Thursday, 28 March 2024
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London E-Bike Festival to launch at Battersea Park

Upper Street Events, backed by publishing parent Immediate Media, will launch the London E-Bike Festival in May, to be held in Battersea Park’s Evolution space.

Already on board as key partners, Bosch e-Bike Systems, Shimano Steps and Ridgeback will provide a draw for consumers looking to try out electric bikes, something which they’ll be able to do courtesy of a dual 200 metre there and back test track set within Battersea Park.

The event, taking place on May 2nd and 3rd, will begin by occupying 1,750 square metres of space, which will house around 55 exhibitors. Transport for London, among others are lending their support, indicating a further warming to the notion that more people in the capital could become cyclists.

Wandsworth Council, which oversees the district, will be further be a key partner and will send 35,000 residents notification of the event as part of its regular “what’s on” email.

Immediate Media’s director of show Andy Baxter told CI.N today: “The venue has an all-in capacity of 5,000 per day, so over the two days we hop to see between 8,000 and 10,000 pass though. The key thing with an event like this is to start at a sensible size and progress from there. We’ve booths ranging 3×3 metres all the way up to the 10×9 metre spaces taken by the likes of Raleigh. We’re over 50% sold now, so we’re going full steam ahead.”

The opportunity extends to specialist retailers too, we’re told, with manufacturer and own-brand retailer Vanmoof among those taking advantage of the chance to convert cyclists fresh off the test track. Sales will be permitted on site, as are sales reservations, Baxter confirmed.

Featured at the London E-Bike Festival will be a Drop-in Clinic where consumers will be able to ask experts for advice on bikes best suited to their needs, as well as resolve any technical needs.

Immediate Media are well placed to promote the event to a diverse audience and one that it claims tallies 26 million consumers in total and the firm has the Cycle Show’s audience, for which it became a parent company in January, to call on.

“Through e-Bikes there is an opportunity to sell bikes to non-cyclists and that’s something the industry has not really done as yet, but that Immediate and Upper Street are well placed for. Research by TfL shows the scope of the customer base that is out there but presently using other means of transport,” said Baxter, who adds that the future scope is unlikely to limit such events to London.

Not only is the publisher the parent for BikeRadar, Cycling Plus and Mountain Biking UK, but there’s good scope to draw in the various outside demographics touted as being a huge opportunity for the trade. Among the publisher’s non cycling titles you’ll find Radio Times, BBC Top Gear, Lonely Planet and many more. A direct push to consumers is expected to begin early in December.

Despite noting their growing popularity, Baxter confirmed that the event would remain free from electric scooters, at least “up until they’re legal as you see in Germany and beyond.”

Though imports of electric bikes have been hit by anti-dumping measures on Chinese products, the trend has been steadily upwards. Most recent import data did however illustrate the dire effects of both anti-dumping measures and Brexit combined.