CHICAGO (BRAIN) — The Chicagoland Area Bicycle Dealers’ Association (CABDA) on Friday announced a wave of new companies that will exhibit at the association’s trade show in February.
James Kersten, who owns Edgebrook Cycle in Chicago and serves as CABDA’s president and show director, said Cannondale, Quality Bicycle Products and Speedplay will exhibit at the show. They join returning exhibitors SRAM, Shimano, Haro, Thule, Colnago, Hawley and J&B, all of which have significantly increased their presence for the 2016 event. There will now be more than 90 brands represented at the expo, CABDA said in a release.
The show has also attracted attention from smaller brands and distributors looking to take advantage of the expo’s preseason timing, according to CABDA. “ ‘End of the world’ dating terms are not needed in February, and dealers can better forecast what they need. Most importantly, it's at a time of year when they can attend,” Kersten said.
“We’re excited about all of our exhibitors. We’re very happy that shops can see some of their favorite brands next to others that they might not have known about,” he added.
Dealer attendance is on track to double as well. “Registrations are up almost 90 percent from this time last year. We’re doing more advertising and really trying to focus on dealers that might not have heard about the event,” Kersten said.
The CABDA Expo is a trade-only event that runs February 3-4 at the Pheasant Run Resort and Convention Center outside Chicago. Registration is free to dealers until Jan. 15, and is always free to CABDA members. Dealers are encouraged to bring staff to attend clinic and seminars.
Exhibitor and dealer registration information can be found at cabdaexpo.com.
