Powersports Trade Show - Set Up

Hello from Indianapolis everyone!

We are here for the Dealer Expo powersports trade show. We've been making the trek out here for years and years and I've attended every year but one of the eight years I've been here.

I arrived yesterday to do a lot of little things that need to get done before the rest of the team and our guests arrive. Pick up badges for the team, deliver our guests' badges to the front desks of their hotels, check and confirm all reservations in person, get the packages that I sent to myself at the hotel and go over to the booth to see how it is all going.

I am always fascinated at the amount of work it takes to put up a booth. Now, in Vegas we have a "double decker" booth so I understand that work to make it structurally sound. But, all booths take time and expertise to put them up. Here's a little pictorial of my visit to the show floor yesterday.

I'm staying at the Marriott which connects to the convention center through a walkway over the road. This is fabulous since it is always cold at this show (it is February after all!). My room looks out over the walkway, actually. But, this is the view fromthe walkway yesterday. The flags on the light poles let you know that there is a show going on, if the line of trucks and trailers didn't give that away!

Getting through the show floor on set up days is a challenge. You can see where you want to go for the most part, but you can't get there. Crates and boxes and tools and everything else you can think of is all over the entire footprint of the show floor. Sometimes you have to climb over things to get where you want to go.

Here are some of the crates that our booth ships in and skids of product wrapped in the black there.

More crates...getting emptied to make the walls of the booth....

The walls are up! They were just putting the slat wall up when I left yesterday afternoon. I felt like I was just about to become an obstacle for them as they were about to tear into more crates to put together our reception desk. So, I vacated and came back to deliver badges and check my emails. Remember, the show still goes on back in the office and the rest of the world so you need to keep up with that, too, while you are gone.

When I go back today the slat wall will be up, the reception desk will be done, the shelves in the storage room will be built and the graphics will be up. I'll get more photos as the process goes along.

So...do you think the chain is the only new product we have? Nah....we've got more...here's another sneak peek of some products we'll be showing starting tomorrow (yikes!).

New disc lock -- small, compact, easy breezy to use. It will be out later this year.

No, we haven't started to create foot pegs....well, not exactly...this is a foot peg AND a disc lock. Really. Know how you hate to have a disc lock because you might forget it and try to ride off without taking it off (or maybe you've actually done that???). This little guy will make sure you never do that again. Kind of clever, huh?

Ok, off to do a few things and then head to the show floor to see how the construction is going. Ross and Don will be here soon to set the product walls....then Nicole arrives and her motorcycle, too...then Jody comes with the Perewitz custom motorcycle....then the rest of our team arrives for a booth meeting and before you know it, it will be tomorrow and the doors will open! Yikes, lots to do before then!

Have a great Friday everyone. Hope to see some of you this weekend.

A Legend is Born.....

Powersports dealers, come get a sneak peek....Dealer Expo this weekend....Indianapolis....booth 2019.....

Consumers...stay tuned for more news on this later in the year....

Happy New Year!

So, it's the end of the year....a time for reflection and looking ahead, right? Ok, I can do that...

2007 was a big one here at Kryptonite. We started a transformation of our brand, which was quite time consuming, but fairly successful. We tripped up a few places - the new stickers weren't such a big hit. Street stencils? What were we thinking there? Total bust. But, the posters were received very well (who doesn't like penguins?!). The outdoor campaign with billboards and ads were good.

Being involved with the bicycle valet programs was fantastic! We also loved placing bike racks in cities around the country. We hope that both of these programs assisted, and will continue to assist, cyclists in these cities.

2007 was also the year that we caught up with the rest of the world and totally revamped our website. It seems like a hundred years ago that I was cramming to get copy and photos to our agency so we could put up the site in just over 6 weeks. I'm not kidding....soup to nuts in just over 6 weeks. I never want to do that again! Don't get me wrong, creating a new site from scratch is a blast! Doing it in 6 weeks is a complete stretch. We had a few growing pains in the beginning and we are still adding to the site, but all in all we love it and hope you do, too.

Then there was this blog. It's still not what I want it to be, but it's an evolving process. I think it's a good start. Thanks to everyone who has given us feedback and supported this effort. Personally, I'm quite thankful to you all. And to those who shared their Unbreakable Bonds, thank you. We couldn't have asked for a better group of people to share their stories.

The products in 2007 were pretty darn cool, too. How about that oval crossbar on the Evolution series 4? Sweet, huh?! And then there was the complete cable redesign. Yikes! That was a lot of work, but so worth it.

Team Kryptonite grew by one this year when Nicole Hoffman signed on with us. And Jody Perewitz became an 'unofficial' Team Kryptonite member. Both represented us well at events and races and even blogged their thoughts here when their schedules allowed.

Our internal team grew, too, with the addition of our regional managers. We're happy to have them aboard!

There was much more, but hey, these are just the highlights.

So...2008...what will that bring? So much stuff, I can't even tell you....ok, I can tell you some, both professional and personal.

Products - yup, there will be new products. First up are some products for the motorcycle market that dealers will see at the Dealer Expo show in February. That's right around the corner, which means we need to kick some butt with a few things to get that all worked out in time. But, we will. We work well under pressure.

There will also be some upgrades to a few products that will be hitting sooner rather than later. Big and bad, I promise you!

We're also in the process of working on something that will dazzle you. That won't be until later in the year, but I'll keep you posted as we move along with that project.

Marketing - it isn't official yet, but there will be some major news to announce probably in the next month between us and.....ok, I can't tell you that, but it will be big. Huge. You'll know as soon as the ink is dry on the contract. I'm so excited, but I can't say just yet because, well the ink hasn't even hit the paper yet. We're working on it. You will be the first to know, of course.

