Category: News

Raccoon Events’ CEO Mike Seaman spoke at COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference on Wednesday (10 November), setting out a pathway for a more sustainable industry. Speaking at the event, Seaman put forward a strategy that emphasised the need for forward motion and a conscious approach to meet the industry’s net zero aspirations.

Raccoon Events, which employs 22 staff in the UK and US, has set the ambitious goal to get the company and its UK and US events to net zero by 2025. Seaman spoke as part of a panel discussion about the JMIC event industry net zero pledge and explained that the first step in the company’ process was to set up a sustainability working group comprising internal and external organisations including ecollective, sustainable travel partner Ecolibrium and Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). Together the consortium is working to assess and reduce the environmental impact of Raccoon Events’ own business practices, its suppliers and exhibitors and to develop tools to support visitors in reducing their environmental impact before exploring offsetting opportunities.

Speaking at COP26 Seaman set out that the company is currently finalising the ‘measurement’ phase of the plan: “It’s quite frustrating as a small business that just wants to act, but actually the measurement phase is the most important and we have put a lot of time, effort and money into measuring the total impact of our events. We’ve now measured our first two events and are already actioning the ‘reduce’ part of the strategy.

Seaman continued: “There is a lot of fear out there – fear of costs and fear of getting it wrong. This can sometimes cause paralysis – if something feels too big and too hard then it’s almost impossible to tackle. I certainly don’t have all the answers and as a business we’ve had to accept that whatever solution we come up with will be an imperfect one. But we didn’t want to sit still either, so we made a collective decision that we would just start, do something now, learn as we go and keep evolving.

“What we have learned so far gives us insight that we can share with our suppliers and stakeholders so that we can follow a pattern of measuring and then reducing the impact of our actions. We then develop a process of continuous improvement, every year measuring and reducing until we get to 2025. Once we get to 2025, we will then offset whatever the remaining balance is, but we continue the process of measuring and reducing every year and the hope is that we continue to reduce the amount we have to offset.”

Seaman continued: “I’m sure our strategy isn’t perfect and the danger of speaking on a platform like this is that people might pick holes and criticize the mistakes you make along the way. That is inevitable but my main focus is to create a business that has an ethical consideration for the planet and I think we are starting to get towards that.”

To learn more about Raccoon Events’ sustainability plan visit the website or contact mike@raccoonmediagroup.com

Published Tuesday August 17th

It’s been a year since the Black Lives Matter movement changed the world, but cycling still has a long way to go to make the sport more inclusive. Rapha is publishing the first book of its kind about black champions in cycling, written by Dr Marlon Moncrieffe, featuring historical research as well as conversations with contemporary riders such as Justin and Cory Williams, Shanaze Reade and Kévin Reza. 

The book reveals the often overlooked achievements and challenges faced by black riders, and could be an essential publication to help inform the conversation of anti-racism in cycling going forward.

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Desire Discrimination Determination – Black Champions in Cycling will be the first book of its kind, providing a collation of international and historical stories of the black athlete experience in the world of competitive cycling. Written by Dr Marlon Moncrieffe, this book is set to make a groundbreaking contribution of knowledge desperately needed in the global cycling industry, taking on issues regarding access, diversity, inclusion, representation and anti-racism in policy and practice. This book will provide much-needed insight into the rich history of black cyclists that has been largely overlooked until now. Marlon takes his own racing experiences, research, and analytical expertise through a wide range of stories, personal reflections, and oral testimonies and interviews. We learn from different generations of well-known black cyclists from across the UK, USA and beyond including; Major Taylor, Maurice Burton, Russell Williams, Kittie Knox, Nelson Vails, Justin and Cory Williams, Shanaze Reade, Kévin Reza, Tre Whyte, Rashaan Bahati, David Clarke and Charlie Reynolds and many more.

The book explores how these protagonists first discovered cycling, their mentors, their ambitions and desires, as well as the explicit and implicit forms of discrimination they faced due to the colour of their skin. It seeks to understand and uncover how despite the white-dominated sport they inhabited, their determination to succeed was never dampened. Marlon brings an expert interpretation of the recent cultural shifts seen through the growing participation of black people in cycling at recreational grassroots and competitive levels, providing a frank analysis of the reception black people have been given in the face of an exclusionary sense of white-only entitlement within the sport.

In a fitting tribute to these athletes’ extraordinary stories, Desire Discrimination Determination – Black Champions in Cycling is lavishly illustrated with rare photographs and reproductions spanning decades, from the first non-white rider to race the Tour de France in 1914 to the black athletes pushing boundaries in the present day. This book is published by the bespoke design, illustration and photography teams from award-winning book publishers Rapha Editions, in collaboration with Bluetrain publishing.

 

Calling all cyclists! The newly launched  National Cycling Show is set to welcome thousands of budding and experience cyclists through its doors at the NEC in Birmingham on 18-19 June 2022. Bringing a premier retail experience, a first-class speaker line-up, a plethora of impressive interactive features, plus the ability to try-and-buy a huge variety of bikes including road, mountain, commuter, family and gravel at the show, the event is set to be a one-stop-shop for every cyclists needs, no matter how far or fast they go.

The two-day event is aimed at established, lapsed and new cyclists and will play host to some of the Cycling scene’s biggest names including Sir Chris Hoy, Jenny Tough, Mimi Anderson and Marlon Moncrieffe, who will lead a packed schedule of motivational talks on the Inspiration Stage. With a strong focus on supporting new cyclists and upskilling existing enthusiasts, the Show will also provide a Cycling 101 Stage which will offer workshops and sessions such as Safety on the Roads, Maintaining your bike, Cycling as a commuter option and Getting started in Cycling from experts and professionals from across the industry.

6-time OLY gold medallist and National Cycling Show speaker, Sir Chris Hoy, commented: “I am delighted to be speaking at The National Cycling Show. Being able to share my experiences, the highs, the lows and everything in between and inspire others to get on their bike and experience all that cycling has to offer, is an honour. Exercise, health and mental wellbeing have never been higher on the agenda and for me, and many others, cycling offers an escape, a release and that well-known Cyclist’s high that not only promotes health but also improves confidence and all-round mental and physical well-being. I look forward to meeting both new and experienced cyclists at the show in June and hope that my story might inspire experienced riders to dream big and absolute beginners to jump on their bike and get started.”

The event will also boast an on-site Testing Area to allow visitors to try out bikes on a variety of different terrains, a Spinning Zone, E-bike Stage and Meet & Greet Area so visitors can meet their Cycling idols after hearing them speak.

Helen Cook from Cycling UK commented, “This show is set to open up the incredibly diverse world of cycling to people who have participated for decades as well as those who have perhaps taken up the sport over the last year of national lockdowns. We are delighted to be Partnering with The National Cycling Show to provide opportunities to welcome new participants to the sport, build a community of people from every background and cycling discipline, to support, encourage and motivate cyclists to get fit, upskill and fully immerse themselves in the world of cycling over two days in June and far beyond.”

Tickets will go on sale on Friday 4^th June, the first 2,000 people to follow The National Cycling Show on social media and/or subscribe to the mailing list, will receive a free ticket to the event (RRP £10).