The bicycle became a political force to be reckoned with at last week’s Eurobike trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel made an appearance. “For the international bike world and for Eurobike, the fact that Angela Merkel came to Friedrichshafen was a strong political signal,” Messe Friedrichshafen CEO Klaus Wellmann said at the end of the show.
Head of Eurobike Stefan Reisinger observed that “the Chancellor’s presence was noted with great pleasure by everyone involved.” This was reflected by heightened attendance at the international bike trade show, which came to an end on Saturday after four successful days.
With 45,200 trade visitors from 111 countries (2012: 43,700) as well as 20,400 bike fans on the public day and 1,883 media representatives from 45 countries, the bike event at Lake Constance achieved a ‘very good result’.
A total of 1,280 exhibitors from 54 countries presented an impressive international selection in 14 exhibition halls, accompanied by 300 world premieres. Visitors journeyed from all across the world to Friedrichshafen, resulting in an international participation rate of 56% (versus 44% local German visitors). All in all, visitors came from 111 countries this year (2012: 97 countries).
Mobility on two wheels was on display in all its diversity. On Saturday, trade visitors, journalists and consumers tried out the newest models with and without electric drive. Cargo bikes are trending strongly. Folding bikes are promoting mobility; their owners always have their equipment with them, ready and set to go. The political message was clear, and not just for the German Chancellor: ‘biking gets everyone in a good mood and simply has a future.’
Exhibitor feedback
For Bernhard Lange, Managing Director of Paul Lange & Co (Shimano), Eurobike 2013 was a complete success. “With the opening speech by Chancellor Angela Merkel, the subject of cycling is now on the agenda at the highest political level, giving it a new momentum which should be taken advantage of in the coming months and years.”
He added, “This makes Eurobike a huge national and international success. Furthermore, we also noticed a very positive mood. Once again, Eurobike has impressively shown that it is truly worthy of the title of the world’s leading trade show for the bicycle industry.”
Jay Herring, Global Business Leader, Gore Bike Wear said “At the Eurobike 2013 we had the fantastic opportunity to present our complete outfit system to a global audience.
Luca Violetto, responsible for Marketing at Wilier Triestina said “For us at Triestina, Eurobike is the most important event of the year because it is the main point of reference for our European retailers.”
Media exposure
Eurobike was widely covered in the media. Trade and popular publications and television and radio stations around the world reported on bike themes. A total of 1,883 journalists from 45 countries attended the bicycle trade show, once again a marked increase over last year. In particular, international interest increased further this year: 53% of the media representatives in attendance came from abroad.
Eurobike Demo Day
On the seventh Eurobike Demo Day, held a day before the start of the main Eurobike show, 2,318 international trade visitors and 732 journalists tried out and tested the latest bike premieres and innovations for themselves.
The innovations provided by 147 exhibitors ‘created the perfect conditions for the bike test day.’ The newest bike models, as well as countless technical new product developments, were ready and waiting for everyone to give them a spin.
“As a combination of a bike show of premieres and a bike event, Demo Day represents the ideal kickoff for Eurobike and offers the unique opportunity to experience the new season’s trends in action,” Klaus Wellmann said, summing up Demo Day.
Bicycle travel convention
The topic of bike tours and bicycle tourism is going strong and showing considerable growth, according to Eurobike’s organisers. At Travel Talk, held as part of the main Eurobike show, the focus was on many current themes that play an important role in bicycle tourism.
On Friday 30 August, the 12th edition of the international bicycle tourism convention was held. About 200 participants from 27 countries attended the workshops and presentations about the newest trends in bicycle tourism. In particular, attention was given to the travel behaviour of pleasure bikers, mountain bikers and racing cyclists; GPS, smartphones and digital maps; as well as international networks of long distance bike trails and the newest hotspots in bike tourism.
This year, the partner region Tyrol exhibited at Eurobike for the first time, presenting itself as a region especially well-suited to biking, with its great heights and deep valleys.
Gearing up for Eurobike 2014
The dates for Eurobike 2014 have been set. The international cycling trade show will take place from Wednesday 27 August to Saturday 30 August 2014. Demo Day will be held on Tuesday 26 August and public day will be Saturday 30 August 2014.
