The industry forum "Arena" during the specialist dealer training event Infotech already sent out important signals: For example, the appearance of the bicycle industry was insightfully compared with the professionalism of the automotive industry, the low hourly rates and workshop tariffs were relevant points of discussion and there were discourses on why the bicycle industry has difficulties recruiting apprentices.

Could cause red heads: discussion about E-MTBs
Now the organizer, the industry association Velosuisse, has added a new, hot topic to the programme: The topic of discussion will be the e-mountain bike, which has what it takes to be the next big thing in the bike trade, providing fun on the trails for many bikers and also taking the untrained up into the mountains.

High-caliber panel
With panelists René Albisser (Managing Director Bike Shop Trail Rider), Katharina Conradin (Managing Director Mountain Wilderness), Thomas Giger (Publisher Ride Magazine/Head of Swiss Sports Publishing), Bruno Hirschi (Developer/Coordinator Switzerland Mobile) and Simon Lehmann (Managing Director Flyer/Biketec), interesting discussions and strong opinions should be guaranteed. The discussion will be chaired by Marius Graber. He brings a wealth of expertise from his numerous presentations at Infotech, his work as a cycling journalist for "Velojournal" and "Cycleinfo" and his work at the bike store "Velociped".

Conflicts, bad press and the role of specialist retailers
According to the program, the participants want to discuss whether the industry is not cutting itself in two when motorized mountain bikes "flood the hiking trails" and whether conflicts with hikers and nature conservationists are not inevitable. Could bad press, image damage, restrictions and bans soon follow? The participants in the panel discussion also want to talk about what responsibility the bike industry has towards nature, specifically the Alps, whether the industry can steer the e-MTB trend and what role the specialist bike trade has in this.

What is Infotech?
Swiss bike retailers go back to school every January: workshops, seminars and lectures form the core of the Infotech training platform. Specialists from the bike trade get the latest knowledge about technology and business management. The event is also popular as an industry get-together, where socializing and exchanging experiences among professional colleagues are celebrated. The panel discussion has always been a highlight in recent years - and this is likely to be the case again at the 14th Infotech with the controversial topic of e-mountain bikes.www.velosuisse-event.ch