DEER VALLEY, UTAH (BRAIN)—Exhibitors at this year’s PressCamp walked away from the event pleased with the exposure gained by spending three days meeting with editors from two dozen national and international publications.
“We thought it was highly successful,” said Elayna Caldwell, marketing manager for first-time exhibitor Fox Racing Shox.
Race Face was another new exhibitor at the second-year event, held last week at Deer Valley Resort outside Park City, Utah and organized by Lifeboat Events, a company headed by former Interbike director Lance Camisasca.
PressCamp was appealing due to the access to editors from Popular Science, Outside and USA Today as the company tries to increase its presence in crossover markets, said Julian Coffey, Race Face marketing director.
“That was very important. It was one of the main draws for us,” Coffey said. PressCamp was also important as the Canadian component, apparel and armor manufacturer transitions away from attending Interbike in lieu of smaller, more localized events, he added.
Coffeey used the event more for relationship building than showing new product due in part because much of Race Face’s new gear was stuck in Customs at the border.
Other companies picked PressCamp as the launch pad for 2011 product. Orbea used the camp to introduce its new carbon fiber Orca road bike to the U.S. market because the timing fell just before the start of the Tour de France where the bike will be in the pro peloton.
Exhibitors paid anywhere from $8,000 to $20,000 to attend the event depending on company size and the number of employees attending. The fee includes one-on-one time with invited editors from endemic and non-endemic magazines and a booth at the outdoor demo.
Twenty-seven companies attended PressCamp this year, up from 20 in the event’s inaugural year in 2009.
Some exhibitors, like Jason Rico, marketing manager for Alex Rims, suggested organizers assign editors appointments with exhibitors instead of letting them choose their own schedule to allow equal time for companies that may be less recognizable and have trouble pulling in as many editors.
“Obviously there are more vendors than slots. That’s a disadvantage if you’re not a Fox Shox or something editors can’t afford to walk away from,” Rico said.
Next on the schedule for Lifeboat Events is DealerCamp, a venue for small and mid-size companies to introduce new products to a select group of retailers. It’s scheduled for July 29-31 in Deer Valley.
—Nicole Formosa
nformosa@bicycleretailer.com
Photo: The demo area at PressCamp in Dear Valley, Utah
