Kinopedalis is a two-day bicycling and film festival combined together. It was first held in 2016 and the goal of the festival was to guide people on bicycles around bike routes. Kinopedalis was held for the second time in May 2017 in Latvia. It attracted more than 1200 visitors to explore Valmiera and Kocenu, Burtnieki counties tourism trails.

We decided to interview Valters and Gundega from the main organizer Eži adventure company team to find out how an event with multiple aspects was brought to life and how gamification was used.

Congratulations! You just won the award for the best festival at the Baltic event awards for Kinopedalis 2017 festival. Why did you decide to apply and did you expect to win?

Thank you very much! We definitely didn’t think that we would win when we applied. There was an open call for festival awards and we just thought: “Ok, let’s just try and see what happens”. Because we believe that festival idea is quite unique and creative so why not apply and let more people know about the festival.

Along the route, you had there pop-up “cinemas” where it was possible to see different domestic and foreign films. How big was the film program in 2017 and how many locations were involved?

We had 5 pop up cinemas in an old bread bakery factory, greenhouse, BMX museum, student bar and old beer brewery basement. In total, we had 15 movies for screening.

I understand the locations were meant to be unique and surprising, providing a special atmosphere to see the films. Which location(s) was your personal favorite last year?

Definitely Greenhouse and beer and bread factory.

Can you describe a bit the participants of the event- what kind of crowd the event attracts?

This is an event for youngsters and young families with kids who enjoy cultural entertainment and time which is spent together and they are not up for competitions, they just want to enjoy the time together. The festival is very family-friendly.

Did you have any foreign performers/ speakers /special guests? Who?

No, we didn`t have any foreign speakers, just local ones. But they all were incredible. For example, we had a storytelling afternoon were we had two gentlemen who had traveled to Siberia in the 80s with their bikes. Imagine how crazy it was in those times. They have also written a book about their travels.

How many people were involved in producing the event and how many for the game?

The core team is 4 people and then we have many helpers during the preparation time of Kino Pedalis.

Rolands Melbardis – a  creator of  Kino Pedalis and he is also responsible for routes, questions and games. But he has also 2 or 3 helpers. Gundega Gulbe –  a Project manager, Liena Kreišmane and Elīna Megne – PR and Communications.

What was the time frame to bring this event to life?

Planning starts around November but active communication and all the ideas are finalized and put together 3-4 months before the event. We spend a lot of energy and time also on events marketing and promo activities.

How did the game run on the Loquiz platform help you to improve the event?

Loquiz helped to make an ordinary bicycle route much more interesting and interactive. It also plays the role of a tourist guide during the game. Because many questions are located near the touristic or interesting objects and with the help of questions we can tell more about them. And also if the route goes by the main road we are able to warn participants to be careful. We have heard many good words about the game and the combination.

Kino Pedalis participants are more or less young people and for them, it is much easier to understand this kind of map which is online and with different pins than a printed version. They like those routes that are connected with modern technology.

Can you describe a bit the routes you had in 2017 and what was the most popular one?

The most popular route is Halfpedal which is around 25 km.

How long were the games? In the meaning of time, km, questions?

Participants can choose from 3 different routes. Family pedal (up to 12km around 20 questions), Halfpedal (around 25km around 40 questions) and Grandpedal (around 50km around 60 questions). To finish the game, participants have a 6-hour time limit so you can enjoy the game and surroundings.

Was there a prize(s) for game participants? If yes, then what?

Each participant receives a souvenir from Kinopedalis. (Trucker hat) Hats’ color differs from the route that the participant is taken at Kino Pedalis bicycle ride. After the event, you can see many people wearing Kino Pedalis hats in the city and also all around Latvia. Also, we have a lottery for all participants where the main prize is a new bicycle.

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