BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — PeopleForBikes, which owns and operates the Bicycle Leadership Conference, announced Wednesday that it will hold the BLC as a virtual event this fall, and announced plans for an in-person BLC next April 12-14 in Santa Cruz, California.
Meanwhile, organizers of the Sea Otter Classic, which has hosted the BLC in Monterey for many years, announced a rival management conference for next April.
The Global Outdoor Summit will be April 13-15, the traditional time slot for the BLC, just prior to the consumer festival. The summit will be at Monterey's Plaza Hotel, which has been BLC's venue for many years.
Virtual BLC
PeopleForBikes' Virtual BLC will be Sept. 29 - Oct. 1. The organization said the virtual event will include keynotes, webinars, presentations and conversation each morning. Two keynote speakers originally planned for the real-life conference will appear at the Virtual BLC: Birkenstock's CEO David Kahan and StoryBrand's Kristin Spiotto.
PeopleForBikes said the agenda will cover topics including 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. Registration and agenda will be available mid-summer.
April 2021 events
The April BLC will be at the Chaminade Resort and Spa in Santa Cruz. "PeopleForBikes and our industry leaders will deliver another outstanding conference agenda," the organization said.
In announcing the new BLC plans, PeopleForBikes noted that the Sea Otter Classic owns each individual registration to the now-canceled in-person BLC and that those registrations are not transferable to the 2020 Virtual BLC or the in-person 2021 BLC. PeopleForBikes pointed BLC registrants to the Sea Otter Classic if they want a refund.
The Sea Otter emailed 2020 BLC registrants on Wednesday to let them know about the Global Outdoor Summit.
"The Global Outdoor Summit will focus on strategic issues faced by the industry's leadership," the email said. "We will bring together speakers from around the world to build a compelling and dynamic agenda that will address such issues as global economic development, recreational trends in a chaotic world, and decision-making under uncertainty. Extensive networking opportunities will continue to be a hallmark of this gathering."
The email said Summit organizers would be happy to apply BLC registrations to the 2021 Global Outdoor Summit or issue a refund.