We are also looking to support bike valet programs again this year and place bike racks in some more cities. We are already working on getting this program together and have identified cities that we'd like to work with on this. As soon as we know more we'll let you know.

The website will continue to evolve. Soon (January, I think) we'll add some new functionality to the site which will be very different for us. We'll also have some new folks telling their stories on the front pages - I'm working on that right now. I'm going to try to keep up with the website changes a little more frequently this year, too.

As I mentioned, the blog has had a good start, but I'm not totally happy with it. Life happens and I've slacked on getting some more Unbreakable Bonds stories, but I've got a few folks that I'm going to have do this at the beginning of the year...and if you want to share your story, please send me an email! Share your story, c'mon this is a partnership here....I give...you give...c'mon..share.

What else would I change? Having more people from here contribute. Aren't you sick of me yet? Seriously. There will be more participation from the sales team and some other folks here. Really. There will. You'll also hear from Team Kryptonite some more.

Speaking of Team Kryptonite...we'll officially be adding a new member in the new year. That should give you a hint as to who it is. And, we'll be starting some new programs with two of the Team Kryptonite members. I can't wait to share all the details with you soon (February).

Oh, and there will be weddings....at least two that we'll share with you in the new year (one maybe very, very soon).

We've got a few other things up our sleeve for the new year, too, but I'm still working out a few of them. One I'm so psyched about I'll be telling you before I've got it all done, I'm sure. I won't be able to contain myself. It's not quite on par as the partnership deal I mentioned, but it will be cool (I hope).

So, that's a lot of stuff...without really saying too much, right? I know, I know, I'm teasing a little bit, but some of the things aren't finalized yet and 1) I don't want to jinx anything, I'm superstitious that way and 2) we really can't say something about partnerships and such until they are signed.

However, I can tell you some things that I, personally, am hoping to accomplish in the new year.
- Lose weight. I watched several people here drop pounds like they were going out of style and then there was Susan Perewitz who made a fabulous transformation over the summer. Truly, they are all inspirational. Tomorrow, I start. We'll see how it goes.
- Chalk the roads again! It's been way too long since I chalked the road at a pro race. But, it's not a professional goal. This year, I have a personal reason to get to a race, chalk the road and cheer on my friend Tyler who will be back in the peloton where he belongs. When the schedule comes out I'll let y'all know which race I'll be at. I'd love to meet some of you on the roads.
- I WILL participate in more Spokesmen podcasts. I'm very thankful that my fellow Spokesmen have been so patient with me and my crazy schedule. I feel embarrassed to even say that I'm part of that group because I didn't make many of the episodes this year, but I've got a new headset, no shortage of opinions and I'm ready to go.
- I'll start blogging again over on my blog. I let that go when we started this blog, but I've always got a lot to say and not all of it is work related...my opinions have been bottling up now and it's the right time to start again for me personally. Don't know if I will have retained any interest there, but we'll see. I know that Masiguy has started to video blog (bravo!), but that's not something I'll get into (I have a face for podcasting and blogging!). So, yes, the new year will bring more Tidbits from me.
- I started contributing to the new Plog (Perewitz blog) this year, but only once. You'll see more from me there, too.
- Get a camera again. I lost mine at Interbike in Vegas and I've missed taking photos both for the blog and personally. I'm looking for a good sale and I'll pick one up. You'll start to see more photos here then...like sneak peeks of new products etc...
- And....I'll ride this year. Really ride my bike. Not just one little jaunt around the neighborhood. I'll get back on in the spring (c'mon it's snowing here and I'm not big into riding and freezing...I am a fair weather rider, get over it). You'll hear all about my trials and tribulations here about that, too.

So, that's it from here for now. Thank you, thank you, thank you all for your support this year. We all appreciate it more than you know.

From all of us...to all of you...happy, safe new year!

Coming Soon...new products for the superhero in all of us

There are very few jobs in life where one gets to do the things you thought were the coolest when you were a kid e.g Firefighter, Jet Pilot, Cowboy, Superhero, General Manager of Kryptonite( ok maybe the last one is a stretch :)). I am glad to say that over the next few weeks we will be introducing a product that speaks to some of those childhood aspirations. It will be available in major retailers starting in mid July. Will supply more info over the next week so stay tuned.

New Products Debut on Kryptonite Website

It's been a process, but the new products are finally up on the new website for everyone to view. All the U-locks, cable locks, chains and even the disc locks. All there for you to see and read about.

Now you know why I didn't post earlier....I was a little busy proof reading. And, I know I missed something...always do. But, it's Friday, and it's after 5pm so it's time to stop worrying about it, right?

Psssttt...if you see any spelling mistakes, let me know. Thanks! :)

Happy Weekend, all!

Ta-Da! Evolution series 4

The brand spankin' new Kryptonite locks have left the warehouse, folks. Actually, they should be to most of our distributors by now so you might start seeing them on your local IBD shelves soon. We are very excited here at Kryptonite. There is just so much new, new, new this spring and summer.

Here's a peek of the Evolution series 4 U-lock with its oval crossbar. Snazzy, eh? I'm expecting a few of them in my office this week. Woo-hoo! I know, it's kind of corny to get excited about a lock, right? But, when you see all the work that goes into developing a product and then you see the finished item, it's kinda cool no matter what the product or widget is. Of course, there is always a big sigh of relief, too, when there is a completed, packaged product in front of you.

Now I just need to get a photo of the product in my office instead of the 'beauty shot' here. I'll work on that.