Consumer Shows

The Bike Shed

Number of attendees

15,000 over the weekend

Spaces used

Growing every year

Number of sponsors/exhibitors

250 exhibitors

Event Duration

3 days

The Bike Shed at Tobacco Dock

Centred around hospitality, experience and community with the intimate atmosphere of a pop-up members club, The Bike Shed was created by Dutch and Vikki Van Someren as a destination event for the discerning motorcycle community: the antithesis of a soulless trade fair.

The Bike Shed celebrates the design, creativity and passion of motorcycle culture and showcases professional custom builders as well as manufacturers. It’s also as fun to visit for non-motorcycle riders with live music, great coffee and food, brilliant bars, film screenings and inspirational art as well as tattoo parlour and barbers.

Running at Tobacco Dock every year since 2014 (with a Covid hiatus in 2020), its footfall has grown from 4,000 to 17,000 over the weekend event and we have loved being a part of their growth.

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Facilities and facts

Room to grow

One of the key factors in choosing Tobacco Dock as their venue was in the scope it offered them to grow their event over the years.

Central location

Rather than being stuck on the outskirts, Tobacco Dock's central location means that it's easy for visitors to arrive on public transport, while the nearby car park is ideal for those arriving by bike.

Style appeal

The heritage and stripped back styling of Tobacco Dock is a perfect fit for the Bike Shed brand, with many of their attendees saying the venue feels as much a part of the event as the bikes.

Why Tobacco Dock?

The very first Bike Shed event was held in 2013 in the railway arches at Shoreditch Studios. They were overwhelmed by the popularity of the event and knew they needed somewhere with greater capacity to accommodate all their visitors. They wanted an iconic venue with scope for them to grow over time and Tobacco Dock was a perfect fit.

As visual storytellers, Dutch and Vikki were seeking a space that emphasised their brand and served as more than a blank canvas to display the bikes. The exposed brickwork and steel columns in the venue echo the way in which the engineering of the custom motorcycles is revealed and the visitors responded positively that the venue is as much a part of the show as the bikes. The photogenic qualities of our spaces was a draw: ‘Any photography or filming at Tobacco Dock looks amazing. We knew we needed an iconic venue, and this is it,’ said Dutch in a recent interview.

Another tick in the box was the Dockside location of Tobacco Dock, just a short walk from Tower Bridge. Dutch and Vikki wanted a venue that was easily accessible on public transport so that visitors could enjoy a few beers.

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Map

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4 and 5

Year 6

Map

As the event as grown in popularity over the years, so we have been able to work with The Bike Shed to tweak their floorplan and increase their footprint each year.

Year 1

In their first year at Tobacco Dock, The Bike Shed took up a far smaller proportion of the venue than they do these days. Using the glass fronted Quayside Breakouts and East Mall spaces allowed the organisers to create a sense of light and kept the sense of atmosphere and bustle while curating the exhibited bikes in a thoughtful and beautiful way.

Year 2

The addition of the Little Gallery and outside spaces in their second year allowed the organisers to further add to their content and expand their guest list.

Year 3

In their third year, the Bike Shed team expanded the footprint of their event to include the Great Gallery to accommodate their growing numbers. They made further use of outdoor space by taking on the iconic Quayside Walkway.

Year 4 and 5

Years 4 and 5 saw The Bike Shed grow further still, taking over Quayside Bar, GGA and the private tasting room. They also went down into the Vaults, making use of North Vaults 1 as their organisers office.

Year 6

As well as adding the Dock Gallery to the floorplan, to serve as a VIP space, the team continued to use the North Vaults 1 space as an organisers office, while they added North Docks 1-3 and the North and South Bandstands to serve as catering space.

THE END RESULTS

The popularity of The Bike Shed has increased dramatically year on year, and the arrangement of our spaces means that we can create bespoke layouts so that the event will always feel bustling without being crowded. Despite us having 16,000 sqm event space, there was no danger of the event feeling under-attended in the early days as we could build the ideal fit for them.

We’d been looking for an iconic venue and Tobacco Dock is a perfect fit.

"Our visitors love the spaces. Custom motorcycling is all about the engineering you can see and the structure of the building, with its exposed joists and brick arches, reflects that. We’re creating legacy and a place that you feel you’re coming home to every year and the venue has become as much a part of the show as the bikes."

- Dutch and Vikki Van Someren