Interbike concluded Tuesday the 14th, after five days of bike-related business. The annual trade show, which showcases the latest in cycling products and trends, attracted bicycle retailers, manufacturers, media, celebrities and industry advocates and affiliates from around the globe.
Preliminary attendance figures for Interbike 2003 indicate that over 21,000 industry personnel converged on Las Vegas' Sands Expo and Convention Center, representing over 1000 exhibiting companies and 9500 buyers from over 5,500 unique retail storefronts, including over 900 international buyers. Attendance reached a record high for the OutDoor Demo, Interbike's pre-show testing event, which attracted over 6,000 attendees.
“Clearly, the newly extended two-day schedule and enhanced venue for the OutDoor Demo appealed to a larger crowd than before,” said Lance Camisasca, Interbike Show Director. “With better infrastructure at the Boulder City venue, it allowed us to create an event that encompasses more aspects of the industry and its products. With these enhancements, the OutDoor Demo has become a vital step in the buying process.”
“This year's OutDoor Demo reached a new level,” said exhibitor Steve Elmes of Maverick USA. “Overall, the whole concept of the 2-day format is better and gives retailers more time to focus on new products before they buy them. This allows everyone to interact on a more informed level when its time to make purchasing decisions,” said Elmes.
“It was a great decision by Interbike to expand the demo to two days,” said Christina Orlandella of Crank Brothers. “The hands on aspect of the demo allows us to reach retailers on an entirely different level and has certainly helped increase the awareness of the brand,” added Orlandella.
Held under sun-filled skies in nearby Bootleg Canyon in the town of Boulder City, Nevada, the hands-on event allowed retail buyers to test the latest bike designs and accessories from over 170 exhibiting brands on an extensive network of dirt trails of Bootleg Canyon, a professionally built BMX track and a freshly paved road loop.
“The trails in Bootleg Canyon are incredible the place lets you push the bikes more than ever before. It's also great that Interbike is making a serious effort to provide a testing ground for every product category – the BMX track is rad,” said retailer, Kyle Wehmanen, of Salt Lake City's T & T Bike and Ski.
“This year's OutDoor Demo was busier than ever before,” said Eric Carlson of Smith Sport Optics. “The new 2-day format has been great and we've easily talked to twice as many people as years past. Our booth has been super busy all day, both days.”
“For those of us who cover the latest industry trends, Bootleg Canyon and the 2-day format is perfect,” said Steve Casimiro of National Geographic Adventure. “Great trails, more bikes, and faster access made this OutDoor Demo the most productive yet.”
When it comes to new product launches, several companies chose this year's OutDoor Demo as the place to introduce their latest offerings to the industry.
“The response at the demo far exceeded our expectations and the event provided a great platform for us to launch our BMX product to the US market,” said Brian Wilson of Felt BMX. “The action on the BMX track was great and the overall vibe was super energetic – so much that we ran out of bikes a few times.”
“For our new product, the OutDoor Demo has been the best event we could have ever hoped for,” said Stephanie Brendel of PowerBar. “It's given us the chance to introduce our new sports drink in an ideal environment and the resulting retail response has been overwhelming.”
On Sunday, the show moved inside to the Las Vegas¹ Sands Expo and Convention Center, where Congressman James Oberstar conducted the ceremonial ribbon cutting and exhibitors displayed their latest cycling-related wares for the first time ever – covering over 660,000 square feet of floor space. For the next three days, Interbike was a frenzy of product clinics, apparel line presentations, technical seminars, cycling celebrity appearances, industry celebrations, and camaraderie. All attendees took note of the exceptional attendance levels and the busy foot traffic.
“The attention to our products has been amazing and we've had the highest booth traffic ever. We couldn't have asked for a better show” said Melissa Popovich of Veltec Sports Inc. “From the beginning of Day One, we've had non-stop action in our booth and there's been a ton of excitement on the floor.”
“This year has been killer for BMX and the energy is higher in the BMX Zone than anywhere else on the expo floor,” said Ronnie Bonner of UGP Underground Products. “We've connected with some new retailers and have had solid international interest. It's been a great event for us.”
Beyond focusing heavily on the business at hand, Interbike also took time to recognize the constant work of the industry¹s advocates, the achievements of its athletes, and the dedication of its retailers.
To honor the efforts of those who've made major contributions to the bicycle industry over the last year, Interbike hosted the 4th Annual Bicycle Industry Awards Celebration on Sunday, October 12th, presented by Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. Held at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's The Joint, the industry presented awards for a wide range of categories -honoring people, companies, and products in 19 categories. Among the awards given during the festivities were the Lifetime Achievement Award to cycling commentator Phil Liggett; Man of the Year to Skip Hess of Giant Bicycles; Woman of the Year to Lisa Robinson of Sportworks and Martha Roskowski of America Bikes (a tie); Supplier Advocate of the Year to Kona; Retailer of the Year to Chris Kegel of Wheel & Sprocket in Hales Corner, Wisconsin; Male Athlete of the Year to Tour de France cyclist Tyler Hamilton; Female Athlete of the Year to downhill mountain biker Marla Streb.
“This is the best cycling award I've ever won,” said Phil Liggett, who attended the awards dinner to present the athlete of the year awards and was surprised to be a recipient.
The 4th Annual Bicycle Industry Awards Celebration also proved that bicycle advocacy continues to gain momentum and further support from the industry, as all proceeds from the event will go to the 2004 National Bike Summit in Washington D.C.
Many of cycling's top stars were also on hand at Interbike 2003, making themselves available to greet with fans, sign autographs and embrace the industry that supports them. In attendance were some of the biggest names in cycling – like Tyler Hamilton, Gilberto Simoni, Allessandro Petacchi, George Hincapie, Victor Hugo Pena, David Millar and Phil Liggett; mountain bike champions Alison Dunlap and Dave Wiens, and countless other industry icons.
Nearly every attendee had something positive to say about this year¹s show and reiterated its importance to the industry.
“This year was the best ever for the efforts of the bicycle industry and advocacy,” commented Rich Olken, Bikes Belong Executive Director. “Interbike provided the perfect forum for advocates and the industry to make the connection.”
Mike Porter, from Pinkbike.com commented on the online portal's record Web hits on its Day 2 coverage of Interbike. “We had over four million hits on Monday which is proof that people on the outside are excited about what's going on inside the show,” said Porter.
