Asia Bike is showing strong growth, following the inaugural trade show in 2011, and expects a 66% gain in total exhibitors in 2012. China’s ’little sister to Eurobike’ was launched last year with 138 exhibitors, and according to industry insiders, this special trade show has made a big contribution to the emerging Asian market for high-end and sport bicycles within just one year.
As the bicycle trade show is taking place at the same time as Asia Outdoor from 26-29 July 2012, organizers are expecting around 30,000 visitors in the Asia Bike halls. An extensive supporting program will also make the trade show interesting for visitors on the public days of the show.
Asia Bike is a joint project of local trade show partner Nanjing Nantex International Exhibition Center and German Messe Exhibition Consulting Ltd, based in Beijing (a cooperative subsidiary of Eurobike’s Messe Friedrichshafen).
The trade show has two days for trade visitors and two for the public. “The double trade show of Asia Bike and Asia Outdoor takes advantage of synergistic effects between the two industries, which are increasingly apparent in China too,” explained Klaus Wellmann, CEO of Messe Friedrichshafen. “As a result, many outdoor goods dealers in the Middle Kingdom are also selling sport bikes, and vice versa.”
The second Asia Bike is expecting 230 exhibitors on 24,000m², which is double the area of the first edition.
Industry heavyweights throw muscle behind Asia Bike
As exhibitor numbers grow, it appears that so does the quality of exhibitors. After the 2011 trade show launched with industry heavyweights such as Shimano, Specialized, Look, Merida, Cube, BMC, Cervélo and Focus, Asia Bike 2012 will continue expanding its roll-call of leading industry brands.
New additions include amongst others: Bergamot, BH, Bianchi, Corratec, Mercedes Smart, Haibike, Staiger, Hercules, KTM, Pinarello and Wheeler.
“That fact that 75% of exhibitors come from abroad shows how much the international bicycle industry is focusing on the emerging Chinese market for luxury and sport bikes,” said Knut Jaeger, Chairman of the trade show in Nanjing.
Asia Bike 2012 is once again offering visitors an extensive supporting program, including a fashion show, forum discussions, press conferences and various workshops. Furthermore, the exhibition halls have two testing centres for road bikes and mountain bikes, with ‘naturalistic tracks of soil, stones and grass’ for that off-road feel!
Premium bikes on show
The highlight in 2012 is once again the ‘Show in the Show’, an exhibition of the sportiest, most luxurious and most expensive bicycles on the market. This year, the exhibition organizers are estimating that the bicycles on show will have a total value of RMB 7 8 million (circa €1 million).
The trade show thus satisfies a particularly Chinese market segment: the high-end arena. “Here, the buyers of high-end sport bikes are not so much the athletes, but rather high-income earners who want to do something for their health, having already satisfied basic needs such as a good education, a good job, a condo and a car,” said a ‘market expert’ quoted by the organisers.
Business Matchmaking
Also among the services of Asia Bike 2012 is the Business Matchmaking program. This was inspired by the fact that many foreign brands in this emerging market are still seeking distribution partners, or perhaps expanded production capacities in China. The Business Matchmaking service answers this need, with meeting points in the European Pavilion. This is a free service for all Asia Bike exhibitors.
Bicycle market in China
In contrast to the outdoor market, there are no reliable statistics for the bicycle market in China. This is especially true of the still-emerging sport bike segment. However, all market players have been talking about a boom in the last two or three years, reporting increases of over 30%. The best current indication of actual volumes can be found in the explosive growth of brand-carrying stores. For 2012, reports show Giant at over 2000 stores and Merida at 1000 stores. Trek and Specialized have also been reporting growth of 30% to 40% in China over 2011 and 2012.
