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Women in the Bike Industry Summit 2024. 15th and 16th March, Glentress Tweed Valley.

We are delighted to be bringing you, in collaboration with The Womxn In The Cycling Industry Group, a two-day meet up to help create stronger community and connections between women working in or aspiring to work in the bike industry in Scotland. Find out more and get involved!

Dig day girls

We have worked closely with two members of The Womxn In The Cycling Industry Group, Aoife Glass and Vedangi Kulkarni to organise this event. Born out of conversations at the Scottish Mountain Bike Gathering in November, we were delighted to get involved and be able to bring this first Scottish meet to the Tweed Valley.

Many thanks to our event supporters, South of Scotland Enterprise and UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The Womxn in the Cycling Industry Group is an informal network of people working in and around the cycling industry in the UK and worldwide.

The network currently consists of nearly 200 members, spanning multiple brands, charities, publishers, governing bodies etc across all types of cycling (road, mountain, commuting, family, leisure), at all levels. For example, participants range from global brand managers to freelance journalists, from bike shop mechanics to endurance athletes, and from magazine editors to mountain bike trail association leaders.

The group has arranged several in-person meet-ups, run in partnership with publishers, brands and businesses in London and the Forest of Dean, SW England, but this is the first event to take place in Scotland. Each event offers a unique and unparalleled opportunity for women working in an industry in which they are underrepresented to discuss issues, develop innovative solutions, forge connections and access important personal and professional development opportunities.

Jules and suzi

This two-day meet up will welcome women working in, and aspiring to work within the cycling industry from across Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England. The event will focus on networking and knowledge-sharing with an emphasis on forging connections and creating a strong community.

The event will:

  • create a welcoming environment in which innovative and collaborative ideas can be developed.
  • present the Scottish Borders as a world class, innovative, and exciting cycling destination for businesses and women working within the industry.
  • share the business development opportunities and support available in the Scottish Borders.
  • provide details of the Mountain Bike Innovation Centre and share the facilities that will be available as a result of the development in Innerleithen.
  • showcase the Tweed Valley as a world class riding destination and encourage delegates to return for future trips.
  • support local businesses through the delivery of event and encourage further support/investment by bringing over 40 delegates and event supporters to the Tweed Valley.
  • Talks from a host of inspiring women in the industry.
  • Personal and professional progression sessions.
  • Solution-focussed discussion events and skills sessions.
  • Dig Sessions, teaching sustainable trail practises.
  • Trail Therapy – a taster session looking at benefits to mental health through cycling and being outdoors.
  • Social ride outs
  • And much more!

FULL PROGRAMME WILL BE RELEASED SOON!

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When

Friday 15th and Saturday 16th March 2024

Where

Glentress, Tweed Valley, Scottish Borders, UK

Who

Women working in and around cycling, primarily based in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England. Participants from elsewhere are welcome, though priority will be given to participants from these areas for places. Approx. 40 delegates.

How Much

Both days including lunch and refreshments - £20.00 - Book Now!

Both days including lunch and refreshments, and evening event on Friday (includes evening meal) - £40.00 - Book Now!

Evening event only (including evening meal) - £20.00 - Book Now!

Organisers/Contact

Aoife Glass is the Digital Communities Manager for the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport, and also produces and hosts the Spindrift Podcast. She has over ten years experience in sports journalism working with various UK titles including MBUK, MBR, BikeRadar and Red Bull, and recently authored a chapter in the Lonely Planet book Great British Bike Rides. Before that, she worked as a Science Communicator and Presenter at the Natural History Museum in London.

Aoife Glass

Vedangi Kulkarni was born and raised in India and currently lives in the Scottish Highlands. She’s an adventurer, endurance athlete, writer, expedition/project manager and a business owner. She loves organising mountain biking and bike packing events, coming up with new ideas and turning them into projects and talking to a ton of new people.

In 2018, she rode 29,000km around the world in 160 days, mostly solo and unsupported, at the age of 19/20, becoming the youngest woman to circumnavigate the globe on bike (unofficially).

She’s always keen for an adventure, be it cold water swimming, long distance hiking or cycling, climbing, mountain biking, skiing or travelling through remote places. Her happy place is anywhere outside, in the wild, and on the move. She tells stories from her adventures both digitally (through her social media channels) and through in-person events. When she isn't out and about, you can find her reading non-fiction books or writing something in one of her million Moleskine notebooks.

Vedangi

Paul Mullen - Founder at Bough

When DMBinS approached Bough regarding the branding for the Summit, we suggested that should we be successful in the tender; we would hire a junior freelance female designer to lead the project.

Doing so allowed a female designer access & experience in the sector and for us to pass on knowledge to help her produce work to the standard we strive for. After following the work of Molly Paterson for some time and recognising that she was also a keen mountain biker, we believed she was the perfect fit to lead the brand's design. The end product exceeded our expectations, and we are grateful to have had her work alongside Bough in delivering the visual identity for the Summit

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This project is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/...

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