The Art of Marketing to Public Safety
Cyclists on Exhibit
The 14th Annual IPMBA Conference once again attracted participants from around
the U.S., and the world. These folks all gathered in San Antonio to acquire
knowledge and skills to make them better bike officers, medics, and security
personnel. Joining them were over 20 fine companies dedicated to providing
products and services to public safety cyclists. Some companies were there
to take orders; others were introducing new products; and yet others were
conducting a bit of market research. Despite the different reasons each of
us had for being there, we all shared a common goal: to continue to enhance
and expand public safety cycling as a respected profession.
The vendors who attended the Expo - and a few who were not able to join us
- donated over 100 prizes, all of which were awarded to the officers and
medics via drawings held in the Exhibit Hall. These prizes included locks,
gear bags, fleece jackets, helmets, rack packs, cleaning kits, parts washers,
saddles, uniforms, headsets, GPS units, light & siren sets, bike tools,
training seminars, panniers, shoes, gloves, and even a bike frame.
Many thanks to all those who contributed prizes. Prize winners - I hope you
are reading this and will take a moment to send a personal "thank you" to
the person who donated your prize.
We were pleased to welcome a few new exhibitors to the floor - Blue Racer
Headsets, BikeWorld, MarwiUSA/NightPro, Matrx Medical,
Public Safety Logos, and Welch Allyn. Blue Racer has
emerged onto the scene with a new headset designed in consultation with the
Topeka Police Bike Team, while Marwi is rolling out a set of lights
made specially for public safety cycling. Both Matrx Medical and
Welch Allyn feature lightweight AEDs sized perfectly for bike panniers
and rack bags. Public Safety Logos, owned and operated by a retired
Texas peace officer, specializes in custom-designed badges, patches, and
jewelry. And BikeWorld, which has long served the San Antonio Bike
Patrol, has opened its doors to the rest of country - and has already joined
IPMBA's elite group of Corporate Members.
The conference tee-shirt was emblazoned with the logos of BikeWorld,
Bratwear, Chiba Sports, Coppedalers, Ergo the Seat,
Golden West Communications, Olympic Uniforms, Southwest Training Associates,
Texas Institute for Public Problem Solving, Tri-State Regional Community
Policing Institute and several local sponsors, including ClearChannel, Home
Depot, Red McCombs Toyota, Rio San Antonio, Sam's Embroidery, San Antonio
City Employees Federal Credit Union, and Yellow Checker Cab.
Speaking of shirts, both Bratwear and Mocean did much for the
appearance of the conference. Bratwear once again provided bright
red shirts for the Command Staff, while Mocean outdid itself by outfitting
the conference instructors in high-performance, two-toned shirts, complete
with reflective piping. They also awarded a $1000 scholarship to Officer
Stephen Curry of the Sykesville (MD) Police Department, which made it possible
for him to attend the IPMBA Instructor Course. We are also pleased to welcome
Mocean to Corporate Membership.
Goodie bags were filled with an array of items, including some favorites:
Rite in the Rain notebooks from J. L. Darling, VooDew bike lube from
Muscle Products, Bicycling Street Smarts books from Rubel
BikeMaps, and several police and EMS magazines.
IPMBA has put the finishing touches on the Corporate Membership category,
and we thank our charter members once again for their support. Nice job,
Alerte Systems, Patrol Cycles LLC, WaveCrest Laboratories,
and Trek Bicycle Corporation.
IPMBA appreciates the participation of industry members at every level -
Product Purchase Program participant, advertiser,
conference vendor, or sponsor. They are an important part of the IPMBA community.
When you have the opportunity to buy something for personal or duty use,
consider the companies who support IPMBA first. They're working every day
to serve you.
Visit the Industry & Resources page to read
product reviews and see a listing of Corporate Members and other suppliers.
More Stories from the 2004 IPMBA
Conference...
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