Interbike said the number of retail stores that sent representatives to the show last week increased 4 percent over last year — although overall retailer attendance declined slightly as each store sent fewer people on average.
The pattern was expected given that Interbike eliminated the Health & Fitness Business Expo this year and a declining trend in trade show attendance overall. However, it is the quality of the retailers attending a show rather than the number that matters most to exhibitors, and most left Interbike happy.
“Outstanding show! Leaving Vegas with a briefcase of orders,” said Kevin Wren of Wren Sports LLC in a post on Facebook. The company develops, sources, markets and sells components and other products for bicycles, motorcycles and other sports recreation markets.
“This was the busiest and most productive Interbike we’ve had in years,” said Bernie Doering, SVP Global Sales for BRG Sports, which owns the Bell, Riddell and Giro helmet brands. “Our sales and product staff were busy with dealer showings from the opening bell, and our booth was filled with retailers from open to close. A fantastic show overall for all of the BRG brands.”
Exhibitors leased a record footprint of approximately 328,000 net square feet for the show, which ran from September 16-18 in Las Vegas. Interbike said an increase in retailer attendance offset a slight decline in consumer attendance on the last day of the show, when consumers are admitted to the show.
Interbike will break out more details on where attendees came from next month. Interbike returns to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center beginning with OutDoor Demo in Boulder City, NV, September 19-20, 2016, followed by the Interbike Expo September 21-23, 2016. Established in 1982 and considered one of the most important global trade events for the bicycle industry, the show gathers more than 1,200 cycling-related brands and more than 25,000 total attendees annually. Interbike is owned and operated by Emerald Expositions, producer of 90 business-to-business tradeshows, including Outdoor Retailer.
