MADE handmade bike show announces dates and venue for inaugural show
The show could fill a void left by the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, now postponed for three years running.
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MADE, a new handmade bicycle showcase being organized by PR outfit ECHOS Communications, will take place August 24 to 27, 2023, at the Rose Quarter in Portland, Oregon.
Announced earlier in 2022, the show says buzz is high already, with more than 170 brands expressing interest in participating.
The show looks set to fill a void left by the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), which although not officially done as an event, hasn’t happened now for three years. NAHBS no longer has a website, and cancelled the 2023 edition “due to the unexpectedly low number of commitments to attend from exhibitors,” it said on Facebook in July of this year.
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The format
MADE has differentiated itself from NAHBS by taking place outdoors and incorporating a demo portion into the event. NAHBS took place in indoor convention centers without demo programs.
The show is also formatted differently, with the first two days only for industry and media, allowing builders to connect with others in the bicycle industry and handmade bicycle community. The final two days, Saturday and Sunday, will be open to the public “so anyone can experience, ride and meet the builders and brands who collectively make up the handmade cycling community,” ECHOS said.
“MADE is the next evolution of handmade consumer and trade events, creating an inclusive, exciting, and supportive format, based on the mission to truly celebrate the builders and makers who are dedicated to their craft,” said Billy Sinkford, vice president of ECHOS Communications.
MADE says it wants to support the handmade cycling industry so it is offering new builders discounted or even free booth space for the show. Event sponsor Bike Flights, a bicycle shipping business, is also offering discounted shipping rates for exhibitors.
The plan is to keep the show permanently in Portland, Oregon, unlike NAHBS which travels around the country to a new city every year, including Portland in the past.
“The Rose Quarter is a perfect location, central and easily accessible by all major transit lines, and nestled in between the Veterans Coliseum and MODA Center,” said Sinkford of the location choice. “We could not be more excited about the show location as we can bring the best of an indoor trade show experience to the outdoors in the heart of the city.”
More info
Exhibitor registration opens in January 2023.
Prospective exhibitors, fans, and more can learn more at made.bike.