This online adaptation of our traditional bicycle industry executive conference will include an interactive networking experience and two exciting keynote speakers – Birkenstock CEO David Kahan and StoryBrand’s Kristin Spiotto. The agenda will also feature talks on diversity, equity and inclusion in the bike industry, e-bike market adoption, sales and ridership data, and continuing the momentum of the current boom in bicycling. 

DAY ONE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH

KEEPING THE BIKE BOOM GOING: INSPIRATION + E-BIKES

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The Virtual BLC, the online adaptation of our traditional bicycle industry executive conference will include an interactive networking experience; exciting keynote speakers; and talks on diversity, equity and inclusion in the bike industry, e-bike market adoption, sales and ridership data, and continuing the momentum of the current boom in bicycling. 

DAY ONE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH

KEEPING THE BIKE BOOM GOING: INSPIRATION + E-BIKES

Optional Networking

8:30–9 a.m. PT

Welcome by Jenn Dice, President and Chief Executive Officer, PeopleForBikes

9–9:05 a.m. PT

Keynote: The times, they are a changing

David Kahan, Chief Executive Officer, Birkenstock Americas 

This opening keynote will explore how a 246-year old brand remains relevant in 2020 and beyond, how to create a company culture built on happiness and satisfaction and how to build a returning customer base.

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In this presentation, you’ll learn: 

• How does a 246 year old brand remain relevant in 2020 and beyond?

• How Birkenstock thinks about their consumers. Here’s a hint - we never use the word consumer. 

• How Birkenstock has created a culture built on happiness and satisfaction.

9:05–10 a.m. PT

Break/Networking

10–10:10 a.m. PT

Greeting by Chris Speyer, Vice President Product Merchandising, REI Co-op

10–10:15 a.m. PT

Panel Discussion: Keeping the bike boom going with e-bikes ​

• Beth Bond, Head of City Development, Bosch eBike Systems

• Doogie Roux, Micromobility Strategist

• Ian Smith, Director of Customer Experience and Central Operations, Bicycle Transit Systems

• Claudia Wasko, Vice President and General Manager, Bosch eBike Systems

Cities throughout the world are in the midst of an urban mobility revolution brought on by the confluence of a global pandemic, environmental concerns, widespread gridlock, and new technologies. Leaders in many of these cities are looking to the electric bicycle as a powerful tool for positive change. This panel will provide a variety of perspectives on the role the e-bike will play in transforming our cities and urban mobility over the next decade. In this session, you’ll: 

1. Understand how the future of e-bikes relies on recruiting new riders, not existing riders, and how e-bikes can overcome many of the barriers of bike riding. 

2. Understand how to develop partnerships between public and private entities to encourage the growth of e-bikes. 

3. Understand how e-bikes can play a role in addressing issues of accessibility and freedom of mobility, access to transit options and community development. 

10:15–11:30 a.m. PT

DAY TWO: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH

MOBILITY JUSTICE + ANTI-RACISM presented by SRAM

Optional Networking

8:30–9 a.m. PT

Welcome from Jenn Dice, President and Chief Executive Officer, PeopleForBikes

9–9:05 a.m. PT

Welcome by SRAM

9:05–9:10 a.m. PT

Day Two will impart a baseline level of knowledge about racial history in the US, racism and power dynamics in corporate culture, and the role of bikes in mobility justice. This session will set the stage for folks to begin the work back in their individual companies of creating a more equitable industry for Black People, Indigenous People, and People of Color (BIPOC), enacting change in their workplaces and lives, discussing difficult topics head-on. Attendees will leave with a seed of understanding of the depth of racism, regardless of their race, gender, age, or politics.

Keynote: Race in the US

Ayesha McGowan, A Quick Brown Fox, Liv Racing Athlete

Sam Scipio, Road, Gravel and Mountain Bike Rider and Racer, Liv Racing Athlete

This presentation will take a look at the history of white supremacy in society and how it laid the groundwork for the racism and inequities we continue to face today. Key themes and movements will be explored along with relevant language to use and not use. Attendees will leave with a seed of understanding of the depth of racism, regardless of their race, gender, age, or politics. In this session, you'll:

• Explore why we need to talk about race, how to get started and relevant language to use and not use. 

