Partner case study |
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Photos : Bikeshed Show 2019 at Tobacco Dock , by Amy Shore |
“ Our guests were blown away by the venue ,” Dutch says thinking back to the first time Bikeshed took place there . “ They very much thought it fitted with where they started . We began in railway arches in Shoreditch which of course offered an industrial feel . Tobacco Dock had a similar rawness , and the fact that it was in Central London not far from Tower Bridge just made sense .
“ If you ’ re going to have beautiful bikes , put them in a beautiful box .” |
While these days we talk often about collaboration between organisers and venues , there is still something rather transactional about it . Not at Tobacco Dock , though .
“ We wanted somewhere which people could get to on public transport so that they could drink and have a few beers . “ People love the space , but on top of that , as is the way with custom motorcycle culture , it ’ s about engineering that you can see : engines , frames , and wheels . So , it suited the show to choose a venue where you could see the structure and the frame of the building . Steel columns and red brick arches was just the perfect fit .”
Committing to the longterm Of course , Vikki notes that shows will always grow , and
Tobacco Dock , she says , was the ideal venue to help achieve that . “ I don ’ t see us leaving Tobacco Dock ,” she says . “ Every year we ’ ve been able to grow and take more rooms . But when we get to a point where we can ’ t grow
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any more , I ’ m more likely to cap the capacity and limit the number of tickets we sell . The show and Tobacco Dock have grown together , and people love the venue . “ It ’ s so common now for organisers to cram everyone in and charge them for everything . Whereas I want them to have free parking , free cloakroom , affordable beer , and I even tell some of my vendors not to charge so much for the food . We want to create a whole experience that you can take your family to , and not need to re-mortgage your house to do it .” There seems to be a genuine bond between Dutch and Vikki and Tobacco Dock . While these days we talk often about collaboration between organisers and venues , there is still something rather transactional about it . Not here , though . The show and the venue are part of each other ’ s brand , they are intertwined and inclusive , and it ’ s as refreshing as opening the taps on a Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX and thrashing it over the Yorkshire Dales . Heaven . |
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September — 21 |