Shimano Europe has signed a letter of intent to develop a new cycling, fishing and rowing complex in Valkenburg, Netherlands that is due for completion in 2017.
Shimano Europe President Marc Van Rooij joined Valkenburg Mayor Martin Eurlings, architects and developers to sign the letter at the site of a former brewery where the Shimano Experience Center will be built.
The Shimano Experience Center will allow visitors to share the love of cycling, fishing and rowing Shimano’s three core passions and show visitors fun ways to get involved in these sports.
The concept underpinning Shimano’s Experience Center is a journey of social and product experience moments, helping visitors engage in a fusion of interaction and function. Each area will be presented as a sensorial experience, encouraging guests to move, feel and live the Shimano moment.
Visitors will have a unique opportunity to touch and feel the latest products and technologies from Shimano, with indoor virtual reality displays from some of the world´s most iconic sporting locations complementing real-world test tracks and fishing areas in and around the stunning Limburg countryside.
The focus for the social experiences will be on making, taking and creating a moment with exhibits such as content upload areas and “My” Shimano interactive screens, a Shimano Café, demo workshop and Shimano Heritage area.
Meanwhile, the emphasis for the product experience areas will be on, “Riding the Moment, Reeling the Moment and Rowing the Moment.” Across the three sports of cycling, fishing and rowing, unique opportunities to test the latest technologies in fun and safe or challenging environments present fans with an unrivaled range of testing opportunities.
For international cycling fans, Valkenburg is possibly most famous as the ‘home’ of the Amstel Gold race, which attracts professional bike racers as well as thousands of cycling fans from around the world.
“The opportunity to create Shimano’s new experience center in an area with such a rich cycling history is incredibly exciting,” said Gerrit Middag, Shimano Europe business development manager.
Expected to boost regional retailers
“We expect the site to draw cycling, fishing and rowing fans from around the world and of course be of tremendous benefit the sporting industry in the region,” said Middag. “We firmly believe in promoting health and happiness through the enjoyment of nature and the world around us, and this Experience Center firmly fulfills that criteria.”
Hotel and and other amenities under discussion
Besides Shimano Europe, there is a proposal to create an Amstel Gold Race XP center and corresponding hotel with approximately 60 rooms.
The partners in the project look forward to the time in mid-2017 when the 15,000-square-meter Valkenburg site becomes significantly richer thanks to not only to the Shimano Experience Center but also to a bicycle rental center, gastronomic cuisine and a cycling-friendly hotel and event center.
The site is planned to be fully functional by spring 2017. Watch the video below to see more of the plans for development.
