CHICAGO (BRAIN) — Organizers of the CABDA Expo announced on Friday that their 2021 expo series will be hosted as "hybrid events," with show activities taking place both in-person and virtually on the show's new online platform, CABDA Connect. Each of the three CABDA Expos will feature two days of physical exhibits, seminars, keynotes, and meetings, followed a few days later by a day of virtual activities.
"At the end of the day, our job is connecting buyers and sellers. And the hybrid solution gives us the opportunity to connect people in-person and digitally," show director Jim Kersten said. "It expands the reach of our educational sessions and allows for networking beyond the walls and dates of our events."
CABDA Connect will include virtual exhibitor booths, meeting scheduling, video libraries, tech clinics, and sales demos. CABDA Connect will also host multiple, interactive webinars over the summer. Access to the platform will be available free of charge to all registered attendees.
Kersten said CABDA organizers have been keeping a close eye on other industries' events, to evaluate how additional safety measures can be deployed to protect participants. Temperature checks, dedicated entrances and exits, contactless registration, increased sanitization intervals, and prepackaged foodservice are some of the measures being put into place.
"We've seen some great things come out of events like the Surf Expo that took place in January. People are eager to get back to normal, and it's up to event organizers to make sure they are done safely," Kersten said. "Luckily for us, all of our attendees are pros at safety measures by now ... They've been dealing with similar stuff in their shops for over a year!"
Retailer registration will open April 19. Early registration is free for all bike shops, mobile operators, fitters, and their staff.
For more information visit cabda.com
2021 CABDA Expo Dates
CABDA Midwest (Chicago Metro Area) September 15-16, 2021
CABDA West (Los Angeles Metro Area) October 12-13, 2021
CABDA East (New York City Metro Area) December 8-9, 2021
