On November 11-13th, Scotland will play host to an international mountain biking conference where many of the world’s key players within the mountain biking sector will come together to share expertise, exchange ideas and learn from one another.

Scottish Mountain biking

One of the most hotly anticipated parts of the three-day programme is a presentation and Q&A session with Darren Kinnaird general manager of Crankworx, the world’s largest bike festival which is based at Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada. Crankworx is a 10-day multi-disciplinary mountain bike festival which attracts over 140,000 visitors each year and brings an estimated $40m plus into the local economy.

Darren will be talking about the development and key successes from the Crankworx festival including the key partnerships involved in promoting a complete destination, how they have promoted Whistler as a complete brand and how they have successfully engaged the community in developing the Crankworx/Whistler brand.

Darren has a novel take on the value of biking events to an area:

Darren Kinnaird
Darren Kinnaird

“Festivals and Events are a great way to tell a story of the experiences and products a destination has to offer. Crankworx has provided us the opportunity to share with the World all that Whistler has to offer as a mountain biking destination, turning a previously quieter period of the calendar into one of the busiest of the entire year.”

Darren will also be talking about the future of mountain biking globally and his experiences of mountain biking in Scotland.

Graeme McLean, conference organizer from Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland, says:

“Whilst Darren and the Crankworx team have set the bar high with their world-famous bike festival, there are lessons to be learnt for anyone who is involved in biking events of any scale or for anyone who wants to grow their mountain biking business in Scotland. Darren also knows the Scottish mountain biking scene, so we are also keen to hear his thoughts on how we compare globally.”

High on the moor, you could see Peebles and the finish on the Horizon.
A local trail riding into Peebles during the Scottish Open.

The three-day event, to be held at Peebles Hydro in the Tweed Valley, will have a ‘Participation & Sport’ focus on the first day and a ‘Tourism & Economic Development’ focus on the second day. The final day will feature a selection of field visits showcasing good practice from across Scotland.

Delegates can attend the conference on selected days or for the whole three-day event. Booking closes on Friday 7th November. For more information, or to book your place, visit www.dmbins.com/conference.


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