A good start to a high standard is how Ludwig Meier, member of the management of Messe Friedrichshafen, summed up the first asia bike, which made its premier in China from July 27th to 30th, 2011.
The show featured 138 brands, 95 of which came from outside of China, filling an exhibition area covering 12,000 square meters. Management said that 11,957 industry visitors and 355 journalists (including 17 television channels) made the trip to the premier in Nanjing. They were joined by an additional 2,789 visitors on the days when the show was open to the public. The sixth Asia Outdoor, which took place alongside the asia bike, covered 42,000 square meters of exhibition space (+31 percent), with the number of exhibitors increasing by 26 percent to 452 brands. With a record 19,180 visitors (+17 percent), management said the show underlined its position as Asias Leading Outdoor Show.
The asia bike is the first trade show for sport and luxury bikes, clothing and accessories in China and is a joint venture between Messe Friedrichshafen and partners from China and Hong Kong. The founder of asia bike is consultant Knut Jaeger, who also launched the Asia Outdoor, together with Messe Friedrichshafen. Both shows took place at the same time in the new International Expo Center in Nanjing, with the goal of using the synergies of both markets. With a combi-ticket, it was also possible to visit both events. This quickly established a cross-over effect among trade visitors.
Exhibitors at the first asia bike were definitely at the top of their class: with Shimano, Look, Merida, Specialized, Cervelo, Mavic, BMC, Intense, Time, Focus, Cube, Yeti, TD-Swiss, Triace, UCC, PGBike, Pearl Izumi, Jakroo, Champion Systems, Skins, Fizik, Brooks, Schwalbe, Hutchinson, Sigma and Campagnolo, the international big-name brands were showing their colors in Nanjing. Many brands even presented their new 2012 models.
At the organizers events program, The Show in the Show, 38 of the most exclusive and expensive road bikes, MTBs and urban bikes were presented. The big draw for visitors and media alike was the PG-Bikes Black Trail, priced at RMB 600,000 (59,900 euros). The organizers were also very satisfied with the premiere of the fashion show, with according to the exhibitors was the first fashion show in China for cycling clothing. The test center for mountain bikes also was just one of the crowd pleasers at the show. The Hong Kong designer Pierre Arnaud Le Magnan even built a bike course in his exhibition hall using earth, wood and stones. The six-hour endurance race and the Bike Rock & Pop Night also saw a lot of visitors.
A poll of show visitors revealed that 93 percent were very satisfied with the quality and professionality of the asia bike and intend to return in 2012. The second asia bike will take place in Nanjing from July 26th to 29th, 2012. Organizers are already anticipating higher demand for exhibition space next year.
