Having the opportunity to immerse ourselves in everything-bikes-culture for a long weekend, is a great reminder of why we hit the pavement every week...
by Ryan White, Senior Product Designer
The Pactimo Team was excited to return to the Sea Otter Classic after a few-year hiatus during which we've seen a lot of exciting growth! At Pactimo, we know that our success is firmly rooted in our connection with our customers whom we like to think of as our Cycling Family. Events like Sea Otter offer no better way to engage with our Family and the broader cycling community.
If you haven't been to the Sea Otter Classic, picture a trade show within a festival, topped off with four days of racing and riding. The vibe of Sea Otter can't be wrapped up into any one of those descriptions and is best viewed through the lens of a broad, cultural cycling experience. People come form all over the country and take over nearby downtown Monterey hotels and restaurants, or camp on the hills surrounding the Laguna Seca raceway at which the Classic has been held for the last 28 years. These people come to check out the newest products from their favorite companies and to put faces to names, jump in a race or Fondo and just generally to soak in the festival like atmosphere the Classic. It's great to be outside riding and chatting about bikes in the beautiful California Spring with 70,000+ like-minded friends!
Having been gone for a few years, we wanted to make a splash and connect with more people than ever at the show. Luckily, our new VP of Business Development and Custom Sales, Peter Kukula, knocked it out of the park with a custom wrapped trailer that we outfitted to function as the perfect booth and home base for the Pactimo Team. We wanted to showcase what we here at Pactimo pride ourselves in, which is our ability to offer (what we think!) the best technical clothing in the industry in both Custom and in our Direct-to-Consumer divisions. While Custom and DTC have their unique demands, the constant is that we can offer the same amazing product quality and reliability across platforms. Our team at Sea Otter consisted of people from all across our company so that we could interact with and educate our visitors about any aspect of our business. The team included: Peter Kukula (VP Business Development and Custom Sales), Jason Williams (Retail Operations Manager), Tom Jackson (Custom Sales Representative for California), Ariana Dittmer (Customer Service Ninja/Enduro Shredder), David Newcomer (Custom Customer Service and Operations Manager), and Ryan White (Senior Product Designer).
The best part about the Sea Otter Classic is the chance to introduce new people to the brand and to get people kitted up and excited about their next adventure on the bike. We also love seeing old friends, colleagues, and reconnecting with our Brand Ambassadors who always come out to ride and hang out. It's all about building the Pactimo family!
This year, we had a special guest Jeremy Powers, who came out to our Wednesday and Thursday rides, towing us all along the spectacular 17 Mile Drive. It was great for Brand Ambassador's and Customers (and Pactimo employees!) to have the opportunity to ride with one of the true legends of US cyclocross and all around great guy. Jeremy was also there handing out limited edition, signed JPOW! tees, which were a huge hit!
If you swung by the booth on Friday or Saturday, you had the chance to win up to $1,000 in cycling clothing. We ended up giving out $5,000 on the first day alone! If you weren't so lucky, we tried to send pretty much everyone home with something fun!
"Being able to immerse myself in the festival-like atmosphere is a great way to remind myself why I love working in this industry. Everyone is there to do-everything-bikes for a long weekend, so the vibe is all about fun. It's great to just chat with riders face to face about their gear in a more casual setting. Sea Otter has also turned into the de facto industry show for consumers and companies alike, which is awesome for seeing all the new products and trends developing in the industry." - Ryan White (Senior Product Designer)
"Sea Otter gives us a great opportunity to connect in person with teams and sponsored athletes we talk to on a regular basis. Being in person allows people to put a face with the name and helps us build stronger connections. Watching those same athletes and teams compete at Sea Otter in the kit we provided for them, is a great feeling too." - David Newcomer (Custom Customer Service and Operations Manager)
The 2019 Sea Otter Classic was a huge success and a ton of fun for our Pactimo Team. Having the opportunity to immerse ourselves in everything-bikes-culture for a long weekend is a great reminder of why we hit the pavement every other week of the year to create, sell, deliver, and stand by the best cycling clothing out there. At the end of the day, we're riders who want to constantly improve the experience of getting out on two wheels, whatever your style. We'll definitely be back next year and we hope to see you there!
