MARINA DEL REY, Calif. (BRAIN) — Around 185 retailers, event organizers, suppliers and media gathered for Triathlon Business International's annual conference, held in Los Angeles this week.
At Sunday's opening keynote address TBI announced it would move the conference out of California for the first time next year. The 7th annual conference is on the calendar for Jan. 22-24, 2017, in Dallas, where presenting sponsor Active Network is headquartered.
Panelist discussions and keynote speakers, including USA Triathlon Barry Siff, Ironman CEO Andrew Messick and Strava vice president David Lorsch, tackled everything from the sustainability of the triathlon industry and the emerging interest in triathlon and running events in China to technology's impact on athletic performance.
At the final session on Tuesday, Multipsort Research's Gary Roethenbaugh presented findings from the TBI U.S. market survey conducted last year. He also shared preliminary results from the second survey. (Take the survey until January 31 here).
Breakout sessions for event directors and race organizers addressed liability and legal concerns, while Slowtwitch.com's Dan Empfield moderated a panel for retailers and suppliers focused on omnichannel retail strategy with 2XU's Richard Verney (look for more about omnichannel sales in the March 1 issue of Bicycle Retailer).
TBI also held an awards dinner Monday evening, where it presented the inaugural Steve Hed Award for Innovation. Zwift took home the Steve Hed award for its software program that turns indoor cycling into a virtual reality where riders can ride and race together.
The best events, videos, articles and photos of the year were recognized, and TBI announced the top 10 multisport retailers of 2015. The list was compiled by Slowtwitch.com publisher Dan Empfield through a voting process weighted 50 percent on supplier and 50 percent on consumer votes.
The top 10 of the list of 50 U.S. brick-and-mortar retailers are:
Speedy Reedy, Seattle, WA
Nytro Multisport, Encinitas, CA
Moment Cycle Sport, San Diego, CA
Austin Tri Cyclist, Austin, TX
Athletes Lounge, Portland, OR
Inside Out Sports, Cary, NC
Trisports.com, Tucson, AZ
Gear West Bike and Triathlon, Long Lake, MN
All3Sports, Atlanta, GA
Tribe Multisport, Scottsdale, AZ
