The Texas Bicycle Coalition will be a major presenter at the annual bicycle retailer and supplier Business and Education Conference, Jan. 29 - Feb. 3, in San Antonio. The conference is a partnership project of the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association and the National Bicycle Dealers Association.

The Texas Bicycle Coalition's Executive Director Gayle Cummins and volunteer industry liaison Robin Stallings are scheduled to address conference delegates at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, and will lead a bike retailer panel discussion in connection with the presentation.

Stallings, a former bicycle dealer, will also moderate the first-ever Texas Bicycle Dealers' Caucus, sponsored by the Texas Bicycle Coalition, on the opening day (Jan. 29) of the conference. The caucus is free to those who wish to participate.

The conference presentation is designed to demonstrate to bicycle dealers and parts and accessory suppliers how they can work in partnership with advocacy organizations to increase profitability.

Their presentation will be followed a discussion of the benefits of bicycle advocacy by leaders in the bicycle retail and supply industry.

Panelists include:

Many of the presentation panelists are also likely to participate in the Texas Bicycle Dealers' Caucus on the opening day of the conference.

The caucus, which is drawing strong support from representatives of the state's bicycle retail community, is a Texas Bicycle Coalition effort to draw Texas dealers together.

"We want to show how the Texas bike industry collaborated with TBC for our successes during the last legislative session, and how the Texas bike dealers and distributors can continue to collaborate for the benefit of the industry and its customers," Stallings commented.

The presentation the Texas Bicycle Coalition was invited to make during the conference itself, will attempt to show how the cooperation between retailers and advocates can bring dollars into the bicycle industry, he indicated.

"We want to show dealers how they can build sales and secure their futures by cooperating in strategic ways with professional advocates to improve cycling conditions in their states," he said.

The session, Stallings added, will provide dealers with examples of how distributors, dealers and advocates used their respective strengths in Texas to garner successes in the 77th Legislature.

"We'll talk about life in the political trenches, and how the bike industry and Texas Bicycle Coalition shaped a web of political influence by implementing effective strategies; strategies that left Texas legislators with a new respect for the power of a strong grassroots movement," TBC's Cummins said.

Panelists will share their tales of how advocacy has benefited their bottom lines.

The conference, being held in the Wyndham St. Anthony Hotel in San Antonio, is a joint project of the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association and the National Bicycle Dealers Association. The conference theme is "Building a Stronger Bicycle Industry".

Further information about the conference is available by visiting www.nbda.com.