Eurobike will add a second consumer day and integrate demo day as a permanent part of the show next year for the first time in its 25 year history in a bid to capitalize on growing interest in bicycles, show organizers announced at the closing of this year's show on Aug. 29.
Eurobike Demo Day, which until now took place the day before the trade show, will be integrated to improve product testing services for both trade visitors and, eventually, consumers.
Eurobike said it will also throw open the doors to consumers for a second day next year, so that even more consumers can indulge their love of all things bike on the Sunday after the show. As a result, the 25th Eurobike will be held with the altered timetable of Wednesday, Aug. 31, to Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016. Wednesday to Friday is reserved for trade visitors while the weekend is specifically dedicated to consumers.
“We’ve initiated these changes in concept as a way to help further stimulate worldwide enthusiasm for two-wheeled mobility,” explain Messe Friedrichshafen CEO Klaus Wellmann and Eurobike Head Stefan Reisinger. “Of course, all the Eurobike participants are fully aware that this also presents new challenges that will need to be overcome.”
Major vendors say the changes will help the industry leverage European consumers' growing interest in bicycles, including e-bikes, as a transportation option.
“In the past 20 years, the Eurobike has developed from a pure trade-only fair into a global industry platform,” said Reto Aeschbacher, Brand & Marketing Division Manager, Scott Sports SA of Switzerland. “This has led to changing needs, so that besides product presentation, it’s also become enormously important to showcase the brand and its brand environment. There’s also been an increasing desire to offer distributors and consumers a direct experience of the product through testing opportunities. That’s why boosting consumer appeal with a second consumer day while also enhancing testing possibilities at the trade show is the right decision.”The Eurobike 2015 set records for new exhibitor and visitor attendance from August 26-29 in Friedrichshafen, Germany with continued strength from e-bikes.
Messe Friedrichshafen, which produces Eurobike, reported the show drew 45,870 trade visitors from 103 countries to the shores of Lake Constance in Germany last week, up from 46,300 a year earlier. More than 1,750 members of the media covered the event, which featured more than 300 produce debuts and 1,350 exhibitors from 53 nations. An estimated 20,730 bike fans streamed into the show on the last day.
“The Eurobike 2015 impressively reflected the dynamism of mobility on two wheels and shifted the optimistic mood in the industry up another gear,” said Reisinger. “According to a survey of trade visitors, 70 percent of guests rated the economic situation of the bicycle industry as growing and 20 percent as steady. A walk through the exhibition halls made it clear that the e-bike remains a strong growth motor of the bicycle industry and will open up markets of entirely new target groups in the future. Networking and multimedia applications on bicycles are also becoming more important.”
