Infotech - this event is high on the agenda of the Swiss bike industry. This is when around 800 industry representatives from specialist retailers, manufacturers and distributors come together for a get-together. Participants can take away valuable knowledge and skills for their work at technical and business management seminars.

Ride will also be offering a seminar at Infotech 2018: Sacha Steiner from the Ride team will provide insights into the Ride reader survey and answer burning questions about where Ride readers buy their bikes, how much they spend on them, how relevant E-MTBs are or where they get their info on the sport.

Infotech will take place for the first time in Nottwil on January 4 and 5, 2018, after numerous events at the Army Training Center in Lucerne. The event will take place at the Hotel Sempachersee and the Guido A. Zäch Institute.

The future of bike sales?

One of the highlights of Infotech is the panel discussion - known in jargon as the "Arena". It will be chaired by bike journalist and bike store employee Marius Graber and the topic will be: "The world in seven years - buying bikes in 2025: Where? How? What? Who?". Graber will be asking questions about what the bike business could look like in seven years' time, whether people will only be buying in large-scale stores, from specialized providers or online by then.

The question of how traditional bike dealers will be able to hold their own in the face of changing retail structures will also be discussed. So far, Brigitte Gasser, researcher/lecturer in the field of communication and marketing, Reto Meyer, CEO of Tour de Suisse Rad AG and Marco Puma, owner of Veloservice Puma Aarau/Suhr, have been announced as speakers for the panel discussion. A further representative of the cycling industry will complete the panel - and, as before, numerous votes from the audience should ensure a lively discussion.

www.velosuisse-event.ch