SPEEDWAY, Indiana - The North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), the world's largest handmade bicycle show, is moving to form alliances with regional handmade bicycle shows that have appeared in the wake of the pioneering work of NAHBS, which created consumer/industry shows in the handmade sector back in 2005.

"For me it's about promoting the category," says Don Walker, the founder and director of the NAHBS. "The reflex action might be to see these shows as competition, and oppose them, but I don't see it that way. I am secure about the position of NAHBS as the leader. This is a close-knit part of the cycling industry and I see all of these shows working together to gain maximum promotion for the handmade brand as whole."

As an initial gesture, Walker has contacted organizers of regional shows in San Diego, California; Portland, Oregon; and Denver, Colorado, to discuss position in the calendar as well as the offer of reciprocal web links.

The optimum scenario is to have several static regional shows that work in harmony with a higher-level national show that tours the country. In the years that the national show is elsewhere, the regional show maintains local interest and awareness, and every few years, when the NAHBS visits a region, it is seen as a special event.

The reason this should work is two-fold. First, entry into the NAHBS is by invitation only, restricting places to the more experienced builders and those that have already exhibited. Thus the NAHBS will continue to present the cream of the cream in frame building. Entry to the regional shows is more open, which gives newer builders an opportunity to gain public exposure. Second, many of the smaller builders cannot afford to travel across the continent to exhibit at NAHBS, so a regional show better suits their budgets.

"I learned something from watching the mountain biking scene in the US, which developed a top-heavy approach very early, but ultimately that may not have been optimum for the long-term development of that industry. I think this plan is a step forward from that, because it includes more locally-connected, grassroots, kind of shows, and then the high-flying superstar show which people in each region only get to see every five or six years." says Walker.

Thus far the San Diego show has expressed support for Walker's national vision. "I had a good conversation with Brian Baylis (marketing director of the San Diego show), and we are working together. I want his show to be successful, and he wants NAHBS to continue to grow, because he can see that while there is some overlap, our shows serve different needs as well, and if we all work together the whole handmade category wins," Walker explained.

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show moves from city to city each year. It is scheduled for February 27 – March 1, 2009, at the Indianapolis Convention Center. The show is dedicated to showcasing the talents of individuals around the world whose art form is the bicycle. It aims to be a meeting point – online and in person – for frame builders and consumers looking for custom-made bikes, for the sharing of ideas, and promotion of a special industry with a rich history. NAHBS has grown from a show with 23 exhibitors and 700 attendees in 2005, to 150+ exhibitors and more than 7,000 attendees in 2008.