The 34th edition of the Barcelona Marathon saw a record number of 19,455 participants, a 28% increase on last year’s edition. Parallel to the running event, the race organizers have managed to pull together the largest sports show in Spain. With more than 120 booths in an area of 12,000m2, Expo Sports received over 50,000 visitors in the two days prior to the marathon (23-24 March).
For the second consecutive year, the exhibition also had a Tri Zone, specifically dedicated to multisport events and brands, comprising more than 40 booths, including big name events such as Challenge Barcelona and also emerging local players Sailfish Berga Triathlon and the Extreme Man Series (expanding into France this year with an event in Narbonne).
Triathlon enthusiasts are rapidly growing in Spain as evidenced by the 25% growth in memberships with the Catalan Federation (4,157 members to date) and the presence of new brands at Tri Zone, both local and international new entrants seeking to get a position in this burgeoning market.
New entrants include Innov8, High5, Maxim, Nutrixxion and 226ERS. Established brands did not miss the chance to display their products and keep nurturing their customer base, ranging from Orbea, Orca, Sailfish (by Speed Inc), Coreevo & Aquaman (by Vitalnutritech), Zoot, K-Swiss (by TriEnjoy), Suunto (displaying the new Suunto Ambit), Polar, Garmin (showcasing the 910XT).
Again, there was a large presence of nutrition players including: Maximuscle, GU energy gels, PowerBar, MuleBar, Victory Endurance and Vitae.
Tri Zone exhibitors celebrated the opportunity to tap into the larger audience of the Barcelona Marathon. As noted by Pepe Navarro from (Sailfish distributor) Speed Inc, “It is a unique opportunity to reach newcomers to triathlon and go into detail over some of their worries about the different types of wetsuits and get tailored recommendations on getting the equipment ready for the incoming triathlon season.”
Vendors interested in exhibiting at the 2013 edition, should contact with Antonio Di Pasquale (adipascuale[at]rpmracing.es).
www.barcelonamarato.es/exposports_i.htm
