IMBA Europe Summit 2025
In 2025, a few months after taking ownership of Mountain Bike United, we asked IMBA Europe if they’d be interested in piloting the conference management functionality we were developing on our new platform.
IMBA Europe is the leader in mountain bike advocacy and trail development throughout Europe, and they were keen to be involved since it aligned well with their drive towards paperless conferences. That set in motion a whirlwind of development activity to get the basic functionality ready for the IMBA EU Summit in Boltaña in September.
Our aim was to be able to create all the elements of the conference on the admin dashboard, which would then enable Summit participants to follow the programme and join their preferred sessions, and rides in the Pyrenees.
Sounds simple but, inevitably with software development, there was a huge amount of work involved in getting to that stage.
After building out the Summit programme on the dashboard with Loren, which was a simple process, we then had to finalise the functionality for app users and work out how to onboard attendees to the conference on the Mountain Bike United app.
We spent a lot of time considering the onboarding process, creating email communications for delegates, how-to posts and videos.
As September rolled round we were up to the wire but in a good place and ready to launch the IMBA Summit in Boltaña on the Mountain Bike United app, two weeks before the event took place. It was happening!
Our minimum requirement was to be able to show the live Summit programme, enable users to join sessions, comment on sessions, post to the feed, and for the conference organisers to be able to make updates live on the app. All of which we managed to achieve and at the same time we learnt a lot about user behaviour – like the fact that hardly anyone found our carefully considered how-to videos! – and things we would need to update for future conferences.
We also took away valuable insights about conference organisation more broadly and what is required to move the sector to a less paper-dependent model.
Working with IMBA EU on this pilot study at their Summit in Boltaña was an invaluable experience and allowed us to set the foundations on which we could build out our full digital conference management package in Mountain Bike United.
Loren Rowney, Communications and Projects Co-ordinator at IMBA Europe said,
“We were keen to support Mountain Bike United in this pilot project as we work towards making all IMBA EU events more sustainable and streamlined.
“We were impressed with how the calendar, session, and feed functionality worked in the app and we’re excited to see what new developments are in place for our next event.”
To find out more about managing your next conference with Mountain Bike United’s smart, simple, effective digital platform, head to our Conference Management page, or contact us to arrange an informal chat.
More Stories Like This
Yeti Gathering Vermont
Supporting a multi-day festival of riding and community with real-time tracking, on-trail communication, and integrated local business listings.
Canyon Sam Soriano Groundwork
In Groundwork, Sam Soriano shows every raw, real moment—from digging trails to what a drop‑in gut check feels like.
Ancient Paths of the Pyrenees
Pedal through centuries of history, culture, and wild mountain beauty on a brand-new MTB adventure in the Spanish Pyrenees.