Inside Rider Roundtable: Burton’s Annual Product and Brand Development Workshop
Burton has been rider-driven since day one.
It takes a special kind of knowledge to know exactly what will make a snowboard, binding, jacket, or backpack work better than the next – knowledge that you can only learn through years of experience in the field.
And who has more experience than the pro riders on the Burton Team? They travel the world year-round, simultaneously giving their product hell and depending on it for their livelihood. So, each year we invite them to Jake and Donna’s house for a hands-on rundown on the next season’s gear. It’s a rad opportunity to get together, but the focus is on the product, and giving everyone an open line of communication about where the brand is going. We're constantly pushing the progression a little further, finding more sustainable solutions and improvements in both comfort and function. This is our chance to talk it all out with the whole team.
It’s one of Jake and Donna’s favorite events. They’ve played many roles over the years, but they’ve always been riders at heart. Messing with product has always been Jake’s M.O., and Donna is laser-focused on elevating women’s product right alongside the men’s. Rider Roundtable is the one week out of the year when they get to sit down with the team, the employees, product developers, designers, and testers all in the same room to look at the entire line together. That means apparel, bags, camping gear, snowboards, outerwear... Everything. Long days and longer nights even out to a full-on workshop. Everybody gets to weigh in. Nothing’s off limits, and no piece of feedback is too small.
Not only do we look at the next season’s gear, but it’s the first opportunity to unveil the upcoming marketing plan. We check it out together, and then we show the world. This year, we threw another rager at the Milk Showroom to give the greater Burton family a sneak peak at the goods. After all the hard work that goes into this collaborative process between the developers, Jake, Donna, and the riders, it’s time to celebrate.
Being rider-driven means listening to riders, and we have some of the best in the world on speed dial. Just imagine Kelly Clark, or Danny Davis picking up your new flannel, backpack, jacket, or boot, trying out every little feature, and giving it their stamp of approval. That’s what Rider Roundtable is all about.