• Understand how and why to create access for BIPOC while avoiding white saviorism.

• Identify how to support workplace learning and change, and recruit and retain BIPOC.

9:10–9:45 a.m. PT

Presentation: The Role of Bikes in Mobility Justice

Tamika Butler, Principal + Founder of Tamika L. Butler Consulting

Through personal stories and recent data, social and racial justice advocate Tamika L. Butler will discuss some of the pervasive fears in the Black community. As the transportation industry faces hard truths about its contributions to systemic oppression, Tamika will provide concrete tips on taking action towards being anti-racist and call for change on the personal and institutional level.

9:45–10:15 a.m. PT

Break/Networking

10:15–10:30 a.m. PT

Presentation: Survival of the Cultural Fittest - The Adverse Impacts of White Supremacy on Corporate Culture

Emem Adjah, Monetization Strategy Manager, Spotify

Corporate Darwinism is real and corporate culture is yet another mirror of the good, bad, and ugly of social constructs and bylaws of today’s world. Pay inequalities, performance plan push outs, mental health struggles, lower ceilings, and rampant attrition leave BIPOC communities paid less, more stressed, and with less career success than their white counterparts. This presentation will address: Who gets to set the culture? (hint: it tends to reflect the race and ethnicity of the C-Suite within not only the company but the industry), how white supremacy shows up in the workplace and the byproducts of this on marginalized communities, and recommendations on addressing this head-on with proven data-driven approaches.

10:30–11 a.m. PT

Discussion:

• Ayesha McGowan, A Quick Brown Fox, Liv Racing Athlete

• Sam Scipio, Road, Gravel and Mountain Bike Rider and Racer, Liv Racing Athlete

• Emem Adjah, Monetization Strategy Manager, Spotify

• Tamika Butler, Principal + Founder of Tamika L. Butler Consulting

11–11:30 a.m. PT

DAY THREE: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1ST

TOOLS FOR RECOVERY: MARKETING + DATA INSIGHTS

Optional Networking

8:30-9 a.m. PT

Welcome from Jenn Dice, President and Chief Executive Officer, PeopleForBikes

9–9:05 a.m. PT

Keynote: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen: How the Power of Story Can Grow Your Business

Kristin Spiotto, Storybrand Facilitator 

Most leaders, marketers, salespeople and managers struggle to explain what they do. It's not because they aren't smart, hard-working or likable, it's because they aren't communicating clearly. StoryBrand helps companies understand what customers are looking for so they can tell their story in such a way people listen. The human brain is drawn to clarity and away from confusion. If customers are confused about what you offer, they'll look past you for somebody who can say it clearly. Once you clarify your message, your company will begin to grow. In this session, you'll:

• Discover the power of simplicity and clarity in marketing

• Learn the 7 part Storybrand Framework that will help your brand tell a clear and compelling story

• Craft a “one-liner” for your brand that will help everyone on your company get on the same page in how they talk about the brand.

9:05–10 a.m. PT

Break/Networking

10–10:15 a.m. PT

Panel Discussion: Using Data Sources to Navigate an Uncertain Future

• Ryan Atkinson. President and Co-owner, SmartEtailing

• Bernie Doering, Senior Vice President Global Sales and Marketing, Stages Cycling

• Alison Donlan, Commercial Director Americas, Allegion/Kryptonite

• Patrick Hogan, Bicycle Industry Research Manager, PeopleForBikes

• Chris Speyer, Vice President of Product Merchandising, REI Co-op

Although the pandemic has largely been a boom for the bike industry, rapid change in bicycling and consumer behavior makes it difficult to predict what will happen next and adapt business strategies accordingly. This panel of industry leaders will offer a practical look at the tools currently available through your PeopleForBikes membership for evaluating industry performance and will share how they use retail sales, ridership, and consumer insights to anticipate the trends likely to influence the bike business moving forward. In this session, you'll:

• Get to know the Research & Statistics Subcommittee and the newly hired Bicycle Industry Research Manager. 

