KESWICK, Ontario (BRAIN) — The Canadian Independent Bicycle Retailers Association (CIBRA) is hosting a retail leadership and training conference Oct. 26-28 at the Pinnacle Pier Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia. The three-day event is tailored for independent bike shops.
“The Canadian retail association re-launched itself in March of this year, when the name changed from BTAC (Bicycle Trade Association of Canada) to CIBRA,” said executive director Bill Yetman. “And our mission is to provide education and training to our members with a focus on independent bicycle dealers. One thing we decided to do is this Summit. We’re pretty excited. It’s the first time for us doing this and response has been very good.”
Yetman said speakers include U.S. retailer Chris Kegel, owner of Wheel and Sprocket with seven stores in Wisconsin and Chicago; Donny Perry, author of “Leading Out Retail,” former IBD and global development manager for Specialized Bicycles' retail education program; and John Stanton, owner of The Running Room, a specialized running business in Canada.
“We have a very compelling agenda and it’s been designed by independents,” Yetman said. “Our planning committee has five retailers and they’ve put together a great agenda that finishes up with an additional session on e-bikes led by Ed Benjamin, chairman of the Light Electric Vehicle Association.”
Yetman said he expects around 125 Canadian retailers to attend the inaugural conference. Topics include inventory management, social media, staff coaching and mentorship, store metrics and performance, and the future of bicycle retail. CIBRA will also reveal the findings from its first IBD customer satisfaction survey.
The conference will also include networking breaks between panels. Event sponsors include Lambert, Live to Play Sports, Specialized and Raleigh.
Cost for retailers is $325 for CIBRA members; $425 for nonmembers.
Early bird pricing, which expires on Oct. 10, is $225 for CIBRA members and $325 for nonmembers.
For more information and the full agenda of seminars: www.cibra.bike.