International Cargo Bike Festival 2018

INTERNATIONAL CARGO BIKE FESTIVAL 2018
New impetus for the ICBF
Text and photo Karin Veenendaal
Director Jos Sluijsmans felt it was time for a change. He wanted to reinvigorate
The International Cargo Bike Festival. What he didn’t foresee was a whole new
partnership and a new location. This year the ICBF is hosted by VELOBerlin.
From the oldest Dutch city to a German capital brimming with both innovation
and history. Speaking of impetus…
Teaming up with VELOBerlin;
how did it come about?
Our two events sometimes have overlapping
dates. This has hindered us in the past and as
it turned out, we were once again planning the
same dates for 2018. VELOBerlin contacted
me to see if we could change our dates and I
had to tell them that unfortunately this wasn’t
possible. To my surprise they suggested a kind
of merger. At first I was a bit hesitant to be
honest. For sure there were advantages, but I
wasn’t sure whether or not ICBF participants
would embrace the change.
So what made you say ‘yes’?
Tempelhof. The moment I found out this
would be the new location for VELOBerlin, it
clicked - it just felt right. This former airport
near the city centre is highly atmospheric.
Picture this; an historic place as a backdrop
for innovation. Despite this, cargo bikes are
really an old means of transportation and, for
me, this juxtaposition of old and new makes
Tempelhof the perfect venue. Not insignificant
was VELOBerlin’s offer to take on part of the
costs and organisation. The combination of
these things made me say ‘yes!’
How will ICBF and VELOBerlin benefit
from linking up?
I think everyone involved will benefit. ICBF
visitors will have a richer, more diverse
experience. ICBF exhibitors will have access
to a larger, more generic audience; Germany
is one of the biggest markets in the world for
cargo bike manufacturers. Cargo bikes are still
seen as something strange, we still occupy a
niche and I really want to change that. Linking
up with VELOBerlin has given the ICBF a higher
profile, which is great. I mean Berlin, that’s
quite something!
VELOBerlin benefits by hosting ICBF; the
best, most diverse gathering of cargo bike
manufacturers in the world. Until now
VELOBerlin has been primarily focussed on
local consumers and visitors. It has been
their wish for some time now to include
cargo bikes and introduce an element of
Business-to-Business. Furthermore VELOBerlin
also benefits from adding an international
component to what is a local festival.
How about you and Berlin?
It’s amazing, but until very recently Berlin was
a blind spot for me. I find the city enthralling.
Very relaxed. A bit un-German, if I may say so.
What fascinates me are those rough, old sites
right in the heart of the city. The combination
of the old and the new, establishment and
counter-culture all so close together is
extraordinary. But I also like the spacious,
clean streets and sidewalks. Pedestrians and
cyclists share space in harmony.
Nijmegen is European Green Capital
2018. Wasn’t it more logical to stay put?
No, not necessarily. To clarify this I would
like to quote the European Commissioner
Karmenu Vella. In his foreword in the
brochure Nijmegen, Green Capital of Europe
2018 he states: “The centre of the cargo
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