Text and photo. OA Isdahl
This was a huge success. The bikers rose to their feet during the dinner and the whole thing seemed almost like an election victory during an election week. More than 200 guests came to celebrate the Speed team at Beitostølen. With Lise and Terje Bredal as owners and hosts, the stage was literally set and for the occasion, Tommy Steine took on the role of host, much to everyone’s delight. What a guy =0)
The Speed team is probably among the best at building culture, networks and customer loyalty and there is no doubt that people’s loyalty to Speed is great. When Speed lost its BMW agency, many of its customers followed suit and became either Kawasaki or Husqvarna owners. With Thor Liverød at the helm, the entire team is there to support this and other events with hot dogs, waffles, cakes, rebus, races, gravel courses, gravel tours, asphalt tours and test rides of the entire Yamaha and Husqvarna portfolio. During the Touringtreffet, even the Swedish importer showed up with its huge equipment bus full of goodies for those most interested in Husqvarna.
Touringtreffet is undoubtedly one of Norway’s largest motorcycle institutions and it has undoubtedly required a visionary Terje Bredal who, at some point more than ten years ago, showed exactly what goals he wanted to set and what he wanted to achieve with it. He and his team have succeeded in doing just that, year after year, systematically, persistently and with determination.
Not many retailers are able to pull off an event like this, year after year and over time. We are really impressed that Speed has done this for 10 years. And almost like a congregation, the motorcyclists show up, year after year.
Even old BMW customers find their way to the Touring meeting, which is visited by all kinds of brands and customers. Despite a shocking and partly incomprehensible dealer exit initiated by BMW, Speed has in a very short time built a new portfolio of very loyal customers, which is impressive. With undiminished power and good innovative abilities, the Speed team has built a new and good portfolio in a very short time. In addition to the daily tasks, Terje and Kyrre Hagen have built the Adventure School, which has also become very popular with a dense program and many activities. And in addition to operations and innovation, Terje has also built MC Touring Norway, which has customers from all over the world. Speed is wisely building organically, brick by brick, which is probably wise in a demanding margin industry that sells capital goods in expensive times.
A packed house and happy people are proof that the Speed team is succeeding. Selflessly and to the delight of the customers, the store and staff are moved to Beitostølen this weekend by a huge logistics exercise to create activity and joy, which is also impressive. We are also impressed by the breadth of activity at Speed. Not only are they professionals in sales and aftersales, they actually manage to drive innovation and development alongside their day-to-day operations in order to build on and develop as an organization.
The industry needs innovators and pioneers who never rest, but who selflessly continue to build in order to create development – “soldier on” as the saying goes.
Keep an eye on what these people are doing, it can pay off on many levels.