The speakers gave the participants tangible tips for the development of mountain bike offers and their marketing. There was also constructive criticism as to where the bike regions still have weaknesses. The focus was also on networking and the exchange of experiences among the participants.

Presentations and input from experts
Shane Wilson, trail building expert from the USA, opened the Ride Mountain Bike Congress Chur by putting his finger in the open wound: "The trails in Switzerland are too technical". The Californian attests that Swiss bike destinations have an excellent infrastructure, but there is a clear lack of "trails with flow".The advice from overseas is followed by further expertise from abroad: Maurizio Seletti, Director of the Livigno Tourism Association, talks about the experiences of locals and tourism professionals with cross-country and park bikers. Patrick Jansen from Holland explains how to attract bikers outside the Alps. And the concept developer of over 25 "Trails and Skills Parks" dispels the clichés that conservationists regularly use against bike trails. Tyrolean hotelier Martin Pirhofer shares this recipe for success: "If the hotelier is a biker himself, then I am credible and have the right perspective for the demands of biker guests."After the kick-off with input from abroad, the domestic experts have their say: Christian Steiner, publisher of GPS-Tracks.com, talks about what the ideal cross-country tour should look like. Thomas Stirnimann, who has been advising municipalities on the designation of protected areas for over 20 years, will sensitize congress participants to the need for dialogue between nature users and conservationists.Darco Cazin's "No to do" list will ensure an attentive audience. The experienced bike region developer from Allegra Tourism points out typical mistakes that have been made in the destinations over the past ten years. Cazin advocates a clear focus, as there is simply no such thing as a "trail for everyone". Cazin also says that the trail and its quality alone are not decisive, but that the tourism service chain around biking is the more important factor.

The second day of the Ride Congress is all about the legal framework for mountain biking. Lawyer Philipp Dickenmann will provide an overview of the legal situation in the event of a mountain bike accident. Oliver Rosch and Samuel Hubschmid from the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention will show what prevention looks like and how bike facilities are properly signposted and maintained. As guides play an important role in the service chain, Michael Gerber and Claude Balsiger, experienced tour leaders from Swiss Cycling, will have their say.

Needs of the participants addressed
The conference will be rounded off with panel discussions involving the audience. The votes from the plenum clearly show that the event meets a need and can also provide initial answers - but numerous questions and uncertainties continue to concern tourism service providers in the growth business of bike tourism. The organizing committee was delighted that the official part of the first day of the congress came to a successful conclusion with surprise guest Nino Schurter - the mountain bike pro par excellence - before heading off to dinner together.

Congress offers a platform for networking
During the breaks, the evening program and the concluding bike tour, the conference provided plenty of space for informal discussions between participants. The focus was on the transfer of knowledge and experience between the participants - such as at the trail builders' regulars' table.Continuing to ride the success
With over 200 participants from all parts of Switzerland, Austria, Holand, Italy, Slovenia and the USA, the organizers of the 1st Ride Congress can look back on a successful event. The congress is attractive for Chur - on the one hand, the event brings added value to the cantonal capital and, on the other, Graubünden presents itself to an international audience as a bike-friendly and competent region."In Chur, we were able to generate added value of over CHF 100,000.00 with this event," reports Leonie Liesch, Director of Chur Tourism. After the prologue, the second stage has already been decided: on 2 - 3 October 2014, the 2nd Ride Mountain Bike Congress Chur will take place, which will once again be organized by Chur Tourism together with the Swiss mountain bike magazine Ride.www.ridekongress.ch