CHICAGO (BRAIN) — Organizers of the CABDA Expo will unveil their newest event next week: CABDA Online. Taking the place of their usual, in-person first quarter events, the virtual B2B event hopes to offer some degree of normalcy for its attendees, show director Jim Kersten said.
"It's a whole new world for us really," Kersten said. "We had to pivot from freight handling and floorplans, to coding, social media, and video production. But if we cannot bring everyone together in person, this is the next best thing."
Registration opened in December, and the event now has more than 2,000 registered attendees from 920 shops in the U.S. and Canada. Kersten expects retailer registration numbers to climb as the event approaches.
"We located our in-person shows in regions with a high concentration of bike shops to make it easier for folks to attend, but with this event being virtual we're seeing a ton of registrations from areas where we usually don't see a ton of turnout," Kersten said.
The virtual event features over 40 breakout sessions including: Sales and tech training, an industry panel discussion led by NBDA's president, Heather Mason, and a keynote presentation from sales trainer Joe Marcoux titled "Prepare Now for a Post-Covid Winter." All sessions will be available to attendees on-demand after they air live.
Attendees can also visit 50 virtual exhibit booths and schedule meetings with sales reps, as well as attend industry Q&As, live tech clinics from SRAM, and a virtual job fair.
"The platform is as interactive as you want it to be," Kersten said. "Some people are super comfortable turning on their webcam and chatting with everyone they can. Other people want to keep the camera off and just look around and check out the exhibitors and seminars. We have options for both groups."
CABDA Online will be live Feb. 10 & 11. Attendees will have access to all sessions and exhibitor booths for 30 days after the event. An interactive schedule of breakout sessions is posted on the event website.
Free registration for retailers runs through Thursday.
