QBP Frostbike last wurd
February 21st, 2007 |As hoped for, my Frostbike post yesterday generated a number of comments, but it also stirred up some resentment. So let me clarify a bit.
Frostbike is QBP’s event and they can do with it what ever they want. For the most part I have no problem with that at all.
Manufacturers are always looking for ways to make positive connections with consumers and that is why I mentioned the idea of a consumer day. A manufacturer can have the greatest product in the world but is at the mercy of the dealer to keep this product in stock at their store and make the sale when the consumer shows up. Being able to promote products directly to consumers is of value to manufacturers because they can then drive consumer demand into the dealers and increase sales.
However, as long as QBP keeps Frostbike as an ‘in house’ event, I do not think that having a consumer day is appropriate. The only way a consumer day would work is if Frostbike ever grew to the point where QBP needed to consider moving it off site. At that point it may be worth while for QBP to consider working something out with the Minneapolis Bicycle Travel and Fitness Expo. Attending Frostbike is no problem for me as I live 15 minutes from QBP. However, for vendors traveling in from other states it is a big expense considering the shipment of displays, airfare and hotels. I would think that if QBP vendors had the ability to maximize this expenditure by making contacts with both dealers and consumers they would more than likely jump at the opportunity. But this scenario is probably some years away from consideration. Consumer shows have their own inherent problems so there would have to be quite a bit of discussion and consideration before a decision like this would ever be made.
In the mean time, from some of the discussions that I have had with QBP staff, dealer guests at Frostbike continue to be a problem. Now, when I use the term guest I am not talking about legitimate employees of the store. I am referring to those individuals who are not employed in the bicycle industry yet are invited to attend Frostbike by a dealer. To some extent QBP brings this problem on themselves by even allowing dealers to invite guests to the event. QBP can go a certain distance to help solve this problem by removing the category of ‘guest’ from the Frostbike registration form.
Non-dealer attendees of Frostbike will continue to occur however. It is very important for those non-dealers, non-managers and non-buyers who attend Frostbike to keep in mind that it is not a “bike show’, it’s a dealer event. Even more so than Interbike, Frostbike is specifically a QBP dealer event. QBP pays nearly the entire expense of Frostbike including employee overtime, utility expense for running a building at almost full tilt on what would otherwise be a quite weekend, and a massive amount of food and beverages. QBP spends a lot of money to promote this event for the purpose of connecting dealers and manufacturers and improving the relationship between dealers and QBP.
Exhibitors are going to be nice and take time for anyone who happens to come by their booth during a show. But keep in mind that if you are not a dealer, and you tie an exhibitor up in conversation during a busy show, you are actively preventing the goals of the Frostbike event from being met. It’s noticed by QBP and it is not appreciated.
So, in closing, if you happen to find yourself at Frostbike next year and you are not a dealer try and think about ways to minimize your impact on the event. Keep moving around the exhibit hall, don’t tie up vendors in conversation, don’t eat or drink anything, remember that you are not supposed to be there – act like it.
If you are reading this and feel like I am addressing you specifically then I probably am. It’s not necessary to make any convoluted explanation in the comments section as to why you think you should be exempt because you are not. Just keep this in mind if you find yourself at Frostbike in 2008.
