COSTA MESA, CA (BRAIN)—A cold, stormy winter shouldn’t hamper attendance at the National Bicycle Dealers Association’s regional seminars next year, as most venues offer favorable weather year-round.
The NBDA will host its one-day business educational conferences in four new markets: Tampa, Florida; Austin, Texas; Los Angeles, California; and Phoenix, Arizona. These are in addition to Las Vegas, where they will be offered in conjunction with Interbike, and Providence, Rhode Island, Oct. 21-22 in conjunction with Interbike’s Outdoor Demo East.
“We've had great feedback on our Super Seminars around the country and attendance has exceeded expectations,” said Fred Clements, executive director of the National Bicycle Dealers Association. “By partnering with Interbike at Outdoor Demo East, we feel we'll be able to offer high quality sessions in a convenient setting that will allow us to reach an even larger audience in a region that deserves the support.
“The other locations are a bit farther south so we can avoid winter. All of them are new. We want to see how all this pans out,” he added.
Dates have yet to be determined, but Clements said they will likely take place well into March 2009. Clements anticipates that The Bike Gallery’s Brett Fleming will once again cover service department issues. Dan Mann of The Mann Group will also return as a presenter to discuss store management techniques.
“Those two will be the anchors,” Clements said. “We’ve got a couple of other really good presenters on merchandising and displays. We will offer three sessions at Interbike by three different experts in that area. That’s always a well-attended seminar for us. It’s possible that one of those three will become our regional seminar presenter as well.”
The Super Seminars will kick off a day earlier this year, beginning the second day of Outdoor Demo in Las Vegas, Sept. 23.
—Lynette Carpiet