6 Manufacturers. 33 People. One Incredible Weekend.

ABR Festival 2026

For most visitors, ABR Festival is 3 days of motorcycles, riding, music and festival atmosphere. For us, it starts months before the gates open.

ABR Festival has become one of the highlights of the Woodcote Events calendar, and in 2026 we reached a pretty significant milestone: we doubled the number of motorcycle manufacturers we supported from 3 to 6 and became the largest single supplier of motorcycle test rides across the festival.

To deliver it, we assembled our biggest event team to date. 33 people. 94 customer motorcycles. 6 manufacturers. Up to 280 test rides available across road and off-road experiences.

It was, without question, our biggest ABR yet.

Scaling from 3 clients to 6

In 2025, Woodcote supported 3 motorcycle manufacturers at ABR Festival. This year, that number doubled.

Our teams delivered demo ride operations for Ducati, Norton, Royal Enfield, CFMOTO, BSA/Lukas Distribution and Triumph, with a combination of road and off-road riding experiences running across the festival.

Some clients required road rides. Others had both road and off-road operations. We also supported stand builds and wider event activity for some of the brands.

Each client's programme was different, but the expectation from us remained the same: every customer experience needed to be delivered safely, professionally, enthusiastically and to a premium standard. Or, as we tend to call it: the Woodcote way.

The bit visitors don't see

The rides might happen over one weekend, but an operation of this size takes months to bring together.

Our biggest logistical challenge this year was staffing.

We needed a team large enough to simultaneously support 6 clients, but this wasn't simply a case of finding 33 available people and handing out some high-vis.

Our ABR team included 22 professional guide riders, 9 hosts and 2 floating support team members, who moved between the different teams to help with off-road refuelling, staff breaks and additional operational support wherever it was needed.

Bringing that number of people together meant recruitment, availability checks, allocations, training, briefing and making sure every person understood not only their individual role, but the standard we expected them to deliver.

Behind the scenes, we were also preparing and allocating an ever-growing inventory of event kit: Branded high-vis, first aid kits, guide rider backpacks, host stationery kits, Jerry cans, Cardo communication systems, and all the other small things that suddenly become very important when 6 operations are running at the same time.

Then there are the routes, operations schedules, customer processes, rider disclaimers, client meetings and endless spreadsheets. Lots and lots of spreadsheets.

6 clients. One standard.

One of the biggest challenges of scaling an operation like this is maintaining consistency.

Each manufacturer has its own brand values, product range, target audience and event objectives. The experience should absolutely feel like their experience. But behind that, our standards don't change.

Our guide riders are there to deliver safe, informative and enjoyable rides. Our hosts manage the customer journey and registration process. Our support team troubleshoot, problem solve and make sure the operation keeps moving.

By the time an event goes live, the planning has been done.

Our job on site is to make sure those plans work – and to solve problems quickly when live events inevitably throw something unexpected at us.

And at ABR this year, one thing was definitely thrown at us: the heat.

34°C. For three days.

Delivering an outdoor event in 34°C temperatures is challenging. Delivering 6 demo ride programmes, with teams wearing motorcycle kit and taking customers out every hour, takes that challenge to another level.

Looking after our team became a huge priority. Breaks, hydration and supporting people through the weekend were essential, particularly for those spending long periods in riding kit.

Some of our team also stayed on site, fully embracing festival life and camping for the weekend. Some sensibly opted for hotels.

By the end of day one, even our caravan fridge had admitted defeat. The meat went off. The milk curdled. It was that hot.

Yet our team worked their socks off. They turned up, supported each other, looked after customers and continued to deliver with a smile. That's the bit we're most proud of.

Work hard. Have fun along the way.

One of Woodcote's core values is Joy in the Journey.

We work incredibly hard, but we genuinely believe there should be fun along the way – and ABR Festival gives us the perfect opportunity to live that value.

It's one of the few events where such a large part of our team is together in one place. Once the bikes are parked up and the day's work is done, we get to enjoy some of the festival atmosphere together.

We also discover previously unknown talents.

This year, we learned that one of our guide riders is an exceptionally good hula-hooper. After giving another rider a lesson, he became so determined to master it that he was later discovered hiding behind a caravan, practicing alone and out of sight (or so he thought!).

Professional guide rider by day. Secret hula-hoop training camp by night.

Our biggest ABR yet

The numbers are exciting. Doubling our clients from 3 to 6 is a huge milestone for Woodcote Events. Becoming the largest single provider of motorcycle test rides across the festival is something we're incredibly proud of.

But the part that matters most to us is how it was delivered. Across our 6 client operations, our teams consistently delivered safe, informative and professional riding experiences, giving every client and customer the standard of experience we set out to achieve.

33 people came together and delivered one standard. Our standard. That's what made ABR Festival 2026 such a monumental weekend for Woodcote Events.

And, despite the heat, the camping and the loss of several pints of milk, we absolutely loved it.