicycle-based website carrying news/features/reviews and the like. Online-only, of course. Last year’s winner: Road.cc. 

Coverage by Non-Specialist Media – NEW!
This year we’ve split the media awards out, so this new award is solely for best cycle coverage from a general interest magazine, in a national newspaper section or broadcast outlet dedicated to cycling.

Best Use of Social Media
This award is open to any retailer, distributor, brand or cycle organisation that has made the biggest positive impact on their brand through the use of social media, like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo or any others. Last year’s winner: road.cc

Bike Brand
Perhaps needing the least explanation of the lot, this is open to any bicycle brand.
Last year’s winner: Cannondale.

P&A Brand
Similarly, this prize is available to any deserving P&A brand.
Last year’s winner: Lezyne.

Retail Services – NEW!
From EPoS providers, to cycle specialist shop fitters, retail services are usually unsung in their work but make the lives of retailers easier and more profitable. We salute them with this new prize.

Training – NEW!
Whether it is sales training, teaching bike maintenance or similar, the training providers are eligible for this new award.

Cycling Advocacy Achievement – NEW!
More bums on saddles means more bike sales. To celebrate this fact we’re looking for any scheme, initiative, event or project designed to bring new riders into cycling.

Soon, we’ll be asking the trade to lobby us on all 18 of those awards, so watch this space.

The BikeBiz Awards prize night itself will return to the Hilton Metropole at the NEC in Birmingham on Wednesday September 25th. That is the night before Cycle Show begins, so once again you’ll be able to share a beer with the rest of the trade after setting up your stand or arriving for the show’s trade day. If you’ve any questions in the meantime, email us at BikeAwards@intentmedia.co.uk or call us at 01992 535646.