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For the past two years, we’ve partnered with the good folks behind the National Bicycle Tourism Conference, to help them broaden their mission and their conference sessions to be more inclusive of the issues facing destinations. This year, we’ve been able to help behind-the-scenes, organizing a few of the sessions, which we think will be full of great information and inspiration.

Bike Tourism 101 Roundtable
For the first time this year, we’ve created a Bike Tourism 101 Roundtable, to follow the highly-popular format of the Events 101 Roundtable – only focused on the nuts and bolts of the tourism side of cycling. We’ve compiled a wide variety of experts, who’ll discuss issues related to bike-friendly business programs, safety, marketing, tracking success – as well as the often-overlooked niches of mountain bike tourism and urban bike tourism.

We first envisioned this session almost two years ago, when a conversation at the 2013 Bicycle Tourism Conference led us to wonder how to bottle the basics for destinations who are beginning to dip their toes into bike tourism. So, we were really thrilled to be asked to organize this session this year, and we’re excited to see what conversations are sparked as a result.

Bicycle Traveler Experience Interactive Session
To be honest, I can almost not contain how excited I am for this session. If you’re a destination representative or a tourism-focused business owner, and you’re trying to figure out how to be more successful at reaching out to cyclists – this is your session!

So many times, as bicycle travelers, we show up at our destination and have to jump through silly logistical hurdles. Maybe it’s asking permission to bring your bike into your hotel room. Maybe it’s figuring out where to park your bike while you stop for lunch in town, without a lock. Maybe it’s shipping your bike ahead, or landing at the airport and having to put your bike back together in an ill-equipped baggage area, or figuring out how to get from your lodging to the trail without having to drive.

We’ve crafted this session to help folks who are in the tourism world start to think through these details that bicycle travelers routinely have to navigate. Our goal is to lead an open discussion of these hurdles and how to make it easier for bike travelers, all while doing a bit of role-playing in the sunshine in San Diego. You know you want to be there.

Connect With Us!
We love this conference because it’s always a fun and enlightening few days – and because it’s a great opportunity to connect face-to-face with folks who we work alongside in the virtual world. We love meeting colleagues and readers, so give us a shout if you plan on attending, or just find us amongst the crowd.

When: November 4-7, 2015
Where: San Diego, CA
More info: www.bicycletournetwork.org