Hosting Iconic British Brand Brompton Bicycles’ CEO, Will Butler-Adams, for a Night
On the evening of April 15, 2026 Clever Cycles in Portland welcomed Will Butler-Adams, OBE (Order of the British Empire), the CEO of Brompton Bicycle, for a brand activation community event night built around the folding-bike community that has grown up around the shop. Clever Cycles reached out to EJP Events to help produce this event, and we were excited to be part of it. We work with many brands that align with our values, but we especially love producing community-building events for brands we connect with.
How a Retail Partnership Turned a Leadership Visit Into a Community Gathering
Clever Cycles is the only Gold-tier Brompton dealer on the West Coast. The only Brompton shops with a higher designation are the brand’s own flagship stores in cities like London and Singapore. Between that distinction, the debut of a new in-store Brompton Lounge, and an active Portland cycling community, it is easy to see why the CEO of Brompton wanted to spend an evening here.
The event opened at 5:00 PM with the Lounge debut. Guests browsed the shop’s collection of current and unusual Bromptons and caught up over drinks, with cocktails from Straightaway Cocktails and food hosted by Clever Cycles. At 6:00 PM, about 30 riders rolled out for a short, family-friendly group ride. The ride cruised through the inner east side and paused on the Eastbank Esplanade overlooking the Willamette River and the Steel Bridge. This is where riders were greeted with the sight of an Amtrak Cascades train and a TriMet MAX train crossing the river at the same moment. This convergence highlighted a key component of the Brompton brand: The ease of bringing your folding bicycle on a train or bus, and using the bike for the first or last mile connection.
Back at the shop, the Show ‘n’ Shine gave riders a chance to show off their builds. Patrick Loftus took the top award for a hand-built Brompton bag that gained many admirers. Will spent the rest of the night talking with guests and signing their bicycles, staying until 10:30 PM, well past the scheduled close.
The numbers tell part of the story: 65 people registered and 37 came through the door, with riders traveling from as far as Seattle and Longview. Clever Cycles added a giveaway of 25 CampSnap cameras, all claimed by the end of the night. Each one was a small memento and a reason for guests to sign up and stay in touch.
What I heard most often after the ride was a single question: When is the next one? That question is the clearest measure of success for a community event.
There’s a line from Will that stuck with me. He told the room, in so many words, that people were not there because of Bromptons. They were there because they love to bicycle, they love to travel, and they love this community. This is the kind of event we love to build: a room where people can find their community.
One more reason this partnership felt like a natural fit: Brompton is a certified B Corporation, meeting high standards across governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. EJP Events is a Good Market approved enterprise, which means we went through a review of how we operate across those same areas: our organization, environment, customers, workers, suppliers, and community. Different frameworks, shared commitment. Producing community events for brands that put people and planet alongside profit is the work we love most.
If your brand is looking to bring a leadership visit, a brand activation, or a community event to life, this is the kind of work EJP Events loves most. We plan, source, and produce community events, brand activations, and travel programs for clients around the world. You can reach us at emee@ejpevents.com.
The Hotel Zags. ©Evrim Icoz Photography
