Indian Cycling Festival – Interview with Founder Partha Sarathi

Recently, Mumbai just experienced its first Indian Cycling Festival ever. The first-of-its-kind bicycle event for premium, domestic and international brands to showcase their world-class products. The event aims to connect those in the cycling business with cycling enthusiasts from around the country and the world to make cycling the new buzz word.

To get you more insights about the “India Cycling Festival” ICF, we got in touch with Parthasarthi. Here’s what he had to say about the festival.

What made you conceptualize this property? –
Indian Cycling Festival (ICF)was conceptualized with an ethos of ‘Connect, Interact & Educate’. Keeping in mind the huge gap between the buyer & seller. End consumers are still grappling with the price & quality of various brands available in India. So, this will be an annual platform for the end consumers to connect with the manufacturer, distributors & retailers to understand and be informed about the various aspect of the cycling world.

ICF is a festival for the family to enjoy the beautiful world of ‘Cycling’. View Gallery here.
Can you tell us a little about the team that worked on the Festival with you?
The team comes with a strong media & exhibition industry background.
How was the response of the cycling fraternity?
We are so happy to receive such a fantastic & positive response from the cycling fraternity, they were waiting for such an event in India. Their responses have given us a boost for the next edition of (ICF) Indian Cycling Festival.
What have been some of the challenges putting on the festival?
As per the concept is concerned, we didn’t have any major hurdle, as the cycling fraternity was waiting for such an event and it was well received.
According to you, what was the best part of the festival?
The best part of (ICF) Indian Cycling Festival was to see the Cycling fraternity and general audience enjoying & cycling around at the event. We achieved the concept of ‘Festival’ mood. Also, It was great to see clients doing business at the ‘festival’.
Do you have any other plans in the pipeline?
Yes, we are already planning (ICF) Indian Cycling Festival 2018 and are planning to make it very entertaining & interactive for the end consumers and a good platform for the manufacturers/distributors/retailer to showcase their latest series of bicycles & accessories
How do you think this festival will shape the future of cycling?
‘Festival’ will allow general audience [all age groups] the ‘touch n feel’ experience and getting them back to cycling. It has a different meaning for different age groups. This will enhance the ‘Cycling’ market.
What is your perception of the integration of cycling and a festival like this?
ICF wants the audience to enjoy cycling and make it a part of their day-to-day life.
What was the reaction of people on seeing so many bicycles and accessories under one roof?
They were amazed to see so many different types of bicycles & accessories. We were amazed to see the ‘Wow’ expression on their face.
Are you planning to do the festival in other cities as well?
Yes, we are planning to take (ICF) Indian Cycling Festival closer to the consumers
Did you face any challenges? If yes, how did you tackle them?
Indian Cycling Festival (ICF) is the first of its kind, there were challenges, but few key players & industry friends pushed us to achieve the same. We will always be grateful to them.