WILMINGTON, MA (BRAIN)—Last weekend’s Pedro’s Fest brought some of the industry’s biggest names with Shimano, Giant and Trek all in attendance.
“From a manufacturer’s perspective, I think the numbers were up,” said Jason Elhardt, marketing and communications manager for Pedro’s.
Although event organizers haven’t given Elhardt consumer attendance numbers, the general consensus was that attendance was down, he said. This estimated drop off had nothing to do with weather, however.
“This was the first time in recent memory that we stayed dry all weekend,” Elhardt said.
Pedro’s Fest new location—the Apple Tree Hill Organic Farm in the Berkshires—was the perfect location to help reinforce Pedro’s commitment to sustainable practices, according to Elhardt. “Because of our location, we were able to provide a dinner for dealers with food that came from no further than 50 miles away,” Elhardt added.
The 2007 event was also dubbed “year of the dealer” with Pedro’s and Interbike partnering to offer a weekend of VIP treatment for bicycle retailers. “Without the guys and gals on the shop floor, the industry doesn't have legs to stand on,” said Lance Camisasca, Interbike's show director. —Jason Norman
