Did you attend the Chicago Bike Swap? We'd love your thoughts!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David 4.0 on March 12, 2013 at 10:51pm

Yes, I attended.  I was there about 5-6 hours with my 6 year old daughter.  I managed to sell 2 bikes, sit in on several presentations, and watched bike polo several times.

It was a good family friendly event.  Good vendors and just a good all-around-bike-friendly environment.

I wish you would do this event twice per year.  Bravo...I thought it was a really good event.

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Permalink Reply by David 4.0 on March 12, 2013 at 10:52pm

Very good idea.  Food trucks would have done well at the event.

Davo said:

you should get the food trucks there

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on March 12, 2013 at 11:07pm

Thanks for the ongoing support...

I've been to the Palatine swap several times and counted the vendors each time. I would challenge the perception that there were less at the Chicago swap.

It's possible though that the suburban swap was heavier on merchandise and lighter on clubs and organizations.

I think you can be pretty sure that Active Trans would like to see more vendors as much as you would.

Aisha said:

More vendors needed. Location was fine, but I was spoiled by the Swap in Palatine - free parking AND (what seemed like) tons more vendors with far more items. Paying for parking plus a higher entry fee was a bit of a turn off, but I will still support the Chicago Swap.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on March 13, 2013 at 6:14am

My first swap so I have no basis for comparison, but I thought it was great.  Yes, more vendors would be nice.  We might help Active Trans by making mention of it whenever we go into a bike shop or any bike related shop:  "I don't remember seeing you at the Bike Swap.  Were you there?"  If they hear that often enough maybe they will sign up.  Seems like a pretty low cost way to have the attention of 1700 people who are clearly in one's target market.

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Permalink Reply by Aisha on March 13, 2013 at 6:38am

I believe you are right, H. There seemed to be more of a club presence at the Chicago Swap which I loved. I just believe that more vendors should come out and support the Chicago Swap. I know a few that I didn't see, and I plan to give them a hard time about it in a friendly way.

Cheers,
Aisha

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 13, 2013 at 9:11am

I took the train.   I figured I might be hauling more crap back that I could easily fit in my panniers and didn't want the hassle of trying to park my trailer.   I got there at about 9:45AM and there already was no place left in the corral big enough to have parked that. 

The train was an easy fast haul from the LS Blue Line station to the UIC/Halstead station.  The walk through campus was a bit wet and dreary (they have some rotten drainage on their sidewalks) and I took a wrong turn and ended up getting pushed all the way East to Halstead as I attempted to cut a path more straight south,  but still was able to find my way to the gym building without too much hassle.  Even with the 10-minute stroll through the campus the entire trip was only about 35-40 minutes from my front door to event.   The trip back with a loaded shopping bag was actually easier as I didn't get detoured and was able to dead-recon my way back to the L without any detours. 

The only negatives, other than the price of admission, was the lack of food and waiting in line for 15 minutes.     I'm glad I didn't get there any later as the line was growing by the minute.  Taking money from folks before 10AM might be a good idea and putting the paid folks into a holding area until the load-in guys were finished might have helped things a bit there.   Then when 10AM rolled around it wouldn't be such a madhouse trying to get everyone through the line. I'm sure it would be less stressful for the volunteers as well. 

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on March 13, 2013 at 12:33pm

Great idea.

James BlackHeron said:

 Taking money from folks before 10AM might be a good idea and putting the paid folks into a holding area until the load-in guys were finished might have helped things a bit there.   Then when 10AM rolled around it wouldn't be such a madhouse trying to get everyone through the line. I'm sure it would be less stressful for the volunteers as well. 

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Permalink Reply by Melissa on March 21, 2013 at 12:47pm

I enjoyed the cargo bikes, polo, all the hand-made goods, and familiar faces.  I heard from many people that they were disappointed to have to pay a fee for admission, even to volunteer.  You could probably remedy that by showcasing how much you raised to support two good causes: Active Trans and the event beneficiary Bike Winter.  

It was nice to see a range of clubs and orgs at the event.  Next time, station them by the entrance or en route to the gear.  Each contributed over $100 to participate, but some didn't see much foot traffic due to location.  

Good luck with the next one. 

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Permalink Reply by We all have an inner Beast... on March 27, 2013 at 11:41am

I had a donut and a root beer with my son !!!

Was there with my Little Ranger (son). He had a blast meeting a lot of the people that I "talk" to on here. He LOVED the Racketteers (I think that was their name, the all female bike troupe) and the bike polo. He loved the cargo bikes as well. He can't wait to start riding his bike again this Spring !!! He has a bunch of lights and reflective stuff on his 20" and on his helmet (like his dad). He will be repairing his rear wheel this weekend and putting in a new spoke or 2 on the "new" wheel from Working Bikes. Wish us luck.

I had fun sitting in on some of the "classes" at the far end of the venue. Learned a few new things. Bought a few things.

As a first-timer, I think things went well. However, I would have liked to see more vendors and more stuff. I liked the bike corral for the people selling bikes. Wanted a few.

Maybe a few classes, like Notorious DUG does, would have fit the bill and could've used up some more of that space??? Just a suggestion.

Other than that, I think it was great !

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on March 27, 2013 at 12:25pm

Can you say more about having to pay admission in order to volunteer?

Everyone involved in any of the events or presentations, in addition to the event volunteers should not have had to pay.

 

Can you say more about clubs and organizations having to pay over $100 each to participate? Website says $50.

 

 

Regarding showcasing how much money was raised-- it's not clear to me yet whether any was raised at all. I'm not privy to internal discusssion on such matters, but I know that there's pressure to make sure that there's a reasonable return on any event that uses staff and resources, and that each year there's going to be a question of whether it makes sense to continue it.

I don't think it's reasonable to expect Active Trans to release a complete statement including overhead costs and venue fees-- but I think there may be some expenses you're not thinking about here.

If there was no admission charge, the event would lose money, and not happen again, plain and simple. Unless somehow someone could procure the donation of a suitable space.

Melissa said:

I enjoyed the cargo bikes, polo, all the hand-made goods, and familiar faces.  I heard from many people that they were disappointed to have to pay a fee for admission, even to volunteer.  You could probably remedy that by showcasing how much you raised to support two good causes: Active Trans and the event beneficiary Bike Winter.  

It was nice to see a range of clubs and orgs at the event.  Next time, station them by the entrance or en route to the gear.  Each contributed over $100 to participate, but some didn't see much foot traffic due to location.  

Good luck with the next one. 

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