• Gain an in-depth understanding of the existing data resources made available through a PeopleForBikes membership.

• Learn tactics for using data resources to navigate a rapidly changing market landscape.

10:15-11:20 a.m. PT

Closing thoughts and thank you by Morgan Lommele, Director of State + Local Policy, PeopleForBikes

11:20–11:30 a.m. PT

ABOUT PEOPLEFORBIKES 

PeopleForBikes is making biking better for everyone by uniting millions of individuals, thousands of businesses and hundreds of communities nationwide. We see hope and opportunity for the future of America with the help of bikes, and we work at every level of government to support bike riding and the bike industry. From local ballot measures to federal bike infrastructure funding, to working with cities across the U.S. on improving mobility and racial justice, we use our wide-spread influence to show that bikes can help move our nation forward. But it takes more than one organization to truly create lasting change — by working together, we can prove that when people ride bikes, great things happen.

The PeopleForBikes Coalition is a data and technology-driven modern trade association made up of more than 250 bike industry brands and suppliers. Our new Business Intelligence Hub provides important insights into participation numbers, retail sales and consumer trends and our COVID-19 Resource Center is full of helpful assets and materials to help bike businesses navigate the COVID business landscape. 

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To help power a better bike industry, improve business and industry resources and access exclusive member benefits.

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JENN DICE, PRESIDENT + CEO, PEOPLEFORBIKES

Jenn Dice has been a leader for bikes, the outdoor industry, women’s initiatives and public lands and conservation efforts for nearly two decades. Growing up cycling in South Dakota and falling in love with mountain biking upon moving to Colorado, Jenn’s love of bicycling is the rocket fuel that powers her work in making biking better for everyone. An avid endurance mountain biker, Jenn has completed the Leadville Trail 100 14 times and was the first woman to hike up and mountain bike down Mount Kilimanjaro. 

Previous to her time at PeopleForBikes, Jenn worked at the International Mountain Bicycling Association for more than a decade where she created the organization’s government affairs program. During that time she was included on Outside Magazine’s “Power List” of the top 25 people that influence the world outside and was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. 

Jenn joined PeopleForBikes in 2013 and created the PeopleForBikes Business Network — a federal, state and local policy program to increase funding and access for bikes nationwide. She led our executive fly-ins to Washington, D.C., designed the Congressional Bike Fest and created our industry DRAFT meetups, a series of events giving bike entrepreneurs and enthusiasts a place to gather and talk about the power of bikes and the bike business.

In 2015, Dice partnered with the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association (BPSA) to proactively advocate for bike business policy in all 50 states. More recently, Jenn spearheaded the merger of the BPSA and PeopleForBikes to bring leaders and the industry together to grow bicycling and the bike business. 

Having assumed her new role as president and CEO of PeopleForBikes in July of 2020, Jenn is ready to lead the bike industry. Working to position bikes both federally and locally as an essential and prominent part of COVID recovery and addressing racial injustice and creating a positive change both within the bike industry and at large, Jenn is energized by the work ahead.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT JENN'S VISION + MISSION

FOR  THE BIKE INDUSTRY.

VIEW THE COVID-19 RESOURCE CENTER

CLICK HERE

DOWNLOAD TECH GUIDE

PeopleForBikes is excited to use the Remo platform to host the Virtual BLC. Remo is a virtual conferencing tool that will enable BLC attendees to network and move about interactive "rooms" as if they were attending the BLC in person.

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Remo uses video, audio and live chat to allow people within the space to interact from anywhere around the world. Each user has their own avatar, which they can move from room to room just by clicking on a space. As soon as you enter a room, you will be able to see, hear and interact with whoever is already in that space in real-time.

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PeopleForBikes is excited to announce that the 2021 BLC dates and location are official. Please join us on April 12 - 14, 2021 at the Chaminade Resort and Spa in Santa Cruz, California. The previous Tuesday - Thursday format of the BLC in past years has been shifted to Monday - Wednesday, allowing participants ample time to attend the Sea Otter Classic in nearby Monterey.