A veritable who’s who of bicycle industry executives, managers and other influencers met in Monterey, California, last week to discuss market growth at the sixth annual Bicycle Leadership Conference, the annual gathering of the industry trade group Bicycle Product Suppliers Association (BPSA). More than 215 cycling industry leaders were registered for the two-day conference preceding the annual Sea Otter Classic, also held in Monterey, now in its 25th year.
After an opening night reception at the gorgeous seaside Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa, things literally got rolling the next morning with a group bike ride one of the things that make this business conference particularly special. “Bike rides are just the way our industry both socializes and gets our endorphins flowing, so that has to happen,” said BPSA Executive Director Ray Keener, who is serving his third year now as ED.
“The history of the BLC is convoluted,” said Keener. “This is our sixth year of partnering with Sea Otter and it's been a huge success. Having the event right before Sea Otter means it's one trip for two events for many industry leaders, and that's doubled the attendance over past dates and venues.” Attendance this year was actually down about 8 percent from 2014, partly due to a new, earlier format for the interrelated IBD Summit run by Interbike, which more than doubled in attendance this year.
“The IBD Summit completely changed character in 2015 as it changed dates and venues. Trying to graft IBD Summit on to Sea Otter and BLC didn't and really couldn't work because it's so hard for retailers to leave their stores this time of year,” explained Keener. “The January dates allowed many more retailers to attend, as did the idea of coming up with a Manifesto for Change. And when you get a big group of powerful retailers together, the suppliers are sure to follow! I think there may have actually been more suppliers there than retailers.”
But on the supply side, there’s no better annual investment than the BLC, according to many attendees. “This is the one time out of the year that everyone on the supply side can check their ‘company hat’ at the door and put on their ‘what's best for the industry’ hat,” said Keener. “Megan Tompkins, publisher of BRAIN, BPSA board member and BLC content chair [as well as SGB 40Under40 Honoree for 2015], has done a spectacular job of bringing in speakers and building panels around the theme of ‘Growing Our Market.’ And yes, the networking is the best anywhere. The top ten IBD bike companies are all here. Component, accessory, advocates, journalists, a powerhouse group from top to bottom.”
Park Tools, for example, has been part of the industry for 50 years, and president and owner Eric Hawkins, whose father founded the company, was honored with this year’s BPSA Lifetime Achievement Award.
“The BLC helps bring the industry together to formally and informally share challenges and successes while learning more about the people behind the other brands we share retailer space with,” Hawkins said. “Some come to support the industry and network with old and new friends, while others come to learn different ways to market and protect their brands. Through each of the speakers, panels and casual conversations we are able to take away a few key things that help us to question how we do things and how we can always improve the way we do business.”
Interbike Director Pat Hus is a BPSA board member and his crew was on hand to support the BLC. “The synergy here lies in our ongoing support of both retail and supply, and our desire to see the industry as a whole grow and succeed. When the industry succeeds, Interbike succeeds,” said Hus. “Our goals for the conference include having meaningful conversations with exhibitors about their plans for Interbike, networking with prospective exhibitors and building relationships with industry leaders on rides, breaks, etc.”
“A few key issues include the need to re-engage with youth and get more people on bikes, improve communications between retail and supply, and the need for retail to embrace new categories like e-bikes,” said Interbike Communications Director Justin Gottlieb, who added that the hot button issues for the bicycle industry were primarily addressed at the IBD Summit earlier this year.
Smith Optics’ Adam Greene agreed the conference is a “mix of networking and problem solving” where leaders at least come away with a “mindset of problem solving.”
To encourage this mindset, BLC organizers brought in keynote speakers and panelists from both inside and outside the bicycle industry to help educate and inspire attendees. Wednesday’s keynote speaker got everyone focused on the task at hand with a no-nonsense approach. “Best Practices are Stupid: How to Boost Innovation and Grow Your Business,” was delivered by by Stephen Shapiro, “innovation instigator” and author of the book by the same name.
Felt Bicycles General Manager Michael Forte then led a spirited discussion entitled “New Research: Leading the Way for Industry Growth,” backed by the expertise of panelists Jennifer Boldry, president, Breakaway Research Group; Charlie Cooper, VP of membership and development, PeopleforBikes; and Liz Stahura, manager, bike division, NPD Sports and Leisure Trends.
Boldry estimated that 103.7 million people ride bikes in the U.S., with 53 percent of American adults saying they would “like to ride more often.”
Another panel forced bike industry leaders to look at the success of Run Specialty and other categories that have successfully grown their followings. One of the takeaways that seemed to resonate for the rest of the event was to reduce the barriers to entry into the sport.
Said Bill Strickland of Bicycling magazine, “We have to embed fun in our industry language and culture, reduce the technical and price barriers, and enhance the retail experience.”
